Friday, February 13, 2009

Tai Chi for Arthritis Workshop, Sun Taijiquan

Tai Chi for Arthritis: An Arthritis Foundation Tai Chi Program
Instructor: Robin Malby
February 28 and March 1, 2009
Folsom, California

For more information please contact Robin Malby.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Cane, Zhang, Short Staff, Taijiquan

Way of the Short Staff.
By Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.

A comprehensive guide to the practice of the short staff, cane, jo, walking stick, gun, zhang, whip staff, 13 Hands Staff, and related wood short staff weapons. A detailed and annotated guide, bibliographies, lists of links, resources, instructional media, online videos, and lessons. Includes use of the short staff and cane in martial arts, self-defense, walking and hiking. Separate sections on Aikido Jo, Cane, Taijiquan cane and staff, Jodo, exercises with a short staff, selected quotations, techniques, selecting and purchasing a short staff, tips and suggestions, and a long section on the lore, legends, and magick of the short staff. Includes "Shifu Miao Zhang Points the Way." Published by Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Red Bluff, California. Updated on a regular basis since October, 2008. Filesize: 300Kb. Related to Mike's popular webpage on the Staff.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

You Cannot Call It Lofty

"The Way has its reality and its signs
but is without action or form.
You can hand it down but you cannot receive it,
you can ignore it but you cannot see it.
It is its own source, its own root.
Before heaven and earth existed it was there,
from the ancient times.
It gave spirituality to the spirits and to God,
it gave birth to heaven and to earth.
It exists beyond the highest point,
and yet you cannot call it lofty;
it exists beneath the limit of the six directions,
and yet you cannot call it deep.
It was born before heaven and earth,
and yet you cannot say it has been there for long,
it is earlier than the earliest time,
and yet you cannot call it old."
- The Crookbacked Woman and the Sage
Chuang Tzu, Translated by Burton Watson, 1964
Crone Taoism

Monday, February 09, 2009

Standing Meditation Postures

"Dear Mike,
I was visiting your web page and I liked it a lot. I saw you know a lot about qigong, I am really interested in Static qigong, I saw you have very good information, probably the best I could find on internet, I wanted ask you about Static qigong, specifically about the mechanisms involved in the generation of energy when you practice standing qigong, I have experienced that I have a lot of energy after do it, and I would like to know the theoretic bases of such effect. I was thinking may be is because the continuous isometric contraction of legs muscles. I heard also from Chinese medicine that sexual energy is kept at the legs, then may be such energy is released during the static qigong meditation from legs and you feel more energized.

I would like hear your opinion.
Many thanks,
Emilio"


Emilio,

If your standing stance is low, then the effect of the isometric exercise for the legs is significant. Also, the deltoids get a lot of work holding the arms up. There is also internal work that is supposed to be going on: microcosmic orbit circulation.

The effect of self-discipline in making yourself stand for long periods is also significant. When you can demonstrate to yourself, on a daily basis, that you can endure and concentrate then this produces energy from the application of willpower. The key to energy, for many, is the Will.

Sexual energy, in my opinion, assuming no physiological problems or the diminishment of libidinal drive due to age, is largely a matter of fantasies and skilled masturbation and/or a creative sexual partner. I see sexual vitality as more of a head issue than a leg issue. Qigong theories about sex seem off the mark to me.

I'm not the best person to speak to about Qigong theories and traditional Chinese medicine theories because 1) I am not an expert on these topics, and 2) I am a skeptic. I do find that the exercises are fun, creative, and valuable; and include lots of Qigong exercise sets in my yoga classes. (Many Yoga theories are likewise quaint, esoteric, and suspect to me.)

I guess, in the end, I think you can keep the baby (exercises) and throw out the dirty bathwater (fanciful theories).

