Taiji Worcester studies Cheng Man Ching and Huang Sheng Shyan

Yang style Taiji.

 

For the more progressed student we enhance our learning with Tui Shou (push-hands), Sword Forms, Zen Meditation, Daoist's Mindful and Alchemy practices.

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All Taiji classes are suitable for all levels from complete beginner to the progressed practitioner. The classes generally lean more towards health & wellbeing, for mind body & spirit. While private 1 to 1 sessions are designed specifically for your personal needs, whether that's medical/rehab qigong or a deeper understanding of the methodologies of Taiji and spiritual cultivation training.  

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Methods/Sets

Yang Style Taiji using the principles from the Taiji Classics

Master Huangs 5 Loosening Exercises
Qigong & Nei Gong

Dao Yin

Ji Ben Qigong Set

Ba Duan Jin Qigong Set

Shibashi Qigong Set

5 Elements Qigong Set

Breathing Practices 

Seven Pushes & Pushing Hands

Sword

Meditation

Microcosmic Orbit Practice

Alchemy Training...............and more

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Unfortunately, the authenticity of these arts are in danger of being lost forever. They have been so watered down & in some cases they are being taught just as a set of basic choreography movements along with the breath. Although, this can be helpful in destressing for relaxation purposes, this is extremely limiting and an absolute foundational level. At TCW we teach these magnificent arts with a depth of experience & understanding which have the possibilities to elevate you way beyond ‘normal’ functioning of the body, mind and spirit.

 

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Does Qigong & Taiji Really Have Health Benefits?

One of the finest studies documenting the effect of qigong on hypertension was conducted by the Shanghai Institute of Hypertension part of the Shanghai Medical University.

 

A group of 122 patients and a control group of 120 non-practitioners. Both groups took standard hypertension drugs, which subjects were tracked over a thirty year period of time. At the end of this period 47.76% of the control group had died. Only 25.41% of the qigong group had died. These are very significant results, with a probability of less than one in a thousand of being due to chance. The incident of a stroke in the control group was 40.83%, in the qigong group 20.49%, the incident of death due to stoke was 32.5% among the controls and in the qigong group 15.57%. These results are also significant.

When 40 of the patients were diagnosed by ultrasound, the qigong group was found to have stronger heart muscles and better left ventricular function.

The basic protocol and results of the Shanghai study were replicated in a six year study with 204 hypertensive patients conducted at Xiamen University in Fujian Province. At the six year follow up it was found that the combination of qigong and hypertensive drugs was 19% more effective than hypertensive drugs alone. The mortality rate from all causes was 17.31% in the qigong and nearly double, 32% among the controls. Also after just six months the qigong group contained significant higher levels of the good HDL cholesterol.
(Ref: Scholar Kenneth S. Cohen – The Way of Qigong)

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You only need as little as 10 – 20 minutes a day to improve your health (although the more you put in the greater the results).

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What Is Taiji & Qigong

Taiji is a slow moving meditative exercise for relaxation, health, mind and spirit cultivation. These movements are designed to gently open and stretch the body to energise, activate and clear channels within the body, allowing your body work more efficiently and at higher levels of practice consolidating and cultivate qi.

 

Taiji has gained enormous popularity throughout the world for its health benefits.

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At the time of its development, Taiji was a very potent art, jealously guarded by a few families and used for self defence. The proper shapes for the transmission of energy and the methods of producing 'song' through deep relaxation and breath control all were developed with the express purpose of prevailing in combat in an efficient, scientific manner. It is important for the Taiji student to be able to appreciate and understand this martial context even if one is not interested in this aspect of Taiji.

Taiji has its origins in Daoism and Martial Arts but today we may use Taiji to “fight” fatigue, stress and a lack of understanding of oneself and one’s body. Taiji can be used to help keep stresses from creating dis-ease. Daily practice of Taiji promotes mental clarity and a healthy body, assists with balance and helps the cultivation and circulation of the body’s blood, qi and neurological systems.

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What Should You Think About When You Do Taiji

Ideally, when practising the form, you should keep your mind empty. No pictures, no words. However, while not thinking any thoughts, pictures or words, you should be feeling the straightness of your spine, the bubbling well spring in your foot, your weight distribution as you go from posture to posture, and the texture of the air. You cannot focus on all these things at one time at first, so add them one at a time. When you can comfortably do one thing, add another. Eventually you will be able to think of nothing and concentrate on all of the feelings in your body as you practice Taiji.

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Basic Taiji Concepts

The importance of moving slowly through the form cannot be overemphasised. It will improve the awareness and connectedness of your body.

 

Taiji movement is movement that is performed in a connected fashion. This means that motion starts in the spine, goes to the waist, moves down through the legs to the feet, and simultaneously up through the body to the arms, hands and fingers.

 

Being disconnected is a serious fault that can only be overcome with slow movements and proper instruction.

 

Make sure your shoulders are dropped to eliminate tension.

 

The chest should be slightly depressed through relaxation and the back raised, but without force.

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The head should feel as if “suspended from above”.

 

Keep your knees bent throughout the entire form, and don’t let your height bob up and down. Except for certain points in the form, the height should be maintained at a constant level.

 

Do not expect to be able to watch all of these at the same time. It is best to pick one to try to master each month and embed it into your form, then proceed to the next point. In time and with patient practice, you can reach a very high level.

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Sword

The sword form is beautiful to watch and also to practice, but is usually taught in the later stages of your Taiji study. You need to be competent in the Taiji principles first and then taking those principles to the sword.