The lower tan tien – located approximately 2-3 finger widths below the navel – is the center of nourishment – both energetic and physiologic. In the Form we move from this center. If you can center your awareness in this area of the body, it will help contain your energy from over extension. Although centered […]
Archive | Blog Pearls of Wisdom
“What if I am Practicing Incorrectly?”
“What if I am practicing incorrectly?” someone asked. You must allow yourself to “play” with the principles. There will never be perfection. Even after 44 years, I too have to reconfigure my movements. So that being said, I told the student to “go ahead and fake it” with the awareness of – that is what […]
Maggie Newman – Lessons Learned
Most of my learning about the “knot between the pearls” came from hours of learning and focus with Maggie Newman (a senior student of Professor Cheng man-Ching). In the mid to late 70’s she meticulously, arduously, and for me at times painstakingly drilled us who attended her summer 8 week intensives at Naropa Institute, on […]
Reeling of Silk
Reeling of Silk – Chi Kung Exercise – Video This is a great exercise for the Lungs and Large Muscle Groups. (Caution: Start gently, do not practice for a long period of time as to become lightheaded. To start, 3 upward and 3 downward motions is sufficient.) Breathe in as the arms go up and […]
Intuitive Realm
Intuition is a tangible yet unseen aspect of our being. It is the part of us that reaches out, beyond what the eyes can see to touch and sense our environment and universe. There are many layers to the intuitive realm, however because it is barely measurable by science, it is believed to be a […]
The Knot Between the Pearls 2 – Tai Chi
The Knot Between the Pearls 2: The strand of that runs through the Tai Chi form from its beginning to end is an energy flow. The “knot” creates the ebb and flow that generates movement between postures. When I studied meditation with Trungpa Rinpoche in Boulder, CO he expressed the motivation force as “the gap […]
Root Yourself to the Earth…
Root yourself to the Earth. Find flexibility in the being open to the changes of the Universe.
Roles of Body and Mind in Tai Chi
When you first start to study tai chi the body informs the mind – this is done by what you feel and see when scanning the body for tension, checking your weight differentiation and foot placements, monitoring your alignment, and coordinating the body mechanics from the vertical and horizontal axis. After a period of time […]
Principles of Meditation
Meditation is a change in the “state of mind”. IMHO in meditation, sitting, standing or moving, when one experiences “non thinking” it is simply that the mind is not focused on internal dialogue. There are dimensions to what might be considered dialogue… In tai chi, the dialogue could be too much focus on what you […]
8 Methods – Professor Cheng Man-Ching
Believed to have been lost, the 8 Methods is a set of images and movements created by Professor Cheng Man-Ching. It was developed to add imagery to and simplify the tai chi basic principles for people who may have memory challenges, those who had suffered injury and are in rehab, and as an simple introduction […]