I have enjoyed practicing this short Chen Taijiquan form for the past seven years. It was developed by Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei.
Chen Taijiquan Short 18 Movement Form Webpage Bibliography, Links, Movements, Lists, Tips and Suggestions, UTube links. Prepared by Mike Garofalo.
List of Movements of the Chen Taijiquan 18 Movement Short Form
Chen Taijiquan Old Frame First Form Laojia Yilu Webpage
Chen Style Tai Chi Essential 18 Postures with Patrick Martin. Instructional DVD, 2 DVDs, 238 minutes. Disk 1, 130 Minutes. Jade Dragon Tai Chi International, Empty Circle Productions, 2008. VSCL. Patrick Martin is a student of Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei, and has been practicing and teaching Chen style Tai Chi for the last 20 years. Detailed instructions for each movement sequence. This DVD would be my first choice for an excellent instructional DVD on the Chen 18 Form. However, this excellent DVD may be difficult to obtain. An out of focus UTube demostration that does not do justice to his teaching.
I favor instructional DVDs where: 1) there is a menu to sections of instruction, 2) there are detailed and complete verbal and physical instructions on how to do each section of the form, 3) all instructions are in English only, 3) there is a recap of each section with both side and back views of a performance of the part of the form explained in that section, 4) there is a summary complete performance of the form taught from multiple views. A good instructor helps you learn the form, and they may not be a "Master" or "Grand Master." A demonstration of the form, as you might find on UTube, is useful after you have learned to perform the Taijiquan or Qigong form on your own. Learning from DVD with a Chinese speaker, with English subtitles, is difficult for me to follow; and, voice-over translation can get confusing. I favor instructional DVDs from Ken Jullette, Jesse Tsao, Yang Jwing-Ming, Paul Lam, and Jiang Jian-ye ... among others.
Here is a beautifully performed version of the Chen Style Taijiquan 18 Form by Sifu Mark Ditcher from Poole, England. Fantastic!! I take this interpretation of the Chen Taijiquan 18 Form as my standard. I look at this video quite often to refresh my memory and help me improve.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Standing in the Sensuous Present
"There is a useful
exercise that I devised to keep myself from falling completely into the
civilized oblivion of linear time. You are welcome to try it the next time
you are out of doors. I locate myself in a relatively open space─ a low
hill is particularly good, or a wide field. I relax at bit, take a few
breaths, gaze around. Then I close my eyes, and let myself begin to feel
the whole bulk of my past─the whole mass of events leading up to this very
moment. And I call into awareness, as well, my whole future─all those
projects and possibilities that lie waiting to be realized. I imagine this
past and this future as two vast balloons of time, separated from each other
like the bulbs of an hourglass, yet linked together at the single moment where I
stand pondering them. And then, very slowly, I allow both of these immense
bulbs of time to begin leaking their substance into this minute movement between
them, into the present. Slowly, imperceptibly at first, the present moment
begins to grow. Nourished by the leakage from the past and the future, the
present moment swells in proportion as those other dimensions shrink. Soon
it is very large; and the past and future have dwindled down to mere knots on
the edge of this huge expanse. At this point I let the past and future
dissolve entirely. And, I open my eyes. ...
I find myself standing
in the midst of an eternity, a vast and inexhaustible present. The whole
world rests within itself─the trees at the fields edge, the hum of crickets in
the grass, cirrocumulus clouds rippling like wave across the sky, from horizon
to horizon. ... I remain standing on this hill under rippled clouds, my skin
tingling with sensations. The expansiveness of the present holds my body
enthralled. My animal senses are all awake─my ears attuned to a
multiplicity of minute sounds, the tine hairs on my face registering every lull
and shift in the breeze. I am embedded in this open moment, my muscles
stretching and bending with the grass. The present seems endless,
inexhaustible. What, then, has become of the past and future?"
- David Abrams,
The Spell of the Sensuous, Vintage, 1996, p. 202
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Doing Something in the Rain
The first rainstorm of our "rainy season" (October - May) settled in yesterday. A refreshing light rain for a few days. Cool, beautiful, and delightful. I enjoyed walking outdoors when the rain let up a little.
