Fair Lady Works the Shuttles

What fun! Grokk Away!

Eight Section Brocade Qigong

"Qigong Teachings of a Taoist Immortal: The Eight Essential Exercises of Master Li Ching-yun." Translated with commentary by Stuart Alve Olsen. Healing Arts Press, 2002. 92 pages. ISBN: 089281945 .

Qigong expert Stuart Olson translates into English "Master Li Ching-yun's treasured teachings on the Eight Brocades. One of the most famous qigong masters of this century, Master Li Ching-yun is reliably chronicled to have lived more than 250 years, during which he practiced the Eight Brocades on a daily basis. His longevity and personal endorsements attest to and validate the Eight Brocades as the quintessence of Taoist health and qigong practices."

Old Chang - Bei Fung Northern Style Taijiquan

If you have any information about the Old Chang form of Taijiquan, please write to Chris Brownie at cwfbrownie@hotmail.com


Chris wrote:

"The style of Tai Chi Chuan that I practice is called Bei Fung (Northern) Style and is also referred to as The Old Chang Form. I am interested in making contact with anyone playing a similar form. The style is easily identified in the concluding postures: 107.Right kick, separate the legs, snake against the crane. [A deep split.} 108.Sealed/closed. My teacher, Chang Seah Ming was born 1921 Shanghai. He trained in Martial Arts specializing in Acupuncture and Chang Chuan. He was trained by his Grand Father inlaw, Grand Master Zhou Yi Shan (Hsu Yi Sang ?) reputed Martial Art Grand Master in Pudong, Shanghai China. Kind regards."

Walking and Meditation

"Happy is the man who has acquired
the love of walking for its own sake!"
- W.J. Holland










"There is this to be said for walking:
It's the one mode
of human locomotion by which
a man proceeds on his own two feet,
upright, erect,
as a man should be,
not squatting on his rear haunches
like a frog."
- Edward Abbey



"Zen Dance is beyond religion, it manifests all of reality. It is an embodiment of meditation in motion, or movement creation, as well as spiritual practice and physical conditioning. But, like life, it is also ephemeral: Dancing is painting on air."
Lee Sun Ock, Creatrix-Choreographer of Zen Dance


On my days off work, usually four days a week, I walk in the morning and practice Taijiquan. For me, these two practices are a wonderful period of uplifting, engaging, and profound meditation.

Green Way Widsom - Walking

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

Tai Chi for Arthritis

I am currently studing the book and DVD by Dr. Paul Lam on Tai Chi for Arthritis. I will be attending the upcoming Tai Chi for Arthritis Teacher Traing Workshop led by Troyce Thome. For more information go to my webpage on
Arthritis Therapy - Exercise: Taijiquan and Qigong.

Taijiquan's Health Benefits

"T'ai Chi Ch'uan as physical training is characterized by its requirement for the use of leverage through the joints based on coordination in relaxation rather than muscular tension in order to neutralize or initiate physical attacks. The slow, repetitive work involved in that process is said to gently increase and open the internal circulation (breath, body heat, blood, lymph, peristalsis, etc.). Over time, proponents say, this enhancement becomes a lasting effect, a direct reversal of the constricting physical effects of stress on the human body. This reversal allows much more of the students' native energy to be available to them, which they may then apply more effectively to the rest of their lives; families, careers, spiritual or creative pursuits, hobbies, etc.

The study of T'ai Chi Ch'uan involves three primary subjects:

* Health - an unhealthy or otherwise uncomfortable person will find it difficult to meditate to a state of calmness or to use T'ai Chi as a martial art. T'ai Chi's health training therefore concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind.
* Meditation - the focus meditation and subsequent calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of T'ai Chi is seen as necessary to maintain optimum health (in the sense of effectively maintaining stress relief or homeostasis) and in order to use it as a soft style martial art.
* Martial art - the ability to competently use T'ai Chi as a martial art is said to be proof that the health and meditation aspects are working according to the dictates of the theory of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.


Wikipedia

Eight Elements West

The Eight Elements West

1. Consistent Exercise
Energize through safe, results-oriented exercise.

2. Body Alignment
Promote proper posture, spinal strength with flexibility, and body awareness.

3. Natural Nutrition
Implement sound eating practices for life.

4. Sound Mind
Embrace life obstacles with self-awareness, reflection, imagination and creativity.

5. Relaxation and Centering
Cultivate and calm the bodymind connection everyday.

6. Community and Environment
Surround yourself with trusted friends and family. Be kind to the Earth.

7. Individual Action
Time is precious. Let change begin now, with you.

8. Heart of the Human Spirit
Transform life through your heart, where true strength resides.


I'm always looking for ideas and information about models that use
eight components. Take a look at my collection of information about
the Chinese Trigrams model.

Nia: Neuromuscular Integrative Action

I'm reading the following book:

The Nia Technique. The High-Powered Energizing Workout that Gives You a New Body and a New Life. By Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas. New York, Broadway Books, 2004. Bibliography, glossary, 324 pages. Illustrated with photographs. ISBN: 0767917308. MPG. Nia is a newer fusion exercise system, and "Nia" stands for "Neuromuscular Integrative Action."

