Learning Easy Tai Chi – An Overview
Teaching Easy Tai Chi
An Overview
There are ever so many approaches to teaching t’ai chi. I have tried all sorts of methods and found a few that work well.
Initially, I used to teach all the movements to give them a rough template on which they will build and improve. The downside to this approach is that many students didn’t feel any great benefits initially, and some would drop out. Too many moves too quickly resulting in confusion.
So… I decided to slow down the process of “getting to the end” and teach a few moves initially and then add waist movement and breathing. I have found that the average student noticed enough benefits more quickly, enough to catch his attention. (“Maybe this does work…”).
Note that the video teaches the movements and waist, but adds the breathing at the end, the style I used to use. This still works well in the video for home learning.
So, I teach the basics of a move one week, then review the movements and add some waist action the next week, followed by a review and the addition of breathing the next week.
Breathing. A lot of traditional t’ai chi teachers object strongly to the addition of conscious breathing. They say it will come naturally. (Some of your students may make reference to this, in that they may have had other teachers in the past).
Perhaps natural breathing eventually occurs if the student is practicing for an hour a day, but it is important to remember that these people are rank beginners and will practice only a few minutes a day. And to remember that conscious breathing will improve their unconscious breathing. (See Breathing Notes document).
I have found the addition of breathing techniques early on makes a huge difference in benefits achieved and in student retention.
Teaching Technique. Repetition is one key to remembering. Repeat the series of movements often, so students can follow along. Describe the move as you do it to help those who are auditory learners.
The other key is to offer time for students to practice without following along. The struggle to remember helps with grasping the movement the next time it is offered.
Flexibility is Vital. All that said I encourage you to be flexible. I always go in with a class plan, and always veer from it in some way or the other. Sometimes I will add ideas and exercises from other class plans if the situation is appropriate, other times I will omit parts and teach them the concepts next week.
You will find the style that is best for you and your students. As well, you can modify these lessons for so they are taught over a different number of weeks (10 – 16), or alter to them to teach over a concentrated period of time (over a weekend).
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week One
Walking, Opening Moves, Partition of Wild Horses Mane
Welcome, instructor introductions
Cautions – this not a race and is non-competitive. Listen to your body – if something hurts, stop immediately. If dizzy – sit down. Fun - stay light, rest when you need to.
Remind me why you are here. Just a quick brainstorm reminder of why they are here. (2 minutes to connect with benefits.)
Goal is to help you understand your body in new ways, and to improve your physical and mental health.
Two warm ups – shoulders and back and block with arms while turning at waist
River Walking exercise (reference – video and Warm Ups Document). This style of walking is the basis of t’ai chi movement, and this is a fun way to have them experience it.
Posture Instruction (see Warm ups). Relax gut and lower back. Never hold gut in!
Introduction of Balanced step - at least a 2 by 4 width between legs. Diagram on chalk board. Use lines of floor if available.
TEACH MOVEMENTS
1. Bow, then arms raised and lowered
2. Partition of Wild Horses Mane
Teach feet first!!! Practice without arms, just to give pattern. Have them move across the floor in a balanced stance. Use slow, intentional steps for balance. Always keep right foot on right side of line, left on left.
Then add arms. Practice only the first Partition until it is comfortable, and then move to the next only if there is time.
Practice what you can remember daily - just a few minutes
Reading – Tao Te Ching – A Journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. This is the single step on a very interesting tai chi journey. I like this better - a journey of 1000 miles begins with a SIMPLE step. Have them be patient with themselves and enjoy the journey!
Certified Leaders must provide videos for participants
Certified Instructors: Optional video available – for anyone who wants to use it to practice at home - $20 - $25 suggested.
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Two
Movements to Review and Enhance– Partition of Wild Horses Mane
Movements to Teach – No New Moves
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
You may want to read the Reading at the beginning this time.
