Intensive Taijiquan in MALAYSIA September 2008

[Andrea]

To answer the question about stance training.

I have gone back to what worked well before: Horse - Bow Arrow - False Leg - Single Leg - Unicorn - Goat - Horse; and 2-3x a week only horse, and from time to time only 3-circle stance; Maybe I can add a 4/6 between Unicorn and Goat. Before I usually practice Lifting Sky/Pushing Mountains, and afterwards " the art of flexible legs" and whatever I want to focus on at the moment. Currently this is moving in stances. The idea is to go step-by-step through the materials from the course. When time permits I add a training session in the afternoon/evening where I spend time on combat sequences and sets.

As the amount of materials grows, time becomes more of an issue. Any advice and experience from those practicing both SKF and WTJQ about how practice best and what to choose (where there are alternatives between SKF and WTJQ) would be very helpful.

And a TJQ related question: What would be the best moment for practicing lifting water and cloud hands? Currently I practice them followed by Graphing Sparrows Tail, when I have time for additional training in the afternoon or evening, just before practicing sets or combat sequences. Does this make sense or should I add them in the morning so that I practice them daily? And if so where?

Has everybody had a chance to check out the DVDs Wei Foong so kindly prepared for us?

I haven't gone beyond Disk 1 yet but eventually will arrive there.

Andrea

[TaiChiPete]

Hi Andrea,

And a TJQ related question: What would be the best moment for practicing lifting water and cloud hands?

I don't have a definitive answer but I can share what I do and why. Like you I have a morning session that is regular and an evening session which is on an as an when basis. I always include lifting water or cloud hands in the am session before practicing forms (which is for me after stances and leg stretching). Why? Historically, as I understand it, these were included by the past masters to generate chi flow before practicing sets, and although the chi is already flowing the forms feel even better for improving the flow first.

Also following that wonderful lifting water session with Sifu (I think Joe and Paul already commented it was great) it is my new favourite Chi Kung pattern!

Hope this helps,

Pete

[Hubert]

Also following that wonderful lifting water session with Sifu (I think Joe and Paul already commented it was great) it is my new favourite Chi Kung pattern!

Ah, I hate to revive this thread, but well, not really

[Jeffrey Segal]

Ah, yes, that session of Lifting Water with Sifu was truly wonderful. Those of you who attended the now famous Small Universe course last year will be delighted to know that Sifu guided us into the Big Universe flow using Lifting Water!!!

[Jonny Say]

Hello Classmates

Another reason to come back to the goat stance at the end is to spend longest on the fundamental stance of tai chi, you can do a longer goat stance to round off stance training. I've heard Sigung recommend this before, alas Ill stick with my Golden Bridge!!

Hi Andrea, Pete gave a great answer to your question:

And a TJQ related question: What would be the best moment for practicing lifting water and cloud hands? Currently I practice them followed by Graphing Sparrows Tail, when I have time for additional training in the afternoon or evening, just before practising sets or combat sequences. Does this make sense or should I add them in the morning so that I practice them daily? And if so where?
Andrea

For me I think its important to do whatever force training patterns you choose daily, this way we get the best benefit from the patterns as we develop skills and build up quality and quantity.

I personally like doing such patterns before my stance training, but as Sigung often says there are no hard and fast rules with the order of some of our training.

Happy training

[Jeffrey Segal]

Hi Jonny,

Another reason to come back to the goat stance at the end is to spend longest on the fundamental stance of tai chi, you can do a longer goat stance to round off stance training.

That's what I was thinking of

[Andrea]

Dear Pete and Jonny,

I always include lifting water or cloud hands in the am session before practicing forms (which is for me after stances and leg stretching). Why? Historically, as I understand it, these were included by the past masters to generate chi flow before practicing sets, and although the chi is already flowing the forms feel even better for improving the flow first.

Thank you for your answer.

Andrea

[Goldbake10]

September 2008, Taichiquan Intensive Course

Thank you Sigung for the September 2008 Taijiquan Intensive Course. Your open heart generosity radiated throughout the room and was felt by everyone. Sparring was fun and joyful. For me my time in Malaysia was magical. My knowledge of the basics was reinforced and continued with very high skill applications. Your mental clarity in applying techniques to combat situations is simply stunning. I am back to a new beginning. I am grateful in having this not-to-be missed opportunity and blessed in having met and sparred with the wonderful participants. Hope to see you all again. Thank you Sifu Emiko for encouraging the course. Thank you Wei Foong for your organization. What an amazing dinner.

I also want to say THANK YOU for the Forum. This site is spectacular and I am only now coming to see all the information on it.

Marisa Macri-Fefferman
Toronto, Canada

[MutsumiM]

My deepest thanks

Dear Sigung,

It will be one month from Special Taijiquan Course. Though the days go as
usual, everytime I remember the five days in Penang, I really smile from the
heart.

In the course we recieved amazing teachings from Sigung and I was able to
train with fantastic masters and fantastic Shaolin Wahnam members form all
over the world really smiling and enjoying. It was like a dream. Though I
am in Japan, sometimes I still feel be in Penang and smiling and training
with amazing masters and fantastic members together.

As Sigung taught us in the course that each person is a wave and universe is
the ocean. When I remember this teaching, sometime I feel be in Penang. The
other time I feel be really relaxed, safe and happy.
I think that I like to be a wave.

