Tai Chi

"The whip is made for whipping foolishly foolish fools spouting foolish nonsense." - Franziska Von Karma

Trust your conscience.

This expression also means that when a man says, "Yes," his spirit will also guide and lead him in his endeavor. It refers to not the speaking of 'yes' out aloud, but the speaking of 'yes' with one's soul and actions.

first things first you must fully understand that everything is energy even brainwaves (thoughts) so your intention to focus energy starts with thinking and believing you are focusing it with a great deal of concentration

basicly dedication, years of training and meditating will make you accomplish chi/energy focusing and directing

tai gik is the cantonese pronunciation. tai chi is mandarin.

By working hard to become a well-respected man in his village, he had become just that.

However, the case where he said yes, but his chi did not also say yes, was when he was exiled. This was a case where Okonkwo said yes, but his chi denied him the same affirmation.

A dojo is a place to train or learn the way. They can be made of any material, or can simply exist outside.

Although Qigong and Tai Chi are miraculous healing systems, if done incorrectly they can have many negative consequences (which unfortunately is moderately common in the field, especially outside of China).

A Tai Chi Master, Bruce Frantzis authored a book titled "Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body" explaining one of the fundamental qigong forms that links into Tai Chi and every other Taoist practice. To combat the trend of "bad qigong" he added a section on how to not practice. To paraphrase a few parts:

The essential theory or idea is that when one does Tai Chi and Qigong, one should never strain or force anything to happen and stay within 70% of their total capacity. If this rule is followed, very few problems can occur-the vast majority of negative effects occur in people who practice Tai Chi or Qigong forcefully strain. Similarly, if something starts to hurt or feel as though it's being damaged, the best course of action is to stop.

The most likely negative effect of Tai Chi and Qigong is that a body part (especially the knees) can become damaged from being over strained due to movements being done with bad internal alignments that damage the body part. If alignments are taught properly (one of the main subjects of the Energy Gates book), this never happens.

If advanced Qigong or Tai Chi is done with an unqualified teacher who is not aware of common pitfalls to avoid, people can become mentally unstable (up to and including become crazy) as a consequence of their internal energy pathways becoming deranged.

Most of the other problems I know of are extremely rare, and the vast majority of the time Tai Chi is one of the most effective healing arts that can be studied for nearly any condition. However, that doesn't preclude it from being done with a bit of common sense! After all, any sport with movement requires basic precautions to avoid injuries.

It can be considered a moving meditation. It is designed as an exercise for good health.

Yes modern style Tai Chi is used for health and to help give Chi to organs in slow movements. Meditation is really a non-moving and non-physical, meditation is the exercise of the mind, to clear it of all things one doesn't need in his or her life. Be it good or bad.

Never!

In Tai Chi, for power, the hips should *never* be squared!

My favorite unique DVD on Yang Style Tai Chi is "Yang Style Fighting Applications" by Bruce Frantzis (you can get it online).

If you want a video of the form to copy from and learn, there are actually plenty on Youtube, just search "Yang 24" (that is the simplest, easy to learn, well known form which many references to exist for).

You have to be a calm person, and very flexible. The control of Qi energy is something that just happens on its own if a person trains hard enough for long enough. Flexibility, is of vital importance, as lack of it interferes with the Qi flow. Its also spelled "Chi" but lets use your spelling. Qi flows best when the body is flexible, any Qi related work from various forms of Nei Kung, to Chi Kung, to Tai Chi Chuan among other internal martial arts, anyway any Qi related work works best if its combined with stretching. Different people begin at different levels, and I'm not going to sugar coat the truth, working with Qi exclusively is extremely arduous work. Working with the body's vital energy, because you are dealing with something that sustains your life, the feel of it circulating can be overwhelming. Then there is also the issue of exhaustion due to holding a position for a really long time.

Although there is a "minimum requirement" of 20 minutes, the truth is, the recommended amount of time you want to do Nei Kung is a solid hour. However you need to build up to it, and its not easy. Daoist hermits, spend literally the entire day holding the Zhan Zhuang posture, stretching, eating, and chopping for firewood. If Daoist hermits wear strange outfits, it is because modern clothes are not fit for hermit life, they tear up to easily. Among poor Chinese, most of the clothing they make for themselves is designed to last, hence it does not tear easily and some articles of clothing are even family heirlooms. In days past, peasant Chinese have worn clothing that may have been 100 years old or more, that is how strong the material was.

Its good to take into account such stories, because it is a reminder of how weak you are; I myself I would not be strong enough to live like a poor Chinese, and be happy. I have always admired their strength, how they are able to find contentment in such a simple yet hard life. My own personal "high goal" in meditation, is to make my mind strong enough to live in that kind of poverty, while still staying healthy, and happy. According to Lao Tzu, these are the characteristics of an accomplished meditator;

1) Adaptable, like water; "water ever changes its shape according to its vessel, and it stays in places loathed by all men." What this means is, in the same way water never changes its essence, even if its in, say, a sewer, a sage is able to live, and be content ANYWHERE. They are mentally so strong, it is impossible for them to get depressed, to be mentally affected by their surroundings. A sage feels no different in a Beverly Hills mantion, than they would in a hovel. By all standards that is a supreme mental accomplishment.

