Come along to this free Push Hands session. I’ll be there, it should be fun.

Details

• Sunday May 20th

• 10.00am-12 noon

• Fawkner Park – South Yarra (Armadale Road entrance)

• Friendly, non-competitive push hands (tui shou) practice and play for anyone – old, young, beginners, masters.

• Team up with someone and discuss what you’d like to do – and what you’d not like to do!

• Ten minute exchanges timed by a bell – but you can rest as well!

• Learn, share and enjoy

Spread the word!

I’m constantly reviewing my training schedule and today I decided to get back into practicing Square Tai Chi in my form’s session.

For those not familiar with the term it’s a stop and start method of practicing Tai Chi, particularly suitable for beginners. Here’s a previous post of mine explaining it in more detail Square Tai Chi vs Round Tai Chi.

Praciticing square Tai Chi before I do the round form has the following benefits:

• it’s a great warm up
• it helps me avoid rushing through the round form
• I can adjust my postures correctly by pausing at each point

In today’s square form practice it took about 15 minutes but that varies by up to 24 minutes. It depends on how long I hold each point in the posture. Add another 15-20 minutes for the round form and that adds up to around the 30 minute mark for continous form practice.

It certainly makes a big difference in circulating the chi and feeling energized.

Why did I stop doing square form earlier?

Well, I decided to stop practicing the square form so I could include self defence applications for each posture. But after reviewing my schedule I found I was already doing this on a daily basis with my second session of Tai Chi during the day.

So to make the best use of my time I subsititued the square form for the self defence applications practice during my form’s session.

Square form is not only ideal for beginners but also for experienced Tai Chi players. Regardless of how long you have been practicing your form you still need to check to see if your postures are correctly performed.

And Square Tai Chi will do that for you.

I’ve just got back from the World Appreciative Inquiry Conference held in Ghent, Belgium – and what a trip!

During the conference I ran short early morning Tai Chi sessions for attendees to energise them for the upcoming day. I had to get up at 5.00am, get ready and then catch the number nine bus at 6.25am so I could be there by 7.30am, which was earlier than I anticipated.

Well, the bumpy bus ride and the short walk to the conference centre through the biting cold wind and rain stopped me from falling asleep.

The 15 minute sessions began at 8.00am and I made myself available to anyone who wanted to keep training after 8.15am and a few stayed on. We had a small but keen group each morning and I went through different aspects of Tai Chi to give the participants a taste of Tai Chi.

Here’s what we did …

Day One: Swinging arms warm up, Tai Chi Postures

Day Two: Swinging arms, Rowing the Sampan with Oars, Solo and Single Push Hands

Day Three: Swinging arms, a variety of Chi Kung postures

Initially I was scheduled to provide energizers for the 500 plus participants before the keynote speakers in the theatrette, but there wasn’t enough time to do so because of the tight schedule. Conference energisers are part of our BJ Seminars International services and I use specific exercises that not only are energising, but fun to do. Humour plays a big role in my conference energiser sessions.

Besides the Tai Chi sessions I also helped with the photography and am currently creating a flash presentation of the conference with Sue.

Unfortunately my plan of keeping up with my personal training during my stay in Belgium didn’t happen because I was on the go for the entire time there. But now that I’m back home I’m into my routine of training three times a day, which is good.

My experiences in Belgium can be summed up in one word. It’s a Dutch word we learned at the conference.

‘Amai!’

And if you haven’t got time to look it up …

Wow!

When completing a self defence application make sure your arms are in Seven Stars (on guard).

My toughest Tai Chi experience?

Nicking my head with the guard of my Sabre and drawing blood during a demonstration in front of 60 secondary school students?

No.

Holding a workshop in a library with some participants spilling into the aisles where I couldn’t see them due to the lack of room?

No.

Presentating an energizer session late one Saturday evening at a conference where the booze overruled any sense of participation?

No.

The toughest experience happened in the local park the other day. I did some shopping and had time in the afternoon to practice my Tai Chi form so at about 3.30pm I drove to the park and found a secluded spot facing the man made lake.

It was a beautiful setting, sun shining, no breeze, perfect for Tai Chi.