"Walked for half an hour in the garden.
A fine rain was falling, and the landscape was that of autumn. The sky was
hung with various shades of gray, and mists hovered about the distant mountains
- a melancholy nature. The leaves were falling on all sides like the last
illusions of youth under the tears of irremediable grief. A brood of
chattering birds were chasing each other through the shrubberies, and playing
games among the branches, like a knot of hiding schoolboys. Every
landscape is, as it were, a state of the soul, and whoever penetrates into both
is astonished to find how much likeness there is in each detail."
- Henri Frederic Amiel
- Henri Frederic Amiel
“Thinking is generally thought of as doing nothing in a
production-oriented culture, and doing nothing is hard to do. It's best done by
disguising it as doing something, and the something closest to doing nothing is
walking.”
- Rebecca Solnit
Friday, October 14, 2016
Dao De Jing, Chapter 22
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 22
"In cultivating the Tao there are first the sprouts; then perfection.
First, there is perversion; then rectification.
First there is hollowness and receptivity; then plenitude.
First there is destruction of the old; then renovation.
First there is humility; then acquisition.
Self-sufficiency is followed by suspicion on the part of others.
Therefore, the Sage preserves unity in his heart and becomes a pattern to the whole world.
He does not say of himself that he can see, and therefore he is perspicacious.
He does not say of himself that he is right, and therefore he is manifested to all.
He does pot praise himself, and therefore his merit is recognized.
He is not self-conceited, and therefore he increases in knowledge.
And as he never strives with anybody, so the world does not strive with him.
Can that saying of the olden times—"First the sprouts, then perfection"—be called meaningless?
The attainment of genuine perfection implies a reversion to the original nature of man."
- Translated by Frederic H. Balfour, 1884, Chapter 22
"The imperfect is completed.
The crooked is straightened.
The empty is filled.
The old is renewed.
With few there is attainment.
With much there is confusion.
Therefore the sage grasps the one and becomes the model for all.
She does not show herself, and therefore is apparent.
She does not affirm herself, and therefore is acknowledged.
She does not boast and therefore has merit.
She does not strive and is therefore successful.
It is exactly because she does not contend, that nobody can contend with her.
How could the ancient saying, "The imperfect is completed" be regarded as empty talk?
Believe in the complete and return to it."
- Translated by Charles Muller, 1891, Chapter 22
qu ze quan.
wang ze zhi.
wa ze ying.
bi ze xin,
shao ze de,
duo ze huo.
shi yi sheng ren bao yi wei tian xia shi.
bu zi jian gu ming.
bu zi shi gu zhang.
bu zi fa.
gu you gong bu zi jin gu zhang.
fu wei bu zheng, gu tian xia mo neng yu zhi zheng.
gu zhi suo wei qu ze quan zhe, qi xu yan zai.
cheng quan er gui zhi.
- Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 22
"'Yield and you need not break:
Bent you can straighten,
Emptied you can hold,
Torn you can mend;
And as want can reward you
So wealth can bewilder.
Aware of this, a wise man has the simple return
Which other men seek:
Without inflaming himself
He is kindled,
Without explaining himself
Is explained,
Without taking credit
Is accredited,
Laying no claim
Is acclaimed
And, because he does not compete,
Finds peaceful competence.
How true is the old saying,
'Yield and you need not break'!
How completely it comes home!"
- Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 22
"If you want to become whole,
first let yourself become broken.
If you want to become straight,
first let yourself become twisted.
If you want to become full,
first let yourself become empty.
If you want to become new,
first let yourself become old.
Those whose desires are few get them,
those whose desires are great go astray.
For this reason the Master embraces the Tao,
as an example for the world to follow.
Because she isn't self centered,
people can see the light in her.
Because she does not boast of herself,
she becomes a shining example.
Because she does not glorify herself,
she becomes a person of merit.
Because she wants nothing from the world,
the world can not overcome her.
When the ancient Masters said,
"If you want to become whole,
then first let yourself be broken,"
they weren't using empty words.
All who do this will be made complete."
- Translated by John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 22
"Bend to not break.
Wrong leads to right,
Depletion to expansion,
Ruin to revival,
Deprivation to acquisition.
