Taoist Arts Organisation

Transcription

1 Taoist Arts Organisation Li Family Style As taught by Prof. Li Kam Chan and Prof. Chee Soo The Taoist Arts Organisation is dedicated to promoting and preserving the purity, quality, and completeness of the LI Family System of Health and Martial al Arts NEWSLETTER : SEPTEMBER 2014 EXPERIENCES OF A SUMMER SCHOOL FIRST-TIMER You ll love it, they said. Apparently, you ll be exhausted by the Wednesday morning. I ve heard that people are only fit to crawl back into bed by the middle of the week, others said. I arrived at Harlaxton this summer ready for both for a bootcamp-style experience, as well as a retreat from the rest of my own busy world - with some trepidation (and I m not normally given to trepidation, I can tell you), and with questions ringing in my mind: Was I ready for a whole week of Tai Chi? Did I have the necessary experience (I ve only been doing Tai Chi around 18 months) to cope with the intensity? Would I be able to keep up with all the new input, and the extra depth depth beyond anything experienced before? What if I make a fool of myself (not the first time)? What if I let down my instructor in the presence of others? After all, I can t do the whole Form yet I m barely half way through in numbers! Seeing Harlaxton, and getting settled into my room put my mind at rest. Such a wonderful venue tends to block out anxiety, and meeting a few other inmates soon had me looking forward to the week as the first evening passed with tea, the initial meeting, and a wander around the grounds before a stroll down to the pub. So far, so good. Monday morning began with an early start, and we were soon into the week proper. Initial impressions: gulp! All those black jackets! So, I was happy to pair up with a fellow red t-shirt, seeking consolation with another newbie, only to find he had 12 years Tai Chi experience! Oh well And that s where the fun started, as I realised what I had always known, of course, that being surrounded by people of greater knowledge, greater skill and greater experience, is where the learning is. Copyright is asserted on behalf of individual authors, photographers and the TAO TAO Newsletter Sept 2014 page 1

2 That, for me, was the theme of the week. Yes, by Wednesday my head was certainly swimming with all the great stuff we had been learning. But I was also invigorated, enlivened, refreshed by the whole experience. When I chatted to my partner on Skype that night she said I had never looked better and I felt great too. Not only that, but the week was zipping by as well. It felt like a lifetime ago since I had walked into Harlaxton, but at the same time I was so immersed and focused on what we were doing that the hours were just flying by. So, to others who, like me, may not yet have a wealth of T ai Chi experience, who may have considered joining up for the summer school, who may have been put off or discouraged by the belief that it might be too difficult, too overwhelming, too intimidating, let me say this: the friendships, the level of support, the encouragement and camaraderie in learning this wonderful Art, will far outweigh any doubts you may have. The chance to mix with people not only from other parts of the UK, and other classes, but also from other countries, and share the T ai Chi experience, is second to none. The new perspective you will discover will stand you in great stead when you return to your normal T ai Chi classes. You will be filled with a renewed passion for learning the Form, for practising more and more, knowing that there are many others out there, all at different levels, all seeking to improve. To everyone who paired up to train with me, to all those in black (and red!) who were ready and eager to help, to my instructor Jon Holmes for suggesting I was ready for it, and to Tony for giving a new guy some time and words of insight and encouragement, thank you. As for those questions, those feelings of trepidation as I arrived what seemed like a lifetime ago, only the previous Sunday: I needn t have worried. I never once felt I was letting myself or anyone else look foolish everyone is so supportive, or so they would have me believe. They were possibly having a good old giggle behind my back but I don t think so! Will I be going back for more next year? Well, let s just say, see you all at the October weapons course in Leamington. And then, yes roll on next summer. I ll be there. Phil Olley REFLECTIONS ON HARLAXTON This was the second year we have visted Harlaxton Manor and the experience is just getting better and better. Yes the training hall is a little on the hot side but they have promised to see what they can do for next year! Otherwise it has been lovely to see how the beauty of the venue is developing the experience we can offer on this course. Clearly, the place is appreciated by those who were there because I have been sent hundreds of beautiful photographs. Here are just a few to show those who didn t come what they are missing. The Manor and grounds give space for people to relax in beautiful surroundings providing a counter-balance to the intensity of the training. Tea breaks can be taken in a beautiful courtyard. Free sessions can be spent practising outside,.... Copyright is asserted on behalf of individual authors, photographers and the TAO TAO Newsletter Sept 2014 page 2

