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TAI CHI CHUAN VIDEOS (Cont.)
Tai Chi Chuan – Spinning Silk (~7 min)
This simple sequence combines and expands on elements of the three circles and eight treasures in order to explore a concept known as “spinning silk.” The silk spinning exercise articulates a concept that is at the root of all movements – the integration of fluid motion with steady breathing and mental focus.
Tensho #1 – Introduction (~8 min)
Describing tensho entails a short story that speaks to the roots of martial arts practice. Tensho is a flower that blooms from the branching tree that draws power from those roots.
The Tensho form was created in Southern Okinawa by Naha-te master Chogin Miyagi at the turn of the 20th century (~1900). The term tensho means energy in the palm.
Miyagi’s training was informed by two primary sources. First, the native Okinawan martial art known generically as Okinawa-te (Okinawan hand) and more geographically specific, Naha-te (southern hand). Miyagi’s second source came from Chinese martial arts rooted in Gung fu and Tai Chi Chuan.
(Note: Stances have been simplified slightly and tension in hands is more relaxed)
Karate
When tensho was created, the Chinese martial arts practiced in Okinawa were referred to as karate, meaning literally, “China hand.” Therefore, a person practicing karate in Okinawa during those times was exploring a Chinese fighting art based on a Chinese philosophy known as Taoism.
Taoism
Taoism is a philosophy centered on elucidating the apparent forces and laws of nature. It is based on the idea that the dynamics of change, unfolding moment by moment, are driven by an unknown force – Tao (first cause).
Taoist Philosophy, the specific ideas regarding the nature of change, were first recorded in written form in a book known as the I Ching (Book of Changes) around the 10th century BC. The I Ching forms the conceptual substrate and backbone for the practice of tai chi. It is formed around a symbolic language representing various states of change such as expansion and contraction or movement and rest. There are sixty four pairings in all but the possible combinations of linkages are astronomical. The various states are often juxtaposed as polar opposites, yin and yang.
Yin – Yang
The pairing of opposites, yin (shadow) and yang (light), implies that between two opposing tensions there is an equilibrium (zone of stability) and a midpoint. The art and practice of tai chi (infinite ultimate) centers on navigating the ever changing landscape of tensions. By operating in accordance with the underlying flow of change (Tao), being mindful of tensions and their equilibriums, one strives to live in harmony with nature. Practicing tensho is a way of making the field of tensions tangible through movement, breath, and concentration.
Symbolic language
The descriptive language of tai chi employs imagery and metaphor to characterize attributes of nature such as force, mass, motion, and interaction. The symbols in the I Ching form a structure of interlinked duel concepts such as firm (tiger) and yielding (crane), heavy (weighted) and light (unweighted), motion (action) and stillness (rest). The symbols and their possible combinations are employed as a way of describing and weighing situational dynamics which effect the flow and path of events. In the physical domain the symbols can describe processes such as breathing, blood flow, the qualitative aspects of the behavior of force or the flow of kinetic energy. The link between the unknown agent of change (Tao) and the physical manifestation of change in our universe is described by the word Qi.
Qi
Qi is a complex concept that can be useful when trying to articulate tangibles and intangibles. Qi is energy. Qi is the force that acts on something to induce action. Motion – kinetic energy – is Qi. The motive force driving a living system to sustain an organized equilibrium is described as a flow of Qi. A willful intention or reflex to take physical action is an example of activating a flow of Qi. Qi may be characterized as the invisible link between cause and effect. Potential energy is stored Qi. Intention is stored Qi. If one feels downcast but then experiences an energetic lift upon meeting a friend, the elevation of state may be characterized as a transfer of Qi from person to another.
Qi is also the word for blood. As movement patterns change, muscular demand changes. Changes in muscular demand induce changes in blood circulation – changes in the flow of Qi. This is why movement patterns are viewed as adjustments in the flow of Qi.
Thus, the manner in which the term qi is employed is always tied to the context in which it is used.
Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chuan
Tai chi is practiced by applying it to something specific. The specific application serves as a vehicle or model that helps to strengthen the capacity to manage a positive steady state of well being and bring forth adaptive skills when the need arises. For example, when tai chi is connected to martial arts, the skillful management of forces becomes tangible through the practice of techniques which provide a person with additional tools for navigating the uncertainties of living . The hidden jewel in the practice resides in the way the pulsating fluid circular movements coordinated with breathing also drive a physiologic and cognitive shift toward equilibrium while functioning metaphorically to reveal broad insights and ideas related to navigating life.
When the practice of tai chi is applied to some thing, a third character is added. In the case of a martial art, the character chuan – meaning fist. Hence, tai chi chuan – infinite ultimate fist- principles of tai chi applied to boxing. The tensho form is an example of the practice of tai chi chuan.
