Tai Chi Primer

This was an excellent article. I'm sure a lot of you have already heard it, but hopefully you will take away something new.



Tai Chi Primer

Tai Chi Helps the Brain

There has been a lot of new studies into the area of neuroplasticity. These studies indicate that the unlike the old adage, "You can teach an old dog new tricks." Neuroplasticity is the brains ability to change itself. For a very long time it was thought that synapses stopped being produce once a person got older. The is simply not true. One major thing that contributes to the plasticity in the brain is new and challenging activties. Activities that one becomes good at often lead to a rut, but ones were the a person is continually learning new and exciting things have mental health benefits.

Sharp Brains has a good article about meditation and the brain and mentions Tai Chi.

Cheng Man-ching Three Treasures of Tai Chi

I've been rereading some old books of mine. One of my favorites is "There are no secrets" - Wolfe Lowenthawl

Professor Chen said that one must relax and practice the three treasures to be doing Tai Chi. What are the three treasures?

1) Practice as if you are suspended from a string. The string is attached to the center of your head, right were the soft spot would be. This elongates the spine and allows chi to circulate freely. The spine in Toaist physiology is called the "Pilar of Heaven". This connects the body with heaven chi.

2) Connect with the bubbling well. Just behind the ball of the foot is a place called the bubbling well. This creates the root and connects the body with earth chi.

3) The third and most important. Professor Chen said that if one mastered this alone the rest wouldn't be needed. Chi must flow into the Tan Tien (according Professor Chen it is 1 inch below the navel and 3/7 through the torso.) until it fills up. Then it flows through the limbs and torso and eventually into the crown. This fills the body with spirit.

These three treasures are only useful if one relaxes. So RELAX!!

Halls of Happiness

I couldn't keep a Tai Chi blog without sharing. This was Cheng Man-ching's dedication to his school in its new location at the time -

" ... Let true affection and happy concourse abide in this hall. Let us here correct our past mistakes and lose preoccupation with self. With the constancy of the planets in their courses or of the dragon in his cloud-wrapped path, let us enter the land of health and ever after walk within its bounds. Let us fortify ourselves against weakness and learn to be self-reliant, without even a moment's lapse. Then our resolution will become the very air we breathe, the world we live in; then we will be as happy as a fish in crystal wasters ... "

He called this the Halls of Happiness. And this is where the name dragon cloud tai chi was born from my Sifu, Jeff Cook.