3 .relaxing in the grounds, or taking a break from T ai Chi and practising for the Social Evening and concert. Our concert was held in the ornate surroundings of the Great Hall Where the permanent residents are all critics! 4 It can t have been that bad because we raised 200 for Kombat Kids. Thanks everyone! As ever Julie Stanton co-ordinated the talent and a varied programme kept us well entertained until an early bedtime ready for a final early morning session where we practised our Form in the most beautiful surroundings (see also picture on page 1.) Come and join us next year: 26 th 31 st July PRELIMINARY 2015 COURSE DATES While we are talking about next year s courses, here are the dates of the Twyford weekends and the residential courses, also most of the French and German courses, for your diary. The complete course list should be available later in the autumn Date Course Jan 24 th 25th Twyford Feb 6 th 8th Rüsselsheim Chi Shu Feb 13 th 15th Tours Feb 28 th Mar 1st Twyford Apr 3 rd 5th Easter Residential, Bloxham May 9 th 10th Twyford May 14 th 17th French Summer Course June 4 th 7th German Summer Course June 20 th 21st Twyford - AGM July 26 th 31st Summer Residential, Harlaxton Manor Sep 5 th 6th Twyford Oct 31 st Nov 1st Twyford Dec 12 th 13th Twyford TENCHI GRADES Our congratulations to the following on being awarded 1 st Tenchi in T ai Chi during the summer residential course. Abraham Phillip Neil Rogers Copyright is asserted on behalf of individual authors, photographers and the TAO TAO Newsletter Sept 2014 page 3

4 TECHNICAL TERMS When you start practising T ai Chi Ch uan you get introduced to a whole load of new terms. Some of these are in English and mean what you are used to. Some are in English and have new meanings. Some are in Chinese, as there is no good English equivalent, and you have to learn what they mean. To add to the fun, while written Chinese is standardised (though there are archaic, traditional & simplified characters), there are two common forms of spoken Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese), which use different pronunciations for the same characters/words. Also, there are two common ways to write Chinese with the western alphabet: the older Wade-Giles (W-G) system and the newer Pinyin (P) system. While now in China Mandarin and Pinyin is the official system and this is becoming standardised across the west, some W- G terms are already in common use. As long as it makes sense to you that s the main thing. Take for example the name of the art itself: Tai Chi Chuan (simplified W-G), T ai Chi Ch uan (W-G), Taijiquan (P). They are all ways of writing the same thing! This example is just to clarify that sometimes the same word, with the same meaning, can crop up spelt quite differently. Don t worry if it doesn t make sense initially, it will in time. Tai Chi, Tai Chi Chuan, T ai Chi Ch uan, Taijiquan: The literal meaning is supreme ultimate (tai chi) fist (chuan). Supreme ultimate is understood as in the laws of nature and the cosmos, both physical, emotional and spiritual. Fist means the clenched hand, and consequently has associations with boxing / fighting / discipline / training. So T ai Chi Ch uan is the art of interacting with the external world (which may involve fighting, or not) while being in harmony within yourself, and with the greater world outside. The art or being relaxed and centred within yourself and within the world, so that you are able respond in an appropriate way when it changes. Chi (W-G), Qi (P), Ki (Japanese), Prana (Sanskrit): means energy / breath / steam. The Chinese character for chi is a stylised picture of a pot of rice steaming/gently bubbling over a fire. The character for chi (energy) is different from the character for Chi (in Tai Chi). What is chi/energy? That is harder to answer as the term chi can mean: internal (inside body) bioelectric body energy, external (to your physical body) auric energy, ground energy that is in the earth or a building which would be analysed by a feng shui practioner, the energy from the planets, the sun and other stars. For Tai chi purposes it usually applies to your own internal body energy. How much of this you can sense depends on your own internal awareness and how still your mind can become. Stance: means where your feet & legs are positioned relative to your body. How far apart they are, what angle they are pointing in. It also useful in describing the stages of a transitional movement, you move from one stance to another when you are doing a form. Posture: means what is your body doing, where your weight is and how is it distributed between your feet. Your body is nearly always aligned vertically, with gravity, so your spine holds your body upright, bearing your weight and the muscles merely hold the torso in alignment. With practice, the terms Stance and Posture become more interchangeable. To begin with it is useful to treat them as separate. They will come together naturally with time. Technique: this is what you are doing with your hands & arms. For it to be effective it must rest on a strong and relaxed posture and stance. Sung (relax): this means what it says, but it doesn t mean no tension at all, it means no excess muscular tension. The description I prefer is like that of a stringed musical instrument (guitar, violin, piano) being in tune. Too much tension is just as bad as too little tension; only as much tension as the situation requires, no more but no less either. Most people err on the side of too much; it takes time for the relaxation to enter the bones and be automatic. Yielding: this means giving way to force rather than resisting it. It is achieved either by deflecting it to one side, moving backwards away from it or getting out of the way and letting it move past you. However, a distinction needs to be made between giving way and giving in. In giving way you let the force flow past you, through you or around you, but you maintain your centre. If you lose your centre you have given in. Copyright is asserted on behalf of individual authors, photographers and the TAO TAO Newsletter Sept 2014 page 4