Thus the wise hold fast to oneness,
Their measure for this world below;
They make no display and thus shed light,
Put forward no claim and thus set patterns,
Do not advance and thus succeed,
Do not assert and thus preside.
By their refusal to contend
The world cannot with them contend.
Those ancient words “Bend to not break”
Have pith and point
Truly those unbroken credit them.
“Spare speech and let things be.” "
- Translated by Moss Roberts, 2001, Chapter 22
Chapter 22
"In cultivating the Tao there are first the sprouts; then perfection.
First, there is perversion; then rectification.
First there is hollowness and receptivity; then plenitude.
First there is destruction of the old; then renovation.
First there is humility; then acquisition.
Self-sufficiency is followed by suspicion on the part of others.
Therefore, the Sage preserves unity in his heart and becomes a pattern to the whole world.
He does not say of himself that he can see, and therefore he is perspicacious.
He does not say of himself that he is right, and therefore he is manifested to all.
He does pot praise himself, and therefore his merit is recognized.
He is not self-conceited, and therefore he increases in knowledge.
And as he never strives with anybody, so the world does not strive with him.
Can that saying of the olden times—"First the sprouts, then perfection"—be called meaningless?
The attainment of genuine perfection implies a reversion to the original nature of man."
- Translated by Frederic H. Balfour, 1884, Chapter 22
"The imperfect is completed.
The crooked is straightened.
The empty is filled.
The old is renewed.
With few there is attainment.
With much there is confusion.
Therefore the sage grasps the one and becomes the model for all.
She does not show herself, and therefore is apparent.
She does not affirm herself, and therefore is acknowledged.
She does not boast and therefore has merit.
She does not strive and is therefore successful.
It is exactly because she does not contend, that nobody can contend with her.
How could the ancient saying, "The imperfect is completed" be regarded as empty talk?
Believe in the complete and return to it."
- Translated by Charles Muller, 1891, Chapter 22
"Yield, and maintain integrity.
To bend is to be upright;
to be empty is to be full.
Those who have little have much to gain,
but those who have much
may be confused by possessions.
The wise man embraces the all encompassing;
he is unaware of himself, and so has brilliance;
not defending himself, he gains distinction;
not seeking fame, he receives recognition;
not making false claims, he does not falter;
and not being quarrelsome,
is in conflict with no one.
This is why it was said by the sages of old,
"Yield, and maintain integrity;
be whole, and all things come to you"."
- Translated by Stan Rosenthal, 1984, Chapter 22
"That which is incomplete becomes complete.
The crooked becomes straight,
The empty becomes full,
The worn-out becomes new.
He who obtains has little,
He who scatters has much.
That is why the self-controlled man holds to Unity and brings it into manifestation for men.
He looks not at self, therefore he sees clearly;
He asserts not himself, therefore he shines;
He boasts not of self, therefore he has merit;
He glorifies not himself, therefore he endures.
The Master indeed does not strive, yet no one in the world can strive against him.
The words of the Ancients were not empty words:
"That which is incomplete becomes complete."
Acquire completeness by returning it."
- Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 22
The crooked becomes straight,
The empty becomes full,
The worn-out becomes new.
He who obtains has little,
He who scatters has much.
That is why the self-controlled man holds to Unity and brings it into manifestation for men.
He looks not at self, therefore he sees clearly;
He asserts not himself, therefore he shines;
He boasts not of self, therefore he has merit;
He glorifies not himself, therefore he endures.
The Master indeed does not strive, yet no one in the world can strive against him.
The words of the Ancients were not empty words:
"That which is incomplete becomes complete."
Acquire completeness by returning it."
- Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 22
曲則全.
枉則直.
窪則盈.
弊則新.
少則得.
多則惑.
是以聖人抱一為天下式.
不自見故明.
不自是故彰.
不自伐.
故有功不自矜故長.
夫唯不爭, 故天下莫能與之爭.
古之所謂曲則全者, 豈虛言哉.
誠全而歸之.- Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 22
枉則直.
窪則盈.
弊則新.
少則得.
多則惑.
是以聖人抱一為天下式.
不自見故明.
