Many people who approach tai
chi are interested for the
health benefits (the link is to an article in the May 2009 Harvard Women’s
Health Watch newsletter). The Mayo
Clinic also
summarizes the evidence about tai chi. Most say more research is a good idea, for example this recent NEJM report on
tai chi and fibromyalgia. This
study reports improvement
in older patients with depression.
There are many forms, or sets
of postures, in tai chi. For
example, “The 16 Form” is a creation of my teacher. Here is a list
of the 16 postures, with and here is a list with little pictures
to help you visualize each posture.
If you travel around the
world you will most likely see the standard (sometimes called simplified) Tai
Chi 24 form. Here is a list of the 24 postures. Almost all of the video links below are
about the 24 form.
VIDEO CLIPS OF THE STANDARD FORM:
·
Here is the form
filmed from behind, easier for following along. The front
view of the same person is here.
·
This gem
from Youtube is billed as a world champion—learn a lot by comparing
her to the others.
·
Here is the form
gracefully and athletically performed. (Note: this person is a Cirque du
Soleil level athlete, and no one in our class bends that low or kicks that
high. But it is something to see.)
·
Here is what a group can look like.
Courtesy of Michael P.
Garofalo, here is a detailed
description of the 24 form, along with figure drawings for each
posture.
Here are “Ten Important Points for Tai
Chi.” The list is also
referred to at the “Ten Essentials.” Beginning
and advanced students should refer to this often.
The
“ten important points” link is excerpted from a very good book: Douglas Wile, compiler and translator, T’ai-chi
Touchstones: Yang Family Secret Transmissions (NY: Sweet Ch’i Press, 1983),
ISBN = 0-912059-01-x.
Another
very good book, with the Ten Essentials, tai chi classics, and detailed
descriptions of each posture in the long form, is Fu Zhongwen, Mastering Yang
Style Taijiquan, translated by Louis Swaim (Berkeley: Blue Snake Books,
2006), ISBN-13 = 978-1-58394-152-2.
An
interesting book is Wolf Lowenthal, There Are No Secrets: Professor Cheng Man-Ch’ing
and his Tai Chi Chuan (Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 1991), ISBN
1-55643-112-0.
For
those who want a DVD to support their learning the Standard Form, the best I
have seen is Simplified
Tai Chi Chuan With Applications, from Master Liang, Shou-Yu.
People interested in some
other tai chi practices are invited to check out the Tai Chi Qigong Wellness Center, in
Tacoma. They have a
Facebook page, too. For people
who want a more intensive class in the standard 24 form, take a look at my
evening Monday class. The
objective is to have you know the standard form, and many details of Tai Chi
movement, over ten weeks. We also
offer classes in the Yang style long form. The ‘advanced’ class also does a Yang style sword form,
Bagua, and some push hands, among other things.
And, for those interested,
here are links to some amazing
and weird tai chi things.
Thank you,
Sid Olufs
last updated May, 2012.
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