Studio Renovation

Hello All,

Here is some exciting news. We will be renovating our studio starting Oct 31, 2011. All classes will go on as scheduled (We are closed on Oct 31 for Halloween). Construction work will be carried out during the day and we will try to clean up the place as much as possible before the evening class starts. However, you will see unfinished work, tools and materials laying around. There may also be smells from new paint. I expect the work to be done within the first two weeks of November and hopefully all goes well as planned. Sorry for the inconvenience!  Thanks for your patience!

Jack

Is it fall already?

Wow this year went by so quickly! Can’t complain though. A lot has been done this year. Let’s see…

* Got my degree – That’s something that makes me feel good….
* Finished translating Master Chen’s Old Frame One and Two – selling very good…. If you don’t have it, you should buy one. I’d say it’s the most detailed book about learning taichi I have ever read. www.chenzhenglei.com Click Taichi Plaza to enter the store.
* Finished learning 4 routines (short ones) of Praying Mantis from Grand Master Liu Chongxi – at 77 Master Liu can move!!!! The book is coming out.
* Relaunched the school – We will be calling our school(s) Taichi And Tea (very soon). The name is registered, the logo is designed, signs are make, renovation starting soon, shirts will be ordered, class schedule is being re-planned…. We WILL do tea tasting events.
* Opened new location in Guelph – Thanks to James Saper, we now have a presence in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
* Did a workshop in Prevost (the r pronounced like a very heavy h when you have a cold and the s and t are silent) – We had fun! I was substituting for Master Liu Yong (my kungfu brother). He has big feet, so it was difficult to fill in his shoes. Ms. Karine did a great job organizing the event and she is a great hostess. Thank you again, Karine!

The year is still young, so who knows what’s around the corner. We’ll just have to play it out. Hope you all had a great summer and will enjoy the fall and winter.

Comment is enabled again!

Oh well, the site becomes very boring after awhile with no posts from others. I decided to turn comments back on so we can all say something here. I also hope some of you would like to become bloggers on this site. If you’d like to become a writer on this site, please let me know and I will add you as a writer. You can then log in to create you own posts. However, I’d like posts to be on health related topics only without political or religious issues. I, of course, would reserve my right to delete any posts, comments or writer accounts from the site. As the sub-heading suggests, let’s slow down, live life, do some taichi and drink tea……. There are plenty of political and religious sites on the web, if you insist, you can go there.

While you are here, enjoy!

Jack

Coming Soon……!

I did it!

Three years of endless reading, writing, editing and re-writing and hundreds of sleepless nights, it all came to an end on June 11, 2011. I did my final thesis defence on June 11 in Shanghai and was lucky enough to be awarded the Ph. D. degree of Education in Chinese Martial Arts. It was a long journey and I’ve learned a lot. I think the greatest experience of all was to have the opportunity to learn from my mentor Professor Qiu Pixiang. I made many friends as well.

Having been in Canada for over 20 years. I seldom had the opportunity to use my Chinese (a subject I used to take so much pride in). I found my Chinese rusty at the beginning. Doing this degree forced me to brush up on my Chinese. For some strange reason, I seemed to have found myself again. I didn’t even know I had lost myself until I found myself again. It seems to me that language is not only a means of communication, it is also a means of self-identification. I believe it decides how people think and behave. For years, I have lost the appreciation of Chinese poems and other forms of literary arts. Now, I get goose bumps again reading a ‘good’ poem.

A great adventure in LA

It took me a couple of weeks to write this one, because I really needed the time to recuperate. What a workout we had! Oh well, it’s not really the training part that was harsh. Everyone enjoyed it. Somehow in a group like that, everyone seemed to have a shot of energy. I think it was the group synergy. What made it tiring was the excitement. Most people attended the workshop are instructors. As we all know, instructors do not get to workout that much in class. It was really nice at least just for once that someone else is taking the class and we get to just practice. The constant excitement was draining toward the end.

Grand Master Chen went a bit over board on his teaching, too. I think he got really excited seeing how hard everyone worked. Being a typical teacher, he got really happy and went through so much in depth and demonstrated the moves with such involvement I have never seen before. What he demonstrated was not an eye opener, it was a revelation, at least for me.

I was glad to meet many people I have been communicating with but never met in person. I also met a few new people, too.

New Translation of GM Chen Zhenglei’s Book!

This is an incredible book @$39.95!