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
1. Shoulders and knees rotations
2. Wise Man strokes Beard
REVIEW Form to Date
This works to help students remember, catch up and relax, and it also serves as a continued warm up.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Review balanced step and movements taught last week
Partition of Wild Horses Mane step by step, reviewing feet and then arms, with lots of instructions. Then repeat several times for flow and memory
Mention that the arm that is outstretched is the same arm as the forward leg. Left arm forward, left leg out. I teach this move as a circular sweep, with palm up as if serving a cup of coffee. (But the coffee is SOOO bad they have to protect their groin with the other hand…)
Add waist
If they are doing well with the moves, have them add some waist movement. At the end of the first Partition, the foot opens 45 degrees and the hips turn over the foot, as usual. But then have the students continue the upper body as if carrying a beach ball. Have them notice the stretch that results. (See video)
Be sure they do not collapse their arms behind them. Hands stay directly in front of chest and only go as far as the shoulders.
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
READING AND PHILOSOPHY – Today the One and Only (See Readings Section)
The message I like here is that we can all make a CONSCIOUS choice to play full out, to make the best of each day, each class and each move. To focus on the positive and recognize that we are in control of our choices, experiences, thoughts and behaviors.
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Three
Movements to Review – Partition of Wild Horses Mane
Movements to Teach or Enhance – Teach Stork Cools Wings, add breathing to all moves
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
Seaweed exercises
Introduce first leg stretch and balance – lift one leg up off floor and balance. Then, if desired or capable, pull the knee to chest and hold it. (See Warm Up Document)
REVIEW Form to Date
This works to help students remember, catch up and relax, and it also serves as a continued warm up.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Teach - Stork Cools Wings – little half step up is sneaky. Martial arts principle: A little hand distraction, the back foot moves up, and all of a sudden reach is increased. This is a sneaky way to move in on an opponent unnoticed.
Stork Cools Wings - Stance in Stork posture– “cat stance”. No weight on front foot allow for rapid movement. Like cats fighting. They stay in posture, ready often for a long time, then suddenly a pounce. If there is weight on the front foot, then reactions and movement are slowed. Without weight, a kick, a step back or sideways is rapid and unexpected.
Add breathing. Note that you are breathing into a twisted waist, which is more difficult but dramatically increases internal movement and massage (like the third exercise in 4 Minute Fitness™)
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
Good time to do a long series of Partitions so they can become comfortable and feel the flow.
READING AND PHILOSOPHY – Read - Try Softer (See Readings Section)
At about this time, beginning students feel frustrated. You can sense it in their demeanor and talk and questions. It is important to continually remind them that this is a step by step process and that they need to remain present and patient. And that the harder they try, the more thy tense up about their learning, the MORE THEY SLOW THE PROCESS. Have them smile, and try softer.
To supplement: “When you seek it, you cannot find it.” - ZEN RIDDLE Relax……..
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Four
Movements to Review – of Wild Horses Mane, Stork Cools Wings
Movements to Teach or Enhance – Repulse Monkey
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
Progressive Tension exercise (see Warm Up Document)
Leg stretching exercises – more advanced (see Warm Up Document)
REVIEW
Lots of repetition of form to help them remember the pattern. Talk them through the moves initially, and then simply have them follow. This is a good time to play music to help with relaxation and flow.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Teach Repulse Monkey. Teach feet first. Here it is so valuable to use a line on the floor. The student tendency will be to in-step on the way back. This lack of awareness happens as a result of the student going backwards; therefore she is unable to see where the foot should go. By using a line on the floor, the student simply keeps the right foot on the right side, etc.
Have them take several long series of steps back to become familiar with the lower body movement. Spend lots of time wandering between students to correct their stances.
Then teach arms.
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
This is a great time for individual corrections, so wander around and help out.
READING AND PHILOSOPHY - Tao Te Ching - #78.
Discuss the value of softness in life, and the power. Use this reading about the strength of water to remind them that there is power in softness, and strength in “going with the flow”.
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Five
Movements to Review or Enhance – Repulse Monkey
Movements to Teach – add waist to Repulse Monkey, teach Single Whip
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
Any Breathing Exercise you like
Leg Stretching Exercises
Squats – some leg strengthening exercises to prepare for Snake Creeps Down
REVIEW Form to Date
This works to help students remember, catch up and relax, and it also serves as a continued warm up.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Sometimes I like to add waist here, but often I leave this until a more advanced class or later on. ONLY ADD THIS IF THE GROUP IS DOING WELL.
