--- In [email protected], Kristy McClain <healthyplay1@...> wrote:
>
> Hey Steve!
> Â
> This is great information. Thank you! Some background.. I am learning
> this as part of a mindful meditation practice, but also as a self-awareness
> practice. I have witnessed the short and long forms. It will take me a
> long time to remember the sequences as given. But watching it is like a
> beautiful dance. Its challenging for me to "copy" or follow the body
> positions of my instructor, but with practice, maybe in time? He has
> introduced "push-hands", and I love it, though I'm awkward right now. I
> watched two women practicing "sword-play" (?) in an adjacent studio. It
> was beautiful--like a choreographed ballet. Advancing..retreating..
> turning...twisting..engaging...dis-engaging. The soft "clicks" as their
> swords met in space were like mindfulness bells.Â
> Â
> This looked like very advanced body-work, as they danced so expertly without
> missing a cue to engage or retreat. What struck me was their precise
> "attention" in the moment. And continued with each passing moment. I hope
> to find that present-centered attention in my Tai Chi practice.
> Â
> IÂ didn't ask the teacher, but I'm wondering is using DVD's as part of a home
> practice would help, or if concentrating on my formal classes is the best
> method, at this stage of learning.
> Â
> Thanks again..
> Â
> Kristy
>
> Hi Kristy. I would recommend that you rely on your Sifu's training.
You can, of course, supplement that with DVD's. Soft-Style martial
arts are extremely subtle. IMO, at the higher levels of expertise
soft-styles are superior to hard-styles in terms of their practical
effectiveness. But the average student never gets that far. Also,
there are sub-styles of Tai Chi, some oriented towards health and
meditation, such as Yang style, and some oriented towards combat,
such as Chen Style. I presume that you are studying Yang. That
fellow I worked-out with did Chen style. He showed me a form
Cannon-Fist. Very impressive! All martial arts have their own
unique "flavor", but all require that you stay in the present
moment, hence their usefullness for mind-training. Even the very
violent Muay Thai, or Thai Boxing, cherishes focus and what they
call "Cool Heart". You can choose to just taste Tai Chi or you can
go deeper. There is a story about a challenge fight between a Tai
Chi fighter and a Shao-Lin fighter. The Tai Chi fighter won the
bout, but when he reported his victory to his Sifu, his teacher
wasn't impressed. The sifu pointed to the fighter's slightly-torn
sleeve and said, "Well, you managed to win the bout, but just look
at your torn sleeve! Is this Tai Chi? ;-)
Steve
>
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