So, without further ado:

So far in the series (in order) we have:

• Rocking Motion
• Bird Flaps It’s Wings
• Around The Platter
• Carry Ball Around The Platter
• Bass Drum
• Princess On The Mountain Top

Some key points:

• Keep those shoulders loose!
• Make your motions even and steady.
• Don’t bend the knees too much as you get used to the form

As always, please check out my Teaching Gigs page.

Let me know how the videos are working for you in the comments! Cheers!

Here it is!

Sorry the sound quality is not so good.  ;)

Cheers!

One thing I failed to mention in the video – The hand position is gender specific.  For men it’s right hand passing in front of left. For women it’s left hand passing in front of right.  This does not change as you switch feet.  I am not going to defend the political correctness of such a tradition. The fact is that in my experience the thousands of years put into empirical research by both men & women in the development of Chi Kung practices is worthy of respect.  But, you are your own authority ultimately and I would enourage any and all to experiment to see what works best for themselves.

During my own initial practice of Tai Chi Chih, over the course of my 1.000 day vow I experimented with reversing the hand positioning.  I put left in front of with in the Yin formation for 3 solid months.  The results were less than pleasant.  I did not get girly, but I did get sick and was afflicted with odd pains in my joints which cleared up a week after the experiment ended.  So, in short: mover beware.

Some key points:

• Watch those shoulders!  Keep them relaxed, fight against the raise.
• Make your breaths deep.  It should feel like your breath is hitting your pelvis.

I hope you folks are enjoying this and finding the vids useful. I would love any, and all, feedback in the comments.

Cheers!

*drum roll*

(Get it?)

Some key points:

• Do what you can.  Push yourself, but not your limits.
• The hand flutter in the left hand comes usually after about two years of regular practice and is a confirming sign that chi is flowing.
• You may experience flushes of gentle warmth while practicing.  That is a good thing.

As always, I would love to get your comments on these exercises and their presentation.  Cheers!

This week we tackle the movement, Carry Ball Around the Platter. It’s a variation of the move in the last installment, Around the Platter.

Don’t forget to start with the rest of the set:

• Rocking Motion
• Bird Flaps It’s Wings
• Around The Platter

As always, a few key point to bear in mind:

• The motion should be smooth and constant. Experiment with speed to get a comfortable feel but try not to vary the pace within a particular set.
• Don’t overdo the repetitions, let your body get used to the movement before doing lots.
• The goal is Joy, not heavy breathing!

You can check out my Teaching Gigs, and give a visit if you happen to be in the Bay Area.

Please feel free to hit me up with any questions regarding these exercises. I’d love to help!

Joy and health to you!

This week we go over “Around the Platter.”  This is the first of the general set of motions after the two warm ups we went over, Rocking Motion, and Bird Flaps It’s Wings.

Some keypoints:

• The breathing pattern is not strictly one way, but should be consistent within a particular set.  I always exhale while moving forward and inhale when moving back, but the reverse works just as good.  Find what is comfortable with you, and remain open to changing it if your body seems to dictate doing so.
• Soreness in the knees is okay, sharp pains are not!
• Take your time, go slow, and let the movement show you what it can do for you.

As always, you can check my Teaching Gigs page and stop in if you are in the area.  I’d love to see you!

Happy Tai Chi!

A few points for this exercise:

• Build up the knee flex slowly(!!), and make sure the knee moves along a line guided by the inside edge of the bone process leading up to your big toe.  Take it nice and easy and work up to deeper bends.
• Raising the heels is more important to the Chi effect of the exercise  than bending the knees
• Breathe!

Any questions, feel free to comment below.  Let me know how you are doing with these moves!

Check out the first move in the series here, as well as my teaching schedule.

Until next time, happy Tai Chi!

In this video I demonstrate the first exercise in the series, a warm up called Rocking Motion.

A few points:

• Looking into the far distance, as if looking to the most distant horizon, helps with balance.
• Do not strain to lift the balls of the feet, or the heels, to high when starting.
• Try to keep the breathing consistent, but don’t worry about it too much at first. I tend to exhale as I raise my arms for the forward swing and inhale on the back swing, but any consistent pattern is fine.

Please feel free to hit me with any questions. I’ll be releasing these videos weekly until the series is done.

Please see my Teaching Gigs page for my current schedule!

Cheers!