Tai Chi For Beginners - 10 MUST KNOW TIPS for better Tai Chi.

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4 жыл бұрын

There are so many ways to improve your tai chi and get more depth into this amazing art. It will save you a lot of time if you can set your compass in the right direction from early on.
Tai Chi (taiji) is translated literally as "Supreme Ultimate". That's a significant statement to make about anything. Tai Chi is not very well understood, even in China where millions of people practice it everyday. People know tai chi by it's cover, which is slow, soft, gentle, relaxing, which are all correct, but rarely do people see that tai chi is also powerful, fast, intense, physically demanding, and much much more.
Tai Chi bring everything back into balance. It unites hardness and softness, quickness and slowness, and stillness and motion. It increases awareness and improves focus. Tai Chi has kicks, punches, jumps, and many explosive movements, and of course it has soft and gentle movements as most people can observe.
The practice of tai chi facilitates the flow of the qi energy through the body and the result is more energy, more vitality, and less stress.
Tai chi is easy to learn and once you get bitten by the tai chi bug you will be a practitioner for life.
The benefits of tai chi are well documented, but what is not well documented are the skills that come from relaxation, alignment, and whole body unity.
The symbol of tai chi is the yin yang ☯ which represents balance, unity, harmony, and the reality that there is no such thing as an absolute this or that.
Would you like to learn how to relax more?
Check out the following videos for relaxation and stress reduction exercises.
5 Exercises to reduce stress (Qi Gong)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSDiK...
Qi Gong - Warm Up Exercises
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7Dyi...
Qi Gong - Energy Cultivation Set (30 Minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH3KV...
#Taichi
#taichiforbeginners
#chi

Пікірлер: 62

@fgangat5080 3 ай бұрын

I agree with u... Practice makes perfect.... Be consistent and practice one style daily till u master it❤... Thank u for sharing yr valuable advice

@Frari747 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I am a physiotherapist, 60j, from germany, doing the yang-style ( patrick kelly). I earn my money with this non-awareness and tension of my patients :-)) When I touch my Patients on their neck and shoulder I can feel their tension, but THEY are not aware of it. If they would be aware of it, it would fade away. I think your enlightenment? / explanation is essentiell . I really love it. So clear ,calm , easy to understand. Could be teached in school for children or students, instead of football ,hockey etc….

@CenterLifeBalance Жыл бұрын

People have no idea of the tension they are holding, like the frog slowly boiling in the water, they adjust to it, and in doing so it gets out of control.

@willowstream Жыл бұрын

Once again, a brilliant tai chi video. To go with tip number one, Cheng Man Ching said "the teachings are within the form." It sounds strange at first, but after years of daily practice I've discovered exactly what he meant. With an attentive mind, the form becomes self-correcting. I can't say how that happens, but it does happen.

@cindawong4786 2 жыл бұрын

Even Tai Chi is a gentle exercise, it’s still important to do Tai Chi warm up exercises before jumping into thing. Fun-15 minutes internal-based Tai Chi warm up exercise and Tai Chi movements designed to get my heart pumping, keep my body guessing, and let me quickly get on with my day.

@bajuszpal172 Жыл бұрын

Excellent ideas, Sir, just I have taken note of eleven tips. Anyway, COnsistency and patience are crucial. Good helalth, Paul, 67, retired instructor of Karate.

@N.D.Veronikasandul 2 жыл бұрын

Bravisima!Thanks for amazing video!

@longboarderanonymous5718 2 жыл бұрын

These tips are very good. Thank You!

@roloduarte3100 4 ай бұрын

Great advice; thank you.

@aliazami5449 2 жыл бұрын

great video, very informative and right to the point. Thank you very much

@lolitaharmon1019 4 ай бұрын

Thank you ❤

@giorgiannickson Жыл бұрын

Very informative video, and useful tips. I would point out that the hand shape tip is style-specific, so not practical for all beginners. Over extending the fingers and other joints, would most probably bring unwanted tension, but a slight spacing between the fingers is required for some styles and can be done in a relaxed manner without breaking the connection to the rest of the body. Thanks for sharing your Tai Chi Chuan experience

@CenterLifeBalance Жыл бұрын

Very true. Ultimate we must adhere to the most important principle of relaxation. Everything else comes second. Takes time to develop relaxation in the hands and fingers, and the other extremities. Thanks for sharing 🙏

@madelinebrennan7603 2 жыл бұрын

Tip #8 was particularly helpful for me. I stopped meditating regularly a few years ago. Now, i find i get tension headaches regularly when stressed at all, and i KNOW it's from tension in neck and shoulders. I know that if i get back to meditation which, like tai chi, slows you down enough to attend to what's happening within your mind and body, that it will reduce these headaches b/c i'll hopefully catch and loosen the tension before it develops into a headache. thank you for this reminder. Agh! I've become so undisciplined in my old age! :/

@jackking605 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent tips.

