kingfred Posted May 1, 2008 how's everybody? I've been practicing kundalini yoga, tonglen, and shamatha-vipassana daily and have been feeling great. my tonglen and shamatha-vipassana actually only every other day. but my question is, what is tai chi all about? and is there any movement work like yoga or tai chi that I could look into? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteTiger Posted May 4, 2008 how's everybody? Decent, thanks for asking. but my question is, what is tai chi all about? and is there any movement work like yoga or tai chi that I could look into? You mind rephrasing the question a little better? (I'm sure there are others on the website that could better answer you question, although i feel your question is kind of hard to understand. *excuse me for not being so welcoming* What exactly do you mean what is Tai Chi all about. Its kinda like asking whats movement all about? You go to a physical theripest and they will tell you one view, you go to a kinesiologist they will tell you another view and you go to a Guru they tell you another view of it. Anyway, according to me Tai Chi is a lot of things but most importantly it starts with learning balance. Balance with everything. Balance internal and external. balance yourself. Balance Yin and Yang within yourself. Through balance can you start to learn the functions and understandings of causing more balance within yourself (Strengthening your resilience) and learning how to use others imbalances against themselves. This would be my definition of Tai Chi but then again I'm not teacher of Tai Chi, nor have i been practicing it for many years. As i see no one has taken the time to answer this question and seeing that i have, maybe others want to also put there prospective in words on this post... *looks around at TTB posters* Hope that helps Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Goninan Posted May 4, 2008 (edited) White Tiger is correct about Tai Chi and your question. Are you seeking an art form like Tai Chi (Taiji) to do? If so it should be fairly easy to find a Taiji school near yourself. Taiji is known as the art of "Moving Meditation". It is a form that as White Tiger wrote, all about balances on a physical, mental and spiritual level. Once seeks a balance between the hard and soft, the slow and fast, a mind full of chatter to one of quiet concentration. It is a balance between Yin and Yang (Much like my own art of White Crane). Edited May 4, 2008 by Ron Goninan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteTiger Posted May 5, 2008 I've been practicing kundalini yoga, tonglen, and shamatha-vipassana daily and have been feeling great. my tonglen and shamatha-vipassana actually only every other day. but my question is, what is tai chi all about? and is there any movement work like yoga or tai chi that I could look into? If looking for real good Tai Chi practitioners you need to make sure they are happy and willing to teach you the Chi-gong that goes along with it along with the Nei-gong that goes along with it. Finding a school that does this at least in the beginning stages of starting off at this tai chi school is a very hard thing to find. GL to you and your search. some others might be able to direct you in the right direction. Taiji is known as the art of "Moving Meditation". It is a form that as White Tiger wrote, all about balances on a physical, mental and spiritual level. Once seeks a balance between the hard and soft, the slow and fast, a mind full of chatter to one of quiet concentration. It is a balance between Yin and Yang (Much like my own art of White Crane). What type of white crane might I ask? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kingfred Posted May 5, 2008 is there any visualization in taiji or just motion? and what other motion meditation styles are there that you think highly of? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteTiger Posted May 5, 2008 is there any visualization in taiji or just motion? and what other motion meditation styles are there that you think highly of? Sure there can be visualizations in Tai Chi. Visualizations are used to help achieve the merits of the visualization intended. Is there generically visualizations honestly I'm not sure. Mal, xuesheng, and Taomeow, ST, or anyone else that can answer the question you know if there is generic visualizations pretty much all teachers of tai chi teach when learning tai chi? (like its a must learn and most teachers teach that way?) Well, out of the Taoist Arts there is Xing Yi, (there are other spellings of it Xing = Hsing and Yi = I) Bagua. They all have meditation in movement. They all work with energy but if you find a good teacher in these they normally teach you how to fight with it, that is if you get a good teacher. If you don't get a good teacher they will just teach you form. Basically the connotation is for competitions. (often times when schools only teacher you form you only know the form and not the actual practical applications, then agian its just a generalization) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Goninan Posted May 6, 2008 (edited) White Tiger, At the White Crane Research Institute we look at the Minghequan (Calling Crane) and Shaolin Crane systems as our study. More can be found out here: http://www.whitecrnaefist.co.nr Edited May 6, 2008 by Ron Goninan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteTiger Posted May 6, 2008 If looking for real good Tai Chi practitioners you need to make sure they are happy and willing to teach you the Chi-gong that goes along with it along with the Nei-gong that goes along with it. Finding a school that does this at least in the beginning stages of starting off at this tai chi school is a very hard thing to find. Qigong and Neigong is what makes Tai Chi a meditation in motion. With out those it makes it a dance, with only some effects if the teacher is transmiting anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Buddy Posted May 6, 2008 Taiji is a martial art that can also be used as a method of self cultivation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteTiger Posted May 6, 2008 Taiji is a martial art that can also be used as a method of self cultivation. Agreed! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