不自是故彰.
不自伐.
故有功不自矜故長.
夫唯不爭, 故天下莫能與之爭.
古之所謂曲則全者, 豈虛言哉.
誠全而歸之.- Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 22
qu ze quan.
wang ze zhi.
wa ze ying.
bi ze xin,
shao ze de,
duo ze huo.
shi yi sheng ren bao yi wei tian xia shi.
bu zi jian gu ming.
bu zi shi gu zhang.
bu zi fa.
gu you gong bu zi jin gu zhang.
fu wei bu zheng, gu tian xia mo neng yu zhi zheng.
gu zhi suo wei qu ze quan zhe, qi xu yan zai.
cheng quan er gui zhi.
- Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 22
"'Yield and you need not break:
Bent you can straighten,
Emptied you can hold,
Torn you can mend;
And as want can reward you
So wealth can bewilder.
Aware of this, a wise man has the simple return
Which other men seek:
Without inflaming himself
He is kindled,
Without explaining himself
Is explained,
Without taking credit
Is accredited,
Laying no claim
Is acclaimed
And, because he does not compete,
Finds peaceful competence.
How true is the old saying,
'Yield and you need not break'!
How completely it comes home!"
- Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 22
"Acepta y serás completo,
Inclinate y serás recto,
Vacíate y quedarás lleno,
Decae, y te renovarás,
Desea, y conseguirás,
Buscando la satisfacción quedas confuso.
El Sabio acepta el Mundo
Como el Mundo acepta el Tao;
No se muestra a si mismo, y así es visto claramente,
No se justifica a si mismo, y por eso destaca,
No se empeña, y así realiza su obra,
No se glorifica, y por eso es excelso,
No busca la lucha, y por eso nadie lucha contra él.
Los Santos decían, "acepta y serás completo",
Una vez completo, el Mundo es tu hogar."
- Translated by Antonio Rivas, 1998, Chapter 22
"To yield is to be preserved whole.
To be bent is to become straight.
To be hollow is to be filled.
To be tattered is to be renewed.
To be in want is to possess.
To have plenty is to be confused.
To be bent is to become straight.
To be hollow is to be filled.
To be tattered is to be renewed.
To be in want is to possess.
To have plenty is to be confused.
Therefore the Sage embraces the One,
And becomes the model of the world.
He does not reveal himself,
And is therefore luminous.
He does not justify himself,
And is therefore far-famed.
He does not boast of himself,
And therefore people give him credit.
He does not pride himself,
And is therefore the chief among men.
And becomes the model of the world.
He does not reveal himself,
And is therefore luminous.
He does not justify himself,
And is therefore far-famed.
He does not boast of himself,
And therefore people give him credit.
He does not pride himself,
And is therefore the chief among men.
Is it not indeed true, as the ancients say,
"To yield is to be preserved whole?"
Thus he is preserved and the world does him homage."
- Translated by Lin Yutang, 1948, Chapter 22
"Strength to the Humble
I Ch'ien
To be crooked is to become perfect;
To be bent is to become straight;
To be hollow is to become full;
To be worn out is to be renewed;
To have little is to receive more;
To have plenty is to be perplexed.
Therefore, the Sage embraces the One,
And serves as model for the world.
As he does not like to show off, he is enlightened;
As he is not prone to be self-righteous, he is distinguished;
As he does not blow his own horn, he acquires merit;
As he does not extol himself, he is fit to be a leader.
And it is precisely because he does not contend,
That no one under heaven can contend with him.
The ancient saying "To be crooked is to become perfect"
Surely is not an empty remark.
The world goes to him who is truly perfect."
- Translated by Henry Wei, 1982, Chapter 22
"To yield is to be preserved whole?"
Thus he is preserved and the world does him homage."
- Translated by Lin Yutang, 1948, Chapter 22
"Strength to the Humble
I Ch'ien
To be crooked is to become perfect;
To be bent is to become straight;
To be hollow is to become full;
To be worn out is to be renewed;
To have little is to receive more;
To have plenty is to be perplexed.
Therefore, the Sage embraces the One,
And serves as model for the world.
