There are two figure of eight arm movements – heaven and earth. They have many uses: They open, relax and exercise your shoulders They teach you to move your body as one connected unit They help develop the twisting, wavelike power that is the hallmark of all good Chinese movement arts From a martial perspective they contain a wide range of attack and defensive skills Today we are going to […]
One of the main aims of tai chi and kung fu is for you to be able to hold and move your body in the most effortless and efficient way. This doesn’t come naturally as our habitual way of holding our body is from above by tensing up. This takes the weight off our weak legs but means we are constantly standing and moving as if we are always under […]
Please read this post. Because almost nothing else I can teach you (apart from good breathing) is more important. The strength of your legs directly relates to almost every element of your physical and mental health and wellbeing. Your legs are the foundation of your structure. They are your connection to the earth which is the only thing in your life that will always be there to support you. Without […]
The dragon stance (sometimes called the forward stance or bow and arrow stance) is one of the most fundamental stances in the Chinese arts. It is the main stance used when receiving power from the front or delivering power to the front. If someone tries to push you backwards you just place one leg behind you and root down and they won’t be able to move you. Below is a […]
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 […]
Back strength is a crucial component of tai chi and kung fu as it is of life. Most people have weak backs as we don’t use them for most of the day as we are resting them on the back of chairs. Even while standing the back muscles are only weakly engaged and cannot compete with the gradual shortening of the front of the body. The flying crane exercise strengthens […]
Whoever you are don’t neglect horse stance training. The horse stance is the most important skill new beginners should focus on. In some traditional schools in China new beginners would do nothing else but the horse stance for months on end until they could stand in a deep stance for half an hour without moving! We don’t need to go that far but never forget your horse stance is the […]
The crane stance is common in tai chi and kung fu so is important to master. It the easiest stance to understand but, perhaps the most demanding to perform. It simply requires you to stand on one leg with your raised foot pointing to the ground. Note: when we talk about a stance we are talking about the position of the entire body from head to feet but not including […]
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. https://youtu.be/659DPUKTDuU… Sorry but to access this […]
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 Start from the closing position of repulse monkey – weight on left leg, left hand at hip forward with right foot and hand as shown below Circle your arms clockwise so your left hand […]