There's a principle in Taiji philosophy that I think is very important and I wanted to discuss it a bit today. This concept is called Wu Wei. Wu Wei means action without action, to do without doing. As is often the case in Taiji this seems to be a paradoxical concept but this one is fairly...

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Master Lu Tzu said: That which exists through itself is called Meaning. (Tao). Meaning has neither name nor force. It is the one essence, the one primordial spirit. Essence and life cannot be seen. It is contained in the Light of Heaven. The light of Heaven cannot be seen. It is contained in...

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"Keep your heart calm and mind quiet and practice slowly" (stillness in movement) Feng Zhiqiang Master Feng relates how important it is to be grounded and practice slowly in order to improve your internal qi. He also mentions that only by training this way for a long time will one see “what...

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The lessons in our training (especially as beginners) are usually focused on the physical aspects such as weight distribution or structural alignment but not always so. There are five levels to internal arts training - physical, emotional, mental, energetic and spiritual....

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No one really knows who created Ba Duan Jin. Most likely it has evolved over the centuries with practitioners molding the movements to what worked best for them. Some say that it was General Yeuh Fei that created this Qigong set to be used as a general callisthenic for his troops to remain...

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"Bring the Spirit (mind awareness) within to cultivate the Qi. Avoid unnecessary movements in the three parts of the body: head, arms and torso." Master Huang Sheng-Shyan This week one of my students expressed how he was taking the teaching of “less is more” to heart and bringing the lesson...

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"If a student expends a day’s efforts they will obtain a day’s results. As the days and months accumulate success will come." Fu Zhongwen Internal arts practice is certainly not for the immediate gratification crowd. There’s a saying that I like to use; “many come to the table but few stay for...

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Maturing Your Practice Learning the forms is just one aspect of Taijiquan practice. After you have committed the forms to memory one should stop and take a look as to what has made it into your forms. Do you have: Proper structure and alignment Root Is the breath being utilized...

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After iron has been beaten thousands of times and refined hundreds of times, it changes its nature and becomes steel. Steel is firm internally and highly reflective externally. Iron by contrast is not only less flexible but its external appearance is rough. 'Coarse strength' , after undergoing...

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“The external martial arts view leaping and stumbling as ability. They employ exertion of qi and strength, so that after training they are invariably gasping for breath. Taijiquan uses stillness to manage movement. Even when there is movement there is stillness. Therefore, in practicing the...

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