As he does not like to show off, he is enlightened;
As he is not prone to be self-righteous, he is distinguished;
As he does not blow his own horn, he acquires merit;
As he does not extol himself, he is fit to be a leader.
And it is precisely because he does not contend,
That no one under heaven can contend with him.
The ancient saying "To be crooked is to become perfect"
Surely is not an empty remark.
The world goes to him who is truly perfect."
- Translated by Henry Wei, 1982, Chapter 22
first let yourself become broken.
If you want to become straight,
first let yourself become twisted.
If you want to become full,
first let yourself become empty.
If you want to become new,
first let yourself become old.
Those whose desires are few get them,
those whose desires are great go astray.
For this reason the Master embraces the Tao,
as an example for the world to follow.
Because she isn't self centered,
people can see the light in her.
Because she does not boast of herself,
she becomes a shining example.
Because she does not glorify herself,
she becomes a person of merit.
Because she wants nothing from the world,
the world can not overcome her.
When the ancient Masters said,
"If you want to become whole,
then first let yourself be broken,"
they weren't using empty words.
All who do this will be made complete."
- Translated by John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 22
"Bend to not break.
Wrong leads to right,
Depletion to expansion,
Ruin to revival,
Deprivation to acquisition.
Thus the wise hold fast to oneness,
Their measure for this world below;
They make no display and thus shed light,
Put forward no claim and thus set patterns,
Do not advance and thus succeed,
Do not assert and thus preside.
By their refusal to contend
The world cannot with them contend.
Those ancient words “Bend to not break”
Have pith and point
Truly those unbroken credit them.
“Spare speech and let things be.” "
- Translated by Moss Roberts, 2001, Chapter 22
A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses, Sections) of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes up to 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter. Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization. Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter.
Chapter 22, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index
Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index
Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices
Taoism: A Selected Reading List
Chapter 22, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index
Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index
Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices
Taoism: A Selected Reading List
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Tai Chi Fan
Tai Chi Fan: Bibliography, Links, Resources, Notes, Lore, Quotations. 65Kb+. Research by Mike Garofalo. I welcome any comments, suggestions, additions, or ideas regarding this webpage.
52 Movements Fan Dance Form
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan Instructional DVD by Professor Li Deyin. Narration in English. "A fan routine, created by Professor Li, which combines the gracefulness, centrality and continuity of Taiji with the power, speed and fierceness of Wushu. It is designed as an addition to the exercises for health, and has received massive interest and support throughout the world. In this DVD, Professor Li provides in-depth teaching with Mrs. Fang Mishou performing detail demonstration." Vendor 1. Cost: $35.00 US.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. List of 52 movement names, directions, instructions, and notes by Mike Garofalo.
Tai Chi Kung Fun Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 4:02 min. Lady in white on a stage in Japan. My favorite! "First Form of the Xiyangmei Taiji Kungfu Shan (Taiji Shan). Recorded in Tokyo, Japan when the group headed by Li Deyin went to give an exhibition in 2006."
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 3:59 min. Three performers in white outfits.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 3:59 min. Demonstrated by Patty Lee. Lady in a yellow outfit in a field with a backdrop of mountains.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 4:02 min. Lady in black practicing in a dance studio. What is the song used in many of these videos (by Jackie Chan)??
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 3:42. A group of Master Fay Li Yip's students performing outdoors.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 3:53 min. A group in black outfits performs outdoors in Madrid, Spain. Some members need more group practice.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 5:57 min. Two ladies in red outfits perform outdoors in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video Subject Search.
52 Movements Fan Dance Form
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan Dance, Form I
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan. Routine 1, created by Grandmaster Li Deyin (1938-). Instructional DVD, 65 minutes, by Master Jesse Tsao. Tai Chi Healthways, San Diego, California. "The most popular Tai Chi Fan form ever practiced in China. The routine was created by Grandmaster Li Deyin, Jesse Tsao's teacher since 1978. There are 52 movements in the whole routine based on the characteristic Tai Chi posture with the fan's artistic and martial functions. Master Tsao presents demonstrations at the beginning and end. He teaches step-by-step in slow motion, in English. There are plenty of repetitions of movements in both front and back view. It is a good reference for home study, or a resource for instructor's teaching preparation." Cost: 35.00 US. Demonstration.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan Instructional DVD by Professor Li Deyin. Narration in English. "A fan routine, created by Professor Li, which combines the gracefulness, centrality and continuity of Taiji with the power, speed and fierceness of Wushu. It is designed as an addition to the exercises for health, and has received massive interest and support throughout the world. In this DVD, Professor Li provides in-depth teaching with Mrs. Fang Mishou performing detail demonstration." Vendor 1. Cost: $35.00 US.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. List of 52 movement names, directions, instructions, and notes by Mike Garofalo.
