NP-Taiji MayX 2018

[Keith Davis]

Taiji as a martial art developed out of hand to hand combat. In Chen style taiji, the original style of taiji, you can see throws, kicks, tripping, pushing, and weapons form applications. 
The story, or a story, is that Chen Wangting developed taiji from his experience as a warrior, with the intention of developing it into a form of exercise.
https://g.co/kgs/ef19Lh
Qigong has a long history in China. Qigong practices, which include standing, sitting, lying down meditation, as well as moving exercises, have been combined with martial arts forms to create internal martial arts such as taijiquan, xingyiquan and baguazhang. 
This is a simplified explanation. One can practice taiji without qigong, it depends on the intention. Everything can be qigong.
Gong implies skill, as well as accumulation of “power” through experience and practice. I have good piano gong, as an example.
Qigong can mean working to accumulate power through skillful, intentional practice.


Www.innergroovemusic.com

> On May 31, 2018, at 10:48 AM, Joseph Tracy <brook7 at sover.net> wrote:
> 
> One of the key teachers of Tai ji, particularly on the west coast, Chungliang Al Huang, who learned his practice in China and taught for decades at Esalen, always used key Chinese words and pictographic imagery as part of how he taught. He always insisted that the pronunciation of chee/Qi/chi/ ji  sounded most like Ji or jee, always spelling the word as Tai ji.   He had a very philosophical, open approach to the forms which drew on Taoist thought and practice. He emphasizes inspiration and mind body connection over formal precision. On the other hand his own forms are stunningly graceful and probably very precise expressions of his tradition. In his classes he encourages a movement from traditional forms to a dancelike free form exploration centered in how the forms have been integrated into individual mind body.  
> 
> In response to David Morris:  In Al Huang’s book Embrace Tiger Return to Mountain, he talks about the origin/inspirational source of the forms/movements. The word Ji Gong, or Qigong, means the discipline or study of Ji (maybe Mike could give a better translation), and in that sense Al Huang is in agreement with David that the formal movements came out of an exploration of the flow of ji in the body. When you think about it, where else could the formalized knowledge come from? This would also be the source of the Chinese medical maps of energy flow.  
> 
> One can find Al Huang videos on line. He is very funny and lively.
> 
> 
>> On May 31, 2018, at 12:24 AM, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Very cool! Also noticed the use of Pinyin ins.tead of the more traditional
>> Wade–Giles spelling "T'ai chi".
>> 
>>> On Thu, May 31, 2018 at 12:15 AM Keith Davis <kbob42 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Just finished teaching a three week Taiji course at Furman. 21 kids. They
>>> dug it, and so did I! Here’s the class performing the form we learned. I’m
>>> the bald one...haha
>>> 
>>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/TStRiYTFP98hbb8U2
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Www.innergroovemusic.com
>>> --
>>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>>> 
>> --
>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> 
> --
> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l