Logo_WhitekThe Walking Tiger Tai Chi Club

Providing private and group lessons in metro San Diego: Phone 619-647-6938 Email: TheWalkingTiger@Juno.Com

 

 

 

Snake_CreepsQigong is an ancient Chinese art of self massage, meditation and meditative exercise, similar to Yoga, which strengthens, adds flexibility, enhances the nervous system and reduces stress.

 

Tai Chi (or Taji) is a very advanced form of Qigong. It is a very active, higher impact form of Qigong which enables one to mobilize deep internal energies to release stress, promote self-healing and enhance intuitive powers.

 

“Tai Chi, practiced correctly and regularly, will gain one the pliability of a child, the health of a lumberjack and the peace of mind of a sage. Cheng Man-Chi’ng

 

Qigong exercises are very different from conventional calisthenics. As one becomes more skilled, slows down, relaxes and breathes more deeply, an exercise which took 6 seconds might take 12. As a result, one often REDUCES the number of repetitions as skill increases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Tai Chi Qigong

About the Teacher

What is Chi

Class Schedule and Locations

Quotes From Some Masters of Tai Chi and Other Arts

Tai Chi Qigong Forms

Recommended Reading

 

 

CLASS SCHEDULE and LOCATIONS

 

Our free Tai Chi Qigong class meets every Saturday at 11:00 AM at Balboa Park; at Founder’s Plaza, at the corner of 6th and Laurel (see map below). We do not meet if it is raining.

 

Wear loose, comfortable or stretchy garments; preferably in layers. We stand throughout the whole class so I recommend soft soled shoes, like tennis shoes. Bring water.

 

If you have any physical issues; such as bad knees or back problems, please let us know.

 

 

11:00 AM Saturday Morning

=========================

Balboa Park

Corner of 6th and Laurel

11:00 AM to Noon

 

 

Questions? Call Walter at 619-647-6938 Or email to :TheWalkingTiger@Juno.Com

 

 

BALBOA_PARK.JPG

 

 

 

About Tai Chi Qigong

 

“A toned body that is strong as an ox, as supple as a tiger, and as quick as a striking snake requires a type of strength that is much more complex than just power lifting. To acquire this type of strength requires gaining skills of strength, agility, grace, relaxation, readiness, effective breathing and confident movement. Tai Chi’s simple movements provide all that is needed to retain these qualities for yourself.”

 From Stay Young With Tai Chi; by Ellae Elinwood

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Like Yoga, Tai Chi Qigong frees and mobilizes the body’s energy to enhance health, awakens the mind, reduces stress and improves flexibility and strength.

 

It (Tai Chi) is different from Yoga in that one doesn’t move into a posture and stop, but you keep moving continuously and smoothly; while breathing slow and deep, through a series of postures; all the while shifting the weight from one foot to the other. This movement, done with the right state of mind and with calmness, energizes the body and relinquishes trapped or blocked energy from the body. In this respect it is very similar to acupuncture, but without using any needles.

 

Most of us recognize Tai Chi Qigong when we see it slowly performed. And, it is quite true that one will gain the most health benefits and learn better by practicing in slow motion. But, Tai Chi may be performed at any speed-including very fast.

 

“In Tai Chi there is no final result. Rather, there is a gradual accumulation of benefits…” Dr. Robert Chuckrow

 

 

 

The truly defining qualities of Tai Chi are actually structure and rooting.

 

Structurally, Tai Chi emphasizes a relaxed but very strong alignment of the lower and upper body which is very strong, but also very relaxed.

 

Above all Tai Chi emphasizes “rooting”, which is a very deeply relaxed but energized state where one sinks into a posture so centered that it is very difficult to move the practitioner out of balance. This also provides a deep leverage which creates enormous power in movement.

 

 

Chi (The life force energy nurtured and enhanced by Tai Chi Qigong)

 

Chi refers to the animating energy of the body; sometimes called life force.

 

Front and Back MaiUnlike western medicine, the ancient healers of the east see the human being; as well as everything else, as a form of energy. When this energy flows freely, it may be enhanced, strengthened, channeled and focused for healing, elevated consciousness or self-defense.

 

What does Chi feel like?