@ginatrascierraguzman3376 3 ай бұрын

Really good instructions thank you so much

@sank2844 2 жыл бұрын

thank you....

@alfonsogonzalez4047 3 жыл бұрын

Very important tips......

@mortonvrose Жыл бұрын

Excellent advise. So appreciate it. Stick with one form and perfect it. Love it 💚💚💚 and my advice is to go barefoot as much as you can, grounding to the mother herself 💚 catstep...love it 💚

@CenterLifeBalance Жыл бұрын

Don't stomp too hard when barefoot!!

@AndrewUKLondon 8 ай бұрын

Handy tips thanks for sharing. Flat shoes can be easily overlooked.

@lawrencehoward9646 Жыл бұрын

Tai Chi is simple.... it's just not easy

@TaichiStraightlife 2 жыл бұрын

Good video, not the usual "differentiate between full and empty, the waist is the commander etc". I believe that before the form, there were the postures, so I'll stop and adjust. For example, I do CMC 37 movements... or postures. Single Whip shows up 5 times, so whenever I arrive at a Single Whip posture I'll stop and adjust my body for a minute, as if it's a zhan zhuang posture: is my spine elongated? (I'll then imagine a hand wrapping around my upper spine like it's a thick hanging chain & then I'll pull it straight up). Are my elbows dropped? I pull up my head, drop my lower spine, etc. and then just feel the whole effect for a moment and move on. Otherwise I feel you can be messed up from the constant movement, because you didn't just assume the posture, you arrived there from another posture, and if you didn't arrive perfectly, then the new posture will be off as well- especially with foot placement... so I also have to see if, when I arrived in Single Whip, were my feet too narrow? And I'll adjust that too. I also do that for Play The Lute and Lift Hands. It's not all just flow: there are the postures and then there are the transitions; they have to be differentiated. You have to know in your bones when you've arrived in Single Whip, before you leave it. Anyway, that's how I see it.

@CenterLifeBalance 2 жыл бұрын

Great comment and good taiji instruction. Sinking down at the completion of a posture momentarily can reveal much and assist with structure and alignment. Thanks for sharing. I consider flow to be synonymous with silk reeling. There is an expression that the taiji form from beginning to end is practiced as one breath, metaphorically speaking.

@Steamxys 3 жыл бұрын

Very good tips, I've been practicing Chen style for 5 years, and had to find out those tips by myself. Those are valuable tips.

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for saying so. much appreciated. On reflection sticking to one form only had the most profound impact on my training, instead of spreading myself thin across multiple forms. Thanks your your feedback. 🙏

@Steamxys 3 жыл бұрын

@@CenterLifeBalance completely agree. At my school the first year is a short beginner friendly version of the Laojia. Then the years 2 3 4 which are called intermediate, are studying a third of laojia at a time. From the fifth year one starts the advanced program with more forms in parallel as xinjia, paochu. After a few months I asked to be downgraded to train with the intermediate people again, so I can focus again on laojia only, precisely because I share the opinion on your suggestion.

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

@@Steamxys that's a good training system and a good strategy. I encourage you to stick with Lao jia indefinitely and develop as much depth into the movements as possible. In chen village Lao jia is sometimes called "gong fu Jia". It is the bread and butter of chen taiji. Xinjia is a very advanced form and you made the right decision to go back to Lao jia. It's difficult enough to stay connected and to move the chi when doing lao jia without trying to add all those extra spirals into the form. The extra spirals in xinjia occur naturally as an expression of the manifestation of the chi at very advanced levels. To spend time on this xinjia before mastering Lao jia will actually impede your progress. Thank you for sharing 🙏

@user-fm8sb6gb3g Жыл бұрын

one of the most important requirements is find a reasonable good teacher (no nonsense). they can make correction for you.. Just practice usually won't do anything better. You can often see people practice taiji almost everyday in the park and they don't understand taiji.

@amir250 Жыл бұрын

great great great

@bristolkitty77 3 жыл бұрын

I found this video Searching: Tai chi taught better; glad I found it. This breakdown really unfuddles things.

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

Many thanks Rebecca I'm glad you found the video helpful. Stick with tai chi it will look after you for life.

