Classical Tai Chi Blog
Blogging about Classical Tai Chi in California
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Your Opinion is just that...an opinion!
Monday, September 23, 2024
Slow Form, Small Circle Tai Chi
SLOW FORM, SMALL CIRCLE VIDEO
In the transcript of this video, Master Stephen Hwa said: “The difficulty of slowing down is that the movements and intention cannot have any break.” The word to describe this is “continuity” of movement, essential to promote internal energy and qi in the body. It is also interesting that he talks about the role of the practitioners back. Evidence of stretching and contraction on the back proves that internal energy and martial intention “Yi” is leading the movement.
I recall a World Tai Chi Day demonstration in Rochester, NY, in 2007. At that demonstration, our group of students demonstrated this slow form. There was very clear evidence of “stretching and contraction” on the back because our T-shirts were tucked in. Additionally, our group was facing away, and the large audience of people who watched could see our backs. As we did the form, Master Hwa pointed out this evidence to the audience.Friday, September 13, 2024
Connect Internal Energy of Walking with Upper Body
I am very grateful to my teacher for his work in making this video. Over the years of practice and training students, I have discovered a few other methods and observations that can be used for the training. Classical Tai Chi's introductory walk is done with the knees slightly bent and remaining so. When practicing the first lesson of Classical Tai Chi Walk, one should look at stretching the neck. Students should also check that they are not watching the ground to see if their feet are correct. Check the position of the feet in one of the exercise methods outlined below, wherein the student will stand in one spot. The position of the legs can also be checked in this “one spot” method, thus making sure that the thighs line up when the student sits back or the knee does not go over the front toe when the student leans to the front. As the student progresses, they should find they are automatically stretching their heads up and looking forward. This is an integral part of the “lean” forward posture where, unless checked, a student will watch their feet. When one “sits” back, the body should be vertical and perpendicular to the floor
As training progresses, the student will keep the body weight back when they are dropping the foot. It is a sign of a perpetual beginner to have the body weight lurch when the foot takes a step. The foot pushes down until it is completely flat on the ground, then used to pull the body forward or back. Until the foot plants firmly, the body does not move, so the body moves from one weight shift to another. One wants to learn to recognize, then end, any rocking action with either lead foot as the weight shifts. I show this “rocking” in my class by students pulling me by the arm AS my lead foot is being planted, then pulling me AFTER my lead foot is planted. This also holds for stepping backward and planting the foot by touching the heel to the floor first. Eliminate the rocking action that occurs when stepping onto the ball of the foot. I will also have them do the same comparative movement. They readily see the instability of rocking the foot as one shifts the weight vs. “planting” the foot.
Students who do the introductory walk for a while will not stand up when they lift their legs to take a step. By “standing up,” I mean that the weight-bearing leg does not flex and straighten itself. This flexion will result in the student bobbing up and down as they walk. Or what might be called a kind of duck walking. To do the walk correctly, the bend of the standing knee will not change as you lift the other leg, whether moving forward or backward. I have my students lightly touch a wall as they move, so lightly that the fingers gently slide as they walk. I tell them that if they are aware enough, they will feel the hand move up and down if the “standing” leg is bobbing up and down as they walk. Another technique I recommend is to put a piece of tape on a mirror at the level of one’s head as one stands with one's knees bent. Students watch the top of their heads as they walk toward it. Do not bob up and down, and keep looking forward while not watching the ground. The top of the head should not rise above the tape as the student moves.
Another use for a wall, post, kitchen counter, etc., isolates the walking practice into a few basic walking steps. The first advantage of this method is that one does not have to worry about balance. In the beginning, students will inevitably be overly concerned with balance and unable to concentrate on the natural movement. Withholding on to the wall or post, at least the balance problem takes care of itself so one can give full attention to the actual practice and training of movement. In the first step, planting the foot while holding the pole will make the body less likely to lurch forward.
Additionally, the student can check their posture in either lean or sit-back positions because they can take an extended pause without concern for maintaining balance. Is the rear end tucked in, is the neck stretched up, is there a continuous stretch from the top of the head to the bottom of the heel, etc.? In this one position, one should slowly and deliberately shift the weight from front to back while pausing to self-check each posture.