 

The flow of this energy feels at first like a flush of warmth. It really is the fluid flow and pressure of the whole body moving loosely, like a snake. Later, one is likely to feel pulsation. This is a sensing of the body pulse.

 

Eventually, one will feel tingling, like sand flowing over the skin. Wriggling, twitchiness, flushness, mottled hands and the sense of a feeling like a “thrill” are all commonly reported feelings which are manifestations of the flow of Chi energy.

 

Have you felt Chi before? You may have felt the flush of warmth and energy after stretching. Or, if you hold your arms up in the air until they become tired and heavy. That feeling when you drop your arms and relax is very much like the fluid pressure and flush of warm energy from Chi.

 

Do you believe; as most people, that your state of mind can change your health? Causing ulcers, reduced metabolism, and damaging the heart?

 

If this is true, then the opposite is also true. A different state of mind; one that is uplifted, energized and centered, can produce better health.

 

 

 

About the Teacher

 

SPREADWINGSI began training at the age of 13. In those days the small town of El Cajon, California had little to offer, and most of the schools that started went out of business in a very short time. As a result I was exposed to many styles over a very short period of time. Each of them convinced that theirs was the only truly effective system.

 

This continued until the 1970’s when EC McGilvery; who was not only a master artist but also a good businessman, started the American Colleges of Karate and Martial Arts, as well as The International Martial Arts Association.

 

Master McGilvery developed a system he called Aam-Ka-Jutsu; a mixed martial system which focused on effective self-defense martial arts. Hence the term, Jutsu, which conveys the idea that this art is all about self-defense. Master McGilvery did not care about, nor had he any allegiance to, any dynastic system of self-defense. He collated every worthwhile and effective technique into his system.

 

I remember hearing him laugh out load for several minutes when he heard someone referred to as “a third generation master”.

 

At the same time, he had enormous respect for true masters. He recruited masters of many arts, including Karate, Kung Fu, Aikido, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu and Tai Chi.

 

During this time he created a virtual renaissance-offering first class training in a wide variety of arts to all of his advanced students. It was during this period, from 1970 to the late 1990’s that I was able to take Tai Chi training from a number of teachers, including Michael Brown and William Funchin.

 Jackson_Walter_Certificate

There is a saying from Zen; “Humility is the key to mastery”. This means that all too often, those who seek mastery cannot put aside their pride and ego. The way to mastery is in deciding one will always and forever be a student. One must never put their hands on their hips, swell their chest and say; “I am a master”.

 

The term “master” is widely exploited in the United States. There are some martial organizations in the world that will assign this title, but it is very, very rare. Further, anyone who calls HIMSELF master, probably has very serious ego issues.

 

Arrogance, pride, ego and fear have been the cause of the downfall of great institutions, countries and masters. During my journey I have known too many people who, upon reaching a certain level of skill, stopped learning and closed their minds.

 

These same people sometimes claim to have created their own art; forgetting that masters have labored to create these arts. And, that sometimes there is a reason; not instantly obvious, why things are done a certain way.

 

I would want my stone to read: “ He was patient, kind and a good teacher”.

 

Choosing a School-What to watch our for…

 

·        Anyone who uses the term “Blood Sport”

·        Teachers who think they are a spiritual Guru

·        Any references to Ninja

·        A teacher who calls HIMSELF master or grandmaster

·        Signs that claim the school teaches several different and disparate martial arts

·        Those who claim to be students of Bruce Lee (even if it’s true)

·        Mullets

·        Swaggering

·        Swastikas

·        A window full of tournament trophies

·        Ancient fundamentalist religious symbols

·        Contemporary fundamentalist religious symbols

·        A “king of the hill” attitude toward the “Pushing Hands’ exercise or sparring

·        A wall full of weapons that don’t apply to the 21st century

·        Long-term contracts

·        Shrines

·        Foreign flags

·        Few female students

·        Starry-eyed allegiance to ANYTHING

·        Pee wee black belts

·        Instructors who groan when they get out of their chair

·        Stoic, superior, impolite, cross eyed, smelly or unhealthy looking instructors

·        Impatient, unkind, ill mannered or intimidating instructors

·        Smiling out of context

·        Smugness

·        Eyes whose “whites” show all the way around

·        Shiny silk uniforms

·        Preoccupation with lineage

·        Bruised, limping or twitching students

·        Topknots

 

Tai Chi Qigong Forms

 

Snake_CreepsThe “forms” are preset sequences of Tai Chi Qigong movements, performed in a very precise pattern. They are designed to build up and cultivate Chi energy in different parts of the body. In some sequences a single movement is repeated several times because the masters found this was the most effective way to cultivate and augment Chi. Tradition also allows for changes in sequence, repetitions or direction, as long as all of the postures are performed.