Best wishes,

Mike Garofalo



"Thank for your answer Mike, but my question really was: why I feel so much energy when I practice static qigong, if I compare for example reading or watching TV stand.....something different take place in your body, mind (empty mind, concentration?),,which facilitates the release or movement of energy.... For me this is very interesting but difficult to explain I think...
Regards, Emilio


Emilio,


Few of us stand for 30 to 60 minutes and read or watch TV on a daily basis.

Qigong is normally done in a quiet, peaceful, beautiful area (e.g., in a garden or park or meditation room). You must hold specific postures for long periods of time, breathe in specific ways, clear the mind, use specific imagery (e.g., microcosmic orbit circulation). You must really do it every day, not just talk or wonder or theorize about doing it.

All this concentrating, visualizing, exercising the Will to do so, and holding classic "ecstatic body postures" are energetic enablers, uplifters, endorphic/odiopiod releasers, builders of mind-body power. These practices often cause us to realize that we have great stores of energy within, that we underestimate our natural potentials, that we can exceed our expectations with gusto. Again, the exercise of willpower is Power, and it creates and expands energy. Taiji people speak of Yi leading Qi - Yi is mind and will. Once you decide, focus the will, and act you will find more energy, more energy than you imagined you have.

Mike

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Eight Section Brocade Qigong

Recently, I have been studying and practicing the Beifang Qi Taiji Zhang (the Northern Energy Taiji Cane). This form was created by James Bouchard.

The excellent instructional DVD for the Northern Energy Taiji Cane also includes a warm up Qigong routine that is useful for everyone. It will be of special interest to those who practice the Eight Section Brocade Qigong form.

There are eight movements in the Northern Energy Taji Cane Qigong form:

1. Lifting the Sky
2. Press Earth and Sky
3. Drawing the Bow
4. Look Over Shoulder
5. Touch the Earth
6. Bear Swims with Cane
7. Willow Tree Stretch
8. Wave Away Demons.

All movements are done with a cane or short staff held in the hands.
Movements 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are done with the legs in a horse stance; and movements 3 and 8 are done in a bow stance.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Cane Martial Arts

My daily practice includes the study and practice of two taijiquan cane forms:

1. Eight Immortals Taijiquan Cane, Routine 1, Yang Style

2. Northern Energy Taiji Cane, Beifang Qi Taiji Zhang


Beifang Qi Taiji Zhang. Instructional DVD, 54 Minutes, 2006. Tai Chi Cane Kata. Developed by James Bouchard. "Beifang Qi Taiji Zhang means 'Northern Energy Taiji Cane.' This exciting original form was created to introduce the cane to Taiji practitioners, and to introduce Taiji principles to martial artists interested in the cane. Beifang Qi includes sets of "Qigong" or "energy exercises", multiple views of the form and a complete section on basic applications. Each movement is named for easy reference and the DVD version includes interactive menus. Beifang Qi Taiji Zhang is appropriate for novices, yet experienced martial artists will find new levels of understanding. Endorsed by Cane Masters International." Video Clip VSCL. Notes. This DVD also includes a warm up Qigong routine that is useful for everyone. It will be of special interest to those who practice the Eight Section Brocade Qigong form. There are eight movements in the Beifang Qi Qigong form: 1. Lifting the Sky, 2. Press Earth and Sky, 3. Drawing the Bow, 4. Look Over Shoulder, 5. Touch the Earth, 6. Bear Swims with Cane, 7. Willow Tree Stretch, and 8. Wave Away Demons.

Traditional Tai Chi Eight Immortals Cane, Routine One. Demonstrated by Master Jesse Tsao. Instructional DVD, 64 minutes. Produced by Tai Chi Healthways, San Diego, 2008. Routine One is based on the Yang Style of Taijiquan. Master Tsao developed this cane form himself, with grandmaster Zhu Tiancai's support.

