Hi All, I'm a yoga teacher who is fond of learning Tai Chi and Qi Gong. Any suggestions for certified schools to learn this art in South Asia? TIA

I found an easy two step way to translate youtube videos that is working very well for me. If you find a video in another language, you can have it transcribed to text by using Turboscribe: https://turboscribe.ai/dashboard

Turboscribe allows you 3 free transcriptions a day. You simply provide the URL and in a few minutes you have a beautiful time stamped transcription.

Next, copy/paste the text into chatgpt. So far, Chatgpt has been very accurate in translations. Turboscribe has a translation option, but it's not as good as goint to chatgpt directly.

With chatgpt you can interact and ask questions if you don't want to follow the time stamp. Not sure if it helps but I tell chatgpt it's a martial arts/tai chi video transcript for context.

Enjoy the new world opened up to you! I'm very grateful for this technology. If you recall the Feng video I posted a short time ago, it was pricelesss to watch him teach a student, but the translation opened another dimension to it. This also helps in videos where the teacher might be saying "don't do it like this" and I have already seen this in multiple videos.

hi all, I keep reading that sun style is a fusion of the two plus TaiChi, but beside the follow step (that I can see in some wu forms too, and I reckon lutang learned this style of TaiChi before developing his own style) are there other principles borrowed from those two MAs?

looking at the forms I can't see much of them, but then again, without a competent teacher of this style (or any style, sadly) I've no one to ask.

any idea?

Please help to clarify a question I’ve had for some time nagging at my brain. We know that the name ‘Taijiquan’ was only coined in the mid nineteenth century (by Weng Tonghe?), then why is it that the Taijiquan classic & treatise were named that way if they were supposedly written even earlier?

I’m not questioning the authenticity of the salt shop manuals (at least that is not my intention right now, that’s a whole other can of worms); I just want to know if there’s a good answer I’m just not aware of.

Hey!

So Im wanting to start getting into Tai Chi, Ive read a lot of people suggesting you have to find a good teacher, which im open to doing, but my question is, what does a good tai chi teacher look actually look like?

In my area (Brisbane, Australia), all i can find are $10 classes in the park for elderly people, no information about the instructor or anything like that, Im not sure where to look for a teacher or how to determine if they are good,

I really want to learn Tai Chi correctly and avoid mistakes with self teaching. I am interested in it because of my growing interest in Daoism and as such im very happy to find and pay a teacher so i learn correctly, I just dont know where to look and what to look for

TIA!

hi all. what do you think about sifu Chester Lin mastery courses on internal TaiChi skills? you can find them here https://www.phoenixmountaintaichi.com/pages/online_courses_page (I'm referring to the mastery ones, not the qigong ones or the form)

I'm halfway through the fascia mastery program and really liking it.

it's quite expensive (particularly if you look at the whole "mastery curriculum") but he seems to teach some of those "closed door disciples" secrets.

the fascia course is the most basic one, but trying what I'm learning there I can tell it does really work like 'magic' as you see in certain videos.

tapping opponent fascia is not easy (you have to be extremely light, else you go for muscles or bones, thus failing in the connection with them) but if you do it well enough (there's margin of error but it's not big) you can use his fascia to disrupt their equilibrium and control, thus with any kind of even very light leverage (weight shifting, waist turning etc) you can move a stronger non compiling person.

the song mastery one will focus on our own song (which is not exactly 'relax' as often described) to move someone without the use of strength at all.

I'll tell you if that one works as well as this one once I save enough.

the teacher is good at explaining everything, promptly answer questions (in his own online community or youtube) and seems very knowledgeable.

you can check his YouTube channel here https://youtube.com/@phoenixmountaintaichi?si=9-dgPjFlJrVwF5xw

also one of his most known students is Susan Thompson https://m.youtube.com/@InternalTaiChi she has some demos of moving random strangers she find on the streets using those skills.

I suffer from MDD, and Anxiety. I was looking to treatments past my current treatment plan, which involves a psychiatrist, therapist, and medications.

I've been suffering with both of these, including OCD and a few other issues since I was a child, and stumbled across tai chi. I have never tried meditation, or any kinds of exercises like this, but it said it helps a lot with stress.