 

It is the “process” of learning the forms that is most important. While practicing, it is the “way of moving” that is most important. Tai Chi has so many principles that it is very difficult to learn it in the way we learn in a History or Physics class. Mimicking the teacher and allowing its many principles to “seep into your bones” is the best way learn Tai Chi.

 

 

 

The 18 Step Shibashi Sequence (on YouTube)

The 8 Brocades (pdf file)
The 5 Breaths Tibetan Qigong (pdf file)

The Crane Frolic

The Bear Frolic

The 8 Palms Sequence

The 13 posture Trident Form

The 37 Posture Yang Form

 

 

The 18 postures (the Shibashi Sequence):

 

Shibashi (pronounced sher baa sher).  This is the first sequence taught.

 

Shibashi (meaning 18 in Mandarin) is a series of 18 energy-enhancing exercises that co-ordinate movement with breathing and concentration. It is a gentle, beautiful and flowing Tai Chi Qigong exercise routine that is both a joy to do and deeply relaxing for people of any age.

 

Shibashi was developed by Professor Lin Hou Sheng in 1979. Professor Lin is a renowned Qigong Master, scientist and Master Healer. His remarkable credentials include Professor of the College of Chinese Medicine in Shanghai, Director of Qigong Research Institute in China and Honorary President of the International Society of Natural Cures. He based the Shibashi on the philosophies of Tai Chi and extracted some of the movements from Yang style Tai Chi Chuan while keeping the exercise simple to learn and practice. He places great emphasis on synchronizing the 18 movements with proper breathing techniques.

 

Shibashi is designed to improve the general health and wellbeing of the practitioner. The gentle rocking motions and stretching movements improve circulation and digestion. The chest exercises and controlled breathing are good for lung conditions and asthma. The overall effect of the exercise is to reduce mental stress and physical tension carried in the muscles of the body. This Qigong is very effective and easy to learn. It is practiced around the world by over 10 million people, and is considered a national health exercise in Malaysia and Indonesia

 

The Eight Brocades

 

The centuries old Eight Brocades Qigong sequence is one of the oldest and most widely practiced Qigong sets.

 

8_brocades-mpg002It is revered in China because if it is performed regularly and correctly, it opens up the body’s energy pathways, sending nourishing energy to the organs, bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles in a very efficient way.

 

The eight exercises here are a superb set of overall strengthening and health enhancement exercises which have been practiced in China for centuries. If you progress gradually, do them daily and follow the instructions carefully, you will almost certainly see surprisingly good benefits within a few weeks.

 

The Eight Golden Treasure Brocade has been known to increase muscular strength and assist in the development of pectoral muscles to make the figure graceful. It is also good for the prevention and treatment of kyphosis, scoliosis, and common chronic diseases such as cervical spondylopathy, pain in the lower back and legs, and stomach ache. With persistent practice this exercise set can also tone the brain, strengthen health and prolong life.

 

 

 

 

The 5 Breaths of Tibetan Qigong

 

This sequence is so old that no origin story exists except in myth and legend. It was practiced widely throughout China since at least since the 1700 ‘s. Historians believe it predates the Shaolin Temple, some 2000 years ago.

 

It is the most challenging, but the most beneficial of all the Qigong sequence. Though only five movements, done 20 times each; the form is so effective it can be considered a very complete, and very effective, advanced Tai Chi form.

 

The Crane Frolic

 

The Crane Frolic is a 6 movement sequence widely practiced to raise spirits and balance energy. It is recommended for summer practice to strength and balance glandular energy and is especially beneficial for women’s heath.

 

The Bear Frolic

 

The opposite of the Crane, the Bear frolic is a powerful winter time sequence which strengthens immunity, body temperature control and provides a feeling of deep groundedness.

