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Chen Tai Chi Class Description

Welcome, Its my honor to share with you what I’ve been privileged to have learned so far in my study of Tai Chi, meditation, and the internal martial arts. Chen TaiChi is a rare gem as far as styles of Tai Chi go. It offers something rarely found in any other style of the art - essentially the most ancient and pristine techniques and methods, originally discovered and then passed on from generation after generation of Tai Chi masters descended from the source of Tai Chi Chuan itself, Chen Village. It was there that the longest lived and arguably the most adept internal martial artists in the history of China, mastered their art for the purpose of maintaining their health as well as cultivating the mysteriously powerful martial arts ability for which they later became famous.

Classes begin with various Chi’Kung or chi cultivation exercises such as Ba Duan Jin or Eight Piece Brocade, designed to stir up vital energy and open the pathways through the body so that Chi can flow more efficiently and powerfully. This will be followed by a short series of stretches and warm-ups necessary to prepare the body to begin to work on the movements contained in the form the class will primarily study; Lao Da Jia or Old Large Frame. Before we move on to work on the form, there will be a pause for 5 to 10 minutes for Wuji (standing) meditation. (The importance of Wuji in the cultivation of Chi both for health and martial ability can never be over estimated.)

Lao Da Jia, although famous for its low stances and its wide open movements, is to be practiced by each student in accordance with the individual student’s internal development. The beginner will start in a relatively high stance throughout the form and as he improves his strength, depth of relaxation, and rootedness, his stances may deepen so as to make it easier to highlight internally where chi is flowing less efficiently. As one grows gradually more adept and chi flow comes more and more naturally, the stance will then customarily return to a moderately high position and the student should be able to feel very easily when their is a false movement or “double weighted” movement which blocks the flow of energy.

Beginners can expect to benefit rather quickly from their training, including improved blood circulation throughout the body as well as improved coordination, balance, and heightened mental alertness. In time, the body becomes fortified against most sicknesses and injuries in general may become more and more rare an occurrence. Further discipline and patience, eventually will begin to equip the body with increasingly formidable abilities to defend not only against health related issues but against any form of outside attack as well.

In Tai Chi as in life there is no end to learning and there is no end to the discovery of new insights at every turn. I’m glad to have this opportunity to meet and share the journey for a time. Please feel free to ask any questions at all. I’m always happy to help if I can and if I can’t answer the question myself, maybe its something we can look into together.

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The importance of Wu ji (Standing) meditation

As stated in the class description, the importance of Wuji or standing meditation can never be over exaggerated when referring to its necessity for achieving the principal goals of Tai Chi practice.  Wuji is known by many different names including embracing the tree position, open rooting stance, or standing in the void, but it’s direct ancient translation roughly means, infinite void of primordial energy. Those with some knowledge of Chan Buddhist terminology will find that the sanskrit equivalent term would be Sunyata.

It’s said that the martial art of Tai Chi itself was discovered as a direct result of realizations made by the founder, as he incorporated the principals of wuji meditation into known martial arts movements thereby infusing the movements with a remarkable new found efficiency and power. While the identity of the actual founder of Tai Chi is open to debate, both the techniques and the results of applying the correct structure of the posture are directly verifiable. It’s said that any claim to internal ability gained through the practice of any internal martial art is a direct result of the practicioner’s understanding and success at actually embodying the same insights the founder of Tai Chi did himself hundreds of years ago. 

Ancient internal martial arts classics such as the Nei Gong Jing (the internal skill of essence) describes the purpose of internal practice as an effort to skillfully convert Jing (the essence or energy with which we were born) into Chi, which in turn is to be circulated through what the texts refer to as the “small heavenly circle” as described in the following passage. “The chi circulates along the Ren meridian on the front of the body to the Du meridian along the back continuously… Although there are many variations, they all rely on the same principle. If you can understand this you will see the infinite possibilities of this Art. The chi rises along the coccyx (through the lower back up to the crown of the head) . The chi then (moves down the front of the body and) goes down to the Dan tien. As a result, the mind is brighter and the spirit is raised.”