The waist movement happens as the arm reaches back. With the weight on the back foot, the hips open only until they are pointing in the same 45 degree angle as the supporting (back) foot. Then hips stop!
But the shoulders can turn further to enhance the reach back. The resulting difference in alignment between hips and shoulders will add waist movement.
If you don’t add waist, this is a week you can skip to shorten session of necessary. Go directly to next week.
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
This is a great time for individual corrections, so wander around and help out. Do long series of Repulse Monkeys for learning and the feeling of flow.
READING AND PHILOSOPHY
Real Fairytale – by Chungliang Al Huang (See Readings)
Initially you learn a set of movements which will serve as a template on which you build for the rest of your t’ai chi practice (perhaps for the rest of your life).
At some point, you begin to own the movements. They are yours to do with as you please.
We strongly encourage you to add to these moves skills and training you have received from other areas. Keep the integrity of each movement, but add from your experience to enhance and maximize your own benefits.
Perhaps specific ideas that seem to go well with the philosophy and movement we are teaching (another martial art, or another eastern discipline (yoga) or from meditation).
Or add from your life experiences and from your general knowledge base.
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Six
Movements to Review – Repulse Monkey
Movements to Teach or Enhance – add breathing to Repulse Monkey
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
Wise Man Strokes Beard
Legs – your choice
Bagua exercises for upper body. (See Warm Ups document)
REVIEW Form to Date
This works to help students remember, catch up and relax, and it also serves as a continued warm up.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Simply add the breathing to Repulse Monkeys. Inhale as they reach back, exhale as they strike hand forward and sink into posture. Be sure the hand coming back to the front is taking a straight line from the back position, past the ear to the front posture. This is not a sweeping or circular move, but a straight line.
EXERCISE
Many students will have their arms locked in Partition and Repulse. The elbows must remain soft. When an arm is stiff, with the elbow locked, a push on that arm will direct power all the way to the center.
Try it with the group (carefully). Have one person extend and lock an arm and the partner gently hit it. Notice how the abdomen vibrates. Stiffness transmits power all the way to the center and is a gift to the opponent.
Then have the person soften the arm in a way that will absorb a hit. Cannot find center.
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
This is a great week to spend repeating the moves to cement them. Have students follow along, but also have them “go it alone”.
This is also a good time to add music and tell them to relax into the movements and to have FUN. Relax and feel the flow. They are doing Great! (It’s only been six weeks and they are almost half way through the moves.
READING AND PHILOSOPHY
Two readings: Chinese adage. “Control your emotion or it will control you.”
Samurai Maxim: “The angry man will defeat himself in battle as well as in life.”
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Seven
Movements to Review – Form to Date
Movements to Teach or Enhance – Snake Creeps Down
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
Progressive Tension exercise (see Warm ups)
Wrist Stretching – see Warm Ups document
REVIEW
Lots of repetition of form to help them remember the pattern. Talk them through the moves initially, and then simply have them follow. This is a good time to play music to help with relaxation and flow.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Teach Snake Creeps down, legs first. Be sure that they push knee out over foot, rather than having knee collapse in.
CAUTION – I encourage people to be old masters initially (see video), and stay tall and stretch minimally initially. Get the pattern, and then GRADUALLY sink lower on the supporting leg. Also – be sure they sink on the leg, not bend at the waist. (See teaching web pages)
Then add arms, if they are ready. If not, wait until next week
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
Caution here – this exercise can be demanding. Have them stop and watch if necessary.
Individual work – focus on taking a reasonable step back (which offers space to stretch), safe leg posture, stay upright, no waist bending. Remember, the length of the step back is determined by the sinking on the supporting foot. The lower they go, the farther they can step. That said, if they need more space, some cheating is just fine.
READING AND PHILOSOPHY
Chuang Tzu: “The mind of a perfect man is like a mirror. It grasps nothing. It expects nothing. It reflects but does not hold. Therefore the perfect man can act without effort.”
Chuang Tzu is believed to lived in the Fourth or Third Century BCE, at a time when China was spilt up into a number of states weakly held together by the Chou dynasty. He was a government official for a while and was offered higher office, but declined on the grounds that it would limit his freedom.