Way of the Short Staff. By Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Red Bluff, California. A detailed and annotated guide, bibliographies, lists of links, resources, instructional media, online videos, and lessons. A comprehensive guide to the practice of the short staff, cane, jo, walking stick, gun, zhang, whip staff, 13 Hands Staff, and related wood short staff weapons. Includes use of the short staff and cane in martial arts, self-defense, walking and hiking. Separate sections on Aikido Jo, Cane, Taijiquan cane and staff, Jodo, exercises with a short staff, selected quotations, techniques, selecting and purchasing a short staff, tips and suggestions, and a long section on the lore, legends, and magick of the short staff. Includes "Shifu Miao Zhang Points the Way." Updated on a regular basis since October 2008. File size: 265Kb. Related to Mike's popular webpage on the Staff.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Baguazhang Practice

I really enjoyed returning to Baguazhang practice in Chico today. Sifu Kent Howard led our practice at the Chico Kodenkan dojo. I need to work on my aerobic conditioning more.

Baguazhang (Pa Kua Chang): Bibliography, Links, Resources

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Cloud Hands Website

Cloud Hands Website: Taijiquan and Qigong
Bibliographies, Guides, Links, Research, Instructions, Lessons

http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/index.htm

My web host, Blue Host, shut down www.egreenway.com from late December to early January because of "script" problems with my old Green Way blog on Word Press. I have no idea as to what suddenly caused this "script" problem with Word Press. What??? Why???

One consequence was that when the Google spider checked the website recently it could not find any files. Google deleted all the links to my "non-existent" documents. It will take a few weeks to get back into Google. Of course, I lost my first page Google ranking for scores of my webpages on taijiquan and qigong. The links were not deleted by the Yahoo search engine.

The Cloud Hands website IS now back ONLINE!!!

Friday, January 09, 2009

Happy New Year

My very best wishes to all for a prosperous and happy New Year.


Karen and I enjoyed a trip to Portland over Christmas week to visit with our children, their spouses, and our grandchildren. The snow and ice in Portland were a dramatic sight.

Lately, we have been very busy with work and home improvements. I have had little or no time for blogging or webpage development.

I accidentally fell a week ago and severely bruised my left knee, and injured my head, neck, and shoulder. Everything but the knee has shown improvement.

My most popular website, www.egreenway.com, was down from late December until today. In 2008, there were 15 million hits on this URL/website, with the most popular websites being the Months website and the Cloud Hands website.

My old Green Way blog on Word Press became completely corrupted and has been lost. How sad!!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Tai Chi Chuan Cane, Zhang, Short Staff Weapon

Way of the Short Staff. By Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. A comprehensive guide to the practice of the short staff, cane, jo, walking stick, gun, zhang, whip staff, 13 Hands Staff, and related wood short staff weapons. A detailed and annotated guide, bibliographies, lists of links, resources, instructional media, online videos, and lessons. Includes use of the short staff and cane in martial arts, self-defense, walking and hiking. Separate sections on Aikido Jo, Cane, Taijiquan cane and staff, Jodo, exercises with a short staff, selected quotations, techniques, selecting and purchasing a short staff, tips and suggestions, and a long section on the lore, legends, and magick of the short staff. Includes "Shifu Miao Zhang Points the Way." Published by Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Red Bluff, California. Updated on a regular basis since October, 2008. Filesize: 265Kb. Related to Mike's popular webpage on the Staff.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

December Greetings

Karen and I went to Portland, Oregon, the Thanksgiving week to enjoy the holiday with our children and grandchildren.

We both have been fighting off the effects of colds and coughs.

I've let some of the newly trained yoga instructors take my classes in December. They need some practical experience.

We have both been busy with working at our regular jobs, and keeping up the house and yard.

A cold late autumn, but, unfortunately, no rain. We are in a drought.

Thanks very much to the kind "friend" that sent me a book and 6 DVDs of the Sun Style Tai Chi Chuan. I appreciate your generosity and positive support.

My Tai Chi Chuan focus has been on learning the Eight Immortals Cane Form, Routine One, and cane exercises and martial arts drills.

We both look forward to our unpaid Winter vacation from school.

I hope to begin a very active walking and Taijiquan exercise program starting tomorrow.

Happy Holidays!!