I would like to know of a few beginner moves, or what people with more knowledge think would be a good starting point for me, that I could try on my own, before deciding weather or not to go and actually sign up for this, especially because it can be expensive, and hard to find a good trainer.

Any information would be appreciated.

hi all, I've been studying with the taoist wellness academy for one and half year for several reasons (Daoism + TaiChi + cheap + no decent instructor in a 50km radius)

now I'm not willing to delve into the controversy of whether what they teach is decent TaiChi for combat or it's 'authentic old wudang' (I don't think it is)

what I'd like an opinion about is if you think master gu (15th generation wudang Sanfeng pai) and master yunlong (14th generation sanfeng Pai and his teacher) teach the same style.

now, the forms themselves ( I've learned 33, 28, 13) are clearly the same, however there are striking differences between them.

I get that maybe Gu simplified them a bit to teach online (but in demo videos, even previous to the online academy, he was doing them like this) but some mechanics are very different.

the easiest one to spot is the vertical spine (something akin to CMC style) vs yunlong often leaning forward doing circles (like wushu or chen style)

now, if master gu was an ordinary person learning a style and then modifying it, teaching it as his own, that would not surprise me... but he is close to his master academy, teaching sanfeng Pai TaiChi (supposedly with yunlong explicit permission) as next generation inheritor... that's the thing that get me confused....

it's not small difference that can happen between generations, they are mechanical differences...

Yunlong 13 form https://youtu.be/t6C1tFbQ5-w?si=FgzzCRsXixxgfr6u

Gu 13 form https://youtu.be/S3qtsShGkbQ?si=peDOlZsgrZsoaAJ3

Many refer to the tai chi form as "moving meditation". Has anyone who has experienced deep seated meditation in yoga ever experienced the same while performing the tai chi chuan form? I guess any seated meditation would apply, Taoist or Buddhist?

I have experienced deep seated meditation and do well at the tai chi form, but have never experienced the profound mind quieting while doing tai chi.

Aside: standing qi gong usually has a significant quieting effect, closer to seated meditation for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4sS1Ggx5oA

I found this quote from grandmaster Wang Yongquan's book, on Roundpoint Taiji's Facebook page:

"The prerequisite condition for being able to apply Taiji fighting techniques is that one must be able to seep (penetrate, 渗透) into the opponent’s body with one’s Spirit, Intent, and Qi (神意气). Nothing can proceed without first having this.

Fighting techniques involve the application of the focus of one’s Spirit, Intent, and Qi to hit the opponent’s center and cause them to move. The center is like a bull's-eye on a target, it is a point at the source of the opponent’s strength."

《Yang Style Taijiquan as Taught by Wang Yongquan; A Notebook of his Oral Teaching and Photos of his Postures》 Liu Jinyin. Revised edition. 2014 (page 70)

What Grandmaster Wang Yongquan is describing here is the quality you need to create the connection with your opponent; the quality of your touch. But, to get that connection, you really need to "penetrate" in your opponent to get a crisp tension line. This is crucial yet elusive for most Taiji practitioners. Without this, anything we apply is necessarily external. There is absolutely no way around it. And it happens before you get any kind of Hua (transform), Na (seize), and Fa (emit).

In the classic Da Shou Ge (the Song of Push-hands) by Wang Zong Yue, we have the well-known framework:

• Zhān: 粘 - to stick to, to glue oneself to
• Nián: 黏 - to be stuck to, to be glued to
• Lián: 连 - Connect, join, link, fuse, merge
• Suí: 隨 - Follow, adapt, allow, comply with

Commonly called "Stick, adhere, join, follow" but I call it now "Stick, stuck, fuse, follow" after u/DjinnBlossoms enlightened me on the exact meaning of these words.

In the quote, I believe Grandmaster Wang Yongquan is specifically talking about Lián. In my humble opinion, this is the most underrated, undermentioned, and elusive skill in TJQ; but the most important of them all. It's the door to internal applications. In Aikido, it is called Musubi.