If you practice Chen’s Taichi, you’ve got to get this book. The content is so rich and detailed that it takes 400 pages to express. Here is a sample of the book. Vol2-Sample Read it and make a believer out of yourself. The book will be in the press next week and will be available for sale early April.  To purchase the book, click here.  

Cover

Spring into 2011

Oh well, it’s already March. The first two months just went by like a blur. I guess that really coincidentally matches the title of this post. The Spring was a bit too big. By the time we stabilized our stance, we are already in March!

We are having a great time at the studio. Instead of worrying about getting more members to pay the bills, we just focused on having more fun. Many members talked about the change of mode at the studio. I made a promise to myself and all my students that I’m going to teach each class as if it’s my first and last class and I will teach the class the way I practice.  That made a huge difference. It shows. I believe that if you take care of you people, business will take care of itself. Don’t get me wrong though, we still need to get more members.

It seems that I’m going to get my Ph. D this year. My professor likes the work I have done so far. If all goes well, I will graduate this fall. That’s exciting! I will have more time to post here!

A Year of Reflection

That’s right! This has been a whole year of reflection.

Last year (2009) was a blur, too many events and too many things (most good) happened. The most memorable was the demonstration at the 10th World Wushu Championship. What an event that was. I’m sure everyone involved with the demo can say that. However you interpret that experience is totally up to you.

I spend this whole year mainly around one theme – finishing up the draft of my thesis. I’m a firm believer that whatever book you open, you’ll get something out of it. I did, many times – literally hundreds of times. I did finish the first draft and am now working on refining it. In the process writing the thesis, I had daily reflections on things I did in the past, on events that took place, on situations I allowed myself to get into. I’m not disappointed, but definitely realized many were learning experiences. No regrets, though.

One major change was I passed Taishan School of Martial Arts to my close friend Master August Xu. He is more able to carry on the school than I can and will do justice to all the keen students. He has a very rare mix of all three aspect in martial arts – theory, performance and application. I have learn a great deal from him in all three aspects.

One result of the above mentioned change is the establishment of Jack Yan Taichi Studio. It’s my sand box. It’s small and specialized. One must at least once in his life ask a question: what do I want to do? I think Jack Yan Taichi Studio was the answer for me to that question. After all, running a martial arts school was never about making money. Here is the new logo.

I feel really good about publishing shifu’s (Grand Master Chen Zhenglei) Yangshenggong in English. People seem to really like it. Perhaps they don’t want to hurt my feelings. The next few books are in the works. I want to at least publish the next book early in the new year.

We had a great workshop with GM Chen Zhenglei this year. Despite of the recession, we had a good turn-up. Here are some photos taken at the workshop:

I also published three translations in the well know taichi magazine – Tai Chi – two peom by the creator of taichi Chen Wangting and one article by Professor Kang Gewu. I’m quite happy about that. I also translated an article by GM Chen on substantial improvements on taichi practicing. It’s a great article for any serious practitioners. Read it if you have not.

When I say this is a year of reflection, it’s because I have been asking myself “what am I doing” almost everyday through out the whole year. I still haven’t got the answer yet so perhaps the search goes on next year. When I was younger, I had many years going by like 2010 – constant pondering what I was doing. Now the question has come back. I don’t know how many years it will stay. Oh well, I’m used to it.

To everyone, seasons greeting!

On “Substantial Improvements”

How to Practice Taichi for Substantial Improvements

By Chen Zhenglei

In recent years, on my tours in China and abroad, the question I was most asked by both Chinese and non-Chinese students is: How to practice taichi for substantial improvements? I will share my understanding in the next few points. I sincerely hope for comments and correction from other taichi teachers.

Like doing anything else, in order to understand how to practice taichi well, it is paramount to understand what taichi is. It is an important prerequisite to understand taichi from all aspects. Without a clear understanding, it is difficult to imagine that one can gain any substantial improvements.

Taichi was created by Chen Wangting, a ninth generation descendant of the Chen’s Family in Wen County Henan Province. Based on the family style boxing systems and by absorbing essence from other boxing systems, combining techniques of ancient energy systems such as Daoyin (internal energy manipulation) and Tuna (breathing exercises) as well as adopting theories from Yijing (The Book of Change) and the meridian doctrine of Chinese medicine, he created a boxing system that focuses on both the internal and the external training. The postures and moves are designed and structured according to biological principles as well as to the laws of nature. The main characteristics are continuous motions without hitches; interlaced fast and slow motions; incorporated hard and soft strengths; and relaxed, flexible, elastic and sometimes jerking moves.  Taichi as a training system is supported by a set of mature and proven theories throughout the complete training processes. We can also look at taichi as a huge engineering system and the training to achieve substantial high level is definitely no easy task.  