His thought is contained in the 33 chapters that remain of the Chuang Tzu, which describes both his philosophy and his way of life. In it, Chuang Tzu enlarges on the teachings of Lao Tzu in a lively discourse that opposes the ideas of Confucius and Mo Tzu. These philosophers argued for particular ways for improving the condition of man, each contradicting the other. Chuang Tzu argued that the processes of nature unify all things, so that humanity should seek to live at one with nature and not impose upon it. He concluded that one could do more by doing nothing.
Chuang Tzu viewed nature as having great spontaneity and change, with all things—large and small, beautiful and ugly—equally important and ever in a constant flux. In this way, he enlarged the notion of the co-dependence of things, one causing change in another, which appears in Buddha’s thought. Chuang Tzu also emphasized the mutual causation of opposites: for example, that life leads to death. His dislikes of formal structures lead him to put forward his ideas in imaginary dialogues.
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Eight
Movements to Review – Snake Creeps down
Movements to Teach or Enhance – Snake Creeps Down, Golden Cock and kick
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
Mix and match, using warm ups from the lessons and your favorites.
REVIEW Form to Date
This works to help students remember, catch up and relax, and it also serves as a continued warm up. Work on flow, add some music.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Focus on feet position so posture is balanced. And be sure they are staying upright and not straining back. The arms are less important, but this is where I mention on the video “Introduce your foot to the queen”. Suggests flair, a sweeping motion.
As they move forward onto the front foot, it is nice to stay low, but that requires strength, so it is also OK to straighten up the supporting leg before the weight transfer forward.
Patience and caution. No rush with this one as it is one of the most demanding t’ai chi postures.
Teach Golden Cock - Remember to add kick after flowing into Golden Cock Stands on One Leg.
This is a good time to speak about improving balance, as they will really notice deficits at this time. Three things:
1. Keep supporting knee bent and supple.
2. Keep belly relaxed and shoulders down, effectively lowering torso center of gravity. Breathing and smiling help at this stage.
3. Keep eyes looking at a distance. Looking down or at a near object reduces balance ability.
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
READING AND PHILOSOPHY
Tao te Ching - #76.
One of the best ways to slow the aging process is to remain flexible, or to regain it if lost. The hard and the stiff will indeed be broken. I have noticed that people who are physically flexible will also tend to be mentally flexible, and vice versa.
And one of the most important areas is the spine. Few people actually exercise in a way the addresses all around spinal flexibility. Our style of teaching t’ai chi can keep the spine supple.
Note: One in 4 seniors who break a hip will be dead within a year, so we want to stay supple AND practice balance exercises everyday.
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Nine
Movements to Review – Snake Creeps Down
Movements to Teach or Enhance – add breathing to Snake Creeps Down and Teach Strike Tiger with Both Hands
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
Torso stretches – see warm ups
Leg circles – see Warm ups. Then grab foot, pull it down and behind and push against hand with foot. This stretches the quadriceps. And if you like, bend forward while still holding the leg and stretch.
REVIEW Form to Date
This works to help students remember, catch up and relax, and it also serves as a continued warm up.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Add breathing to Snake. Two ways.
1. In breath with step back and arm into single whip, then out breath as weight is transferred forward. (As described in video). In coming into Golden Cock, out with kick. In coming into Golden Cock, out with kick.
2. Can also be divided, so there are two breaths, not one. Inhale with step back, exhale with arm moving into single whip position (as if this was a strike under the chin or a block). Then inhale with sink down, and exhale with weight transfer through. In coming into Golden Cock, out with kick.
Teach Strike Tiger. From Golden Cock and kick, sink onto supporting leg and place left let out into balanced stance. The arm movement is soft and gentle (NO shoulder activity – watch for it). Soft fists will strike tiger in ears. How high? Have each student strike at the same height as his own ears.
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
This is a great time for individual corrections, so wander around and help out.
READING AND PHILOSOPHY
“Patience the essential quality of a man.” - KWAI-KOO-TSU
Significance? Mostly at this point, be patient with yourself. As Bugs Bunny often said… “unlax Doc”.