 

The 8 Palms Sequence

 

The eight Palms is the first stepping sequence. It includes the powerful affects of Tai Chi walking, together with the eight primary movements of Tai Chi Chuan.

 

The 13 posture Trident Form

 

The 13 postures intermediate form contains all of the 7 stepping postures of Tai Chi together with the 6 stationary postures in a complete form.

 

The 37 Posture Yang Form

 

 

CHENG2Developed by master Cheng man-ching; containing all the 37 postures of small circle Yang style, this form actually has 64 complete movements. Requiring 8 to 12 minutes, depending on one’s speed, it is our most advanced form and the most widely practiced form in the world.

 

“Tai Chi, practiced correctly and regularly, will gain one the pliability of a child, the health of a lumberjack and the piece of mind of a sage.” Cheng Man-Chi’ng

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quotes From Masters

 

Favorite quotations from masters of martial arts, great leaders and authors…

 

“Beauty is found in the ordinary, mystery is found in the everyday.” From The Way of Qigong; Kenneth S. Cohen

 

“I have come to believe that the visualizations are the most important part of Qigong.” From Heal Yourself With Qigong by Suzanne Friedman

 

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Albert Einstein

 

“By controlling our breath and learning to take it deep into the abdomen, the store of pre-natal chi can be replenished and the aging process delayed.” CHI” by Paul Wildish

 

“Egotism is fear turned outward.” Lao Tzu

 

“If you find that you are going through hell-keep going.”  Winston Churchill

 

 “When a fool sees the Tao, he laughs. Otherwise it would not be the Tao.” -Tai Chi parable

 

 “One who thinks everything should be easy inevitably finds everything difficult.” Lao Tzu

 

“Eliminating blame cultivates patience and the ability to forgive ourselves or others when we or they fall short of perfection.”-

 Dr. Robert Chuckrow

 

“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” - Carl Gustav Jung

 

“The white man builds very large fire and sits far away; the Indian builds a small fire and sits close by.”- Cherokee parables

 

Being able to say; ‘I’ll try again’, is one of the deepest expressions of faith in oneself.”- Linda Myoki Lehrhaupt

 

“The most difficult thing in the world is to know how to do a thing and watch someone else doing it wrong without comment.” Theodore H. White

 

“There are two kinds of liars; those who want others to believe them, and those who want to believe themselves.” Scott Turrow

 

“Embrace your pain, for there your soul will grow.” Carl Jung

 

“Anyone can teach a gifted student, the real test of a teacher’s skill is how skilled his novice students are.” EC McGilvery

 

“The truth dazzles gradually, otherwise the world would go blind.” Emily Dickinson

 

“Defining things limits them” – Dr. Robert Chuckrow

 

“The sharp point of the treasure sword was honed on the grinding stone. The fragrance of the plum blossoms was conceived in bitter cold.” – Kuo Lien-Ying

 

“When we focus inward, away from the distractions of daily life, and concentrate on beneficial objects such as our breathing, body, movement, or intent, then our mind naturally rebalances itself and we become more in tune with ourselves.” -“Total Tai Chi” by Mathew Rochford

 

“He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.” - Albert Einstein

 

“All great truths begin as blasphemies.” - George Bernard Shaw

 

“Man can learn nothing except by going from the known to the unknown.” - Claude Bernard

 

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” - Albert Einstein

 

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mystical. It is the source of all true art and science.” - Albert Einstein

 

“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.”- Galileo Galilei

 

“The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired. “- Stephen W. Hawking

 

“In pursuing knowledge, one accumulates daily. In pursuing the Tao, one loses daily.” – Lao Tzu

 

“Your aim is to change and change again…nature itself ensures that conditions within you and around you are never the same.”

Jou Tsung Hwa

 

“Any ardent human quest teaches us about ourselves.”  Mark Chen

 

“The lymph fluid does not have a pump (like the heart) to move it around the body. It relies upon physical movement instead. The expansive non tensile movements of Tai Chi are ideal in this respect.” Robert Parry

 

“The restoration of man to the harmony and integrity of his psychological and mental self will transform the universe.”

