Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

You may want to contact the following:

Yang ChengFu Tai Chi Chuan Center
Portland Center Director: Dave Barrett
24300 Northwest Timber Road
Forest Grove, Oregon 97116
(503) 357-8917
dave@yangfamilytaichi.com

I have thought a bit about why parting the wild horse's mane does not use the traditional bow stance, and although it has never been explained to me, I think I have a little feeling as to why. First, I think you need to consider that you are moving in a straight line towards a cardinal point (as opp...

Glad to hear the suggestion met your needs. Even for those that do not want a hard-sided case, there are very durable soft sided rifle cases that could be used for transporting a sword or saber when the risk of damage is less than that encountered on the airlines. Also, I am aware that some people u...

You may want to check out a store that carries hunting equipment. There are a number of hard-sided gun cases that could provide good protection for a sword when traveling. However, I would recommend bringing your sword with you when go to purchase a case --- some gun cases are long enough to accomod...

A person I am close to suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrom. Now, I have some grasp of the concept of chi, but certainly no great degree of knowledge beyond my own limited experiences. Yet it seems to me that anything that builds, enhances, or makes use of chi, or that deals with the movement of chi...

I have been thinking on the topic of "letting" rather than "forcing," and I am a little unsure as to how that may reconcile with tai chi saber. Although I am relatively new to the saber form, it stikes me as being an aggressive form. In a some of the positions (such as the transi...

Thank you Louis for a most cogent explanation of "letting things happen" and "come from behind." Although I have not heard it put forth these ways before, it does present what I feel a valid philosphy. One need not take the lead and potentially escalate matters and become a targe...

Charla, Glad that you health has been good. Perhaps tai chi has been a contributor to that good health, and has helped avoid health problems that may have otherwise arisen. I definite agree with the value of tai chi in dealing with stress and with just coping with life in general (see my post under ...

Audi, Thanks for sharing you experiences. With respect to tai chi helping you deal with fatigue and shortness of breath when you were in Colorado, while I have not practiced tai chi at altitude I have found that it can be effective at combating fatigue. A good, slow practice of the form is very invi...

We had a post going a while back about the health benefits of tai chi, which mostly related to the topic of stress. I have read/seen/heard general assertions that tai chi has many health benefits. One benefit I have experienced was that tai chi did help me with respect to a back ache. I apparently t...

For what it's worth, my second (and current) teacher is woman, and the vast majority of the class is also women. (perhaps ironically, the location of the class recently changed, and it is now held at a YWCA). btw, David, don't forget that women do have a slightly lower center of gravity. I personall...

A snack that I used to use when backpacking was a simple, home-made trail mix consisting of an equal part (by weight) of raisins, M&M (plain), and peanuts. The raisins and M&M's provided quickly useable sugars, while the peanuts provided more slowly available but longer lasting energy from t...

Without taking offense or being disrespectful to those who surely know more than I, it seems that some of the discussions that appear elsewhere on the board show some minor differences among practioners of the Yang style. From my own experience, two examples of differences should suffice. One variat...

Also, at this stage, don't worry about lists that name the various moves. As Jerry indicates, the same form can have a different number count depending on what one counts as a move. For example, the sequence you describe as running from the ward off through the push is sometimes listed as a single m...

I see the schedule elsewhere at this site of the various seminars that are being offered this year. The question I have, is where does one obtain more information about the seminars (e.g., tuition, daily schedules, specific location, possible accomdations in the area, etc.) and who does one contact ...