The T'ai Chi Transformation

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Benefits of T'ai Chi

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Helen Liang does T'ai Chi 48 Form

Helen Liang does T'ai Chi 24 Form

Liang Shou-Yu does T'ai Chi 24 Form

Liang Shou-Yu introduces T'ai Chi Ch'uan

Grandmaster Shou-Yu Liang is one of the recipients of the Coach of Excellence title, given only to the most outstanding Chinese martial arts instructors by the People's Republic of China. 

Grandmaster Liang's martial arts ancestry originated five generations ago. He started his traditional Emei kungfu and Qigong training with his grandfather in 1948. Through the introduction of his grandfather, Grandmaster Liang then sought out other renowned masters and other styles from Shaolin and Wudang. In the early sixties, Grandmaster Liang began his study and research in the few major styles of Taiji such as Yang, Chen, Sun, and Wu style, Buddhist Esoteric Qigong, and Taoist Qigong. Grandmaster Liang had many times been a gold medalist in Wushu and Taiji competitions held in Sichuan province. Representing Sichuan province, he very often entered into highly competitive national and international competitions and won many gold medals. He was also a many-time gold medalist in Chinese wrestling, weight lifting and gymnastics competitions. In Sanshou and Taiji Push Hands competitions organized by non government sponsored communities, he was undefeated in all events he competed in. In the early sixties, he began his career as a university Wushu coach. His skill coupled with his kindness, generosity, sense of humour, and a ready smile had earned him the friendship and the heart of countless numbers of people. 

Grandmaster Liang had been a many-time judge for the Chinese provincial and national professional Wushu competitions. Upon immigrating to Canada, Grandmaster Liang was elected head coach of the first Canadian National Wushu Team in 1985. Competing in the first world Wushu tournament in China that year, the Canadian team finished third. In 1986, in a tournament involving 28 nations, his Canadian team placed second, next only to the powerful China team. The Canadian success story shocked the Chinese nation, and news of their outstanding accomplishment spread throughout China. 

Grandmaster Liang has many times been the head judge or the chairman of the judging team for national and international Wushu tournaments. He formerly held the positions of Chairman of Wushu, Taiji, Qigong instruction at the University of British Columbia Physical Education and Recreation Department. In 1987, Grandmaster Liang formally established the Shouyu Liang Wushu, Taiji and Qigong Institute in Vancouver,Canada. A year later he went on to found the International Wushu Sanshou Dao Association (IWSD) and was selected as the Chairperson. Today, still chaired by Grandmaster Liang, the IWSD has created branches in more than 20 countries around the world. 

In 1994, Grandmaster Liang led the North American Marital Arts Exhibition Team with Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming for a friendship performance tour to ten major cities in China. His team received a warm welcome by the people and government of China. While in China, the team also competed in the international Wushu Competition held in Shanghai, for which 32 nations were represented. Grandmaster Liang's team received 42 out of 56 gold medals awarded to the competitors.

How T'ai Chi is Healthy (3) Lifting

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T'ai Chi practice looks deceptively soft and easy, gentle and light, and well it should appear so to a casual observer.  But in reality it is heavy and rooted, that is, keeping the body weight underside.  So moving the arms and legs, for example, requires some lifting, in ways similar to lifting weights in the gym.  More specifically, it's not an exercise where we put on medium to heavy weights on the barbell or machine and where therefore we can only do, say, 8 - 10 repetitions.  Rather, it's an exercise where we work with light weights, which we lift via very slow movements and we perform for several  repetitions.

How T'ai Chi is Healthy (2) Stretching

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T'ai Chi practice is one stretch after another:  from arm reaches and leg extensions (kicks), to Fair Lady Works at Shuttles and Snakes Creeps Down.  Its form - I practice mainly the Yang Long Form - is a gentle, continuous stretch, which is precisely how to do it: not tense or bouncing, but extending in a relaxed, centered manner.  As I (we) get older, staying flexible and limber are a key to managing properly whatever small or large physical demands we face.
 

How T'ai Chi is Healthy (1) Balancing

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T'ai Chi practice works at rooting and centering our bodies throughout the movement, while keeping mindful and relaxed (sung).  There is no way to ensure that we keep our balance, when something knocks us over or when we slip on the pavement.  But the agility and steadiness that T'ai Chi engenders reduces the likelihood that we will fall over or get injured when we do.

Wheelchair or not, T'ai Chi is good

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While practicing T'ai Chi, your mind is meant to stay focused on your movements, relaxation and deep breathing, while distracting thoughts are ignored. Part of the allure is that it's so gentle, it's an ideal form of activity for people with pain or other conditions that prevent more vigorous exercise. You can even do T'ai Chi if you're confined to a wheelchair. The medical literature shows T'ai Chi helps reduce depression, anxiety and stress.

Reference: Ease pain and depression.

On occasion, when I am traveling or simply on the go, I do my T'ai Chi workout right there and then.  It is usually a scaled down workout, and sometimes I engage in it mentally, that is, I practice it in my mind.  So being confined to a wheelchair is no excuse for not doing T'ai Chi, if you're interested.

The Taoist T'ai Chi Society in Toledo

Barb Colvin

Barb Colvin is an instructor with Taoist T'ai Chi Society in Toledo [Ohio]. She is a nurse by trade and has over 20 years of experience in T'ai Chi. Colvin is a breast cancer survivor, and she began T'ai Chi because she knew she would be prone to conditions such as osteoporosis.

“That was what kind of got me into it to begin with,” Colvin said. “Now I stay for the well-being that I get from it.”