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Ten
Movements to Review – form to date
Movements to Teach or Enhance – Wave Hands as Clouds
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
Progressive Tension exercise (see Warm ups)
Push partners – exercise I demonstrate in the video at the beginning. When the opponent is “hard and stiff”, then a push even well away from his center will cause him to move. Have them experience hard, the have them experience the ability to disappear as a result of being soft. A push simply moves them. Offering no resistance can be powerful, and certainly hides center.
REVIEW
Lots of repetition of form to help them remember the pattern. Talk them through the moves initially, and then simply have them follow. This is a good time to play music to help with relaxation and flow.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Begin Wave Hands by teaching leg movement and position. Note that we now have a new stance (horse stance.) This stance is very stable from a sideways position, but doesn’t provide a lot of front or back stability. Easy in that it is step by step sideways.
Hint: Then add arms. Right hand simply follows shoulders and waist as body turns to front, left hand sweeps down and moves under right hand. The hands stay over top of one another. Hint: The transition as right hand moves down and left hand moves up – like clapping, but the hands miss each other.
Hint: the hands stay over each other all through the movements. The tendency is for the top hand to reach further.
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
READING AND PHILOSOPHY
“When you and your opponent are one. There is a coexisting relationship between you. You coexist with your opponent and become his complement, absorbing his attack and using force to overcome him.” BRUCE LEE
Bruce Lee used a combination of softness and speed to produce unbelievable power in the same way a whip flies quickly and gently through the air with a sudden and instantaneous burst of massive power at the end, followed again by limp softness.
People often can’t relate to the power and strength found in softness, and feel that softness is weak. In fact, when one is hard, one is slow and easy to push off balance. A hard opponent is also very easy to break.
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Eleven
Movements to Review – Wave Hands
Movements to Teach or Enhance – Add waist to wave hands, teach High Pat on Horse
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
Your choice. Often I will just do the form to warm up, now that they are beginning to remember the sequence. The slow movements and deep breathing are an excellent warm up. Remind them that these movements can be a warm up for the day, for a sport, or a cool down after work or any exercise.
REVIEW Form to Date
This works to help students remember, catch up and relax, and it also serves as a continued warm up.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Last week I mentioned that the hands stay over top of each other. This actually produces a reaching of the bottom hand at each corner. The hips stop at 45 degrees, and then as the lower hand reaches out to stay under the top hand, the shoulders turn more, producing movement of the spine (waist movement).
Hint: be sure that the hands move in a straight line in front of the body, not around the body. The shoulders turn, but the arms go in a straight line.(See teaching web pages)
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
This is a great time for individual corrections, so wander around and help out.
READING AND PHILOSOPHY
Technical knowledge is not enough. One must transcend techniques so that the art becomes an artless art, growing out of the unconscious. - DAISETSU SUZUKI
(Daisetsu Suzuki (1870-1966) can rightly be called the man who first brought Zen Buddhism from Japan to the West. During his long life he spent a great deal of time living, traveling and teaching in both the United States and Europe. A fluent English speaker, he wrote many articles and books introducing Zen to the Western mind. Suzuki's lay Buddhist name, "Daisetsu", means "Great Simplicity". In later years, however, Suzuki joked that it really meant "Great Stupidity". But this isn't only a joke. It is similar to the idea of the holy fool. It is what the English philosopher Douglas Harding calls 'alert idiocy'. Grasping the fundamental principle of existence is recognizing that deep down one knows nothing, yet paradoxically this no-thingness is the infinitely wise (and loving and dynamic) source of all things.)
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Twelve
Movements to Review – form to date
Movements to Teach or Enhance – add breathing, teach closing of form
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
Your choice. Remember to add breathing exercises.
REVIEW Form to Date
This works to help students remember, catch up and relax, and it also serves as a continued warm up.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Add breathing to Wave Hands. In breath happens with reach to corner and hand change. Note that you are breathing into a twisted waist, which is more difficult but dramatically increases internal movement and massage (like the third exercise in 4 Minute Fitness™)
Also – the question of length of stance often comes up. It is the same answer as any stance. As in the river walking, one does not “step”, but simply sinks down on the supporting leg and then reaches. The lower one sinks, the farther the stance. Encourage more athletic students to continue to sink low and take wider stances.
