Classic writings on tai chi tell us to relax and move from the waist. But most people don't interpret "the waist" properly from the Chinese. This will mess up your tai chi! The tai chi waist, or "yao" refers to a very large area of the body - the lower transverse...
Harvard University Medical School is among the most prestigious. Their doctors recommend tai chi. Does yours? See what Harvard Univ. professors and doctors had to say about tai chi exercises in this video clip. Source quoted on Internal Gardens...
Tai chi exercises or qigong are often concluded with a "clearing" move by many masters. Most people think of it as a way of calming down and sealing the energy. Also, it gives a sense of closure. But there is SO much more you can get out of a clearing if...
How do you transition between tai chi moves? If this is your question, you are not alone. Remembering transitions in tai chi moves is the hardest thing for the tai chi beginner. But it's actually easier than you think, if you know how to look for patterns to help you...
Think that a good pair of eyeglasses helps you learn tai chi better? Guess again! You may be surprised to know that simple things - like wearing bifocals or trifocals - can train your body and energy to cause more harm than good! Find out how you may actually improve...
Your tai chi is like garden soil - the more balanced nutrients it contains, the more nourishing will be your harvest. So learn ways to "power up" your tai chi so that you can get all the good health, wisdom, qi and self-defense (both physical and "psychic") training...
Tai chi videos and tai chi books seem like good tools to help you learn. Sadly, the opposite often happens: people realize they can't follow the videos/books, so they quit. This does not need to happen! I'm going to share with you, 4 tips on video, and one extra...
Are you sure you're doing your tai chi moves as best as possible? Proper twine steps will load a tremendous amount of energy into your kua. You can use that energy for effortless and speedy change of direction, invigorating and powerful tai chi kicks, or...
Grandmaster Jou was famous for his uncanny youthfulness at an advanced age and after conquering a history of illness. Here we go over his special daoyin taiji diagram stretch that he only taught in his chan si jin workshop. This stretch works very fast to...
A typical tai chi class: the instructor admonishes his students, “Relax!” They go ahead and do what they think is “relax.” And here's where the trouble begins. Ask a roomful of people what the opposite of tension is and you’ll get the unanimous reply,...
There is a tai chi, qigong and daoyin exercise that people often teach and do to "warm up" or "loosen" the knees. And it is the absolute worst thing you can do to your knees. It will "loosen" them alright - to the point that you may need surgery in a few...
Here is a very basic look at how you might use the opening tai chi move for self-defense. Very few people understand that not every single move of the tai chi form is used in application exactly as it is in form practice. For example, you might add an...
The Tai Chi Classics mention that their are “Five Elements in the feet,” and are referred to as the “Five Steps.” What does that mean? Let’s first examine the Taoist five elements, and then we’ll discuss how they are used to symbolize the five steps, or...
I constantly remind my students that real tai chi chuan practice is not about being fixated on memorizing the postures of the form. Sadly, a lot of people will never understand this fact of traditional tai chi. But the ones that do, soar like eagles. Their...
Every posture of tai chi chuan has at least one of the eight gates (or, bamen) dominating the movement. This is how tai chi was originally constructed, as stated in the Tai Chi Classics. Each of the 8 gates has a certain martial "energy." Each of these martial...
The traditional schools of tai chi chuan (taijiquan), along with the other Chinese internal arts, emphasize the development of "silk reeling energy," or "chansijing," in Chinese. The oldest documented and codified style of tai chi chuan known to man is Chen style....
Your tai chi moves are only as good as you can direct your internal energy (qi) and vector the energy of gravity. The secret to healing and protecting your knees (which also empowers the martial applications of tai chi) requires that you learn to move from your...
I try to remind my students that real tai chi chuan (taijiquan) practice is not about fixating on memorizing the form. A lot of people will never understand this. But the ones that do, soar like eagles. My teacher, Master Jou Tsung Hwa, always emphasized that the...
What is meant by the phrase, "All tai chi chuan (taijiquan) is to be done as a Torso Method?" The old masters of the traditional Chinese internal arts - such as tai chi chuan (taijiquan, baguazhang, xingyiquan, etc) mentioned the crucial skill of using the body as a...
The ancient art of tai chi neutralizes the number one destroyer of your health and lifespan - stress. All the money in the world can’t buy you a peaceful mind and more years of your life. So tai chi may be the wisest investment you’ll ever make, as for centuries it’s...
Too many people hurt their knees in tai chi. I never could understand this, as I took up tai chi to CURE a knee injury! One day I finally understood why people were getting hurt. The culprit was improper execution of "twist steps." When you twist-step, you need to...
Few practitioners nowadays abide by the Tai Chi Classics - the founding principles of the art of tai chi chuan (taijiquan). One such principle is the first of WuYuXiang's "13 Torso Methods" of traditional taijiquan. It is the principle of "han xiong."...