Wen-Shan Huang

 

“The only knack, as committed students learned, was to work through the frustration whenever it arose.”  Return To Stillness by Trevor Carolan

 

“One way of making a breakthrough is to think deeply about things other people take for granted.” Jou Tsung Hwa

 

“Tai Chi has been employing Skinnerian methods of behavior modification for thousands of years.” Lawrence Galante

 

Meditation isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already.” Pema Chodron

 

“The greatest of all arts is the art of life, and the best of all music is the harmony of the spirit.”  Max Muller

 

“Stress is actually a survival mechanism and a manifestation of unresolved conflict in the mind-body.”  John Loupos

 

“When any of the strong emotions lasts too long, the mind is unable to properly regulate them, destroying the energy of the organs, which then results in disease or illness.”  Shou-Yu Liang

 

“…the mind must be encouraged to give up its obsession with endless mental chatter. Paying attention to the breath is one method of slowing down and eventually stopping mental restlessness.” Erle Montaigue

 

“The Health care industry in the United States is second in size only to the defense industry; an estimated 750 billion dollars annually. The first thing one might conclude is from these figures is that people in the USA must be incredibly healthy. They are not. They are nowhere near as healthy as the Chinese, and comparatively, the Chinese have nothing at all.”;  from The Complete Book of Tai Chi: by Wong Kiew Kit

 

“Invisible wisps of thought and emotion alter the fundamental chemistry of every cell.” Deepak Chopra

 

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."  Marcel Proust

 

“To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.” Sun Tzu

 

“The goal of a rich and satisfying life is the great leveler. The movement [ of Tai Chi ] have endured for thousands of years because they contribute to and support a goal that binds us all as one.” From Stay Young With Tai Chi by Ellae Underwood

 

“Only by training [in Tai Chi] and strengthening our point of contact with the ground; he taught, could we truly relax our upper body for optimum responsiveness in self defense. The only knack; as committed students came to learn, was to work through frustration whenever it arose.” Trevor Carolan

 

“Functional training may be gained through the solo exercise by imagining an opponent vying with you as you go through postures. Your mind operates to create this imaginary opponent. If you disregard this vital aspect, your postures will lose meaning and trueness, and the exercise will become merely a mechanical charade.” Cheng Man-Ching

 

“The ultimate aim of Tai Chi is to do without method-the response to an attack is a reflex done without cognition.”

Cheng Man-Ching

 

“No one can tell you what makes your body live. Scientists have an explanation for how your lungs breathe air, and how your heart pumps blood around your body to nourish its cells, but they cannot say why life began in your body and what makes it continue. For two and a half thousand years, the Chinese have called this subtle life force qi (or chi).” From “TAI CHI for the Body, Mind & Spirit” by Eric Chaline

 

It [Tai Chi] becomes most potent when the intention of your subconscious mind parallels exactly the intention of the conscious mind.” John Loupos

 

“Practicing Tai Chi is an opportunity to step out of the addiction to getting the most done in the least amount of time. “ Linda Myoki Lehrhaupt

 

“Twisting, turning and spiraling should be present either in an overt or hidden way within Tai Chi techniques.”

Bruce Franzis

 

“Like a kinked garden hose, a body that isn’t aligned, relaxed, breathing and visualizing can’t let its energy flow smoothly and efficiently.” From “TAI CHI for DUMMIES” by Therese Ikonoian

 

“Let your mind be like a hawk-hunting for a rabbit, let your movement be like a bow-preparing to fire an arrow; when moving-move like a river…” Tai Chi Classics

 

“All Tai Chi exercises are fundamentally holistic, benefiting the whole body as well as the mind.” - from “The Complete Book of Tai Chi “ ;by Stewart McFarlane

 

“…Concentrating on natural breathing frees the mind from mechanical, everyday, fixated thinking. This mental shift is a first step towards entering a meditative state.” Robert Chuckrow

 

“I have seen many students sabotage their own progress with the words: I can’t. All thoughts and verbal expressions affect the subconscious mind, which slavishly accepts what is repeatedly said or thought”  - Robert Chuckrow

 

“However much Tai Chi observers might identify or equate Tai Chi with moving slowly; slowness is really just a means to an end. …This produces a rejuvenating effect rather than a dulling of the mind and body as one might expect with such a deep level of relaxation.”  John Loupos