Tai Chi Kung Fun Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 4:02 min. Lady in white on a stage in Japan. My favorite! "First Form of the Xiyangmei Taiji Kungfu Shan (Taiji Shan). Recorded in Tokyo, Japan when the group headed by Li Deyin went to give an exhibition in 2006."
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 3:59 min. Three performers in white outfits.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 3:59 min. Demonstrated by Patty Lee. Lady in a yellow outfit in a field with a backdrop of mountains.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 4:02 min. Lady in black practicing in a dance studio. What is the song used in many of these videos (by Jackie Chan)??
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 3:42. A group of Master Fay Li Yip's students performing outdoors.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 3:53 min. A group in black outfits performs outdoors in Madrid, Spain. Some members need more group practice.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video, 5:57 min. Two ladies in red outfits perform outdoors in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, Form 1. UTube Video Subject Search.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Benefits of Walking
Benefits of Walking
"Improves your circulation
Shores up your bones
Leads to a longer life
Lightens mood
Can lead to weight loss
Strengthens muscles
Improves strength
Supports your joints
Improves your breath
Slows mental decline
Lowers Alzheimer’s risk
Helps you do more, longer
– Arthritis Foundation, Walking Program, 2016
“Maintain a healthy weight
Prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes
Strengthen your bones and muscles
Improve your mood
Improve your balance and coordination”
– Mayo Clinic, Walking: Improve Your Health, 2016
Ways of Walking Quotations, Information, Inspiration, Poems
"Improves your circulation
Shores up your bones
Leads to a longer life
Lightens mood
Can lead to weight loss
Strengthens muscles
Improves strength
Supports your joints
Improves your breath
Slows mental decline
Lowers Alzheimer’s risk
Helps you do more, longer
– Arthritis Foundation, Walking Program, 2016
“Maintain a healthy weight
Prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes
Strengthen your bones and muscles
Improve your mood
Improve your balance and coordination”
– Mayo Clinic, Walking: Improve Your Health, 2016
Ways of Walking Quotations, Information, Inspiration, Poems
Monday, October 10, 2016
Taijiquan Standard 24 Movements Form
My webpage on the Standard 24 Taijiquan Form has been the most popular webpage on the Cloud Hands Website for many years. In the sidebar of this blog, you will find a quick index to this webpage.
Standard Simplified Taijiquan 24 Form. Research by Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. This webpage includes a detailed bibliography of books, media, links, online videos, articles, and resources. It provides a list of the 24 movement names in English, Chinese, French, German and Spanish, with citations for sources of the movement names. It provides detailed descriptions of each movement with black and white line illustrations and photographs. It includes relevant quotations, notes, performance times, section breakdowns, basic Tai Chi principles, and strategies for learning the form. The Peking (Bejing) Chinese National orthodox standard simplified 24 movement T'ai Chi Ch'uan form, created in 1956, is the most popular form practiced all around the world. This form uses the Yang Style of Taijiquan.
This webpage provides many good suggestions for a person learning this short form on their own if there is no Tai Chi class in their area.
There is also a famous short Tai Chi form, created by Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing in the 1940's. It has 37 movements.
Standard Simplified Taijiquan 24 Form. Research by Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. This webpage includes a detailed bibliography of books, media, links, online videos, articles, and resources. It provides a list of the 24 movement names in English, Chinese, French, German and Spanish, with citations for sources of the movement names. It provides detailed descriptions of each movement with black and white line illustrations and photographs. It includes relevant quotations, notes, performance times, section breakdowns, basic Tai Chi principles, and strategies for learning the form. The Peking (Bejing) Chinese National orthodox standard simplified 24 movement T'ai Chi Ch'uan form, created in 1956, is the most popular form practiced all around the world. This form uses the Yang Style of Taijiquan.