@LyndonSSmith 3 жыл бұрын

Dear Colin, thank you for these videos on your channel. You are so clear and I thank you for your explanations and time you've spent doing these, they are very helpful. Are you got to do something on differences between Tai Chi and Qi Gong thanks? Lyndon

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Lyndon I really appreciate your comments. For sure I will make a video in the near future about the differences between taiji and qigong. I think a lot of people would like to know. Thank you very much 🙏

@Frari747 Жыл бұрын

If I can say that…. Both are based on the energetic flow inside the body. Tai Chi form is a „fight“ . In pushing-hands you do it with a partner( opponent). Qi gong means work with the Qi energy. Watch videos with adam mizner…

@josephbunone6126 3 жыл бұрын

I’ve done that speeding up and my awareness kicks in and I slow it down. Use each posture in a Qi Gong form of developing chi and balance. How you achieve this is by sitting in each individual posture. Begin by timing yourself in each posture for 1 minute, and increase your time.From my experience to remember each posture, you must do the form at least once a day. Good luck and remember tai chi in moving meditation!

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

Awareness always wins in the end! Remember to keep moving it is the continuous changing from yin to yang and yang to yin that trains the body and the alignment. Thank you! 🙏

@user-fm8sb6gb3g Жыл бұрын

Many people interpret cat step as lightness. Maybe it’s right but definitely not complete. It’s better to say that moving needs to be driven by sinking the kua.

@brunojiful Жыл бұрын

U ve a recommendation for a teacher in Asia? I m right now in India..thanks!!

@kathysheeran6589 2 жыл бұрын

Great tips. But the videos referenced say not available 😢😢.

@CenterLifeBalance 2 жыл бұрын

Holy smokes those links used to work. Not sure what happened but all the videos are on my channel. This one is quite a good warm up set highly recommend these exercises and till teach them to my students kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mp10rMxzns-xqY0.html

@ttcostadc 3 жыл бұрын

I think Cheng Man-Ch'ing (CMC) instructed that the ideal time for his 37 movement form is 12 minutes. I agree with slowing down.. just trying to add some definition to it. I have heard the qi can stagnate if too slow. "Fast" and "slow" are so relative that I thought I'd pin a time to it, based on my understanding. Also, your tip on the hands is interesting to me. It may work well - I have not tried it - but it sounds counter to the idea of fair lady's hand, which appears to be a CMC principle, only.

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

That's sounds about right. The 75 movement form takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. Thank you for adding that distinction. I wouldn't worry too much about the qi stagnating. One practice I encourage is standing post (Zhan Zhuang). This is actually an excellent practice to develop relaxation and sense the flow of qi within the body. Of course like you said fast and slow are relative and I appreciate you bringing this up. Most beginners, and in fact many long time practitioners, don't understand the timing of the movements. The main error is we move the center first and the rest later, or vice versa. Only by slowing right down do we first become aware of the subtle disconnection of the individual parts. With the tip on the hands specifically fingers closer together, try it both ways and ask yourself which way feels more connected, more powerful; fingers spread out or closer together? Keep in mind they should not be rigid or tense, relaxation must always be present. I received this guidance about the hands from a genuine master and after integrating it into my practice for a number of years I believe it makes a difference. On a side note, in a grappling situation also you wouldn't want your pinky finger getting captured or caught by mistake. This tip about eh hands is not a "principle" of taiji but rather an observation of best practices. It will evolve naturally over time as the body transforms. Thank you for sharing your insights. Very useful distinctions and I appreciate your contribution to this community.

@ttcostadc 3 жыл бұрын

@@CenterLifeBalance I agree Post Standing is very important for body structure and when I do follow it up with the form, the form feels more "right". I do 14 minutes per session now, 3x per week. We typically do post standing with our hands in the push position, as opposed to palms facing the body keeping the qi held. Most people I have seen doing zhan zhuang are doing it the way you do it in the video, with some variation. Your further description of the hands reminds me that the other style taught in my (former) school uses a hand that is more like what you show. The other style was Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan.. I think they called the hand shape "tiger's mouth". The thumb, in that style, is a slight bit farther from the fingers, though, possibly for grabs.... Oh, by the way, I really appreciate the thought you have put into your information, as well as your way of delivering it.

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

Regarding the hands in a pushing position while standing this would result in the hands being more yang which is a type of "doing". Depending on what your goal is during standing nothing in essence is incorrect. The way I practice and teach is more aligned with developing the state of "wu wei" or non-interference. In this way relaxation is developed and imbalances can be identified and studied. 14 minutes is a good practice for standing. I usually do 20-30 minutes, and occasionally will do an hour especially when it feels great.

