Tai Chi Tuesday: Spending the Weekend With Richard Clear

Fairfax, Va. recently had a visitor from Maryville, Tenn.

Sigung Richard Clear gave Tai Chi Chuan workshops, including healing, chi energy and fighting the Tai Chi way.

Friday night was the healing workshop.

I have completed level 4 healing with Sigung Clear, and he demonstrated a few healing techniques I never saw before. (This is Sigung Clear's M.O.: just when you thought you have seen the best he has to offer, he goes a bit deeper into his bag of tricks.)

I was pretty impressed when he mimicked someone's posture in order to match the other person's energy to release the other person's tension.

Saturdays workshop was on borrowing energy — and 4 ounces moves 1,000 pounds.

This is probably the most sought-after skill for most Tai Chi practitioners. Within a couple of hours, all participants were comfortable applying this skill, and we were moving each other with little to no effort.

Sunday we practiced fighting skills (mostly evading and rolling). There were some great drills in evading punches and grabs.

If you have n opportunity to participate in one of Richard Clear's workshops, I highly recommend it. Check his website (http://www.clearstaichi.com/tai-chi-workshops) for workshops or request one for your kwoon.

Tai Chi Workshop with Richard Clear Set for September 20-22

Spend the weekend with Richard Clear and learn  chi gung, hua jin, chan zu jin and more in five workshops scheduled September 20-22 in Fairfax, Va.

Workshos will include:

• Chi Gung Healing Workshop
• Hua Jin / Borrowing Energy
• Chan Zu Jin / Spiraling Energy
• Internal Power through Push Hands
• Freestyle Fighting the Tai Chi Way

Check out Sigung Clear's video on jin energy (below), or visit his YouTube channel.

Hope to see you in Fairfax this weekend!

Richard Clear Comes to Fairfax September 20-22

Qi gong healing, hua jin/borrowing force and push hands are on the agenda at Richard Clear's Tai Chi seminar set for September 20-22 in Fairfax, Va.

Tai Chi students from around the country will gather at Green Acres Center for the three-day seminar with the internationally-recognized martial artist. Click here for video of the teacher in action.

Space is still available. For information, visit Clear's website, clearstaichi.com. Hope to see you there.

Tai Chi Tuesday: Breathing for Self-Defense

Here is a video by Sigung Richard Clear, who will be giving workshops in Fairfax, Va., on September 20-22. I have attended four events he has held — two Tai Chi Gala workshops, one semi-private healing workshop and a qi gong healing weekend workshop — and I have learned a lot and enjoyed myself immensely.

If you're interested in attending his upcoming Fairfax workshop, drop me a note via e-mail and I'll share the information with you.

Check out his YouTube channel for more videos.

Hope to see you in September.

Tai Chi Tuesday: The Thirteen Postures

All the thirteen postures of Tai Chi Ch’uan must not be treated lightly. The meaning of life originates at the waist.

The thirteen postures of Tai Chi Chuan are the foundation base to this art. It is important that students be shown and trained in them. Yang Cheng-fu tells us in his Ten Important Points "that the waist is the commander and that all movement must pass through the waist." The waist is also where we must turn to generate Chi and storing it at the Tan Tien.

When moving from substantial to insubstantial, one must take care that the Chi is circulated throughout the entire body with out the slightest hindrance.

When moving the body through the movements, it is important that you are aware of your changes from insubstantial to the substantial and that the Chi is still being transported to various part of the body. To do this you must be very relaxed and your mind clear so as Chi can flow easily without any hindrance. When this happens you have health. When it stagnates ill health will follow.

Find the movement in the stillness, even stillness in movement. Even when you respond to the opponent’s movement, show the marvel of the technics and fill him with wonder.

Tai Chi is referred to as moving meditation. The mind should be as still as if you are in sitting meditation, but you should still be able to actively circulate your Chi. You should look centered and calm from the out side, but with in is like a raging sea. When you are attacked you should still be calm and aware. When you have learned this you are able to respond in a calm and natural way to an opponents moves. Tai Chi is change and you should follow and respond naturally to the opponents every subtle move and situation.

Pay attention to every posture and study its purpose. That way you will gain the art without wasting your time and energy.

Study wide and deep and with determination and seriousness and that will determine your degree of success. To understand each posture you must study and research its nature and purpose then to acquire your goal is easy.

In every movement you must pay attention so as the heart (mind) stay on the waist, then completely relax the abdomen, and your Chi will rise up.

When you commence your Tai Chi form, allow your mind to sink to your waist and focus on Tan Tien (Yi Sou Tan Tien). When your abdomen is relaxed and your mind clear, the Chi will rise up and permeate your whole body.

Your Tail Bone should be centered and upright so as your spirit (Shen) rises to the top of the head. The top of the head is suspended and the entire body is relaxed and light.

Your tailbone should be straight, but do not exert force to acquire this, it should be natural for to force this will cause the tailbone to push forward. The back is straight with an insubstantial energy lifting up through the top of the head.

Carefully study and pay attention when doing research, extension and contraction, opening and closing follow their freedom.

This point relates to pushing hands. Contract to neutralise the opponent’s power, and at the same time close to store your Jin (chin) then extend and open to emit your Jin. To do this your technic must be natural and free flowing to follow you opponent’s intention. This allows you to stick and follow and to defeat your opponent. If you don’t research these technics you will never gain the key to Tai Chi Ch’uan.

To enter the door and to be led along the way, you need to have oral instruction; practice without ceasing, and the technic is achieved by self-study.

It is important that you understand that a teacher is needed to learn the art. There are to many subtleties and it is easy to miss what is being emphasized in a movement. If you make a slight error at the beginning, by the time you have reached the end you will have missed by a thousand miles. In the early times there where two types of students, those of the outer school and those of the inner. Outer school students where taught the basic form and only a little of the principles. The inner school students where those chosen as worthy and of right quality that were shown the inner secrets of the styles. To day most students have the opportunity to study wider and deeper than those only in the outer school. It is amazing to day to hear the number of students who put them selves in the outer school when they say "I have finished the form, now I know Tai Chi"! All they have is form. It is when you have the form together that the real learning begins. You need a good teacher who can impart the knowledge to you and once you have been shown the way, then it is up to you to practice unceasingly and continue researching yourself.

When asked about the standard, function and application of the thirteen postures, the answer should be the Yi (mind) and Chi are the master, and the bones and muscles are the chancellor.

When looking at the correctness of movement the criteria is, are the mind and Chi directing the movement. All the movements are done with Jin supported by the Chi and directed by the Yi (mind). If the movements are done with the bones and muscles, this is your Li (strength) and is considered incorrect.

Carefully investigate what the ultimate meaning is: to increase and extend our health and age, and maintain a youthful body.

This is what most people learning Tai Chi to day are looking for. The important thing here is to practice many time and often, then the prize will be won.

The song consists of one hundred and forty characters, every character is true and its meaning is complete. If you do not approach and study in this manner, then you will waste your time and energy, and sigh in regret.

It does not matter for what reason you study the art, whether for health or martial art, you must study the meaning of the Song of Thirteen Postures or you are just wasting your time and energy and your effort will amount to nothing.


 With thanks to Sigung Richard Clear and Tai Chi Australia