2) A sage posesses true wisdom.

3) They acquire a quiet nature; in China, even by the standards of Chinese culture, people engaged in Daoist meditation for a long time are so quiet foreigners often mistake them for mutes. They are not mute; their egos are just so small, they rarely speak. Of course, the opposite extreme is also true; silence, may also be a sign of supreme arrogance. You ever watch "Vampire Hunter D?" One of the characters said there are two types of quiet men in the world, namely, men too busy planning something evil to have much time to speak, and men who feel speaking should not be done unless there's something worth saying. The goal of Daoist meditation is to be the second type. Talking too much is a sign of a large ego, but not an overlarge one, however it is also a sign of inbalance. :-) Balanced people don't talk much, unbalanced people talk a lot.

4) They are charismatic, like royalty, but where royalty have to be trained for their poise, much of the charisma from royalty comes from their mental focus. What I mean by that is, believe it or not charisma and magnetism, is something that can be acquired, the Chinese believe that anything require intensive focus, in fact directs the chi, and even the spirit. Royalty is trained to eat a certain way, to carry themselves a certain way, and because they must always be mindful of every single action, to maintain "proper carriage" demands focus. Years and years of doing that, over time, make the person charismatic. You combine that with supreme self-confidence due to lineage, and, even though they may be arrogant, and not necessarily likeable people, even an unpleasant royal has charisma and magnetism. Lao Tzu says in his Tao Te Ching, that for a Daoist sage, proper carriage and charisma come naturally, due to the power of heaven flowing through them.

5) They literally glow with good health; no skin blemishes anywhere, not nasty wrinkles, no loss of skin color, no eyebags, some have even been known to regrow teeth beneath nasty ones, another gift of extensive meditation is perfect dentation. In fact, its flawless. Absolute perfect health.

6) Here delving into myth, Daoist sages are also invulnerable. You can not kill them; true Daoist immortals, as the name implies, can not be killed, their chi is much too potent. Now, experienced meditators may not have invulnerability, but, they may posses higher than normal coordination, tremendous physical strength, all of which are borderline "comic book character" levels. Part of the reason superhero comics are not popular in China, or elsewhere in east Asia, is rooted in the fact that the Buddhas and Immortals of their religion are in fact far more powerful, plus, in their culture "natural ability" matters less. The Chinese recognize natural talent, but, to most of them, natural talent is not the have all, end all, and be all of acquiring a high degree of skill to them, practice and hard work are more important. In the western world, by and large if you have no talents you're worthless; and don't try to improve yourself because its not possible. You either have ability, or you don't, but no, sorry, you can't better yourself. There is very little compassion in western culture towards those who do not serve the selfish convenience of others; with many it may not even be there. Lack of compassion paired with extreme arrogance, is not a good combination; its why people hate you (westerners). In the end though, increasingly east Asian society is becoming the same way; places like Hong Kong and Tokyo, are especially hellish.

7) Finally, "natural morality." A Daoist sage follows "high morals" on instinct, not fear of punishment from a deity, or fear of Karmic consequences. In short all morality comes from the heart, and a truly purified soul, will be naturally compassionate and good.

Chi circulation, only happens when a person has acquired those 7 characteristics, the most important ones being mental. Also, you can't get away with being like a hypocritical Christian here, claiming to believe something you really don't and be a total and obvious fraud; You need to meet the health and calm requirements, to see that you are truly growing spiritually. If you glow with good health, then you are making progress, if you don't, then you have made no progress at all. If you are particularly messed up emotionally, some of the changes that take place, can be painful. Myself I tearfully apologized to a woman, I have been hurting for a long time; time will tell if she has forgiven me but, I credit in part Daoist meditation, not just a threat to my survival. However glowing good health still elludes me.

And what is "glowing good health?" The body of an 18 year old minus the acne; if you can achieve that, congratulations, your spirit is being purified. Extensive work with Chi, assuming you are under the age of 60, will give you the body of an 18 year old minus the acne, I'm assuming you were a physically fit 18 year old. If you were, you will get that body back, without supplements, and without even, trips to the gym. Of course stretching is so very, very important.