@ttcostadc 3 жыл бұрын

@@CenterLifeBalance I have read that the more common way of doing zhan zhuang actually builds up peng energy. I don't know if this is true; it was a suggestion I read. It would make sense to me, if there are no hollows in zhan zhuang, as well. I am currently adding a minute of post standing practice each week, with a top goal around 30 to 35 minutes. I have also been told that, in terms of the 8 trigrams, peng is the solid bar three times, or the most yang. I think the structure and alignment can be focused on regardless of the position, even if one is doing a posture from the form as post standing. I don't usually do this for long, as 70% or 100% of your weight on one leg only is terribly difficult. The only time I practice trying to be without preference (wu wei) is right before the form begins. After 10 minutes of zhan zhuang (for me) wu wei is not a possibility, as I am nudging things around to use the least effort while it is already getting difficult.

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

@@ttcostadc I agree you are correct that the standing builds Peng energy. As tension dissolves and the weight sinks down the chi begins to fill the dantien and continues to expand to any areas where relaxation is present for example the extremities. Through relaxation, alignment, and balance the chi expands leading to Peng within the body. Peng cannot be created by force but rather it is an expression of the internal power. Essentially Peng is Power. The upper body transformation usually goes from yang (hard, stiff, rigid - most people's current state) to yin (soft, empty, relaxed) to yang (full, expanding - power begins to fill the empty spaces) and so on. At the highest level the master is neither yin nor yang yet both at the same time. What's important is that power cannot go where there is rigidity, hardness, stiffness. When tension dissolves power evolves.

@elftower907 4 жыл бұрын

could you do something about tai chi helping us find freedom from the world and bringing peace? if you feel to.

@CenterLifeBalance 4 жыл бұрын

For sure! I will be talking about inner peace in later videos and I have no doubt I will have a video in the near future that directly answers your request. Stay tuned 🙏

@chrisken8902 Жыл бұрын

For me - it's the opposite with fingers.

@anacegrieve1403 2 жыл бұрын

Do you have a website or a way I can get in touch with you?

@CenterLifeBalance 2 жыл бұрын

Www.centerlifebalance.com

@gamingdoomsday573 3 жыл бұрын

Does anybody knows how much times he said "form" in first tip

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

GAMING DOOMSDAY a very astute observation I do love form!

@gamingdoomsday573 3 жыл бұрын

@@CenterLifeBalance can you make a video on hydrokinesis?

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

GAMING DOOMSDAY that would be a short video I don’t know much about the subject. It might be possible for an enlightened being or avatar.

@madelinebrennan7603 3 жыл бұрын

Why is it called "empty step?" Because there's no weight on it initially?

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

That's right. We step out as lightly as possible with the leg as empty as possible then shift the weight onto it. Like the way a cat steps. In some posture such as "white crane spreads wings" the ratio of weight distribution would be 100% on the weighted leg, other moves 60:40 or 70:30. The stronger the legs become the more lightly we can step out with emptiness while maintaining straight and relaxed upright posture.

@joelkiely8179 3 жыл бұрын

Minimal use of many muscles. No strenuous use of any muscle. Use weight shifting and body turning to prevent strenuous motion, and to keep balance. I create the illusion of moving quietly underwater. Like seaweed. Playing a video 2x speed helps you see what the performer is doing. But for healing, you need to slow down to tai-chi speed. You need to move your blood quietly to heal. The instructor has to assume that no student can afford anything strenuous, due to health and mobility issues. So he has to go slow for safety.

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

We go slow so that the body can organise itself and remain connected. When we try to move too quickly, especially in the beginning, the different parts will seperate from each other, and connection will be lost. The goal is whole body moves together as one. When one thing moves, everything moves, with the center leading all movement. Healing emerges spontaneously as a consequence of balance, relaxation, and alignment. We must do our best, and be aware of our breaking point. We must take care and know the limits of our physiology on a given day, but we must also strive and challenge ourselves to improve every day.

@sveabryan9126 3 жыл бұрын

Can one practice Tai Chi barefooted?

@CenterLifeBalance 3 жыл бұрын

You can train barefoot but I don't recommend it for chen tai chi mainly because of the "foot stamping" movements, especially on hard surfaces like tiles or concrete. The stamps/stomps are powerful and could be painful if barefoot. The optimum training scenario is flat level non slip/non skid surface with flat sole shoes. Basketball courts are great. Solid timber floors etc. I sometimes go barefoot for standing meditation but almost never for taiji. Hope that helps.