The first video contain instruction similar to how this tai chi form is taught during my classes, the 2nd video is of all the movements joined together filmed from front and back to make it easier for you to learn.
45. Turn Body, Parting leg - weight left leg, part right leg46. Strike the ears, Double fists - weight front right leg, both fists to ear height47 & 48. Double Kick - left toe kick, spin full, right heal kick
This is an internal practice, we use our mind to observe our own experience and we use it to watch the changes in our own practice so that we can come to understand at a deep level the play of change between ying and yang. We also use our mind to direct the chi during our practice, where our mind sits the chi goes, if we can't control our mind then our energy gets dispersed and wasted in thoughts, sights etc. So we need to be able to hold our mind still, to place it on an object and keep it there. Here lies the problem because when we try to do this we quickly come to understand that our attention goes where it wants, we are not in control.Article Continued Below
In ancient India our mind (attention) was compared to a monkey in a tree jumping from branch to branch, you get the picture? Our attention in normal life is constantly jumping from one thing to another, it never sits still. Our lives are like this, one moment we are thinking of one thing, then worrying about something else. In our thoughts we are always jumping between past and future, planning this, avoiding that, wanting this, pushing away that and so on. But how much time do we truly spend paying attention to what we are doing in this moment? Very little, most of what we do on a daily basis we do on auto pilot, out of pure habit, no attention needed Article Continued Below.
Have you ever been driving a car down the road, then come out of a daydream only to realise that you have gone through two sets of traffic lights and can’t even remember doing it. Scary isn’t it, but we do it all the time in everything that we do, it’s a wonder there aren’t more accidents. If you can't remember doing this then you are either especially developed in present moment attention, or still in the daydream Article Continued Next Lesson.
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This article was written by Stephen Procter, instructor from Tai Chi Health for Life, Australian College of Tai Chi & Qi Gong and Meditation Instructor from Meditation in the Shire, Kirrawee NSW, Australia. If you wish to post this article on another website or in a publication please respect the author and reference / link back to this website, thank you