5 Four Points: This refers to your shoulders and hips. The shoulders are nearly always aligned above the hips. A slight twist of the torso is permissible, but only to the degree that the structural integrity of the posture is not lost. So be aware of the relationship between your hips and shoulders. If they get too far out of alignment, the top and bottom halves of your body become disconnected thereby breaking one of the cardinal principles of T ai Chi: whole body movement. Six Harmonies: The 1st of these is the alignment of the hips with the shoulders and the 2 nd and 3 rd assist with the co-ordination of the other major joints of the limbs while in motion. The knees have to be harmonised with the elbows and the ankles with the wrists. This may seem unnecessarily pedantic, but failure to keep these harmonies will lead to misplaced weight, loss of balance and reduction of the integrity of the posture. As your sensitivity increases your will begin to feel the difference. These 3 physical or external harmonies are followed by 3 more internal harmonies involving energy and intention, which require a whole article to explain! Internal-External: This can simply mean inside or outside the body. More often it relates to how the body generates force/power within a system of martial arts. External systems use the muscles and bones and rely on speed and strength to generate power. Internal systems generate power through opening the joints, relaxing the muscles (sung), co-ordinating the whole body-mind and energy to apply this power when and where it will be most effective and efficient. The classic trio of Internal Chinese martial arts is: Tai Chi Chuan, Ba Gua/(Pa Kwa) and Hsing-I. The exact meaning depends on the context. Soft-Hard: It can be used literally to refer to the quality of the physical connection between two people for example when pushing hands. It also describes the quality of a martial art. The Internal arts tend to be Soft and the External ones Hard. Hard arts tend to be more linear and Soft arts circular. In T ai Chi there are no blocks. All defences are a misdirection of the attack. Although sometimes they can feel very quick and painful, they are still based on a circle albeit a very small one. Also they will always feel Soft to the practitioner (though often not to the recipient!). As a person s skill improves a Soft Art can become very hard and a Hard Art become soft, the exact expression will depend on the situation. Empty-Full: This relates to where your body weight is resting. The heavier leg being regarded as full and the lighter leg as empty. Yin-Yang: These are complementary opposites, you are unable to have one without the other. The interaction of these is T ai Chi. Examples would be positive and negative electric charges, emptyfull, hard-soft, internal-external, top and bottom. Originally the terms meant shady side and sunny side, so inherent in them is the idea of change because as the sun moves across the sky the shade will move too. James Lumsden. James has kindly offered to explain other terms if people wish. Please let Anne know if there is a piece of jargon you would like him to unravel for you. LEARNING TO FLY The Midlands group have now completed the 16 day course (four 4-day blocks) on Basic Tui Na Techniques. To be frank, the techniques may be basic but the course was not. I understand that if you do a basic massage course you may be offered prescribed patterns of action start at the legs and work up, or warming for 5 minutes followed by 10 minutes persiflage. That is not what happens on our course; Tony is teaching us to treat people in an entirely holistic way, to assess what may be at the root of any problems or complaints and to tailor the massage to suit the individual. This is much more complicated to teach, much more complicated to learn and much, much more interesting and satisfying to do. During the 1st part of the course we were taught the techniques individually but in parallel had to study anatomy so that we knew the layout of the muscles we were working on. Some techniques are only suitable for use along the line of the muscle fibres while others may also be used perpendicularly. Superficial layer muscles must be drawn aside towards their origin to work on the underlying muscles. To release and manipulate joints, the correct group of muscles must be inhibited from movement so that the others can be stretched and the joint remain open. The practitioner should work as if they are doing T ai Copyright is asserted on behalf of individual authors, photographers and the TAO TAO Newsletter Sept 2014 page 5

