Parry, Robert - The Tai Chi Manual

Contents Introduction PART ONE - Learning The Form 1. Getting Started 2. The Early Moves 3. Introducing Narrow Stances 4. Finding the Diagonal 5. Stepping Back and Stepping Sideways 6. Downwards and Upwards 7. Rotating and Turning 8. The Closing Sequence

PART TWO - Taking it Further 9. Tai Chi and Health 10. Partner Work 11. The Eternal Cycle 12. Appendix

Introduction Tai chi is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of fitness training in the world today - but it is not just about fitness. Tai chi is also a special way of looking at life - a path of inspiration and a guide towards relaxation and health. Daily practice will not only increase your sense of well-being and help you to deal with the stresses of modern living, but will also release enormous amounts of creativity and help you to stay bright, optimistic and alert from youth right through to old age. This may sound miraculous, but it is true! This is the reason why tai chi has stood the test of time, and why today - in homes and gardens, parks and recreations centres all over the world - people from all walks of life, all ages and all levels of fitness continue to practise its slow graceful movements with as much enthusiasm and fondness as they have throughout so much of recorded history.

What is Tai Chi? Although it might appear to be tailor-made for dealing with the modern world and its relentless pressures, tai chi has in fact been around for a considerable length of time. With its origins rooted in ancient China, this integrated exercise system for body, mind and spirit is thought to date back as far as 3000 BC. The literal translation of 'tai' is 'big' or 'great', while 'chi' is translated as 'ultimate energy'. Tai chi, therefore, is all about generating and feeling energy through movement, the ultimate energy that powers the universe - everything from the greatest star right down to the smallest of microscopic creatures. This book shows you how to discover and experience this kind of energy for yourself. It provides practical step-by-

step instruction on how to learn a gentle yet powerful dance-like sequence called a 'form', which, if practised daily, wrill help you to maintain health and well-being, to stay relaxed and even to ward off some of the ravages of time. There is no expensive equipment to buy, no special clothing required. You already have everything you need the natural chi of the body, available to you at all times; it is just a question of learning how to use it. Become part of it and you will be linking into an amazing source of energy and liberation. In fact, just by opening this book you have taken the first step on a unique journey of self-discovery that could last for the rest of your life.

But isn't Tai Chi a Martial Art? Yes, it is! And a very effective one, too. The martial arts flourished in China during the Middle Ages, when people blended the familiar techniques of punching, kicking and striking with the long and venerable tradition of therapeutic exercise that had developed over the centuries. To this, the medical knowledge of the energy structure of the human body was then added, and the result was the birth of what became known as 'tai chi ch'uan'; many of tai chi's greatest living exponents are, in fact, martial artists of a very high calibre indeed. However, in recent times there has been a huge resurgence of interest in the original principles of energy flow which underlie tai chi, and this has led many people, drawn by tai chi's inherent grace and beauty, to explore once again its healing and inspirational qualities. It is this very factor that is the motivation behind this book.

The Short Yang Form This book deals in depth with one of the most popular and easy-to-learn styles of tai chi - the short yang form, named

after its founder Yang Lu Chuan. This is a simplified version of one of the more traditional forms that developed in China during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The short form was in fact created in the earlier half of the twentieth century by Master Cheng Man-ch'ing (19001975) - a truly remarkable man who was not only a superb exponent of tai chi, but also a professor of literature, an expert in the use of Chinese herbs, a poet, a calligrapher and a painter. His condensed version of the yang style of tai chi, developed to suit his own busy schedule, has been his greatest gift to the world. Many of the movements, based on the observation of animals, are of considerable antiquity, however: for example, Crane Spreads its Wings. There are cave paintings depicting similar exercises dating from 200 EC, while the legendary Yellow Emperor of China is said to have practised exercises for health based on the movements of animals as far back as 2700 He. Some of the movements have less elaborate, 'handed-down' names that are more selfexplanatory in nature, having been attributed to the movements over the centuries through their use between teacher and pupil: for example, Turn and Cross Hands, or Ward Off Left.

The Fresh Approach Whether you learn tai chi in a class situation from a teacher, or whether you choose to learn the basics from a book first and then perhaps take it further with some personal tuition at a later date, the method of learning is usually the same, and has not altered much throughout the ages. The student begins by assimilating each of the basic individual movements, one at a time, and then, once he or she is familiar with them, puts them all together to create the beautiful flowing sequence that most of us recognize as typical of tai chi. This book continues in that tradition - but

it also contains some exciting new departures. In the past, one of the difficulties a beginner would typically encounter when looking at photographs of the form was that they would all tend to present a bewildering similarity after only just a few moments of study. Here, the sequence itself is divided into eight clearly defined lessons, whereas traditionally it is taught only in two parts. This results in a clear, step-by-step approach, with easy 'bitesized' chunks of the form which can be absorbed before going on to the next stage. Each lesson focuses on different aspects of movement, beginning with balance and mastering basic stances, through to moving backwards and sideways, twisting and turning, and finally integrating all the skills you have learnt to achieve a combination of agility, strength and grace. Also, the sequence is demonstrated by two experienced students of tai chi - one male and one female - and this helps to differentiate between the sections, so aiding the learning process. Each stance is illustrated by a large-scale photograph, and there are also small-scale photographs showing the front view of a position where helpful. In addition, detailed foot diagrams indicate the required position, orientation and weight distribution for each stance, along with close-up illustrations showing the position of the hands as seen from your - the student's - point of view. All this ensures that the movements are easy to follow, and creates a highly userfriendly book containing everything you need to get started on your tai chi journey

How Long Does it Take to Learn? Nature does not reveal her secrets lightly; tai chi, being rooted so deeply in the natural world, requires a reasonable commitment of time and energy. You will need to practise a little every day to achieve results. The material presented

in this book, however, is particularly well-suited to the modern lifestyle, the whole sequence itself taking only about eight minutes to perform, which, together with a brief warm-up session, will normally bring your commitment to around just ten minutes daily. This ten minutes will never be wasted. It will repay you over and over again in terms of health and well-being. Although you will start to feel the benefits of practising tai chi fairly early on, most people who study the short yang form need between six months to a year to learn it all the way through. Give yourself time to assimilate the movements properly; remember that with each lesson you will be developing your skills and encountering new types of movement, and you will find it easier if you are completely comfortable with the movements in one section before you go on to the next. However, the learning process does not stop once you have leamt the form. This is the beauty and the fascination of tai chi. There is no limit to how far it can take you, so that as each hill is climbed, another even more interesting one comes into view. That's tai chi. Now give it a try! Contents

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Chapter 1

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Chapter 2

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Chapter 3

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Chapter 4

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Chapter 5

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Chapter 6

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Chapter 7

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Chapter 8

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Chapter 9

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Chapter 10

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Chapter 11

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Chapter 1