In my personal experience, you recognize Liàn when your opponent feels affected throughout his whole body. It is this penetrative touch that makes you enter his body, his private space. This makes him feel slightly violated and stiff, about to be "molested" if you will hehe. But it is not yet a Na. It is really just "getting in", internally grabbing him, harpooning his tension line, merging, fusing... It is when you harmonize and become one. Japanese call it Aiki, I would call it Taiji.

Again, without this, there is absolutely no Taiji Quan whatsoever. Without it, we are only affecting the external, the surface. The Lián feeling is very characteristic. Unmistakable when we know what it is.

In a more practical way, Liàn is obtained through this penetrative touch that engages our opponent's fascia. Pressing and twisting along the fascial lines just deep enough to "hook" the fascia (until the tension line is crisp), but not so much as to not press on the muscles or bones and lose the connection. It really is grabbing the whole myofascial of your opponent from a single point, or using Darth Vader's Force Choke/Grip but on the whole body.

Furthermore, other Jin add to the penetrative power of Lián - Lu, Ji, An, etc. But the two most important are - unsurprisingly - Peng Jin (expanding in) and Chan Si Jin (Silk Reeling/uncoiling in). And it is much lighter than you first think it should be.

After you Lián, you can apply Na then Fa. That said, Lián happens before or at the beginning of Hua or even before Ting (Listening). That depends on the situation you are in.

Try to Lián with a training partner. Your training partner will be on the receiving end. He needs to be in an upright stance with both arms forward, and to remain there like a rigid but relaxed statue. With both hands, grab both his arms and gently press/push/twist into his fascia with your fingers.

At first, you will not know when you're "in" and connected. It's the receiving partner that has to tell when you are "in" and have "grabbed" him. The person receiving must give constant feedback. This is crucial for understanding internals. He's the one who feels vulnerable, therefore he is the one who can guide you towards his entry-point, his weakness. The person receiving often learns more than the person applying. That's why we say to "invest in losses". Then you switch. The one who was on the receiving end will be very eager to try.

Obviously, the best way to do it is to use your Yi, Shen and Qi together as one. So, don't try to think too much. Just feel your partner's body, explore from the contact point. And remember what's it's like to be "in".

Truly, once you have Lián, the rest of the internals will come more quickly. This really is the barrier that separates external Taiji and true Taiji. The most important is: you will begin to understand internals from the moment you understand Lián. It will be like an illumination and you will get a lot of joy from it. You will be more motivated than ever. From there, everything will snowball. The more internals you understand, the quicker you will learn the rest.

Do your teachers teach you Lián? How do they do it? Please feel free to share your experience and advice.

Sidenote: In the Chen version of the "Song of Push-hands", the section mentioning "Zhān, Nián, Lián, Suí" is absent. Apparently, they don't teach it, or differently. This might be the reason Chen style does not exhibit the "fake" skill that Yang does.

Source: https://www.ycgf.org/Articles/TJ_DaShouGe/arti_TJ_DaShouGe.html

https://brennantranslation.wordpress.com/

Many of you might already know this website by Paul Brennan. I randomly stumbled upon it today. This is nothing short of incredible.

All the old classics of Taiji Quan (and more) along with their translation, including all the treaties from Sun Lu-Tang which I had been looking for ages.

13 Stem Yang Taijiquan from Cui Zhongsan Sifu

Not to be confused with the Jet Li masterpiece The Tai Chi Master 1993.

I was also interested in 2022's 'the tai chi master' because it starred Wu Yue, who played the brilliant Taiji master in Ip Man 4.

The 2022 web movie, was one of the worst movies I've ever seen, it was even terrible by Chinese web movie standards. The writing was terrible and the characters were annoying.

Wu Yue's taijiquan is amazing, but whenever there was a few seconds of nice grounded taichi, they ruin it by adding terrible CGI effects, and terrible looking cg monsters.

The CGI and monsters were not just terrible, they were even terrible by Chinese web movie standards, and they ruined all the fights, even ruined the final fight, the movie was more cg then Kung Fu.

As an added insult, I love watching Jet Li's Taichi Master, and Keanu Reeves' Man of Taichi, and recognising familiar moves like: repulse monkey, parting whip, white stalk spreads it's wings etc

But for the entire 2022 movie, I didn't see a single 'parting whip', or 'white stock spreads it's wings', the two most signature tai chi moves in movies