 Level 2: Yang 24 Form
Tuesdays 9:00 – 10:00a 10/10 – 12/12 Level 1: Yang 10 Form Thursdays 9:00 – 10:00a 10/5 – 12/14 Level 3: Yang 16 Form Thursdays 10:00 – 11:00a 10/5 – 12/14 Registration: Please register the first day of your class. If you are not able to make it someone else can register for you or you may also register when you are available next time you do come.  Colin is a bit of a heavyweight!  He is very active and kicks around alot!  Baby loves his swing and puts himself to sleep on it.  We babysit him 4 days a week, and enjoy him! Colin had a nice 2 month appointment and here are his statistics: 13.5 lbs... 72%... height 23.75... 82% He had 3 shots and is not a happy camper!!  We treat ourselves to homemade smoothies to stay cool in this hot humid weather! Some made to go and some to have on hand. The kale and guava as well as moringa, mint, and lemon come from our back yard. But, the other ingredients like limes and navel oranges come from the generousity of our many friends!
       Click on the play arrow to see a short clip of what a view there is from high up the mountain top. Yang Cheng Fu's Ten Principles on Tai Chi Chuan
Narrated by Yang Cheng Fu Recorded by Chen Wei Ming 1. Straightening The Head Stand straight and hold the head and neck naturally erect, with the mind concentrating on the top. Do not strain or be tense; otherwise, the blood and vital energy cannot circulate smoothly. 2. Correct Position Of Chest And Back Keep the chest slightly inward, which will enable you to sink your breath to the dan tian (lower belly). Do not protrude your chest, otherwise you will feel uneasy in breathing and somewhat "top heavy". Great force can be launched from the spine only when you keep the vital energy in your lower belly. 3. Relaxation Of Waist For the human body, the waist is the dominant part. When you relax the waist, your two feet will be strong enough to form a firm base. All the movements depend on the action of the waist, as the saying goes: "Vital force comes from the waist". Inaccurate movements in taijiquan stem from the erroneous actions of the waist. 4. Solid And Empty Stance It is of primary importance in taijiquan to distinguish between "Xu" (Empty) and "Shi" (Solid). If you shift the weight of the body on to the right leg, then the right leg is solidly planted on the ground and the left leg is in an empty stance. When your weight is on the left leg, then the left leg is firmly planted on the ground and the right leg is in an empty stance. Only in this way can you turn and move your body adroitly and without effort, otherwise you will be slow and clumsy in your movements and not able to remain stable and firm on your feet. 5. Sinking Of Shoulders And Elbows Keep your shoulder in a natural, relaxed position. If you lift your shoulders, the qi will rise with them and the whole body will be without strength. You should also keep the elbows down, otherwise you will not be able to keep your shoulders relaxed and move your body with ease. 6. Using The Mind Instead Of Force Among the people who practise taijiquan, it is quite common to hear this comment: "That is entirely using the mind, not force". In practising taijiquan, the whole body is relaxed, and there is not an iota of stiff or clumsy strength in the veins or joints to hinder the movement of the body. People may ask: How can one increase his strength without exercising force? According to taditional Chinese medicine, there is in the human body a system of pathways called jingluo (or meridian) which link the viscera with different parts of the body, making the human body an integrated whole. If the jingluo is not impeded, then the vital energy will circulate in the body unobstructed. But if the jingluo is filled with stiff strength, the vital energy will not be able to circulate and consequently the body cannot move with ease. One should therefore use the mind instead of force, so that vital energy will follow in the wake of the mind or conciousness and circulate all over the body. Through persistant practice one will be able to have genuine internal force. This is what taijiquan experts call "Lithe in appearance, but powerful in essence". A master of Taijiquan has arms which are as strong as steel rods wrapped in cotton with immense power concealed therein. Boxers of the "Outer School" (a branch of wush with emphasis on attack, as opposed to the "Inner School" which places the emphasis on defence) look powerful when they exert force, but when they cease to do so, the power no longer exists. So it is merely a kind of superficial force. 7. Coordination Of Upper And Lower Parts According to the theory of taijiquan, the root is in the feet, the force is launched through the legs, controlled by the waist and expressed by the fingers; the feet, the legs and the waist form a harmonious whole. When the hands, the waist and the legs move, the eyes should follow their movements. This is meant by coordingation of the upper and lower parts. If any part should cease to move, then the movements will be disconnected and fall into disarray. 8. Harmony Between The Internal And External Parts In practising taijiquan, the focus is on the mind and conciousness. Hence the saying: "The mind is the commander, the body is subservient to it". With the tranquility of the mind, the movements will be gentle and graceful. As far as the "frame" is concerned, there are only the Xu (empty), shi (solid), kai (open) and he (close). Kai not only means opening the four limbs but the mind as well, he means closing the mind along with the four limbs. Perfection is achieved when one unifies the two and harmonizes the internal and external parts into a complete whole. 9. Importance Of Continuity In the case of the "Outer School" (which emphasizes attack) of boxing, the strength one exerts is still and the movements are not continuous, but are sometimes made off and on, which leaves opening the opponent may take advantage of. In taijiquan, one focuses the attention on the mind instead of force, and the movements from the beginning to end are continuous and in an endless circle, just "like a river which flows on and on without end" or "like reeling the silk thread off cocoons". 10. Tranquility In Movement In the case of the "Outer School" of boxing, the emphasis is on leaping, bouncing, punching and the exertion of force, and so one often gasps for breath after practising. But in taijiquan, the movement is blended with tranquility, and while performing the movements, one maintains tranquility of mind. In practising the "frame", the slower the movement the better the results. this is because when the movements are slow, one can take deep breath and sink it to the dan tian. It has a soothing effect on the body and the mind. Learners of taijiquan will get a better understanding of all this through careful study and persistant practice. FROM THE BOOK: YANG STYLE TAI JIQUAN, by Yang Zhen Duo  Our vegan entree is just as tasty and rich as the way it looks!  Step 1: Stir fry sliced bitter melon with as little oil as possible.  Step 2: Gradually add ginger onion garlic sauce  Mix well as bitter melon cooks evenly. Add sliced mushrooms and vegetarian oyster sauce to taste.  Add more color with grated purple and yellow sweet potato!   Click on the play arrow above to see lucy's 4 classes perform Yang style tai chi. Video includes: Monday Tai Chi Basics, Level 1, Yang 10 Form, Level 2, Yang 24 form, and Level 3, Yang 16 form.
 Tai Chi at Helsinki, Finland  Our daily smoothie took a little different twist with guava, pineapple, banana, moringa, kale, kumquats, lemon, lime and oranges.  Fried brown rice infused with green onion ginger garlic sauce with morsels of mushroom, corn, 2 kinds of sweet potato topped with crumbled almonds... oh soo tasty!  Colin is now 7 weeks old. Last but not least, at our Olelo workshop after taking baby home, we attended a audio presentation. Now, I have the use of a new set of headphones that are the best for editing my videos!  In the last 2 weeks we have gone to Olelo to learn how to use a fancy, new, expensive Canon video camera, the Mark II. Last night we learned more about getting good audio, and the night before we learned more about lighting. These are ALL the things we would like to improve on as we film for Olelo, our career during our retirement years.
  The Little Mermaid, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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