This webpage provides many good suggestions for a person learning this short form on their own if there is no Tai Chi class in their area.
There is also a famous short Tai Chi form, created by Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing in the 1940's. It has 37 movements.
Sunday, October 09, 2016
Wild Goose Chi Kung Exercises
Dayan (Wild Goose) Qigong Exercises
Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Notes, List of Movements
Research by Mike Garofalo
The Wild Goose Qigong form is one long continuous sequence of movements, much like a Taiji form. There are many aspects of the Wild Goose Qigong system as presented by Dr. Bingkun Hu of San Francisco.
"Wild Goose Qigong claims that “there are no intentional movements without awareness. Wild Goose Qigong advocates “wu-wei” (or “doing nothing”) and “tuo-yi” (“reduce one’s awareness to the minimum”). A good example is Wild Goose-1 (the first 64 Movements). We often tell our beginning learners that the movements in this set of qigong are supposed to describe the daily activities of a wild goose. There are three parts to this qigong. Part One is “The Goose Wakes Up”. It stretches itself, it brushes up its wings and shakes them. It plays innocently. A made-up story is even included: “Then the goose looks at the moon, which is reflected in the water and tries to scoop it up." Part Two is “The Flying Goose”. Flapping its wings, the care-free wild goose skims over a smooth lake. It looks at the water and dips down to drink the water. Then the goose is playing with he “qi”. It tries to grasp the qi. It holds and rotates the qi-ball. It pushes out the dirty qi, and tries to receive the fresh qi from its lower back. In Part Three, the goose is first flying up into the sky. Now it is flying over the water. Then it is looking for some food. After that, it is looking for its nest. At last, the goose goes to sleep. When beginning, learners are encouraged to be pre-occupied with the daily activity of an innocent wild goose, when they are imagining that they are “flapping their wings” beside shimmering lake under a full moon, their heart beat will be naturally slow down, and their mind will gradually be quieting down too. At the same time, they will be more responsive to the instructor’s words on how to relax themselves through the shifting of body weight. Wild Goose Qigong is a medical qigong. We practice it because of its health benefits. When we have better qi flow, our blood circulation will improve. We will have more oxygen supply to our brain. Our mind will be more alert. We will get stronger, and we will have more physical strength, etc.."
- Bingkun Hu, Ph.D., A Safe and Delightful Approach to Good Health
- Bingkun Hu, Ph.D., A Safe and Delightful Approach to Good Health
Friday, October 07, 2016
Deep Within Our Very Flesh
"The human body is not an instrument to be used, but a realm of one's being to be experienced, explored, enriched and, thereby, educated."
- Thomas Hanna
- Thomas Hanna
"There is deep wisdom within our very flesh, if we can only come to our senses and feel it."
- Elizabeth A. Behnke
- Elizabeth A. Behnke
"He who feels it, knows it more."- Bob Marley
"No matter how closely we look, it is difficult to find a mental act that can take place without the support of some physical function."
- Moshe Feldenkrais
- Moshe Feldenkrais
"I would have touched it like a child
But knew my finger could but have touched
Cold stone and water. I grew wild,
Even accusing heaven because
It had set down among its laws:
Nothing that we love over-much
Is ponderable to our touch."- W. B. Yeats
But knew my finger could but have touched
Cold stone and water. I grew wild,
Even accusing heaven because
It had set down among its laws:
Nothing that we love over-much
Is ponderable to our touch."- W. B. Yeats
Thursday, October 06, 2016
Walking is the Practice of Heartiness and Hardiness
"Walking is the great adventure, the first meditation,
a practice of heartiness and soul primary to humankind.
Walking is the exact balance between spirit and humility."
- Gary Snyder, The Practice of the Wild
Rest, physical therapy, walking, and an elimination or restriction of some activities all helped me recover.
I now walk 2 miles every day, and will increase to 3 miles in November. I joined the TFFC gym this week, and will resume light weight lifting and yoga classes with caution.
a practice of heartiness and soul primary to humankind.
