Snake creeps down (also known as descending single whip) is a move that develops leg strength, co-ordination, relaxation and awareness of your body weight. Your leading hand is the snake that retracts then slivers down the leg before turning upside down and extending forward. In the meantime your body moves back into a low stance then comes back forward. Don’t be put off by the low stance. Just keep within […]
This is an ancient qigong breathing exercise and part of the Jade Path Taoist School. It forms part of the 5 breaths of Tao which are a series of internal breathing exercises to develop the mind, body and energy of the practitioner. The main aim of Heaven and Earth breathing is to learn to create a feeling of yin or yang anywhere in the body. Internal power is expressed through […]
Below is a video of the 3rd section of the form. This is one of the easiest sections to remember the order of movements. I just create a story – you see some monkeys, guard yourself against them, fight them off then fly away! The moves are:Fist under elbow (guard position)Repulse MonkeyDiagonal flyingCloud hands. Here’s the video Again it starts from single whip position. To view this post in full […]
Cloud hands is a beautiful movement that mimics the soft movement of clouds floating through the sky. It is a lovely movement to practice over and over again. Partly because it feels good to do and partly because there is so much it can teach you when it comes to relaxing down and connecting different parts of your body together. How to do it Start with just the arm movements […]
Diagonal flying is a short move that involves a circling, stepping out and opening movement. It ends with probably the only position where your yin arm is higher than your yang arm. How to do it This gives a lovely stretch to the front of your body and the slightly larger step opens the hips and strengthens the legs and balance. Previous Repulse Monkey Next Cloud Hands To view this post […]
This is a my favourite exercise for dropping tension out of your shoulders and neck. It’s simple to do. Just remember to do it slowly and smoothly and let gravity do the work. Side to Sides Find out more about traditional Chinese conditioning exercises through the tai chi and kung fu classes I run or sign up to our site to learn the wealth of material we have here. To […]
Develop a more flexible spine. Back problems are one of the major ‘diseases’ of the modern world. They account for a large percentage of visits to the Doctor and almost everybody, as they age, suffers with their back The sheer amount of time we spend sitting down with our backs ill supported leads to the muscles in the front of our body gradually shortening. The back muscles lose tone and […]
This move involves both your arms doing a yin circle, one going forward while the other pulls backward, and at the same time you’re stepping backwards in the cat step. It’s best to learn the arm movements and footwork separately then you can combine them later. The footwork The arms Each arm is doing the yin circle. Make sure you know this before you start. You should do as it’s […]
This is the first move in the third section. it moves you from the single whip posture into a guard position via a strong twist to the left. There is an ancient Taoist symbol for peace and balance which has one hand with the fingers pointing up and the other hand beneath it. The lower hand signifies yin or the earth. The upper hand signifies yang or a plant growing […]
This is another good exercise for restoring mobility. I often do this after doing the sideways clock. This exercise focuses on opening the front and back of the body. Here are the teaching points for this sideways clock exercise. Notes Find out more about traditional Chinese conditioning exercises through the tai chi and kung fu classes I run or sign up to our site to learn the wealth of material we have here. To […]
As with the first section work on each movement individually first. Then put them together. You’ll notice that the moves after embrace tiger, return to mountain are the same as for the first section – rollback and press, push and single whip. You should already be becoming familiar with these important moves. Both the videos below begin with single whip which was the last move of the first section. To […]
This video shows you the first section of the form up to the first single whip from two different angles. Once you’ve learned each of the movements separately use this video to see how to join them together. Then work on incorporating the 4 key qualities of movement and breathing. To view this post in full you’ll need a Basic Level membership. This will give you access to a wide […]