Fundamentals of Nia:

The joy of movement is the secret of fitness.
Fitness must address the human being, not just the body.
Movement must be conscious, not habitual.
Use you body in the way it was designed to be used.
Use your body to heal your mind, emotions, and spirit.
Take the path of least resistance.

The Five Principles of the Body's Way:

The body thrives on dynamic ease.
The body demands balance.
The body is balanced in yin and yang.
The body's way demands simultaneous mobility and stability.
The body itself reveals the body's way.

Eight Branches of Yoga

Eight Limbs of Yoga (Astanga)

The Eight Branches of Classical Raja Yoga


1. Yamas: The Guidelines for Conscious Living, the Moral Codes, the Ethical Principles, The Five Principles of Behavior Towards Others and Oneself

2. Niyamas: The Guidelines for Personal Living, Five Rules for a Healthy Mind-Body

3. Asanas: Postures, Exercises, Sequence of Physical Exercises

4. Pranayama: Breathing Exercises, Energy Movement Training

5. Pratyahara: Control of the Senses, Self-Observation, Looking Within

6. Dharana: Concentration, Mindfulness

7. Dhyana: Meditation

8. Samadhi: Self-Realization, Enlightement, Bliss, Joyfulness

Spiral Energy in Taijiquan

"It is easier to leave a circle than to enter it.
The emphasis is on the hip movement whether front or back.
The difficulty is to maintain the position without shifting the centre.
To analyse and understand the above situation is to do with
movement and not with a stationary posture.
Advancing and retreating by turning sideways in line with the
shoulders, one is capable of turning like a millstone, fast or slow,
as if whirling like a dragon in the clouds or sensing the approach
of a fierce tiger.
From this, one can learn the usage of the movement of
the upper torso.
Through long practice, such movement will become natural."
- Yang Family Old Manual, The Coil Incense Kung

Yoga Workshop with Stuart Rice

I participated in the YogaFit Level 3 Teacher Training Workshop, Day Two, in Sacramento, California, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Our enthusiastic, knowledgeable, witty, and engaging instructor for the workshop was Stuart Rice. We participated in a 1 hour master level workout, discussed the elements and need for a personal practice, reviewed many new postures, did some team teaching exercises, and learned even more about the anatomy of yoga.

This was my last YogaFit teacher training workshop. I have completed the 200 hour teacher training program. I am now eligible to apply for the 200 hour “Registered Yoga Teacher” certificate from the National Yoga Alliance. I have much more to learn.

During these workshops I have had the good fortune to meet and learn from many lively, wise, beautiful, and athletic women who practice and teach yoga.

YogaFit Level III Teacher Training Workshop

I participated in the YogaFit Level 3 Teacher Training Workshop, Day One, in Sacramento, California, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Our enthusiastic, knowledgeable, witty, and engaging instructor for the workshop was Stuart Rice. We participated in a 2.5 hour master level workout, discussed the elements and need for a personal practice, reviewed the Yamas and Niyamas of Pantanjali's classical yoga text, did some team teaching exercises, and learned a great deal about the anatomy of yoga.

Fade Into Emptiness as You Exhale

"Even though your practice is not good enough, you can do it. Your breathing will gradually vanish. You will gradually vanish, fading into emptiness. Inhaling without effort you naturally come back to yourself with some color or form. Exhaling, you gradually fade into emptiness -- empty, white paper. That is shikantaza. The important point is your exhalation. Instead of trying to feel yourself as you inhale, fade into emptiness as you exhale.

When you practice this in your last moment, you will have nothing to be afraid of. You are actually aiming at emptiness. You become one with everything after you completely exhale with this feeling. If you are still alive, naturally you will inhale again. 'Oh, I'm still alive! Fortunately or unfortunately!' Then you start to exhale and fade into emptiness. Maybe you don't know what kind of feeling it is. But some of you know it. By some chance you must have felt this kind of feeling."
- Suzuki Roshi, Not Always So

Tai Chi Books by John Loupos

I have found the three books by John Loupos, a Kung Fu and Tai Chi master, to be of significant value to me. His writing is clear, thoughtful, and grounded in extensive experience. Tai Chi teachers will find much information of high value in these books. The books are published by the Yang's Martial Arts Association and well edited.

Target coupons are always available for books. 

Inside Tai Chi: Hints, Tips, Training, and Process for Students and Teachers. By John Loupos. Boston, Massachusetts, YMAA Publications, 2002. Glossary, resources, index, 209 pages. ISBN: 1886969108.

Exploring Tai Chi: Contemporary Views on an Ancient Art. By John Loupos. Boston, Massachusetts, YMAA Publications, 2003. 135 illustrations. Glossary, index, 206 pages. ISBN: 0940871424.

Tai Chi Connections: Advancing Your Tai Chi Experience. By John Loupos. Boston, MA, YMAA Publication Center, 2005. Index, 194 pages. ISBN: 1594390320.