 

“…the goal, is formlessness.” – Jou Tsung Hwa

 

 “Tai Chi cannot settle into a dull habit, something they go through absentmindedly, by rote. It becomes an imperative, a kind of necessity, to approach the exercise on very occasion it is done as though going through for the first time… This is partly the reason of why the exercise, no matter how often it is performed, must feel quite spontaneous, as though always being newly explored.” -Wadsworth Likely

 

“…The speed of a deer, the calmness of a crane, the patience of an ox, the courage of a tiger-all features that a martial artist can expect to attain.”  From THE COMPLETE BOOK OF TAI CHI CHUAN by Wong Kiew Kit

 

“Most students who quit Tai Chi after a short time do so not because Tai Chi is difficult to learn but because their expectations are not satisfied quickly enough. They leave because they do not want to face disappointment. Not wanting to feel the pain of disappointment is often what holds us back…”  Linda Myoki Lehrhaupt

 

“A toned body that is strong as an ox, as supple as a tiger, and as quick as a striking snake requires a type of strength that is much more complex than just power lifting. To acquire this type of strength requires gaining skills of strength, agility, grace, relaxation, readiness, effective breathing and confident movement. Tai Chi’s simple movements provide all that is needed to retain these qualities for yourself.” From Stay Young With Tai Chi; by Ellae Elinwood

 

“The first principle is to always use calm against action (calm against excitable). The second calls for using soft against hard (relaxed against tense). The third principle is slow against fast (precise against rushed). And the fourth, single against a group (one technique can defeat many).” Doc Fai Wong

 

“Through research in the exciting new field of Craniosacral Osteopathy, a very subtle rhythm has been located. Called the “cranial rhythmic impulse”, …this rhythm, generally 12 to 14 beats per minute, is precisely that at which the Tai Chi form is enacted. One cycle of Yin and Yang around every four or five seconds. Tai Chi seems to work at a level wholly in tune with our body’s most basic rhythmic impulses…” Robert Parry

 

“Regular practice of Tai Chi helps you to focus your mind without forming rigid attachment to a single point of view. This is known as Tai Chi mind: perceiving the unifying elements of a situation rather than those that divide, and remembering that there is always an element within you of that which you oppose. This perspective on life encourages harmony and a sense of connection.” From Tai Chi Mind and Body by Tricia Yu

 

“Where the intent goes, the Chi follows.” Waysun Liao

 

“Forcing Chi can cause disruption of involuntary processes, resulting in sickness.” Robert Chuckrow

 

“In Tai Chi there is no final result. Rather, there is a gradual accumulation of benefits…” Dr. Robert Chuckrow

 

“Ten minutes of Tai Chi is better than ten minutes of sleep.” Cheng Man-Ch’ing

 

“The most prominent mistake made by many is to misinterpret the word ‘soft’…it also means suppleness; represented by the suppleness of metallic springs. Small wonder, some people regard Tai Chi as an exercise merely for health.” Lee Ying-Arng

 

“It is a system of reeducation and can only happen slowly, since there are years of moving wrongly to contend with.”

Paul Crompton

 

“…using your imagination, feel that you are as pliable as water, totally flexible, yielding to the shape of the container. When [you] the water is poured into a lake, you become the lake.” Waysun Liao

 

“…Many Tai Chi students today have gone to the extreme, thinking that hard external training and application are alien to Tai Chi. An appreciation of the Yin-Yang principle helps to overcome this superficial view…” Wong Kiew Kit

 

“Tai Chi movement may be likened to the movement of a long river.” Dr. Robert Chuckrow

 

“It should be understood that Tai Chi is a highly individual art, and no two masters; even at the same school, will perform it in exactly the same way.”  Lu Hui Ching

 

“The slow motion approach of Tai Chi doesn’t just allow, but rather compels, an enhanced state of self awareness. Tai Chi students learn to cultivate two important concomitant states; those of attention and intention, combining them into an inseparable one.”  John Loupos

 

“Tai Chi, practiced correctly and regularly, will gain one the pliability of a child, the health of a lumberjack and the piece of mind of a sage.” Cheng Man-Chi’ng

 

