Tai Chi for health & wellbeing
Well, it’s that time of the year where I’m contacting secondary schools here in Melbourne about our Top Tens (Year 10) and VCE Success and Resilience workshops.
It’s high energy stuff mixed in with Tai Chi meditation so it certainly makes me work. I sometimes feel like a duck paddling across a lake. On the surface everything looks calm but below the surface the duck is furiously paddling its little feet along to propel itself forward.
I’m sure most teachers can relate to the ‘duck’ analogy.
I’ve just started to relearn another Wu style spear form and have found the count method makes it easier to remember the moves.
It’s a technique I teach beginners during my Tai Chi classes, private lessons and presentations.
All it involves is counting out aloud each movement of a posture. The number of counts depends on how many individual movements there are in the posture you are practicing.
For example one of the spear postures I’m learning has four separate movements. Here’s what I do: [Read more…]
By Chris 5 Comments
Tai Chi Chuan translates to ‘grand ultimate fist’. And today the most popular way of describing this ancient Chinese health and self defence system is ‘Tai Chi’.
While researching Tai Chi recently I read Bruce Frantzis (a renowned Tai Chi teacher) book, ‘Tai Chi for Health’ in which he describes Tai Chi Chuan as ‘encompasses its martial arts or warrior aspects’ ‘ and ‘Tai Chi ‘encompasses philosophical and spiritual concepts’. [Read more…]
I had a very enjoyable time at last Sunday’s Push Hands session held at Fawkner Park, South Yarra.
I managed to drag myself out of bed and do 30 minutes of Chi Kung to loosen up before driving to town which took about an hour. Memo to self – don’t drive down Toorak Road -too busy!
Well, I survived the ‘ordeals’ – finding a parking spot and training. We had nine turn up, four Tai Chi practitioners and five Wing Chun practitioners. Training ranged from gentle to vigorous (without the killer moves :). Interesting to experience Chi Sao vs Push Hands.
We trained for two hours with a ten minute break in between. Ten minute rotations between participants.
[Read more…]
I’ve just got back from the World Appreciative Inquiry Conference held in Ghent, Belgium – and what a trip!
During the conference I ran short early morning Tai Chi sessions for attendees to energise them for the upcoming day. I had to get up at 5.00am, get ready and then catch the number nine bus at 6.25am so I could be there by 7.30am, which was earlier than I anticipated.
Well, the bumpy bus ride and the short walk to the conference centre through the biting cold wind and rain stopped me from falling asleep.
The 15 minute sessions began at 8.00am and I made myself available to anyone who wanted to keep training after 8.15am and a few stayed on. We had a small but keen group each morning and I went through different aspects of Tai Chi to give the participants a taste of Tai Chi.
Here’s what we did …