Topics for First Beginner Class in Tai Chi
Answer Basic Questions
- Why tai chi?
- This is not "monkey see; monkey do"
- Tai chi is a martial art
- Mental and physical
- Balance
- Clothing
Rule Number 1:
Keys to Success in Learning Tai Chi:
- Take notes
- Ask questions
- Practice twice daily
- Practice in a group
- Help each other
- Cheat
- Fake it until you make it
- Start the set so you will be in a position to see details of a specific move
Basic Practices
- Tai Chi Breathing
- Tai Chi Stance
- Tai Chi Walk
Beginner Lessons
- Basic Practices
- Tai chi breathing
- Breathe from the dan tien, located 3 finger-widths below your navel, not from the chest
- Inhale through the nose only to filter and moisten the air
- Exhale however you wish
- Tai chi stance
- Feet shoulder-width apart, parallel, pointed straight ahead
- Knees slightly bent
- Hips at mid-position
- Imagine a silver thread that draws your crown towards the heavens. That will straighten your neck and cause your chin to tuck in slightly. Feels as if your torso is dangling from the thread, allowing you to relax your shoulders, elbows, wrists, and fingers
- Tai chi walk video
- From a tai chi stance, shift your weight to one foot
- Extend the other other leg and let it drop so that the heel contacts the ground
- You want that heel to be positioned so that it is easy to retract without great effort and without disturbing the upper body. You may retract the heel until it becomes easy to retract without disturbing the upper body.
- Keeping your head at the same height, transfer your weight horizontally onto the other foot.
- Repeat
- Move #1: Opening
- Move #2 (aka Grasp the Bird's Tail left)
- Positioning for Move #3
- Move #3 (aka Grasp the Bird's Tail right)
- Single Whip
- Raise Hands
- White Crane Cools Its Wings
- Strum the Pipa
- Crossover moves; the bookend sequence
- The Wave
- The Rest of First Set: A variation on the last half of Move #3
- Closing practices, circle meditation/energy
Higher Level Lessons
- Coordinate breathing with all moves
- Smooth transistions
- Linear ebb and flow
- Counterrotating knees
- Bounce: Vertical ebb and flow
- 4-part breakdown of lower body movement
- Rotational ebb and flow (intro)
- Pelvic scoop
- Heel trigger
- Rotational ebb and flow
- Foot positioning for power
- Customizing stance
Higher Level Exercises
- Lower body movements only
- Upper body movements only
- 3-person video record & critique
- Begin set facing different wall or facing a corner
- First set with eyes closed
- Obstacle course set
- 5+ minute first set
- 20+ minute full set
- 5 minute full set
- Push Hands (one-hand freestyle)
- Push Hands (two-hand structured)
- Translation of 24-form set to our style
- Mirror image first set
- Continuous 45 minute 2-hand push hands
References
Snake Oils
- Analgesics
Check into Chinese herb shops for these. Also available at Draling Tong Herbs at 10th & Webster in Oakland Chinatown, or at 99 Ranch.
- Woodlock Oil
- VERY POTENT!
- Not recommended for women.
- Do not wash hands after applying: To do so supposedly draws water into the joints and promotes arthritis.
- Keep hands away from ANY mucus membranes until fully absorbed or you will regret it!
- Older formulations contained turpentine oil. This version may still be available in Canada, but is rare in the USA.
- Even older formulations contained ether.
- Great for muscle soreness, nasal congestion, and mosquito bites.
- Po Sum On
- More benign than Woodlock
- Contains Dragon's Blood!
- White Flower Oil
- More benign than Woodlock
- This one gets most of the press, along with Tiger Balm.
- Red Oil
- Even more benign. Recommended for women.
- Skin Ailments
- Ching Wan Hung
- Great for healing cracked skin.
- Also good for treating insults to skin (e.g., sunburn)
- Smells terrible—but works well
- The tiny tube will probably last a lifetime; you need VERY little for an application: I usually scrape the nail of my pinkie across the opening of the tube for an application. It will stain, so beware!
- Bruises
Chinese believe a bruise represents a break in the chi sheath that encloses the body, and even though a bruise may disappear, the break in the chi sheath can still remain unless properly treated.
- Dit da jow
There are many formulations of this, depending on the application. One application is to toughen the hands for iron palm training. The formulation from Draling Tong Herbs in Oakland is particularly good for healing bruises: Apply 3 drops to your palm to let it warm up, then gently rub onto the bruised area 3 times a day. This will repair the chi sheath and allow the bruise to heal faster.
I have a testimonial from a co-worker who used this formulation to heal an area that was bruised decades ago that still pained her. After applying for two seeks, the bruise reappeared, then disappeared, along with the remaining pain.
- My mother taught me a technique that works amazingly well: If you get bumped and suspect it will result in a bruise, rub the area lightly and quickly with your hand until the pain subsides. I have no idea where she learned this, but it works and works well! Also, you don't need any magic potions if you do the treatment immediately.
Public Transportation Excursion Highlights
-
San Francisco 5/23/2024
- Arsicault Bakery
- Good Mong Kok (dim sum)
- Failed: Golden Gate Bakery (daan tat)
- Kam Po chophouse (lunch)
- Ghirardelli Square (ice cream)
- BiRite Creamery (ice cream)
-
East Bay 6/24/2024
- Oakland Chinatown: Draling Tong herb shop (dit da jow)
- Alameda: Tahina (salad, falafel, frozen Greek yogurt with baklava crumbles)
-
San Francisco 4/16/2026
- Hyatt Regency (restrooms)
- fotune cookie factory
- New Fortune restaurant (lunch)
- Failed: Golden Gate Bakery (daan tat)
- Good Mong Kok (dim sum)
- Failed: Norman's Ice Cream (proxy for Mitchell's ice cream)
- In-N-Out (restrooms)
- The Baked Bear (ice cream)