Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

Hi Boris, I may not be right about this, but I seem to recall hearing that the 45 degree angle depends somewhat on the depth (length) of the stance. People are taught 45 degrees rigorously because its so difficult to get right and so important to have the knee and toe in line. I think this is genera...

Hi Louis, I saw this and did a quick Google search to see what I could see and found the following: Li Ya-xuan’s commentary on Cheng Man-ching’s recording of Yang Cheng-fu’s oral transmission. Translated by David Chen. October, 2002. http://www.wuweitaichi.com/articles/Embracing_Tiger.htm Maybe you’...

Hi Bob, I’m glad you liked my post. I think I was able to write about it because those are things I myself am working on right now. I find that I can often write well about things I can’t do yet. I guess what I’m trying to say is: I’m still trying to learn how to do these things; I’m still a student...

Wow, Bob, thanks!

Actually, I read your post when I was about 3/4 done writing mine and thought, "Oh, he's beaten me to the punch," meaning I thought you'd said the same thing, only more concisely!

Best,
Kal

Hi MLS, I think I get where you’re coming from now. It’s a tough thing to be young and practicing an art that not only takes a long time to learn, but is sometimes perceived by outsiders and the inexperienced as “wussy,” “dead,” or “not really a martial art.” I know it’s a martial art. You know it t...

Hi Louis, Fatigue notwithstanding, I think you’re on to something. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2"><B> So the luopan is an instrument for gauging correspondences and alignments—how to make ...

Hi Louis,

Thanks for your explanations! I’d never heard it that way either, but then, the whole practice of fa jing is new to me. I’ll go home and re-read my classics and see if I find anything.

Thanks again,
Kal

Hi Audi, I really enjoyed your last two posts--delving into the possibilities of meaning for [ten] (fun!) and your summary of three versions of relaxation. Previously, when reading about different ways of thinking of relaxation, I'd recognized differences, but never categorized them into three diffe...

Hi Louis, I'm curious about the concepts of uniting, swallowing, and spitting. Do you know any more about the origins of that? Are there other references to it? Your translation was: <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial...

Hi Audi, You wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2"><B> I now prefer to view “neutralizing” as “transforming,” which immediately provokes the question: “Transforming into what?” The Chinese...

Hi David,

Thanks for your thoughts on emptiness and for sharing excerpts of the Li Ya Xuan article.

I liked the image of practice partners jumping into and out of holes generated from leading each other into emptiness.

Kal

I don't really understand this stuff about making the opponent fall into emptiness yet. What emptiness? What does that mean? Can you explain a little more please? What's going on with their chi? Their center? Their root? when you lead them into emptiness. My old post: (he instructed us to think of o...

Hi Stephen, <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2"><B> The other way would be to channel their force down through your body into the ground, breaking their root, moving under their centre of gravi...

Bob: Jeez, have I been sticking my foot in my mouth lately or what? Sorry for the tone of my last post. I didn’t mean to say that you personally left something out, just that I didn’t see any mention of artistry and thought it was another good point to add for why people do things and certain forms ...

David: Yeah, I guess it’s clear that it was a really slow day at work yesterday http://www.yangfamilytaichi.com/ubb/smile.gif I enjoyed your discussion of practice and thanks also for introducing that article! Wow, that was really quite something to read. I’m going to mulling it over for a while and...