Another method for these exercises is to do numerous continuous walking steps while sliding the hand along a wall. This method is slightly different from my teachers, which, as I iterated, involves holding support without moving the hand. I teach students to practice various exercises while using both methods. The “holding” onto support is very useful for lessons that involve training core movement to move the body. Students doing this can do many repetitions where they can contract the lower abdomen or tan tien area to move the body either front or back and shift the weight by pulling. Eventually, one learns to feel the contractions of the abdomen engage the lower back, buttocks, legs, feet, etc. I tell students who struggle with feeling the contractions to engage with other muscle groups to “pull” with the legs. Or, as Mike Fittipaldi, a teacher, put it, to “pull with the knee.” That is how I started, as I gradually began to learn not only to contract the abdominal muscles but also to learn where they contract, how they feel, and how to engage the other parts of the body.
Another method I use for “core contraction” training is having students simply sit in a straight-back chair with one foot slightly in front of the other. I then tell the student to contract the lower abdomen muscles while leaning the upper body slightly forward. From the “lean” position, I then tell students to contact the lower abdomen while pulling the body back to a straight and perpendicular sitting position. Like the “holding” onto support while one stands, this sitting in a chair method can generate many, many repetitions to train such core contractions and body movement. The student thinks and feels what sensations are happening and looks for such things as engagement with the feet to coincide with the pulling action. One can also gradually learn to detect engaged muscle groups such as the back, buttocks, etc.
Another component or method for training the walking is to hold the support, take a couple of steps forward or backward, and pause at each juncture. At each “pause,” it is essential to check the head is stretched up and stretched from the top of the head to the bottom of the heel. However, an additional check is made on how well the rear end is “tucked” in with both the forward lean and sit-back postures. For the forward lean, one still has to try and tuck in the buttocks. For the sit-back posture, one must tuck in the buttocks. In the lean, of course, one will not fully tuck under the buttocks as much as one can when sitting back. I frequently point out to beginners how important the tuck is. To illustrate this, I have them move to touching a wall with the backs of their body. With their legs straight and not bent, they see they can run their hand through the curve in their lower back between the back and wall. Then, I have them bend the knees and tuck in the behind while feeling the same lower back area. With their back to the walls, I can also have them practice the “one step” method of shifting the body repeatedly. When they pull back, I urge them to see which part of the back will touch the wall first. If the shoulders or even the head touches the wall first, the apparent correction is to tuck in the buttocks fully. The lower back near the sacrum should touch the wall with no other portion of the back in contact. These types of additional practices, besides breaking down the various components of walking, thus enable students to practice the most difficult portions of the walking.
Thursday, September 5, 2024
Internal Power of Classical Tai Chi
VIDEO LINK
Regarding Tai Chi, the best advice is not to do what’s easy; do what’s right! If you are wondering how the internal energy of classical tai chi is used as a power source, you should also visit Master Hwas Classical Tai Chi online course at Teachable.com.
In his book "Uncovering the Treasure," Stephen Hwa quotes Jou Tsung Hwa. From: "The Tao of Tai Chi Chuan, The Second Stage". "The hallmark of the second stage is using the torso method. Torso method is characterized by the use of the body, specifically the waist and spine, to initiate and empower the movements of the arms and legs...Only those who reach this stage can truly be said to be practicing Tai Chi, yet these are few indeed."
Uncovering the Treasure
Classical Tai Chi's Path to Internal Energy & Health by Stephen Hwa
This video analyzes how classical tai chi utilizes the body to derive internal motion and power. Still, it also utilizes comparison and an understanding that internal energy comes from places in the body that most people are unaware of.
Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Learning at a workshop
Thanks for this workshop Master Hwa!
I noticed a few things! A number of students here turn from the shoulders, not the waist. They also do not droop the buttocks (Tuck)! Too much shoulder involvement of students coincides with excessive hip involvement 1. Tucking the pelvis better while standing prevents hip involvement 2. Or try sitting in a straight-backed chair; it holds hips still 3. Folding arms while sitting or standing contributes to "dropping shoulders" and facilitates not raising or turning from shoulders, improving just turning from the waist.
