Tuesday, November 25, 2003

Valley Spirit Taijiqan Journal   I now keep my daily Taijiquan and Chi Kung Journal on my website at: http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/z200311.htm It is much easier to work in my Front Page editor that in the on-line blog editor. Relative linking by URL is easier that full URL.  Spell check is also available. The blog is nice because Google searches it on a more regular basis.   "The first level of stillness is about being with yourself in order to know yourself.  This is accomplished by being wide awake and aware as you deliberately relax into yourself. The idea is to consciously enter into a state wherein you temporarily suspend everything you think you know about who you are, including anything you have ever been taught, and simply be attentive to what's going on right there where you are.  You practice being quiet, both physically and mentally, as you pay attention to the sensations in your body, the various thoughts in your mind, and your current experience of being conscious and alive.  You practice simple body-mind awareness, being conscious of the moment you are now in, and thereby experience with clarity the energy of you. You consciously experience yourself as you actually are.  In this way you open yourself to a new, truer, less distorted experience of you and the world." -   Erich Schiffmann, Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness, 1996, p. 7.  5:27:34 AM    comment []

	Tuesday, August 19, 2003

Silk Reeling (Chan Ssu Chin) and Taijiquan   Silk Reeling (Chan Ssu Chin) and Taijiquan Links, Bibliography, Quotes and Notes.   13Kb. Related Terms: Terminology:  Silk Reeling, Chansigong, Chan Ssu Gong, Chan Si Gong, Chan Szu Chin, Spiraling Power, Chan Ssu, Reeling Silk, Chan Si Jin, Chan Su Jing, chan Ssu Jing, Chan Ssu Chin, Coiling, Winding. 4:05:38 PM    comment []

	Thursday, August 14, 2003

Push Hands: Links, bibliography, quotes, notes   Walking and 13 Treasures Walking Qigong for 70 minutes.  Beautiful dry cool morning, few clouds, and quiet.  Mowed and edged gardens and watered in the evening.  The ditch was running with fresh water - all the plants and animals were rejoicing.  .   Did some research on Push Hands.   My Tai Chi practice has been done very slowly, very gently, with smaller movements and narrower stances.  I feel very relaxed and calm.  I've been doing lots of standing on one leg exercises.   The mind is one of the most hard to reach and inflexible body parts to train.     8:52:22 PM    comment []

	Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Solid and Empty   "Of what is the body made?  It is made of emptiness and rhythm.  At the ultimate heart of the body, at the heart of the world, there is no solidity.  Once again, there is only the dance." -   George Leonard   Six Illusions About the Body By Larry Dossey, M.D. 1.  The body is solid. 2.  The body is stable. 3.  The body is individuated. 4.  The body belogs to the Earth. 5.  The body is stationary. 6.  The body is mindless.   4:16:50 PM    comment []

	Monday, August 04, 2003

Sun Style Tai Chi Chuan I worked on improving my webpage on the Sun Style of Tai Chi Chuan.  I started learning a short version of this form six weeks ago.  I first learned with a teacher in a class.  I am now using videotapes and books produced by Dr. Paul Lam to continue my studies.    9:38:18 PM    comment []

	Sunday, August 03, 2003

Cheng Man-ch'ing (1901 - 1975)   I've been reading many books by Cheng Man-ch'ing in the past few days.  I also did quite a bit of reading about Master Cheng (1901 - 1975) and his many fine students using the Internet.  I prepared a bibliography and webliography, and posted my notes as a webpage at:   Cheng Man-ch'ing and Tai Chi Chuan "Harmony is itself paradise.  The "miraculous" element is the way that relaxation, well-being, and harmony allow the heart-mind to take control of and focus the greatness of the ch'i, the power of thought, and the effect that this can have in ourselves and in the world." -   Wolfe Lowenthal, Gateway to the Miraculous, 1994, p. 14.     9:39:24 PM    comment []

Green Way Gardening Journal Started   Started making entries in the Green Way Gardening Journal.   These entries will also be posted to the Green Way Blog on the Radio Weblog. This journal will also be published in a newsletter format to subscribers. A day for getting organized! 3:19:30 PM    comment []

	Saturday, August 02, 2003

Head's Up! Tai Chi Chuan and the Head   Head's Up! Lift the head.  Push the top of your head upward (ding jin).  Tuck your chin in and slightly downward. Relax the neck.   Hold your head as if it were suspended by a string from above.   Slightly part your lips and softly smile.   Keep your eyes open, and hold a wide angle and soft focus.  Professor Cheng taught that in Push Hands one should not look into the  opponent's eyes (Lowenthal, 1994, p.5). Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. You head should be aligned along an axis through your center and down to your feet. The head should not extend beyond the feet.  The head, torso and waist should move as one piece.   Your tongue should rest gently on the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. Swallow all clear, thin and watery saliva.   "The upright direction has always been the most s alient, constant, and unique direction in our world." -   Roger Shepard and Shelley Hurwitz   "Professor Cheng often talked about the position of the head, "as if pressing up against heaven," "as if being suspended by the pigtail: worn by Chinese during the Manchu dynasty.  He said that, while there are a number of good images for the head position, he especially recommended the idea of "hanging" because it counteracted the tendency to hold the head stiffly in place." -  Wolfe Lowenthal, Gateway to the Miraculous, 1994, p. 5.       6:38:47 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Michael P. Garofalo. Last update: 11/25/2003; 5:31:35 AM.