My goal for this course was that do not use muscle all the time what ever
happens. Because when I trian with some man, my mental and body used to be
tense. So my body used to be stiffed after the training session. Duaring the
course, though I was trying to not to use muscle, on the 3rd day, my body
got stiffed. I really appreciated the universe and the oppornent. Because
that pain taught me deeply how important to be relaxed well. It wlll be
support me in future all the time and get remember me from now on be
relaxed, be relaxed more and more,,,.
It was the marvelours experience that we were able to have the Sigung's
teachings, to training with the masters and SW members who have a lot of
wisdomes, love and power.

Sigung, also I would like to thank you for letting my heart change. For long
time, I had have difficulties to feel deep compassion for my own family. However
my feeling has been changing after the course which Sifu kindly realized for
me. Now I am able to see my own family with much less negative feeling than
before. There has been nothing new in the relationship between my own family
and me. Just I went to Malaysia and came back to Japan. It means that Sigung,
Sifu and everyone helped me to open my heart more and more. Now I am albe to
thank my parents and my brother more than before.

I have no word how to express my deepest thanks to Sigung, Sifu and
everyone.
I really appreciate it.

Thnak you for reading this.
I am sorry for my English.

Best regards,

Your tou syun neui
Mutsumi

[Irina]

happy memories

Hi Family

I am deeply touched to find all those postings and pictures here.

There has been said so much about this terrific experience last month in Malaysia. So there is just one more little thing I would like to add.

I am really happy to have been part of this life changing week. And I am grateful to have been able to train with and learn from so many different, unique and talented people.

Meanwhile I keep practising here in this beautiful autumn surroundings while keeping the memories and the experience in my heart.

Loads of Love to everyone

[Jeffrey Segal]

Hello again!

How is everybody's training going?

I have a training method for moving in stances which I'd like to share.

Lately, I've been enjoying combining the first 3 of the five points mentioned earlier (direction, leg mode and point of reference) with training a specific pattern, for example Grasping Sparrow's Tail or Green Dragon Shoots Pearl.

Let's say the chosen pattern is Green Dragon Shoots Pearl. The procedure would be as follows.

Think of a combination such as:

North-Right-Front

That means using the front leg as your frame of reference you end up in Right Bow-Arrow facing North and then perform Green Dragon Shoots Pearl.

Then you think of another combination and another, etc etc. You can work on different aspects, such as perfect form, Yin-Yang harmony, waist movement, starting at the back leg, flowing movements and many more (maybe not all at once)

Try it out, I think you'll like it

Enjoy your training!

[Jeffrey Segal]

Yin Yang Harmony in Stance Training

Me again

Just to be sure that I don't give the impression that training Moving In Stances always needs to be pre-planned, I'd like to quote Andres when he said:

After this “steady stance training” I start moving between one stance to the other, with the hands to the sides of the chest, opening the heart, initially aiming to the stance I want to go, and after 5 minutes or so I change to an spontaneous stance movement, letting go myself with the movement. From my own experience this has been of great joy and a every time I feel more and more comfortable moving from one stance to the other as I keep on practicing it and sometimes I have felt that the body starts moving by itself from stance to stance continuously.

Lovely. I'm sure everybody remembers the way we trained Cloud Hands in Penang. What freedom, what joy!

[Michie]

(*^。^*)

Dear Shaolin family,

First I’d like to say thank you to Sigung, Sifus and Shaolin family!!
I enjoyed the intensive Taijiquan course very much!
Before leaving Japan and when I step into the class full of big men , I felt a bit nervous thinking if I can follow up.
However I could go through without dropping out because it was very fun owing to Sigung, Sifus, brothers and sisters.
Every counterpart taught me very kindly.

One month has already passed since the course.
I feel like it was in my dream.

Below I’d like to share my experience in the course.
In the last afternoon of the course I felt my back hurts.
I was told by sifu Emiko that it is a clean-up.
Then she advised me to do Lifting-the-sky and so on.
Then I felt better, and I could go through the course.
After the course, it began to hurt me so much again, and I felt like ever experienced slipped disk (Gikkuri Goshi) at the graduation dinner.
At the tee break after coming back to the hotel, I was advised by Sifu Emiko and Ms.Andrea to imagine that Chi flows through my legs.
Then owing to that advice I felt better.

Then two days later, the last afternoon in Malaysia around my Mizo-ochi(epigastrium?) hurted a bit and back hurted very much.
I felt my back hard as a board and had a fever around my waist.
On the plane I kept imaging Chi flows out of my feet as advised because it hurted so much.
I could hardly turn my head back.
I found, that feeling was just like a Muchi-uchi(whiplash injury) I’ve ever had due to a car accident about 10 years ago.
It was surprising, that my body remembers it whereas I forgot.

Everybody told me that my posture was improved.
Now what Sigung told in the course worked.
It was to stand with hands back so that heart is kept open.
I was told by Sifu Emiko also that it helps to heal my sickness on my throat.

I enjoyed these various feelings including pain very much as my own clean-up.
Now I feel fine after so much sleeping at home.
I feel thankful for having such an experience owing to the amasing intensive course.

My training menu right now is stance and sequence training step by step etc.
I found a lot of helpful example for training in this forum.
I enjoy them.

P.S.
Ms. Wei Foong, Thank you very much for organizing and DVDs

Keep happy lovely smiling !! and training,
Michie (translation support by my husband, Takanori)

[Goldbake10]

Dear Michie

I hope you continue cleaning-up and smiling from the heart. Thank you for sharing your wonderful adventure.

Marisa

[parrapiti]

Dear Michie!

It was a pleasure to cross arms with you at the course in Penang and it is also a delight to read your entries in this forum!

Best to you,

Your brother Piti