I myself do not know how to circulate it; I am just regurgitating to you, the stuff I've read. It may seem silly, but it makes perfect sense; how many overweight religious fanatics do you know? How many ultra religious types have you met who pray or chant all day and yet "glowing health" is not exactly your picture of them? Although some of the religion is messed up, and I only subscribe to the "Shangdi" sect of Daoism, if I had to subscribe to any of them, they do make a good point; if a person has truly purified their soul, then they should glow with good health, vigor, and youthfulness, they should not be aged, and decrepid, and overweight. You ever notice how the nicest people, with them, time does not seem to affect them? Cruel people on the other hand, do not age well. Well not just cruel but also poor souls deteriorated by sadness. Consider how unhealthy the extremely poor are, or those people, not happy and satisfied with life. The Daoists, make a good and valid point; if you have truly grown spiritually, it should show on your body, there should be physical proof. Again, people of the Abrahamic faiths, I have seen much chanting and many claims, but only among the most sincere among them have I seen good health.

The Christians I've met who chant "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" all the time, who say "Jesus!" so much, almost as if they are trying to convince themselves to believe something they really don't, very rarely, actually, never have I met one who is actually healthy. By the other end of the spectrum however, sincere Christians, the really kind hearted ones seem to almost glow. I have never felt comfortable with people who say "Allah" or "Jesus" a lot.

Ultimately though now I'm just rambling; I hope this was all helpful and remember the "tests." By "test" I mean, don't convince yourself you have made progress, you have to actually see it, to know it. Believe it or not, according to Lao Tzu, even spiritual pursuits need to yield visible results, even the seeking of spiritual fulfilment, needs to meet with scientific scrutiny, and according to Daoist philosophy and religion, both are in agreement that a person of true spiritual accomplishment, glows with good health, and they age gracefully too. At 50, they look 30, at 60, they look 40, at 80, they look 50, at 90, they look 60, and 120, assuming they have not in fact truly achieved immortality, at 120 they look 70, and die peacefully. That is, a "physically fit old person" 70. That is the ultimate achievement, of Daoist meditation.

it could be many lengths depending on the persons arm length.most nunchuks are 12 in long.

Juan Rodriguez, Sr.

太极，that is 'tai chi'

The same way other styles of Kung Fu have, namely in that many myths and misconceptions have arisen surrounding it. Far as nonfiction, in China like here, Tai Chi is stereotyped as "old folk's exercises." Indeed in most parks around the world, most of the people you will see doing Tai Chi tend to be elderly, people like me, among others, are extremely rare (people in their 20's who do Tai Chi).

Tai Chi Chuan has become widespread in China, and although what is said to be the "Yang style" is practiced by millions across the world, only a minority of people practice the full Yang Long Form, and from that minority, an even smaller minority practice the applications and from that minority, even smaller stalle, practice it as an outright martial art. The main way it has affected Chinese culture, I would say, is the cliche in Chinese cities that "that man must have retired from his work; he's doing Tai Chi." In China, if a man is seen doing Tai Chi in a park, it is a surefire sign that he is retired. It has become cliche in China, that Tai Chi Chuan is the "retired man's martial art." Having nothing better to do, many Chinese retirees spend their day playing Go!, and doing Tai Chi.

Another effect of course are the "Neijia" internal martial arts novels. A particular genre, are all the Wudang styles. The most famous is "Crouching Tiger; Hidden Dragon" the style practiced by Li Mu Bai (Chow Yeung Fat's character), is in fact the Tai Chi sword, which specific style, it looked like the Yang, however likely it was probably the PRC's sports commission "synthesized" style which is in fact an amalgam of many different sword techniques drawn from various styles of Tai Chi, even a few exotic ones unknown in the west. The reason the martial artists in "Crouching Tiger; Hidden Dragon" seem to be able to "fly" when they jump, is because one of the things incredibly strong chi will do for a person, according to legend, is "make them so light, they can walk on water." When the chi is circulated strongly, and it circulates with potency, the person can jump great heights, and even stand on bamboo stalks as shown in the movie without crushing the stalk beneath their heel. All the "flying" stuff in that movie, was the effect of their chi. However in China it is considered a myth, even among the likes of Shaolin monks. Even though the Shaolin temple acknowledges the existence of Chi, and many do indeed do demonstrations showing what resiliency it can give the skin by resisting cuts, punctures, and blunt damage, even men or women capable of such feats will generally warn, not to take such legends too seriously. The reason that is is because there have been many tragedies surrounding people who deluded themselves into thinking that their chi had given them supernatural ability.

Yes. Each move in Tai Chi has a fighting application.

The Wado ryu Karate style mixes the two about 70:30 to karate but I'm not sure that is what your looking for. Are you looking for a specific style or anything that combines the two?

It was made up, so you aren't going to find serious sites on it. "Waterbending" is fictional, BUT the real-world martial art that is the basis for "Waterbending" isn't. "Waterbending" is based off of Ku-style Tai Chi. Ku-style Tai Chi is passed down from the Ku Yu Cheong lineage.

Yin and yang combine opposing but complementary forces to create harmony in nature. By using t'ai chi, a person can bring this principle of harmony into their own life.

plug it