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Tai-chi - the approach
For some years I had tried to teach what I
believed to be the best of the many different variants of the
most popular style of Tai-chi worldwide – Yang style. Then,
in 2001, I began studying the Yang family's original programme
with Jim
Uglow. This process has – and continues – to be a
revelation.
Towards the end of the last century, the Yang family decided to
transmit their full teaching to the west, something which had
never happened before. Three students have been charged with the
responsibility of assimilating and in turn, passing on to their
students, this knowledge. Jim Uglow (England), John Conroy &
Joe Balthazar (USA) are students of Mary Yang, head of the Yang
family in Hong Kong.
It says in the classic Tai-chi texts: "power is rooted in the
feet, developed in the thighs, commanded through the waist,
expressed in the hands." The question is, how do you get the
power into the feet?
The Yang family teaching answers this, detailing a precise and
thorough understanding of how mind & body are coordinated in
movement and how intrinsic power is developed for healing or as a
martial art.
One of Mary Yang's particular contributions to the art has been
to devise a series of "softening" exercises to help westerners
find their way into the deeper structure of the Tai-chi
form.
Regular attention to, and the proper practice of,
Tai-chi:
- develops intrinsic power
- improves muscle tone in the body core &
legs
- increases flexibility & flow in
movement
- co-ordinates mind & body
- raises energy levels & promotes
vigour.
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