As I started my Tai Chi form they appeared.

The tiny terrors.

Little kids whizzing by on their bicyles. One kid yelled, ‘Boo!’ Another kid threw some grass at me – luckily his little arm couldn’t propel the bits of grass more than a metre. Another kid yelled ‘Arggggggghhh.’

After the form I decided to do the Embrace The Tree Posture (standing posture) and all of a sudden more kids appeared. I felt like the Pied Piper of Hamlin but I maintained my posture, ignored the kids and soon enough they became bored with ‘the statue man’ and darted off to terrorise someone else.

Memo to self: don’t practice Tai Chi in a park at 3.30pm during school holidays.

It’s been a very hectic two weeks! I’ve probably made over 200 telephone calls and sent numerous emails to primary school teachers regarding our ‘Pozitive Kidz are happy kidz’ workshops.

I’ve managed to book some workshops and programs, but it’s been very difficult to get most teachers to answer the phone even after several attempts.

Why?

Because teachers with spare time are an extinct species.

I’ve worked with schools for several years and know from experience that teachers are so busy there is just not enough time in the day to answer queries that come flooding in from people like myself offering programs for students.

One principal told me he had over 100 emails waiting in his inbox to be answered.

It certainly can be frustrating constantly chasing teachers to get an expression of interest. But that’s my reality and it’s something I accept in order to have the opportunity to run the workshops. The ‘getting’ might be hard, but the ‘doing’ is a joy.

I suppose the only way to understand the pressures teachers face is to become a teacher.

But no thanks. I prefer the easy way.

I come in and have fun with the students for a brief time and then I’m gone. A teacher is there, day in and day out. And that is what I call dedication.

Oh, excuse me. I have to make another phone call.

Well, it’s that time of the year.

The school term has started and teachers are buzzing around getting things ready; parents are dropping off and picking up their excited (or crying) children  from school.

And I’m busy contacting primary schools and booking my ‘Pozitive Kidz are happy kidz’ workshops.

I enjoy running these workshops because it’s fun, energetic and challenges my presentation skills, as I have to adapt according to the age of the children.

For example, when I work with the preps (5-year-olds) I become more animated, use clear and simple language and use my props and toys to reinforce key themes.

One of the skills I teach is a sitting meditation technique – and getting preps to sit still for more than a few seconds can be difficult. To overcome their natural inclination to fidget or lose concentration, I create a game.

I’ll have about 40-50 preps sitting on a carpeted floor and I explain clearly what we are going to do. Then I’ll be silly and demonstrate poor posture before teaching them how to do the correct posture. Over the years, I’ve learned it’s always beneficial if you end with positive instruction rather than  ‘don’t do this’ when teaching a skill.

I walk around with my Tai Chi staff to correct their postures  … No,  I don’t beat them.  :) It’s an alignment tool.

I then show them my Tai Chi watch and say, ‘Let’s see if we can sit still for one minute without moving. If anyone moves then we start again. Now close your eyes, relax your shoulders and lift.’

Usually a child will move and I’ll say, ‘Stop! Someone  moved. Let’s try it again. Remember to keep still and relax.’

I time the exercise for one minute, and usually they achieve the target in two or three attempts. When they do, I applaud and say, ‘Well done, give yourselves a big clap.’

Usually most are smiling and clapping loudly.

Now if you’ll excuse me I’d better go and check … ah yes, they are all still there;

• Hammy Hot Head
• Spooky
• Monkey Brain
• Jacques the Shark

Yes, all my toys are in the box waiting to meet the children.

Footnote: Jacques the Shark is a previous article about a little girl in one of my earlier ‘Pozitive Kidz’ workshops. Another related article is Tai Chi: What Kids Say

When I let go of what I am, I become…Lao Tzu

Here is a short clip showing the late master Cheng Tin Hung in 1986 demonstrating ‘Step Back and Repulse Monkey’.

I’ve been practicing this technique, left and right side, and wasn’t aware until now there are two more applications – against a reverse punch. That’s a total of four applications for ‘Step Back and Repulse Monkey’.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Regulate your breathing – slow, smooth and deep – during your Tai Chi practice.