“…its superb effectiveness [as a martial art] is a result of the fact that it teaches the practitioner to use her body and mind normally, correctly, and with purpose.” Mark Chen

 

“Tai Chi is an exercise in discernment. Expertise consists of being able to differentiate between subtly different situations and conditions.” Dr. Jay Dunbar

 

“We must distinguish between Yin and Yang in the mind, and this is the most important aspect of our training.” Erle Montaigue

 

“Tai Chi Chuan reconnects the mind to the body, the consciousness to the subconscious and the individual to his environment.” Bob Klein

 

“…Tai Chi people speak though maintaining a ‘cool heart even in the direst circumstances.” Return to Stillness by Trevor Carolan

 

“The mind must be trained to develop a state of ‘non-attachment’ whereby it is possible to allow the body to work naturally and in a relaxed manner, despite being placed in an extremely stressful situation.” Applied Tai Chi Chuan by Nigel Sutton

 

The most compelling and elegant explanation of Chi I have ever read was offered by Koichi Tohei in his book: “Ki in Daily Life”:

 

“Our lives are a part of the universal Ki (Chi) enclosed in the flesh of our bodies. Our lives are like the amount of water we might take from the great sea and hold in our hands. We call this “I”. Yes, it is the same as calling the water our water because we hold it in our hands. On the other hand, from the standpoint of water, it is a part of the great sea. Although if we open our hands the water will fall back into the sea, even as it remains in our hands it is in conflux with the outer great sea.”

 

“The Health care industry in the United States is second in size only to the defense industry; an estimated 750 billion dollars annually. The first thing one might conclude is from these figures is that people in the USA must be incredibly healthy. They are not. They are nowhere near as healthy as the Chinese, and comparatively, the Chinese have nothing at all.” -  from The Complete Book of Tai Chi: by Wong Kiew Kit

 

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission. “ -Eleanor Roosevelt-

 

“It is a bloody shame for a man to die, well known to almost everybody-bur unknown to himself.” Francis Bacon

 

 

RECOMMENDED READING

 

The books highlighted in yellow have my highest recommendation

 

QiGong

 

18 Buddha Hands Qigong; Larry Johnson MD

A Complete Guide to Chi-Kung, Daniel Reid

Ba Duan Jin, Eight Section Qigong Exercises; Chinese Health Qigong Association

CHI; Paul Wildish

Chi Gung; L.V. Carnie

Chi Kung, The Chinese Art of Mastering Energy; Yves Requena

Chinese Qigong, Outgoing Qi Therapy Bi Yongsheng

Chinese Healing Exercises: The Tradition of Daoyin  Livia Kohn

Earth Qigong for Women; Chunna Zhang

Essence of the Healing Dance; Garrri Galipoli

Heal Yourself With Qigong; Suzanne Freidman

Knocking At the Gate of Life; Official manual of China

Liu Zi Jue, Six Sounds Approach to Qigong Breathing Exercises; Chinese Health Qigong Association

Miracle Healing From China, Charles T McGee MD

Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body; Bruce Frantzis

QIGONG FOR TOTAL WELLNESS; Dr. Baolin Wu

Qigong: Essence of the Healing Dance; Garri Garripoli

Qigong For Beginners; Stanley D. Wilson

Qigong Teachings of a Taoist Immortal; Stuart Alve Olson

Taoist Qigong for Health and Vitality; Sat Chuen Hon

Tendon Nei Kung; Chia

The  7 Secrets of Sound Healing; Jonathan Goldman

The Way of Qigong; Kenneth S. Cohen

The Chi Revolution; Bruce Fantzis

The Complete Guide to Qhi-Kung; Daniel Reid

THE HEALING ART OF QIGONG; Hong Jiu

The Healing Promise of Qi ; Roger Jahnke

The Healer Within, Roger Jahnke

The Roots of Chinese Qigong, by Dr Yang, Jwing-Ming

The Tao of Natural Breathing, Dennis Lewis

The Theory and Practice of Taiji Qigong, Chris Jarmey

Wu Qin Xi, Five-Animal Qigong Exercises; Chinese Health Qigong Association

Yi Jin Jing; Chinese Health Qigong Association

 

 

Acupressure / Shiatsu

 

