Tai Chi for health & wellbeing
I’m constantly reviewing my training schedule and today I decided to get back into practicing Square Tai Chi in my form’s session.
For those not familiar with the term it’s a stop and start method of practicing Tai Chi, particularly suitable for beginners. Here’s a previous post of mine explaining it in more detail Square Tai Chi vs Round Tai Chi.
Praciticing square Tai Chi before I do the round form has the following benefits: [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 …
My toughest Tai Chi experience?
Nicking my head with the guard of my Sabre and drawing blood during a demonstration in front of 60 secondary school students?
No.
Holding a workshop in a library with some participants spilling into the aisles where I couldn’t see them due to the lack of room?
No.
Presentating an energizer session late one Saturday evening at a conference where the booze overruled any sense of participation?
No.
The toughest experience happened in the local park the other day. I did some shopping and had time in the afternoon to practice my Tai Chi form so at about 3.30pm I drove to the park and found a secluded spot facing the man made lake.
It was a beautiful setting, sun shining, no breeze, perfect for Tai Chi.
As I started my Tai Chi form they appeared.
Just finished my afternoon Tai Chi workout out in the garden. I practiced the hand form and have added a new segment to reinforce the self defence applications in the form.
Some people suggest you practice the form and imagine using the self defence applications as you do each posture. I’ve never found that helpful because the movements in the form use larger circles and extended postures which are not useful for practical self defence.
I prefer to separate form work from realistic self defence applications and here’s how I do it;
As there are more than one self defence application from each of the 37 postures; my session almost feels like another form but only with a realistic edge to it. Well, as much as a realistic edge as you can get without training with a partner.
The extra segment to my training is a good way of reinforcing the idea that every movement in the Tai Chi form has a self defence application.
And having this perspective helps the form ‘come alive’.
Tai Chi has two basic breathing methods – abdominal and reverse breathing.
When I teach abdominal breathing in my various presentations and student Tai Chi workshops, I usually get someone who ends up doing the more advanced reverse breathing method instead.
I don’t know why some people do this as the explanation and demonstration is clear and simple to follow. Maybe it’s because some people get confused with the concept of breathing in and expanding the abdomen at the same time. Usually after a few attempts they get it right.
I thought I’d write a post, in simplistic terms, on the difference between the two breathing methods and how they are used in Tai Chi.
Abdominal Breathing
You simply breathe in through your nose and expand your abdomen. When you breathe in, your abdomen returns to the resting position. Abdominal breathing is the general breathing method for wellbeing Tai Chi.
Reverse Breathing
This is the reverse of abdominal breathing – you breathe in and your abdomen gently contract – breathe out and your abdomen expands. Reverse breathing is used in Tai Chi self defence.
Sometimes I find when I do my Tai Chi form or Chi Kung exercises I alternate between abdominal breathing and reverse breathing without thinking about it. However when it comes to the Tai Chi self defence applications then reverse breathing is what I tend to focus on.
It’s important for beginner students to focus on abdominal breathing before trying reverse breathing.