6 Chi so that the techniques come from the centre, this requires you to be constantly attentive to your posture and work out how to have your feet and hands in the correct position for what you want to achieve. The considerations to be taken into account, even at that early stage, were various and complex. As we progressed on through the course we began to spend more time on applying the techniques: assessing individual cases and planning appropriate action. On the 3 rd block our poor models had to stand there while 20 pairs of eyes scrutinised their bodies for asymmetries and external clues to what might lie beneath. As we were complete novices, this often took a fair bit of time so I doubt it was easy for them and I would like to thank them again for their patience and forbearance. We were also, by this time being exhorted to combine techniques together, to achieve a continuous flow from the start to the end of the treatment and being gently reminded about the things we still were not achieving from earlier in the course. During the 4th and final block, which we have just completed, the bar was raised again. On one day we were put in teams of 3 or 4 to work models from outside. Each team had to assess the model and plan a treatment, which each of us would have a part in delivering. We had to watch each other and if our predecessor had missed a bit of the plan, or failed to achieve what was needed, we had to adapt our section to make good before proceeding. During one day we did this 3 times on 3 different models. It was a very complex process compounded by the need to work as a team and our nervousness in dealing with people we did not know so, again, extremely challenging! However, having gone through this experience I have discerned a clear pattern. Each block was extremely challenging for where we were in our learning and during every one we reached the point of thinking we would never be able to do this and we might as well give up. However, Tony helped us in many ways, with both carrots and sticks! Firstly he gave us fascinating demonstrations of what could be achieved if we became more proficient; in his hands it truly is an amazingly effective therapy. Secondly, while he created these mind-bending challenges he was also alongside us, endlessly patient in helping us when we tried something and then encountered problems, encouraging us with sensitively handled personal feedback. And of course there was always the stick: a caustic question as to what posture you thought you were in with your bum stuck out and your face bent forward closely examining the part of the client you were working on or how you came to miss that a certain muscle was in spasm oops! From the second block onwards I started to notice that after deciding I couldn t possibly think about everything that was being asked of me, there was a moment like jumping off a cliff where you let go mentally and relied on your hands to feel what was necessary. And every block we finished we felt that we had moved on. Once we had the courage to jump off that cliff we found we could fly a little better each time. At the end of the course, while we are still in the early stages of exploring these healing arts, we could look back and see what amazing progress we had achieved, over each block and particularly over the whole course. This highly demanding method seems to have the potential to generate remarkable results if you can stick with the process. The Midlands group have nearly all booked up to continue with Tui Na training so presumably, like me, they are all fascinated and have sufficient confidence in the process to sign up for yet more mind-bending challenges. Anne Manasse WEAPONS COURSE Don t keep fannying about! Book your place on this year s weapons course, where we will be taught moves of the Fan Form and all about the characteristics and use of the Fan as a weapon. All are welcome it is not necessary to have learnt the earlier sections of the Fan Form. Contact Anne. Thanks to Phil and James for their written contributions and to John Zetterstrom, Michele Wilhelm and Gabi Laun-Offenloch for their lovely photographs. The next newsletter will be in December. Please send contributions by 21st November at the latest to Anne Manasse, Editor. Tel annemanasse@blueyonder.co.uk Copyright is asserted on behalf of individual authors, photographers and the TAO TAO Newsletter Sept 2014 page 6