Reference: T'ai Chi offers physical, mental health benefits.
If you want to get into T'ai Chi, check out your local community center, college or clinic.  Chances are, they have a program you're looking for, so have at it.

Exercise and Mindfulness in T'ai Chi

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There are very few structured workouts that involve both physical and mindfulness exercises. The practice of T'ai Chi is a martial arts exercise that involves elements of yoga and meditation. The physical element of T'ai Chi involves directing and regulating attention to imitating an instructor’s choreography. The mindfulness or emotional wellness component involves keeping an open mind and positive attitude. Research has shown that T'ai Chi has many positive health benefits that can improve the overall quality of an individual’s life.

Reference: Improve physical wellness with T'ai Chi.

Among those benefits are:

• More strength
• Better balance
• Better sleep
• Stress relief
• Depression prevention
• More energy

What are you waiting for?

T'ai Chi Helps Breast Cancer Survivors

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Dr. [Michael] Irwin [with the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center] claims in the study that T'ai Chi was effective for reducing inflammation in breast cancer patients who have insomnia following diagnosis and treatment.

"We saw that T'ai Chi reversed cellular inflammation, by producing a down-regulation of the genes that lead to inflammation. T'ai Chi is a movement meditation, and we have found that similar anti-inflammatory effects occur when people practice other forms of meditation."

Reference:  Can T'ai Chi reduce inflammation for breast cancer survivors? 

T'ai Chi for Health and Beauty

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Besides your community center or local college, check nearby hospitals and clinics for T'ai Chi programs.  If you have a medical condition, ask your physician if T'ai Chi can help.

T'ai Chi Benefits as We Age

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T'ai Chi is a relaxing, gentle exercise, that is physically rigorous and benefits our health in numerous ways.  We can do other activities and exercises, of course, but T'ai Chi is an ideal addition to our regiment, especially as we get older.

Master Wong Works at T'ai Chi for Health

This demonstration by Master Wong is probably more of what we've seen of T'ai Chi and how we prefer to practice in our daily life.  But there is simply no denying how strong and forthright he is, in his demeanor, expression and speech.  There is also no stifling his apparent bent toward the martial applications of this ancient Chinese art.

Relaxation in T'ai Chi, by Cheng Man-ch'ing

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The most important point of T'ai Chi is relax. Relaxation helps your body repel illness; it allows your ch'i and blood to flow smoothly; it harmonizes the sinews and vessels, balances the Five Internal Organs, and opens the Triple Burners - how can any disease invade your body? The ancients said that the best doctor cured those not yet ill, and T'ai Chi is the finest medicine of the best doctor.

From Cheng Man-ch'ing: Master of Five Excellences.

I can formulate an Algorithm for Health … I have begun to, for Exercise and for Nutrition. The thing is, I’ve been more sick, since I moved to Dubai, largely because, I think, of the polluted air and questionable quality of food. I am otherwise healthy and fit … insha’allah.

*

Michael Garofalo culled information, quotes and references on relaxation - Relaxed - and I am grateful for his effort. Over several days in July 2011, I meditated over each one of these quotes and made notes in my T'ai Chi journal:

Not just to be really, really, but truly to be completely and absolutely shoong. I would like to imagine that in the future, I can be completely impervious to some people's craziness and shenanigans, by being absolutely shoong.

Going forward I will post regularly on relaxation, with more quotes and notes.

T'ai Chi at Work, by Paul Lam

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While we in the US are used to exercising in a special place, at a scheduled time, and with particular clothing, T'ai Chi is an anytime, anywhere and any wear exercise.   So it's perfectly suited - literally and figuratively - for the workplace.

• You can do T'ai Chi seated at your desk or standing up even in small space.  I've practice it in an empty office or conference room.
• You can do so wearing whatever clothing you're already wearing.  Do it gently and slowly, and you avoid sweating.  
• Even brief practice sessions - for example, one to five minutes - are very effective, as long as you focus and concentrate and abide by T'ai Chi principles.

In this respect, Paul Lam's T'ai Chi @ Work offers useful guidance and encouragement.

T'ai Chi Exercises, by Paul Lam

If you do these warm-up exercises, according to T'ai Chi principles - for example, centered, rooted and mindful - then you gain their benefits of health and relaxation as if these were T'ai Chi form.  In particular, Paul Lam asks us to imagine the body as a string: Feel the stretch, as you pull the string at the top and at the bottom.  That gentle stretch is what you ought to feel, when you do T'ai Chi.

Like the warm-up, the cool-down exercises ought to be done according to T'ai Chi principles, too.  At the end of your form, be sure to take a few moments to settle your energy.  I've encouraged my students to commit the sensation of doing T'ai Chi to memory.  This way, they can call upon it at any time during their day. 

Yang Style 108, by Yang Chengfu

Pencil drawings by Matthias Wagner, Baden-Baden, Germany, based on photos of Great Grandmaster Yang Chengfu, published 1934 in his book 太極拳體用全書. 

Louis Swaim, leading specialist on taijiquan and translator of the english edition "The Essence And Application of Taijiquan", sais: "Your photo-based illustrations are beautiful. You did a fantastic job of capturing the light and shadow, disclosing detail in Yang Chengfu's postures and expressions. As you can imagine, over the years I have studied the old photos very carefully, so I can appreciate your exquisite eye for important detail that one had to strain to notice in the photos.

This is a very good video rendition of pencil drawings of Yang Chengfu, set in the sequence of the Yang Style 108.  Notice how the reverent master is solidly rooted and comfortably stretched in his posture.  Study this video for your learning, and compare it with videos of other T'ai Chi practitioners.