Based on teachings from the ancestors and what I’ve experience throughout years of training, I summarized the following training principles: Three Do’s and Three Don’ts

• Do train for theory verification, don’t train for raw power;
• Do train for fundamental roots, don’t train for external presentations;
• Do train for substantiated abilities, don’t train for application tricks.

1. Do Train for Theory Verification, Don’t Train for Raw Power: “Theory” consists of philosophical foundations and basic principles about taichi. Practicing taichi is the process applying the ultimate Dao – the principles how Yang develops fully to generate Yin and Yin develops fully to generate Yang in the process of taichi yin and yang exchanges. Taichi practice requires the practitioner to imply hardness in softness and softness in hardness as well as to ensure inter-supportiveness between hardness and softness. One also must understand the interchange between emptiness and solidness. Emptiness when developed fully will generate solidness; and solidness when developed fully will generate emptiness. Practicing with mental concentration using the mind to guide the qi and the qi to guide the body in total mind-qi-body unity, one should aim to achieve completeness in motion, wholeness in synchronization and high level internal and external coordination. Follow the requirements closely and aim to move naturally. Exercise great patience without haste. Training for raw power can result in great increase of power in isolated parts of the body. This type of power is often clumsy and stiff, lacking the necessary smoothness and flexibility. Taichi practitioners do not aim to acquire raw power.
2. Do Train for Fundamental Roots, Don’t Train for External Presentations:  “Fundamental Roots” refer to the original core (the original qi of the kidneys) and the base of the body. The kidneys house the original yin and yang energy. It is the prenatal source of energy and the root for postnatal energy. If the kidneys are fully sustained with qi, all other organs will have a better chance to be well sustained as well. Consequently, the liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys all function the way they should. The practitioner will then have high spirit, ample physical strength, swift reactivity and better overall coordination. The abundance of internal qi is the first part of the fundamental roots.  The second part of fundamental roots refers to the solid base of one’s postures. In taichi practice, on the basis of overall relaxation, accumulate the qi into Dantian and descend the qi further into Yongquan, so that the top portion is nimble, the middle section is agile and the base is solid like roots in soil. “External Presentations” refer to training mainly for power and toughness of isolated areas of the body. Taichi is an internal system with both the internal and external elements. The main focus should be on nurturing the internal energy – nourishing the roots and sustaining the source. “When the roots are nourished, branches and leaves flourish; when the source is sustained, the river runs long”.
3. Do Train for Substantiated Abilities, Don’t Train for Application Tricks:  Substantiated abilities are overall martial skills acquired as general mental and physical abilities; while application tricks are offensive and defensive application techniques of individual moves. If the practitioner only focuses on application technique to explain and understand taichi, he/she will never get to the true essence of taichi. High level taichi training must include certain phases: gaining routine proficiency, correcting postures and moves and softening stiffness. As a result, the whole body is synchronized, the internal and external are coordinated, the internal qi is filled fully and substantiated abilities are gained on the body. Taichi as a martial arts training system focuses mainly on training the self overall abilities. It promotes skills to react to the opponent’s attacks and selflessly following the opponent’s moves according to ever changing situations instead of limiting to applications of individual moves. When the internal qi is full, the whole body is like a well inflated balloon. It reacts to wherever is in contact. Wherever is in contact, it can be used to attack. As the teaching goes: “When accomplished, one responds automatically to attacks; no need to ponder as the body reacts naturally”.    