Acupressure’s Potent Points; Michael Reed Gach

Acupressure for Emotional Healing; Michael Reed Gach Phd and Beth Ann Henning Dipl ABT

Do It Yourself SHIATSU; Wataru Ohashi

Reflexology and Acupressure; Janet Wright

The Book of Shiatsu, Paul Lundberg

SHAITSU; Suzanne Franzen

SHIATSU; Tokujiro Namikoshi

 

 

TAI CHI and related arts

 

 

Applied Tai Chi Chuan; by Nigel Sutton

Big Book of Tai Chi; by Bruce Frantzis

Body Mechanics Of Tai Chi Chuan; by William C.C. Chen

Cheng Man-Ching’s Advanced Form Instruction; Wile

Chi: The Power Within; by Geoff and Phyliss Pike

Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods; by Robert Smith

Complete Book of Tai Chi; by Stewart McFarlane

Complete Tai Chi; by Robert Huang

Dao of TajiQuan; by Jou Tsung Hwa

Essence and Applications of TajiQuan; by Yang Cheng Fu   (Translated by Louis Swain)

Exploring Tai Chi; by John Loupos

Fundamentals of Tai Chi Ch'uan; by Wen-Shan Huang

Handbook of Tai Chi Chuan Exercises; by Zhang Fuxing

Healing Art of Tai Chi; by Martin Lee

Inside Tai Chi; by John Loupos

Ki in Daily Life; by Koichi Tohei

Mastering Yang Style TajiQuan; Fu Zhongwen  (Translated by Louis Swain)

Movements of Magic; by Bob Klein

New Style Tai Chi Ch'uan; by Dr. Wei Yue Sun

Old Frame Chen Family TaijiQuan; by Mark Chen

Power Taji; by Erle Montaigue

Stay Young With Tai Chi by Ellae Elinwood

Study of TajiQuan; by Sun Lutang (translated by Tim Cartmell)

Tai Chi According to The I Ching; by Stuart Alve Olson

Tai Chi As A Path To Wisdom; by Linda Myoki Lehrhaupt

Tai Chi Book; By Robert Chuckrow Ph.D.

Tai Chi Boxing Chronicle; Kuo / Guttman

Tai Chi: Tranquility In Motion; Christian F. Hanche

Tai Chi Chuan Martial Applications; by Dr. Yang Jwing Ming

Tai Chi Chuan, the Supreme Ultimate Exercise; Cheng Man-Ch'ing and Robert W. Smith

Tai Chi Chuan: 24 & 48 Postures; by Shou-Yu Liang

Tai Chi Chuan: Roots and Branches; by Nigel Sutton

Tai Chi Chuan; by Cheng Man-Ch'ing

Tai Chi Chuan; by Douglas Lee

Tai Chi Classics; by Waysun Liao

Tai Chi Chuan-Becoming One With the Tao; Petra & Toya Kobayashi

Tai Chi Connections; by John Loupos

Tai Chi for Beginners; by Claire Hooton

Tai Chi Dymanics; Robert Chuckrow Phd.

Tai Chi for Health; by Edward Maisel

Tai Chi for Health; by Lee Ying-Arng

Tai Chi for Staying Young; by Lam Kam-Chuen

Tai Chi for the Mind, Body and Spirit; by Eric Chaline

Tai Chi Walking; Robert Chuckrow Phd

Tai Chi Handbook; by Herman Kauz

Tai Chi Mind and Body; by Tricia Yu

Tai Chi Touchstones: Yang Family Secret Transmission; translated by Douglas Wile

Tai Chi Workbook; Paul Crompton

Tai Chi: A Practical Introduction; by Paul Crompton

Tai Chi: The Supreme Ultimate; by Lawrence Galente

Tao and Tai Chi Kung; by Robert C. Sohn

Teach Yourself Tai Chi; by Robert Parry

The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chuan; by Wong Kiew Kit

Theory and Practice of Taji Qigong; by Chris Jarmey

There Are No Secrets; Wolfe Lowenthal

Thirteen Treatises On Tai Chi Chuan; by Cheng Man-Ch'ing

Total Tai Chi; by Mathew Rochford

Walking Meditation; Paul Crompton

 

 

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 The Walking Tiger Tai Chi Club