T'ai Chi as a martial art and spiritual discipline

Meditation Tai Chi. 

Tai Chi is both a martial art and a spiritual discipline. It's movements are slow and meditative, yet have unseen internal strength. This combination generates the great rewards of improved health and fitness, mentally and spiritually....real healing and spiritual meditation music. 

This music has been composed at the perfect temp for Tai Chi exercises, or alternatively it can be used purely for relaxation purposes.

Spirit of T'ai Chi - Tui

Relaxation music perfect for meditation and Taijiquan. 

These sounds accompanied me (and still do!) in my Tai Ji studies.

Spirit of T'ai Chi - Li

Relaxing music perfect for meditation and taijiquan practice. 

Dedicated to masters who have tought me a lot and to those which who i'm still studying with, and in particular, this video is for M. Jou Tsung Hwa, who have been a very important source of inspiration for me.

We find heaven on earth ...

(image credit)

In T'ai Chi practice, we find heaven on earth, and make extraordinary inside amid ordinary outside.

We manifest the chi of the Universal ...

(image credit)

In Push, we manifest the chi of the Universal, and express it through our fingertips.

We gather the chi of the Universal ...

(image credit)

In Holding the Ball, we gather the chi of the Universal, and hold it within us.

T'ai Chi and sinking into your center

(image credit)

T'ai Chi and moving with the Tao

(image credit)

T'ai Chi and being at one with the Universal

(image credit)

Chen Shiyu: Wudang T'ai Chi 108

Master Chen Shiyu moves in gentle eddies in the still air of brick, grass and foothills, performing Wudang T'ai Chi 108.
 

Chen Shiyu (2) Wudang T'ai Chi 13

Can we not say that Master Chen Shiyu - performing Wudang T'ai Chi 13 - simply follows The Way of Nature (i.e. Tao)?
 

Chen Shiyu: Wudang Fuhu Quan

Graceful yet powerful is Master Chen Shiyu, as he performs Wudang Fuhu Quan.
 

Chen Shiyu: Wudang Qi Gong (Dragon Form)

Gracefully and steadily on a wooden and wire bridge, Master Chen Shiyu performs Wudang Qigong (Dragon Form).
 

Engage with T'ai Chi spirit and principles

(image credit)

What distinguishes martial arts in general from other fighting systems, such as boxing, fencing and wrestling is spirituality.  Of course, as I've emphasized before, we can endow any and all activities that engage in with the spirit, mindset and principles of T'ai Chi.

T'ai Chi is about higher purpose

(image credit)

T'ai Chi is about higher purpose, otherwise it is merely convention and calisthenics, and that's not T'ai Chi at all. 

T'ai Chi adopts a peaceful spirit

(image credit)

To my point in the preceding article, true T'ai Chi martial art adopts a peaceful spirit and attitude.

The wise win before the fight

(image credit)

I'd like to believe that T'ai Chi eschews any sort of fighting, but I know that that's in an ideal world.  In the real world where conflict very much exists, it is crucial that T'ai Chi practitioners adopt the proper spirit and attitude.

T'ai Chi is the Way of Nature (Tao)

(image credit)

T'ai Chi abides by the teachings of Lao Tzu in Tao Te Ching.  Whether we practice its application, reflect on its philosophy, or raise our spirit to the Universal, following the Tao is a crucial precept.

I do more than T'ai Chi

(image credit)

In November and December 2013, I wrote about what my daily workout looks like:

• T'ai Chi
• meditation
• Shaolin Brocade
• Qigong by Jesse Tsao
• 5-Animal Qigong
• 5 Tibetan Rites
• stretching
• core workout for cyclists
• resistance training
• aerobic workout

One of my instructors was a sort of purist.  He believed that T'ai Chi was all we needed to be healthy and strong.  No need for pushups, for example.

I didn't believe in that.  I love sports, I love exercise, and if time weren't such an issue now, I'd be working out a few hours a day.  In fact, when I lived in Dubai, and was cycling regularly, I was working out two to three hours a day on average over a 7-day week.    

In general I am interested in a variety of things and I enjoy doing a variety of things.

Keep in mind that T'ai Chi isn't just the form or practice.  It is also a mindset, and a spirit, and a philosophy.  It is a way of being and living.  In this important respect, I can bring T'ai Chi into anything and everything I do, and so can you.
 

Tao Te Ching Empower and Zen Empower

"When you are at one with loss, The loss is experienced willingly.”

tao te ching empower

the way of nature. the way of the universe. the way of virtue. the venerable text by Lao Tzu may be 2600 years old. but it's a guide and inspiration for the modern day. by www.taichiempower.com

“Think of Zen, of the Void, of Good and Evil and you are bound hand and foot. Think only and entirely and completely of what you are doing at the moment and you are free as a bird.”

zen empower

in the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few. from Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, by Shunryu Suzuki. zen empower is a blog by www.taichiempower.com.

These two blogs on Tumblr are my personal study of Taoism and Zen, and I am grateful that many people have had a read and have enjoyed them.