Establish Five Mindsets

1. Respect – cultivate high level ethics and morality. Respect your teachers. Renowned taichi master Chen Xin pointed out in his Illustrated Chen’s Taichi that: “Taichi cannot be learned without respect. Without respect, one would neglect his/her teachers and friends and as well as his/her own body. When the heart is not contained, how can one settle down to learn anything?”
2. Faith – faith consists of two aspects. Firstly, it is confidence, believing that one can succeed in taichi practice. Confidence is the source of self motivation. Secondly, it is trust, believing in taichi and the teacher; so that one will settle down whole heartedly with determination. Without trust, one will end up switching from system to system and teacher to teacher on a daily basis just like the old saying goes: “serving Qin at dawn and Chu by dusk”.
3. Determination – learning taichi requires determination. As Mencius said: the mind is the commander of internal energy. Only when one is determined, he/she will not be influenced by external interference. Only with determination, one can carry on to the final destination.
4. Perseverance – it means being persistent in taichi practice over a long period of time.  It can be years or decades without slacking. Practicing by fits and starts or quitting with little achievements are bad habits to affect perseverance. Grand Master Chen Fake, 17^th Chen’s family descendent, practiced his routines thirty times a day for decades without slacking. His taichi achievement was paramount and he was considered the best at the time. That’s how perseverance at work.
5. Patience – when all the above four mindsets are set, you’ll also need patience to achieve high level in taichi practice. On the one hand, taichi practice requires the practitioner to relax in postures, soften the body and slow down the moves. Without the correct understanding and mental preparation, it is impossible to relax and be patiently at ease. When one becomes impatient in taichi practice, it’s like driving at high speed heading the opposite direction. On the other hand, taichi practicing is a long process for both the mind and the body and should not be rushed. Try overcome irritation and boredom. Keep a peaceful mind. Follow the rules and requirements. Nurture the grand and majestic qi in the process of routine practice to acquire graduate subtle change of the mind and body. When the water comes, it will naturally form an aqueduct.

Three Essential Factors

The three essential factors are: a qualified teacher, innate talent and untiring diligence.

1.  The most important factor to achieve high level taichi is a qualified teacher. As our ancestors said: A teacher is someone who passes on principles, teaches skills and clears up confusions. Be it for academics or martial arts, especially for taichi practice, the function of a teacher is the predetermining condition. So far, there is no precedent of an achieved taichi practitioner who has done it without a teacher. However, one can practice taichi without a teacher for recreation purposes.  In order to achieve high level in taichi, one must find a wise teacher who has a high moral and ethical standard, technically skillful, learned in theories and knows how to teach. A wise teacher can lead the students onto the right path so as to avoid detours and achieve twice the effect with half the work. Without a wise teacher, one might never reach the temple of taichi once he/she is heading the wrong direction.  
2. Innate talent is the key factor for high level taichi achievements, especially for those who wish to be established. They must have the innate gift, great deductive reasoning and learning ability, quick mind as well as the ability to expand their understandings. Besides the guidance of a wise teacher, the subtlety of taichi must also be experience and pondered firsthand. It can only be taught intuitively, not because the teacher is holding back, but it is truly indescribable. It is only those who have the innate talent with great ability to comprehend who can truly understand the true essence of taichi and reach to higher level. For others, despite of a wise teacher and self diligence, will still have a hard time understanding the true essence and will only reach limited achievements. It is just as in academic studies, people have the same teachers and all try with similar efforts, but the result can be quite different. The difference is in the innate talent.
3. Diligence is the deciding factor for taichi practicing. To be successful, one must also work with untiring diligence besides the innate talent and teaching of a wise teacher. As it was stated in the ancestors’ teaching: “Only understanding and knowing the right methods is still not enough. It requires daily untiring diligence. Keep moving forward without stopping day in and day out. That’s how one can reach the destination eventually.” Don’t expect miracles and there is no shortcut. The only path to high level taichi is untiring diligence. Kungfu is acquired through practice and only untiring diligent practice will ensure substantiated kungfu on the body. Under the guidance of a wise teacher and by following the rules and requirements, one must exercise persistent effort to accumulate and nurture the internal kungfu in order to realize qualitative change through graduate quantitative change. Real comprehension is built on hard work. Enlightenment is triggered after a long process of accumulation. Instant enlightenment of the subtlety of taichi comes from persistent diligence. If one relies only on wits and cleverness and despises hard work, he/she will never understand the real essence of taichi and will always be wondering outside of temple of taichi.   

          Of course nothing is absolute. What I mentioned about is not cast in stone. Those factors have changing effects on each other. One strong element can improve other elements. For example, with correct understanding of the nature of taichi, it helps one to establish the right mindset. Some people may lack innate talent, but hard work can be supplementary to talent. Persistent untiring diligence goes a long way in the pursuit of true taichi essence. I hope this article can provide some clarity in the minds of some taichi enthusiasts regarding taichi practice.