Friday, August 9, 2024
Wrung out
https://www.classicaltaichi.com/internal-discipline.html
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
How do you lift the leg?
Nine in the third place means:
In the light of the setting sun,
Men either beat the pot and sing
Or loudly bewail the approach of old age.
Misfortune.
"Here, the end of the day has come. The light of the setting sun calls to mind
the fact that life is transitory and conditional. Caught in this external bondage, men are usually
robbed of their inner freedom as well. The sense of the transitoriness of life impels them to
uninhibited revelry in order to enjoy life while it lasts, or else they yield to melancholy and spoil
the precious time by lamenting the approach of old age. Both attitudes are wrong. To the
superior man, it makes no difference whether death comes early or late. He cultivates himself,
awaits his allotted time, and in this way secures his fate."
Ikkyu, the Zen master, was very clever even as a boy. His teacher had a precious teacup, a rare antique. Ikkyu happened to break this cup and was greatly perplexed. Hearing the footsteps of his teacher, he held the pieces of the cup behind him. When the master appeared, Ikkyu asked:
"Why do people have to die?"
"This is natural," explained the older man. "Everything has to die and has just so long to live."
Ikkyu, producing the shattered cup, added: "It was time for your cup to die."
Dementia, old age, lack of movement, the bain of old age? Are you doomed to merely "clinging" to life as you reach old age or do you celebrate going into it by "living in the Springtime of your life"? There are numerous studies and articles about the health benefits of Tai Chi for any age, but there should be much more written about Classical Tai Chi. As with Tai Chi in general, the health benefits of Classical Tai Chi can be examined from different perspectives and with different intensities. Unlike Tai Chi in general, however, the health benefits of Classical Tai Chi will always be linked inextricably with the training of Internal Discipline, which is the exclusive domain of Classical Tai Chi.
It is an unfortunate occurrence of old age that the elderly begin to move more and more from the extremities of the body and less and less from the core of the body. We hear the statement, "I feel stiff," quite frequently from elderly people, whereas one seldom hears that refrain from the young.
This is an excerpt from the book Understanding Dementia, which is meant to be a practical manual for primary care physicians and other health care professionals. Chapter 6 deals with the neurological examination, which includes an examination of gait (i.e., how someone walks).
"A crucial (and often neglected) part of the neurologic exam is the observation of gait. Common gait disorders associated with dementia are hemiplegic gait, parkinsonian gait, ataxic gait, and apraxic gait. The characteristics of a hemiplegic gait are well-known (circumduction at the hip, dragging of the affected foot, and lack of movement at the knee). Parkinsonian and ataxic gaits are also familiar to most primary care practitioners. The former, in its most characteristic guise, is accompanied by a stooped posture, loss of arm swing, shuffling, small steps, and festination - an ataxic gait is characterized by imbalance and usually a broad couching stance in compensation. An apraxic gait is present when the previously learned motor activity (gait) can not be performed despite normal power and coordination of the legs. Typically, the patient can stand but has difficulty initiating gait, is very unsteady, takes small irregular steps, and their feet appear frozen to the floor. Detailed cuing (e.g. "life your right leg, now bend the knee, now put it forward.") often is helpful. This gait is consistent with both vascular disease and normal pressure hydrocephalus. "
Taken from Understanding Dementia: A Primer of Diagnosis and Management
© Kenneth Rockwood & Chris MacKnight, 2001
Chapter 6, pp 108-109
That is interesting terminology: "Detailed Cuing" (e.g., "lift your right leg, now bend the knee, now put it forward.") This is exactly how Classical Tai Chi approaches its most basic training: walking by using internal discipline.
I find the Walking exercises, training, and practice of classical Tai Chi to be tailor-made for this dilemma. While one can intuit quite easily that it is important to maintain the ability to walk, what is more difficult is getting people to do it, particularly if they feel unsteady.
