The wise man
therefore, instead of trying to prove this or that point by logical
disputation, sees all things in the light of direct intuition.
He sees that both sides of every
argument are reducible to the same thing.
(Chuang Tzu)
Our
values
Dynamic Balancing Tai Chi addresses
tai chi with certain key values in
mind:
Health
- knee-friendly practice
- accessible to adults of any age
- no extremes
Self defence
- softness at all times
- yielding as the key principle
- no aggression
- reliance on jing
- playful
- adaptive
- pragmatic
- physically comfortable
Tai chi styles
Even if you assiduously train what you have been taught and
convince yourself that you are perfectly mimicking Yang Cheng Fu or
Cheng Man Ching - it is highly likely that you are not.
And why should you be?
The considerations and values of historical figures cannot be accurately
determined.
They did what they did because it suited their inclination; they listened to
their
hearts instead of
following tradition.
Have the courage to do the same.
Chen style, Yang style, Sun style and every other style and permutation
simply represent how one person or family chose to practice tai chi.
That style was their approach - in much the same way that the
handwriting or clothing of an individual reflects their style.
Yang Cheng Fu will have performed tai chi a certain way because it suited
his build, temperament, philosophy or agenda.
Your style
Chungliang Al Huang
emphasises the importance of listening to your intuition, finding your own
way of moving and your own style of tai chi.
This is not necessarily an invitation to invent your own form.
It simply means that you have a great deal of latitude concerning how
you perform those movements.
What makes it your style is not so much the form itself, but how you
apply the tai chi.
In this area, you should be your
own person through and through.
Find the most comfortable position for your body at all times, with the
strongest groundpath, following the most natural flow.
Find your own personal rhythm and pace.
He was a young man,
but completely the master of the seven strings and of the complex music.
He would improvise before each song;
then would come the song,
in which there would be more improvisation.
You would never hear any song played twice in the same way.
The words were retained,
but within a certain frame there was great latitude,
and the musician could improvise to his heart’s content;
and the more the variations and combinations, the greater the musician.
(Krishnamurti)
Form
Our school follows the sequence of the Yang Cheng Fu form.
This particular form contains the essence of how to perform the core tai chi
moves.
It flows smoothly from one posture to the next, and can be performed in a
waving manner or like a tree being blown by a breeze or a twig drifting down
a river.
We have no reason to change the pattern itself.
However, the performance and application of the Yang Cheng Fu form is
unique
to our school and specific to the individual.
The form principles are a series of seeds and each seed flourishes relative
to the ground in which it is lands.
Tai chi is a living, breathing system.
Page created 3 July 2004