Walking is the exact balance between spirit and humility."
- Gary Snyder, The Practice of the Wild
"My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing."
- Aldous Huxley
While running in May, I fell, and I injured my right hip and knee. I badly injured by left knee from a fall down some stairs in June. The injuries were painful, prevented many activities, and I was slow to recover. My orthopedist did not recommend any immediate surgery, and I followed his advice on recovery methods.
- Aldous Huxley
While running in May, I fell, and I injured my right hip and knee. I badly injured by left knee from a fall down some stairs in June. The injuries were painful, prevented many activities, and I was slow to recover. My orthopedist did not recommend any immediate surgery, and I followed his advice on recovery methods.
Rest, physical therapy, walking, and an elimination or restriction of some activities all helped me recover.
I now walk 2 miles every day, and will increase to 3 miles in November. I joined the TFFC gym this week, and will resume light weight lifting and yoga classes with caution.
Wednesday, October 05, 2016
Create Yourself
Twenty Rules for Optimal Living in the 21st Century
1. Face Reality
2. Take Action
3. Create Yourself
4. Accept Responsibility
5. Do It Now
6. You Can't Change the Past
7. Act Like a Scientist
8. Work, Work, Work and Practice, Practice, Practice
9. Push Yourself
10. Do and Feel
11. There's No Gain Without Pain
12. Accept and Forgive Yourself Unconditionally
13. Live for Now and for the Future
14. Commit Yourself
15. Take Risks
16. Be Interested in Yourself and in Others
17. Remain Flexible
18. Use It Or Lose It
19. Accept Uncertainty
20. Don't Expect Heaven on Earth
2. Take Action
3. Create Yourself
4. Accept Responsibility
5. Do It Now
6. You Can't Change the Past
7. Act Like a Scientist
8. Work, Work, Work and Practice, Practice, Practice
9. Push Yourself
10. Do and Feel
11. There's No Gain Without Pain
12. Accept and Forgive Yourself Unconditionally
13. Live for Now and for the Future
14. Commit Yourself
15. Take Risks
16. Be Interested in Yourself and in Others
17. Remain Flexible
18. Use It Or Lose It
19. Accept Uncertainty
20. Don't Expect Heaven on Earth
,
1998. Aging WellI've been reading a lot of Anthony Robbins lately. I watched the Netflix documentary featuring the Date with Destiny event led by Anthony Robbins. (Personally, this workshop event did not appeal to me.) I have listened to his lectures on CD. His style is bold, energetic, and encouraging. Adapt his suggestions for improving your attitude, emotions, and goals as needed, with individual adaptations.
How to Live the Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons
Virtue Ethics
Monday, September 19, 2016
Sunday, September 04, 2016
Returning to Our Home
Today, Karen and I drove by Interstate 5 from Vancouver, Washington, to Red Bluff, California. Around 11 hours for 500 miles.
We enjoyed visiting with family in their new homes. Beautiful cool and drizzly days in Vancouver. They both live about 20 miles north of the Columbia River at Portland.
We had intended to tent camp starting last Friday, but inclement weather kept us in town. Rainshowers and fog, and mountain driving, all together did not seem safe or likely to allow us to see very much from the road.
Our next trip will be to a cabin at Cape Blanco, Oregon.
Our 2003 Ford Explorer drove very nicely for both of us. $115.00 round trip for gasoline. It was packed full!
Time, for now, to unpack and reconnect with our Red Bluff home, gardens, and projects.
We enjoyed visiting with family in their new homes. Beautiful cool and drizzly days in Vancouver. They both live about 20 miles north of the Columbia River at Portland.
We had intended to tent camp starting last Friday, but inclement weather kept us in town. Rainshowers and fog, and mountain driving, all together did not seem safe or likely to allow us to see very much from the road.
Our next trip will be to a cabin at Cape Blanco, Oregon.
Our 2003 Ford Explorer drove very nicely for both of us. $115.00 round trip for gasoline. It was packed full!
Time, for now, to unpack and reconnect with our Red Bluff home, gardens, and projects.
Thursday, September 01, 2016
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