Teach High Pat on Horse Teach Closing of form
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
This is a great time for individual corrections, so wander around and help out.
READING AND PHILOSOPHY
“It is wisdom to know others; it is enlightenment to know oneself”.
Most of us are great at knowing others, but often take very little time to be alone with ourselves. This type of practice can help with self observation and awareness. It can help you listen to your body and become more aware of your thoughts.
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Thirteen
Movements to Review – Last half of form - Snake Creeps Down, Wave Hands, High Pat on Horse
Movements to Teach or Enhance – review concept of waist in Partition of Wild Horses Mane, Repulse Monkey (if you are comfortable with that one), and Wave Hands
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
Any you like. Some leg strengthening squats may be a good idea.
REVIEW
Lots of repetition of form to help them remember the pattern. Talk them through the moves initially, and then simply have them follow. This is a good time to play music to help with relaxation and flow.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Can discuss and have them participate in ways to be strong and centered in their stances.
Center of gravity improves by keeping your center over your base, near your base, nearer center of base, and by keeping the base wide.
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
Review waist in movements and breathing throughout form. This is a great time for individual corrections, so wander around and help out.
READING AND PHILOSOPHY
This is a good quote if you are offering a next level class. Now they know the moves, now they can add so much to them. Like adding icing to a cake.
Gichin Funakoshi: Moving past the learning of the moves.
"You may train for a long, long time, but if you merely move your hands and feet and jump up and down like a puppet, learning karate is not very different than learning the steps to a dance.
You will never have reached the heart of the matter, you will have failed to grasp the quintessence of karate."
This is what we will do in the next level. We will add the special parts that offer heart.
Gichin Funakoshi, known as the founder of modern karate, was a professor at the Okinawan Teacher's College and president of the Okinawan Association of Martial Arts. Although Funakoshi Sensei was famous as a great karate master, he always emphasized that the most important benefit from karate training is the development of spiritual values and the perfection of character of its participants. After training and teaching karate for more than 75 years, Master Funakoshi died in 1957 at the age of 88.
Learning Easy Tai Chi - Week Fourteen
Movements to Review
Movements to Teach or Enhance
WELCOME, CHECK IN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(how are you doing, what have you noticed (benefits?), any questions?)
WARM UPS AND BREATHING
REVIEW
Talk them though the moves. Repetition is important.
TEACH OR ENHANCE
Substantial and insubstantial. This is a wonderful exercise to have students begin to discover the almost infinite variations on a theme as well as the future potential (if you are offering advanced classes). Learning the basics is just the beginning. In the same way we can add various flavours and icings to a baked cake, we can now decorate and play with the form for years.
To begin, have them raise one foot. Have them notice how light that leg seems relative to the supporting leg. Then have them notice just how solid and heavy the supporting leg is. In fact, the supporting leg is so heavy it can’t be lifted off the ground.
Then have them notice the alternating from light (insubstantial) to heavy (substantial) in the form and how one leg goes form being very light to being very heavy. Have them notice the flow that results and the sense of being connected to the ground within all the movements.
TIME FOR PRACTICE AND REPITITION
Spend lost of time repeating the whole form over and over. Several times without a break will give students the sense that they can create a longer form without knowing new moves, and they will begin to feel the sense of flowing “like a wave, endlessly across a vast ocean”.
Awareness. Notice the tingling in the hands; notice the energy within the stillness after completion of form. This is an example of the wonderful paradox of t’ai chi practice. “Be still as a mountain, move a great river.” Most of us feel “dead or comatose” when we relax, but with this type of practice, we experience an energetic relaxation. EXCITING!
READING AND PHILOSOPHY
Steven Covey from “First Things First” – “Anything less than a conscious commitment to the important represents an unconscious commitment to the unimportant.” Suggest that this kind of movement and breathing is important in prevention, in helping them achieve desired benefits. Often the unimportant clutter of day to day living can prevent “important” actions. Make a daily commitment to your Easy T’ai Chi practice.
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