Moreso than any Tai Chi that I have experienced over 35 years, Classical Tai Chi takes this and goes right to the crux of the problem. The elderly do not move from the core, they stoop, shuffle their steps and exhibit very little flexibility. Any training should take the "core" movement into account for the stagnation of the core is at the heart of the matter. Any training should take a cognitive approach...talking, instructing exactly(How do you lift your leg..." lift the leg by using the abdominal and back muscle, by lifting the pelvis, etc." It is part of the training to take "small steps" but with Classical Tai Chi the training makes the steps "regular". The training encompasses schooling people in how to not have "feet frozen to the floor". This is accomplished by teaching people to keep the body's center of gravity under control. Not allowing the body to fall forward as is done in the everyday common walking motion. Most importantly, one learns to pull the body forward or backward, not pushing with the legs.
In this way, dementia patients can work toward a visceral understanding of proper body posture, foot position, and body weight distribution while using highly cognitive and unique training for gait dynamics.
Monday, July 15, 2024
This is Small Circle not Large
Rashid Oso asked an interesting question: What about practicing Tai Chi at a very slow speed? Many Tai Chi practitioners nowadays (on YouTube) tend to move quite slowly, even in a very deliberate, drawn-out manner. Can one maintain the same feeling of relaxation and internal energy at that slow speed? For me, practicing Tai Chi at a normal speed is the most natural and comfortable. It's the pace that just feels right.
Rashid Oso et al. at Slower speeds: One can certainly attempt to slow the speed down to a "snail's pace" as an experiment; no one will scold you. However, 99% of "other" Tai Chi may appear to move slowly, but consider the mechanics of what they are doing and the size of their "frame" and "circles." Also, to quote Master Stephen Hwa "...Jim Roach, they don't do INTERNAL..."! For instance, if someone is making a sizeable circling movement of their arm, doesn't that naturally extend the time because of the circle size? We do "small frame" and "small circle"; making a smaller circle takes less time than a large circle. As an experiment, you stand, feet parallel, and reach toward the wall, stretch till you first engage your core, then stop. Hold the stretch, count to 5, and then continue the stretch. In other words, you slowed your playing speed, but the internal force level did not change. You stopped the internal movement midway and found it remained energized. So, you also have this time to experiment while doing the form. You found that even playing slowly still gives you more time to sense and experiment with the details of the internal move. If you go slower and slower beyond a certain point, the circulation of the internal energy becomes a problem, not the initiation. There is a factor of diminishing returns, which you will sense, and you will find that it is becoming an intermittent circulation. That is a sign that you are playing it too slowly. People say, "Oh, play it at 20, 30, 40 minutes, etc." However, intermittent circulation will occur once you approach the 20-minute mark in these small circle-round forms. Remember, you are making small circles, and that has its own physics, which you try to defy at a "snail's pace."
Friday, June 14, 2024
Cross Lateral in Tai Chi
https://youtube.com/shorts/ZYUy5af_B_k?si=vbfNHFrnAjtslOK6
Classical Tai Chi is loaded with “cross lateral movement”. AKA left brain cooperates with right brain. Example: One hand pushes, other hand deflects, etc. Try patting your head and rubbing your belly. Try patting your belly and rubbing your head. That difficulty is the neurological answer to the following question: The young woman said “Mr. Roach, why does Tai Chi have to be so hard?”
This analogy is based on “ cross-lateral movement,” which requires the left and right brain to work together. As babies, we learn these skills instinctually. As we age, unless we continue to train physical movements across a wide range of motion and complexity, the neural pathways in the brain that were once strong to do this begin to atrophy. Good example is the shuffling steps as well as balance troubles of many seniorsLink to example of cross lateral
Saturday, June 1, 2024
Classical Tai Chi Walking Exercise
Classical Tai Chi Walking Exercise
We have a mixed-ability Classical Tai Chi group, so newer members must avail themselves of study materials and online lessons. This is so that they can improve their standard and master at least the basic walking of Classical Tai Chi in their own time. Walking is quite helpful because you can do it even during other activities. Any questions can also be asked anonymously in the Classical Tai Chi group.
Here is the link to join our group: https://fb.me/g/p_KyoSC3pbm4Dsv36u/812ndvso