Tai Chi For Life Booklet

Using T’ai Chi for Life
Steps
Flow
Learn
Many movements make up the t’ai chi form.
Learning the steps that make up each movement is the best way to begin learning the form.
Open an instruction video and use the chapter
menu to navigate to the movement you are
learning. Watch the steps for that movement
twice. Then begin to move with the video and
mirror what you see. When you feel like you
have gotten the steps, don’t look at the video-simply practice with only the narration. This
way the movements become part of your
memory. Each movement is a chapter in the
instructional videos. So you can simply navigate
to the beginning of the chapter to repeat the
instruction for any movement.
The flowing nature of the t’ai chi movements
can be learned by reviewing the Demonstration
video. After becoming comfortable with the
steps of the movements you have learned, you
can watch the demonstration to link them
together in a flowing manner. Again, practice
this a few times and eventually turn your back
to the television as you repeat movements and
build your memory.
This DVD will allow you to learn the t’ai chi form
through mirroring and allowing your awareness
to grow. To develop a deeper understanding of
t’ai chi, work with a good teacher.
Copyright 2008 Greg Knollmeyer
Practice T’ai Chi
Relax
Relax your mind and body as you practice t’ai
chi. Release the tension that creates a disorganized body and energy blockages. Integrate
all of the body’s motion that is generated by
your center or dantien. The momentum of
movement and your energy or chi can only
travel through a body that is well aligned and
relaxed. This relaxation will also enhance your
awwareness of your body. and its energy.
Align
In order to move in a relaxed way, the
body must be aligned to support itself
efficiently. Otherwise we collapse or hold
tension. When you practice, suspend
your headtop toward the sky to gently
lengthen your spine. Ensure that your
torso is erect--neither leaning
forward nor back. As you bend
your knees, make sure your knee
is moving forward in the
direction of your second toe.
Study
IUse all of your resources to
broaden your understanding of
t’ai chi. Watch the interview
section of the video to gain more
iinsight into t’ai chi. Practice what
you know with awareness. This
will help you develop a knowledge of the body’s movements as
well as the inner dynamics of the
ancient art of t’ai chi.
Yang Style Short Form Movements
1. Preparation
2. Beginning
3. Grasp Sparrow’s Tail--Ward Off
Left
4. Grasp Sparrow’s Tail--Ward Off
Right
5. Grasp Sparrow’s Tail--Roll Back
6. Grasp Sparrow’s Tail--Press
7. Grasp Sparrow’s Tail--Push
8. Single Whip
9. Lifting the Arm
10. Shoulder Strike
11. White Crane Spreads Wings
12. Brush Knee Twist Step
13. Play the Pi Pa
14. Brush Knee Twist Step
15. Step Forward, Deflect Downward,
Parry and Punch
16. Withdraw and Push
17. Crossing Hands
18. Embrace Tiger Return to
Mountain
19. Rollback
20. Press
21. Push
22. Single Whip
23. Fist Under Elbow
24. Step Back to Repulse the
Monkey (5)
26. Diagonal Flying
26. Wave Hands like Clouds
27. Single Whip
28. Snake Creeps Down
29. Golden Pheasant Stands
on Left Foot
30. Golden Pheasant Stands
on Right Foot
31. Separate Right Foot
32. Separate Left Foot
33. Turn and Kick with Heel
34. Brush Knee Left
35. Brush Knee Right
36. Low Punch
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
Boxing the Ears
Rollback
Press
Push
Single Whip
Fair Lady Weaves at the
Loom (Four Corners)
Ward Off Left
Ward Off Right
Rollback
Press
Push
Single Whip
Descending Single Whip
Step Forward to the Seven
Star Dipper
Step Back to Ride the Tiger
Sweep the Lotus
Bend the Bow to Shoot the Tiger
Step Forward, Deflect Downward
Parry and Punch
Withdraw and Push
Crossing Hands
Closing
Using T’ai Chi for Life on Your Computer or Tablet
You can play T’ai Chi for Life videos on any computer or tablet
and navigate to particular movements within the video. To the
right there are images from a Quicktime Player showing the
chapter button and then the dropdown of some of the chapters in the instructional videos. Quicktime is free and available
on both Mac and PC. It will show not only the chapter names;
but also thumbnail images of where the movement begins.
Another good player is VLC Player also free For Mac and PC. It
will show you chapter names; but will not show the images.
Chapter Button
When you play the videos to your tablet, the proprietary
players should recognize the chapter information as well. Most
will not present a dropdown menu; but will show a button that
will take your forward chapter by chapter. Many of these
players also remember where you stopped viewing, so you
won’t need to navigate too much as it will open the video
where you left off. Here too you can simply hit the back button
to replay instruction for a particular movement.
There are three videos included in this download. The demonstration is simply the whole
form with picture in picture for additional angles of viewing. Then there are two instructional videos that are the same except that one video is presented in mirror image. Some
students wanted to be able to look at their screen as though they were looking in a mirror.
You need not copy all of these videos to your tablet. To save space you might find yourself
simply copying the demonstration and one of the instructional views.
Regular View
Mirror View
Copyright 2008 Greg Knollmeyer