Valley Spirit Mind-Body Arts Newsletter #8

Valley Spirit Mind-Body Arts Newsletter
Issue 8, March 26, 2006

T’ai Chi Ch’uan, Yoga and Qigong News
By Michael Garofalo
Red Bluff, California
530-200-3546


Class Schedule for Yoga and T’ai Chi Ch’uan
March – April, 2006
Instructor: Michael Garofalo
Tehama Family Fitness Center, Red Bluff

Yoga, Tuesday, March 28th, 5:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Yoga, Thursday, March 30th, 5:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.

Saturday, April 1, Taijiquan and Yoga Classes Cancelled
Mike attending a Sun Style T’ai Chi Ch’uan Workshop in Oakland

Yoga, Tuesday, April 4th, 5:30 – 6:45
Yoga, Thursday, April 6th, Class Cancelled

Taijiquan, Saturday, April 8th , 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Yoga, Saturday, April 8th , 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Yoga, Tuesday, April 11th, 5:30 – 6:45
Yoga, Thursday, April 13th, 5:30 – 6:45

Taijiquan, Saturday, April 15, Class Cancelled
Yoga, Saturday, April 15, 11 a.m. – 12:15 Lauren Teaches Yoga

Yoga, Tuesday, April 18th, Class Cancelled
Yoga, Thursday, April 20th, Class Cancelled

Taijiquan, Saturday, April 22nd, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Yoga, Saturday, April 22nd , 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Yoga, Tuesday, April 25th, Class Cancelled
Yoga, Thursday, April 27th , 5:30 – 6:45
Taijiquan, Thursday, April 27th, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. (New Class Starts)

Taijiquan, Saturday, April 29th, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Yoga, Saturday, April 29th, 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.



Taijiquan Advice from Grandmaster Madame Sun Jian Yun

Grandmaster Madame Sun Jian Yun (1913-2003), daughter of the famous Sun Lu-Tang, gave us the following advice about the practice of Sun Style Tai Chi Chuan:

1. “The head should be upright but do not use force. Let the spirit be full.

2. The mouth should be gently closed with the tongue at the upper palate. Breath gently through the nose.

3. Both shoulders should be loose and dropped. Be careful that they are not raised: raised shoulders cause the chi to float.

4. Both elbows should be pressed down. When the elbows and shoulders are dropped, chi can be sunk at the dan tian. When the elbows are pressed down, the arms can be bent, with stored energy ready to be released.

5. The fingers should be open and loose. The wrist should be flexible.

6. The chest should be held in, not extended. An extended chest causes chi to float, resulting in top heaviness.

7. The waist must be flexible, as it is the commander of all the whole body's movements.

8. The legs should be bent: 'apparent' and 'solid' must be differentiated, otherwise agility is lost.

9. 'Chi sunk at dan tian' means deep breathing. Deep breathing is very important in Tai Chi Chuan, but it must not be forced.

10. Meditation is seeking movement in stillness; Tai Chi Chuan is seeking stillness in movement. During practice, the heart must be calm and the mind must be focused; only then can the physical movements be smooth and agile.

11. A special feature of Tai Chi Chuan is 'use will-power, don't use strength.' The aim is to achieve force that is alive, with extreme softness yet extreme hardness, extreme heaviness yet extreme agility. When will-power arrives, power arrives. If mechanical strength is used, it becomes sluggish and clumsy, floating externally, out of place in external arts."

- Translated by Wong Kiew Kit. Found in "The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chuan" by Wong Kiew Kit, 1996, p. 262.



Free Online Information on Taijiquan, Qigong, and Yoga
Websites by Michael P. Garofalo


Cloud Hands: T’ai Chi Ch’uan and Qigong
http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/index.htm
List of movements for the Yang style Taijiquan 24 form and 108 forms.
Webpages on relaxation (sung), breathing, spiral energy, bagua, Taoism, staff and sword weapons, and four other forms of taijiquan.

Cloud Hands Journal
http://mpgtaijiquan.blogspot.com/
Daily notes, quotes, comments, news, and resource pointers on Taijiquan, Qigong, and Yoga. The Valley Spirit Mind-Body Arts Newsletter is also published in this web-log.

Valley Spirit T’ai Chi Ch’uan
http://www.egreenway.com/tcc.htm
Resources for students in our Taijiquan and Qigong classes.

Valley Spirit Yoga
http://www.egreenway.com/yoga/index.htm
Resources for students in our Hatha and Raja Yoga classes.



Yoga and Yang Style Taijiquan Instructor Needed

Because of some business responsibilities and my personal yoga and taijiquan training program, I need to be out of town sometimes. I’d like to work with someone to be my backup or co-instructor in yoga or taijiquan at the Tehama Family Fitness Center, pending approval by Ginger Olds.
Talk with Mike Garofalo if you are interested in this opportunity (530-200-3546). .

YogaFit offers Level I training in Sacramento on 6/17, 7/8, 8/12, and 9/9.
Yang Style Taijiquan training is provided by Mike.



Valley Spirit Mind-Body Arts Newsletter Subscriptions

If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe from this newsletter then just send an email to the publisher, Mike Garofalo.


Best Wishes for a Great Spring!

Mike


"The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease."
- Thomas Edison