Evolution
The vocabulary of tai chi arose long before any mathematical description (physics) of the properties of nature began to form. Residing within the imageries and movement patterns of tai chi chuan is a deeply intuitive and precise understanding of the behavior of equilibriums in relation to motion, force, or more generally, any interaction. Interestingly, the idea of randomness in nature and by extension probabilities, is also a part of the fabric of tai chi.
Finally, the powerful long-term positive effects on health connected to the practice of tai chi chuan came as an unexpected development which continues to expand into the 21st century. The transformation of an art born out of warfare into a peaceful practice centered in health and wellness (medicine) is unique.
Transmission
The word karate – China Hand, illuminates linguisticly the transmission of tai chi based fighting arts and concepts into Southern Okinawa and beyond. Through karate, Chogin Miyagi came into contact with the unifying power of circle, breath, movement and mind that is tai chi chuan. His tensho expresses a unique and powerful synthesis of those elements.
Miyagi’s tensho also set the stage and became part of the seed for subsequent developments that led to the creation of Judo (gentle way) by Jogoro Kano, Aikido (way of harmonizing energy) by Morihei Ushiba, and Kyokushinkai Karate (way of truth) by Matsutatsu Oyama. All three arts are beautiful and distinct creative expressions of the principles of tai chi applied to martial arts. There are other examples as well. The proliferation of tai chi based practices speaks to the potency and accessibility of tai chi as an organizing structure.
As the practice of karate spread to Japan, the term karate shifted in meaning. China hand became empty hand. In doing so, the root to China was obscured while at the same time the link to Zen, an austere blending of Taoism and Buddhism, was strengthened. Emphasis on karate as a peaceful practice of refinement was enhanced by adding a third character – do. Do means path or way. Karate became Karate-do – empty handed way. The way is centered on a Zen concept known as mushin no shin (mind without mind) – the art of accepting and adapting to change by cultivating a state of equipoise. Mushin no shin completes the circle of transmission by returning to the center – tai chi – art of stillness, art of balance, art of change.
Synthesis
Tensho ties it all together. It is a remarkable accomplishment on several levels. Tensho is a masterful condensation of tai chi (principle) and chuan (technique) in one elegantly balanced form. It is both qi gong (breath energy practice) and tai chi chuan (infinite ultimate fist). Tensho is a refined, potent, and completely self-contained empty-handed fighting system.
Circular and focused, expanding and contracting, firm and yielding, motion centered on stillnesss, modulated with breath – tensho is a meditation on balance. No clearer expression of tai chi in martial arts practice has ever been devised. Miyagi’s “energy in the palm” – Tensho – the fruit of his contact with china hand, retains all of the original information and potency of expression concentrated in the Chinese arts and teaches in a concise way control over Qi (energy).
My advice to the interested student is threefold:
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- Learn tensho – with the breathing.
- Balance hard and soft by employing circle, point (focus), and breath.
- Do tensho at least once a day for the rest of your life. ( Tensho )
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Tai Chi Twenty Four Element Form (~5:00)
This video present the twenty four element form with modified stepping in order to allow a front view for ease in following along.
Sixty Minute Tai Chi Class (~60 min)
This Video is one of the sequences I use for my classes.
Undo + Eight Treasures + Stepping + Twenty Four Elements + Relaxation.
The stepping has been modified to allow for a front view by the practitioner. Hopefully easier to follow. The variation in stepping will free up the movement and broaden the practice for those familiar with the traditional stepping.
Demonstration – Guided Relaxation for Mindfullness (~6:34)
This video can be used as a cool down after working with any of the videos or as a stand-alone for anyone who simply finds it useful. Stand or sit according to what feels best.
Yantsu #1 – Basic (~2 min)
The form Yantsu is a fine example of how concepts of tai chi gradually came to permeate the practice of many Asian martial arts. This version is simplified slightly and performed at a slower pace.
Demonstration – Circle & Point: The Integration & Correlation of Circles in Martial Arts Practice (~8 min)
The creation of this video was a joint effort involving a group of tai chi chuan students. The effort is directed toward illustrating fundamental circular forms in martial arts practice as well as qualitative elements such as hard and soft, balance, and the integration of breath and movement. A series of seven movements – “The Tea Rose Bunkai” – provides the setting. A “bunkai” is a collaborative practice involving two or more participants. Bunkai explores the application of martial arts techniques to force management.
Break Time: Restorative Tai Chi For Body & Brain (30 min)
This thirty minute Restorative Tai Chi practice is designed as a break in activity, especially if a person has been sitting for an extended period of time. It will increase circulation, promote movement, reduce stress, and re-focus the mind.