Learning from DVDs or Videos

"Whereas a form-instruction video is no substitute for a qualified teacher, those who live far from any teacher are still better off learning from a video than if they had no instruction at all. For those who have a teacher, a video can augment and accelerate the learning process. Finally, those who have had prior instruction in internal arts should be able to attain a substantial benefit from a video.

One method of learning a form from a video is to repeatedly do the entire form or blocks of the form along with the video. However, this method is not efficient because there is insufficient opportunity to reinforce each movement. A better way is to refrain from doing movement while watching the video. Rather, it is good to choose a small block of material, watch it a few times. Then, without any major physical action, visualize the sequence of movements as clearly as possible. Next, go back to the beginning of that block of material, and view and visualize it again a few times. Only after clear and complete visualization is achieved should the movements be attempted physically.

At first it will seem extremely difficult to work this way. With persistence, however, it is possible to achieve a level of visualization so intense that the imagined movements are almost as vivid as those seen on a TV screen. The dividends of the process of visualization are twofold: (1) By subduing the physical aspects of movement (e.g., balance, coordination, kinetic sense, timing), you can completely focus the mind on the details of the movement. (2) By cultivating the ability to visualize and mentally encompass complex details, you become increasingly able to observe and learn new movements quickly, especially in situations where it is not feasible to move while observing (e.g., dreams, teacher showing movements while the class watches). Referring to the dimension of self-defense, the more you can observe and mentally encompass the movements of the opponent, the greater the advantage achieved."
- Robert Chuckrow, The Tai Chi Book, YMAA Publication Center, Boston, MA, 1998, pp. 119–120


Refer to my suggestions and remarks about learning the Standard 24 Taijiquan Form using DVDs, videos, and books.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Yoga and Taijiquan Class Schedule

Current Taijiquan Class and Practice Schedule
Mike Garofalo, Instructor

Outdoors, Monday, 7:00 - 8:30 am, Valley Spirit Taijiquan Center

Indoors, Mondays, 5:30 - 6:30 pm, Tehama Family Fitness Center

Outdoors, Friday, 7:00 - 8:30 am, Valley Spirit Taijiquan Center

Indoors, Saturday, 9:30 - 11 am, Tehama Family Fitness Center

Outdoors, Sunday, 7:00 - 8:30 am, Valley Spirit Taijiquan Center

We practice the Yang Style of Taijiquan (24 Form and 108 Form), 32 Sword Form and Eight Immortals 36 Cane Form in the Yang Style of Taijiquan.

Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.

Green Way Blog

Cloud Hands Blog

Cloud Hands Website

Valley Spirit Taijiquan Curriculum, Instructors, Class Schedule


Current Yoga Class Schedule
Mike Garofalo, Instructor

Starting Thursday, November 13, 2008:

Yoga Class, Thursdays, 5:30 - 6:45 pm, Tehama Family Fitness Center

Yoga Class, Saturdays, 11:00 am - 12:15, Tehama Family Fitness Center

Yoga Class, Tuesdays, 5:30 - 6:45 pm, Tehama Family Fitness Center


Yoga Information

Monday, November 03, 2008

Tai Chi Chuan Practice Schedule

Current Taijiquan Class and Practice Schedule

Outdoors, Monday, 7:00 - 8:30 am, Valley Spirit Taijiquan Center

Indoors, Mondays, 5:30 - 6:30 pm, Tehama Family Fitness Center

Outdoors, Friday, 7:00 - 8:30 am, Valley Spirit Taijiquan Center

Indoors, Saturday, 9:30 - 11 am, Tehama Family Fitness Center

Sunday, 7:00 - 8:30 am, Valley Spirit Taijiquan Center

We practice the Yang Style of Taijiquan (24 Form and 108 Form), 32 Sword Form and Eight Immortals 36 Cane Form in the Yang Style of Taijiquan.

Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.

Green Way Blog

Cloud Hands Blog

Cloud Hands Website

Valley Spirit Taijiquan Curriculum, Instructors, Class Schedule