The Tai Chi Healthways Discussion Board

I saw the compact taichi in you tube but Is not the same that I practice and also is incomplete so if you can help me I need a video of the 101 form of taichi of Jesse Tsao or some video with the compact taichi that is showed in the book editorial edaf 2000.

Look on Master Jesse Tsao's website :
http://www.taichihealthways.com/tai-chi-dvd.htm
You will find Compact Taiji Dvds.

Hope this helps,
--isabelle

I will do it but I don´t thing is free

pdpv wrote:I will do it but I don´t thing is free

no, it is not free but you have so many hours of work with those DVDs. For me it is not even hours but months, so the cost is not expansive at all : just choose the one you want and you can work a whole year with it.



and you have also a lot of hours of free demonstration on the website.

thanks for your help.

I only have access to youtube video of 32 form tai chi sword, but not much instruction, as there is only the instruction for a small section of it on youtube, and I don't want to buy the DVD, so since it's so hard to copy moves because Jesse is facing you on the computer, does it work if you do everything opposite, and copy tai chi as a mirror image? Or would that totally not work? By mirroring, I mean, like acting like a mirror, if he raises right hand and waves left, I would raise my left hand and wave right, etc. I think theoretically, you're just directly mirroring the instructor and reversing the moves from left to right, right to left... Does this have the effect of reversing the chi or something? Is this good or bad? I think it should theoretically work because you're basically doing everything opposite, but the moves are still the same, just doing opposite limb, opposite direction.

Hello, sorry to give my opinion so late

You have to consider different things :

1. when you say acting like a mirror, does it mean also you take your sword with the left hand ? If you don't this not a complete mirror.

2. what do you exactly mean : does taiji work ?

3. Have you noticed the position of the left hand, the one that has no sword ? If you have no place enough you can form the sword with both hand

4. You can try to put your PC slightly turned and stay close to the PC in the same direction than Master TSao, taking a look from the corner of your eyes.

You can think about what I have written and than ask other questions if you want.

But be aware, this is just my opinion.

When I mean act like a mirror, I guess I meant holding the sword with the opposite hand (right hand). I don't quite understand what you said about forming the sword with both hands if I have no place enough though. But, I have tried to face the same way as the Jesse and looking over my shoulder kind of thing. What I mean when I ask does taichi work is I guess whether or not holding the sword with the opposite hand and doing all the movements opposite is productive to learning taichi or not. I mean, taichi is all about balance, and if I can do the form with the sword in the opposite hand than instructed, shouldn't I still be balanced in my form, because the position of my hands and feet are still the same posture relative to each other as the instruction video, but just switched left to right, i.e. if the left hand is up holding the sword in the instructional video, my right hand would be up holding the sword instead, so in essence, my question is, if we switch the form from left to right completely, is it still a valid way to practice taichi? Or would it be totally wrong? Nevertheless, I'm just kind of curious that's all. Following along feels good no matter how much I butcher the form, and what other reason do I have for doing taichi other than to feel good, and get good healthy exercise out of it. I'm not that interested in actually doing it properly, besides I don't really have the means because lessons cost a lot of money, and I probably would need to pay a skilled taichi master to teach me if I actually wanted to do taichi properly. I think taichi has it's own health benefits specific to each individual regardless of whether or not it is done exactly kosher

tiansu1

You have to learn as Jesse would lead in front of you with his back in front of your face. No mirror images

Hi Tiansu1,

I suggest you take it very slowly. Jesse usually teaches 1 maybe two postures a week, and in class we usually repeat the posture until we can do it our our own, and then add it to the form. What I mean is that following along is hard, and you kind of loose the benefits of Taiji. Relax, learn one posture at a time, practise the posture until you are confortable doing it on your own, and then add it to the form. Tell us how it goes!

I have recently found a website with analysis and description of each move
(http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/sword32.htm#Part1)

and have to my best effort learned the first 6 moves of the 32 yang sword form. Does anybody know of a better website with clearer descriptions of each move? Just wondering. I find practising this form really gives my leg a workout. Especially that third move, The Swallow Skims Across the Water

My Chinese teacher, who also knows taichi (he does 108 long form along with qi gong) says that when doing taichi the mind should be focused on the "dan tian" below the navel and the finger tips. Is chi supposed to flow from the fingertips to the dan tian constantly? Or is it supposed to cycle back to the dan tian during a draw back move (i.e. forming the ball in ward off move), and then flow outward to the fingers and out to infinity during an aggressive move (i.e. the actual warding off or "peng" in the ward off move). Just wondering. Also, how does one center ones mind on the "dan tian" or belly? Does one do this by properly turning the waist during the taichi practise? Or, is one supposed to focus one's conscience on the sensations of the belly as the "dan tian" rotates during taichi practise? I practise the 24 form yang style taichi everyday, and have noticed that sometimes I get tingly fingers or a warming sensations in my fingertips, and sometimes (rarely) I'll get tingling sensations up and down my legs as if there are little pinchers clipping at my legs while doing taichi. Is this evidence of the chi flow, or am I just imagining it? And is it possible in taichi for chi to be blocked in the left chest cavity and not being able to sink to the dan tian, because I would notice that sometimes there would seem to be a lot of tension in my left chest cavity sometimes as and sometimes not as a result of taichi practise. Thanks.

Hi Tiansu1,

tiansu1 wrote:My Chinese teacher, who also knows taichi (he does 108 long form along with qi gong) says that when doing taichi the mind should be focused on the "dan tian" below the navel and the finger tips.

Different people say different things. Try for yourself and see what works for you. Something really interesting is to focus on something different each time you do the form. For example, you might decide to focus on your breathing. Then next time focus on keeping the shoulders relaxed. Another time keeping the kua relaxed. Or focussing on the hands.

I feel by focussing too much on the dantian, you may miss opportunities to relax and feel the qi flow. But it doesn't mean it's the same for you. Try it, see what works.

The tingling in the hands is evidence of qi flow. Your fingertips and the palm of the hands become red. When the muscles are relaxed, the blood flows better, even at a microscopic level in the tissues. Hence the feeling of heat and the color.

It is perfectly possible for the qi to be blocked, it happens to all of us! It's great to be aware of it. My guess would be that there is still too much tension in your left shoulder. Try relaxing your left hip, the left shoulder should become more relaxed too. Try it, see if it works. If it doesn't, something else will. Find it

My understanding of how you focus your mind on the dantian is that it is related to the breathing. When you breathe out, let your breath sink to the dantian. Relax the shoulders and let that relaxed feeling follow your breath going down to the dantian.

Not easy to explain ... and we're all a bit different! Listen to what the teachers say, but also experiment and see what works for you!

Just my 2 cents.

Tiansu :

the website you are speaking about is a very good one, unfortunately all the links do not work, but never mind, I have never found a better one.

During practising of taichi, should the glutes be tucked in throughout the entire practise? I find it is feels very stressful and unnatural to tuck it in the gluts, and especially because tucking in the glutes causes my kua to be tense. And it feels I'm using force to force myself into an unnatural position. Any suggestions? And in the drop stance in taichi or "pu bu" what is the wait distribution supposed to be? Is it supposed to be like 100% of weight on the bent leg, and the other one empty? or it more like 70/30? And I notice it is extremely hard to keep back straight and drop all the way down into a drop stance. Does that come with practise? And is a flexibility thing? Because I find it pratically impossible for me to drop my leg all the way to the ground into a drop stance. Is it just that some people are more flexible than others? Or does flexibility and increased range of motion / flexibility come with practice?
Thanks,
Hank (that's the name I go by)