United Tai Chi

Never forget you my Sifu and good friend.

Winter is the time of refinement.
The hardening of the iron inside.
Meditate on the bone marrow in each posture.
Like the center of the earth, the core stores the heat. Find this, only then can you find your skin for the spring work.

So many memories from this wonderful place.

Hope, Liver 14, vitality, Wood Element

Depression is an all too common condition these days. Feelings of flatness, hopelessness, pointlessness or simply a feeling of being down and blue are some of the characteristics of depression. From the perspective of Chinese medicine, one of the causes of depression is an imbalance in the Wood Element arising from stagnation in the Liver Qi which can in turn be a result of suppressed anger. Since anger is the emotion that corresponds to the Wood Element, constricted anger can affect its yin organ, the Liver, resulting in a suppression not only of anger, but of vibrancy, aliveness, motivation and the willingness to move boldly through life.

Students interested in learning broad sword and straight sword, 415pm every Wednesday befor Tai Chi class.

神 Shen in the Practice of Taijiquan

Cultivating and maintaining a "positive attitude" especially through times of adversity and failure is the practice. This is not to say we completely suppress frustration and disappointment, but we see it for what it really is, a reaction to a situation we created in the first place. We need to regulate ourselves and not indulge negative reactions.

As a martial art, warriors get use to being hit and rolling with the punches. They need to minimize damages and forge on with the battle. They harden themselves against attacks rather than cower. We learn a lot from our defeats, if we keep a good attitude about learning.

Learning to use the mind to change the body is also related to using the body to change the mind. The common factor is Qi, energy. Sensations are actualized in the flesh and experienced in the mind. Pain and suffering are two different things. Pain is caused from physical injury, sickness, and disease, and suffering is an emotional attachment. Practice is to see them for what they really are and work with them appropriately.

Taiji is an absolute and Yinyang is it's interconnected and interdependent parts. Taijiquan's Form is a venue for applying our study to practice and yields a result that we can evaluate and make an assessment in regard to specific criteria essential to our own improvement.

Image: Yang Jun Laoshi and his late Grandfather, Yang Zhenduo practicing Push Hand. Winning verifies Kung / skill and builds confidence. Losing reveals flaw and once fully corrected leads to victory. The more humble we are, the greater the possibility to see what is before us clearly.

Thank you to all

Qigong July 24th 10am. Commemorate GM Huang

Great turnout tonight!
Thanks too everyone!
We'll continue to look at our yin yang connections within the form.