14 Comments

  1. This Sunday, 29th Jan 2012, Chembur, there were just four of us at the class, an unusually small representation.
    After the basics, Rakesh said let us do Yi Jin Jing, just the first set. Should we have been relieved?
    Of course not, for then came the condition. Just the first set but in horse stance. Well! I find YJJ difficult enough [this does not indicate that I do not feel the advantage, just dislike it 🙂 ] and doing it in the horse stance was quite another experience.
    Not bad! Then just one round of form, but …
    The but took our breath away … facing the West. It turned out to be confusing especially if we kept our eyes open, but with the eyes closed, allowing the body to follow its own memory, it wasn’t too bad!
    And then the first exercise of Song; for those who weren’t at the camp, this is the Huang Tai Chi style.
    All together a very fulfilling session!

  2. There comes a time in any discipline when the learner feels he has reached a plateau. I had been feeling something like that for some time in the recent past. I had to push myself for the regular practice and when laziness overwhelmed I felt no regrets.

    This Sunday, Rakesh put us through the Microcosmic Breathing after a long time. While doing it, I realised that, plateau or no plateau, the benefits were still there. As a result, I think that now I will have to push myself off the plateau and begin climbing uphill again.

    Though Rakesh, on my way home, I felt sad and weepy. I put it down to my getting confused during the form. Or do you think the Micro had something to do with it? Like meditation sometimes does?

    Anyway, back to regular practice, hopefully.
    🙂

  3. Hello Kannan,
    You did say you had a video of the stances .. can it be linked here please?

    Thanks a lot.
    Abha

  4. The last Sunday, Chembur, Sen wanted to know if there was anything more to Harnessing beyond what we had already learnt. Well the not surprising (not really) response from Rakesh was that there was an advanced form and we would do it the next Sunday.
    Apprehension … how difficult would it be … Rakesh had said it was all yang.
    Well ‘next Sunday’ was yesterday.
    A great routine this one, and after one got over the business of familiarising oneself with the new movements and the sequence, it feels is rewarding.
    Have been trying the walk with Reverse Breathing now and then; it doesn’t happen generally, but when it does, great satisfaction.

    I think there is this about Tai Chi … effort put in always reaps more than one hundred per cent ROI!
    🙂

  5. This Sunday past at Chembur we did the healing sounds, all of them with the relevant massages after a long time.

    I found it immensely strenuous and thought that it just showed how unfit my inner organs were. Decided to do only healing sounds this whole week. Today, Thursday, I already am finding it easier to do and hopefully my body is benefiting proportionately.

    🙂

  6. Hello Rakesh,
    Just saw your snaps on the web-site …. very impressive!

    Who are the Eight Greats?

    And the statue of TaoTsu is mindblowing …

    like you said, for anyone who is serious about Tai Chi one visit is a must … they do take women, I hope.

  7. Yesterday morning at Chembur, Rakesh started us off on something new … the Tai Chi walk and kick with the reverse breathing.

    Oh the complexities of Tai chi … when will we be able to master, no thoughts of mastering, just get comfortable with this new level …

  8. Thank you Rakesh, and with the blessings of Mother Nature and your guidance, somehow I will manage.
    🙂

  9. Thats great Abha but its all the effect of ur hard work that u r experiencing this & ofcourse the blessings of Mother Nature is always there keep it up let the CHI always be flowing

  10. Yesterday morning at Chembur … a punishing session of jogging, kicks, punches (1200, would you believe it) stances, and push-ups. And the weather was hot. All this despite protests, some serious some not … by the end, as Kannan said, all realised that the body is 80% water.

    Then the form … Rakesh said do it slowly, in a relaxed way and all the stress will wash away … you will feel better. This is his regular, understated expression of the benefits of Tai Chi. Well, I can vouch for it … by the end of the form, the fatigue of the regimen he had put us through, had vanished as if by a magic touch and all was calm within, where ten minutes ago had been a turbulence. Definitely feeling better. 🙂

  11. what u have read from the web is right. U, with the power of mind have to pull the Chi from the Earth thru sole of the feet, direct it from the Tan-tien & then guide it to the required area, its again a way of meditation

  12. Read on the web on the martial application of taichi

    In Taichi “The entire body is held in a state of dynamic relaxation which allows the power of the whole body to flow out of the hands and into the opponent without obstruction. This is described in the Tai Ji Quan Classics as “being rooted in the feet, developed by the legs, directed by the waist transferred through the back and expressed in the hands.”

  13. Great session on Sunday at Chembur. The combination of hard form, stances and Yi Jing Jing followed by a soothing 24 form really invigorated body and mind

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