Hi, I posted this in my welcome post but wonder if this post and request for input would do better in this forum:
I live about 50 miles from Kansas City and would like to learn Sun Style Tai Chi. I was introduced to the style through Paul Lam's Tai Chi for Arthritis. I originally purchased TCA1 and then TCA2 and then his Sun Style 73 forms.
The 73 forms has been collecting dust since I got it quite some time ago - pretty much unused.
A couple months ago, I decided that I wanted to start doing qigong - looking both for stretching and relaxation. I followed Dr. Binkun Hu's Creating Flexibility Through Qigong which I enjoyed for a couple of weeks. I decided that I wanted to do a long form like Wild Goose Qigong but don't have enough room to do so in my house. So I decided to look back into Tai Chi.
I live 50 miles from Kansas City and there is a teacher out there who teaches his own version of Wu style and from what I can tell, there are a couple teachers out there who do Chen. I think they're is probably a CMC teacher out there as well. I don't see anyone who teaches Sun Style, which is the I've that I really want to learn - because if all the Qigong it has. But even if there was a teacher in KC, 50 miles each way seems like a lot to drive each week for a class that might only last am hour or hour and a half.
Fwiw, I'm not really crazy about Wu or Yang forms - at least not the external appearance of the forms. Chen looks really interesting but I wonder how well I'd be able to learn it at my size. 5'10" 340 lbs (newly signed up for weight watchers).
So I have been looking for some quality video instruction for the Sun Style long form and have only come across a video made by Jesse Tsao. I haven't been able to watch a demonstration of the entire form, but he utilizes a jump kick in the form which I'm pretty certain isn't normally part of the form. The other couple parts of the form that I see him so do look really nice and flowy, but I really want to make sure I'm learning the legitimate form. I could read books to supplement instruction on the internal aspects of the art.
And, I still have Paul Lam's 73 forms that I could work on for now, buy I'm a little worried that leaning the competition form now from someone who doesn't work with the martial aspect at all that I know of, might hinder me when I'm able to start training the long form eventually.
Thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks!
PS, I have been waking up 30 minutes earlier than normal for me the last few weeks to do some qigong. (Wake 2:30 am, take dog outside, shower, qigong, breakfast, drive to work, work at 5am, work 10 hours (pretty active and tiring), come home, walk dog, dinner, relax, bed by 6:30pm.
I'd really like to do tai chi in the am and also do some sitting meditation in the evening (tired after work and would prefer to wind down instead of reenergize). I have a touch of previous experience with mindfulness of breathing as taught by Thanissaro Bikkhu and find that enjoyable but also wonder if any recommendations for a style that would be complimentary to study of Tai Chi?
Thank you.
Pps
In reflecting on what U really like about Sun and Chem styles:
Sun: Agile steps
Chen: Silk reeling
Are there any lesser known styles that incorporate the two together?