The most essential term in the whole passage above is the reference to the Dan Tien. The Dan Tien or “field of energy” is in almost every case speaking of a major energy point of the body located one to one and a half inches below the navel and whose center resides about two inches inside the body. Its at this point that one will begin to focus one’s attention when beginning to practice wuji. This energy center is the center of the all the jing one is born with. To make use of jing requires one to begin circulating the energy in the dan tien through the body and by the act of doing so converting it into chi. One may find it useful to consider jing similar to a particle in physics and chi as a wave. The terminology however is not as important as what you are actually doing and feeling as you stand in wuji and without proper alignment of the body, the chances of sensing anything on a consistent basis are unlikely at all.

To properly align the structure of the body, begin by placing one’s feet apart from each other at shoulder width so that each foot lies directly beneath one’s corresponding shoulder and bending the knees slightly so that they are unlocked and relaxed. A locked joint anywhere on the body will stop the flow of Chi to that area. Next, one should look to elongate the spine by relaxing the tail bone and slowly straightening the curve in the lower back. Whereas normally your tailbone points diagonally behind you, as you relax into Wuji your tailbone should point directly down between your feet. If you find this difficult or uncomfortable its mostly because the rest of your body is not aligned properly. Until you can receive instruction from someone who knows proper structure I always recommend standing in wuji with one’s back flat against a wall at first. This helps maintain the proper alignment somewhat until you start to feel comfortable in the position. Once the lower back is relaxed the next points of interest are the shoulders and chest. Relax and allow your shoulders to roll forward and the chest to sink. Most people, men in particular, tend to hold alot of tension unconcsiously by learning to keep their shoulders back and pushing their chest out. By allowing the shoulders and chest to relax one can then move on to the neck and the head. The two points of interest here are the back of the neck which is straightened by tucking the chin in slightly. One of the Tai Chi classics, states that one should feel as if one’s spine were a string of pearls, suspended by a final pearl in the crown of the head. One should then look to close the circle of energy down the front of the body by allowing the tongue to rest along the roof of the mouth. With this done, one can then look to relaxing any tension there may be in the abdomen and allow one’s arms to raise slightly away from the body as naturally as possible to allow for some room between the chest and the highest point on the inside of the arm. At this point there are several ways you can place your arms depending on what you prefer but you are nonetheless now standing in Wuji.

Some discomfort is not rare at first. The body is used to holding tension and we’re taught to carry ourselves in our own particular way by the people that surrounded us as we grew up. The more you relax and the more your body learns to let go of tension, the more you will begin to feel the top part of your body to growing lighter and the lower part of your body growing heavier. Eventually you’ll actually begin to feel as if your feet are growing so heavy that they feel as if you are setting down roots. You’ll also find that wuji is a great way to work out your legs. As more and more tension is released in the body, your full weight settles into them making them act as a pump for Chi and blood in the body. The strengthening of the legs and the work done by them balances the work done by the heart in the upper part of the body and the Dan Tien at the center. By engaging your lower body in the act of pumping blood and chi throughout your body it begins to saturate the whole body more and more efficiently. This in turn supplies the body with more energy, both on a material level and subtle so that one can improve the body’s vitality. 

In addition to the more obvious physical sensations, one can expect to begin feeling subtle energy after several days of practice. Some feel it sooner and some take longer to feel anything subtle at all. You must not be discouraged if you don’t feel anything at first. Feeling it does not mean the practice is working any better than if you do not. The true measure is known by the growing sense of peace which will slowly set in. That being said, sooner or later you will begin feeling subtle energy; although many books and some teachers advise using imagination, it won’t require any amount of imagination to feel it. Once felt, there is no mistaking it and once you do, your journey into a broader understanding of yourself will begin.

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What is Auricular Acupuncture?

Auricular Acupuncture uses the idea that the ear contains a microsystem within it and our entire human body is mirrored in a particular part of the auricle of the ear or in simpler terms the outer portion of our ear. Using this knowledge the practitioner will place a needle, tac or crystal on a particular point on the ear and manipulate it accordingly. The point(s) chosen are based upon the knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine and pattern differentiation. In addition, over the years numerous protocols have been formulated for specific ailments; one of the more common ones is the NADA protocol used successfully as an adjunctive therapy to treat substance abuse.