Yang style 24 step form

This is a repost of an old blog for Phil and Bernie. I was going to link directly to the YouTube video but I've been having trouble finding it. The video is of my teacher, Master Tary Yip, doing the 24 step form as it should be done.

I have two teachers, Master Faye Li Yip and Master Tary Yip, who are a married couple. Tai chi is traditionally taught by families in China, and all the major styles of tai chi are named after tai chi families. The head of my school is Faye's father, Professor Li Deyin, and I have often trained with both him and his wife, Master Fang Mishou. One day, if Faye and Tary's children decide to follow in the family footsteps, I may train with them too.

Tai chi more effective than yoga?

A colleague pointed out this interesting article in the Times of India comparing yoga and tai chi. I have always found the problem with overstretching when I have done yoga. With tai chi I think it is partly that the focus of teaching is more on stretching exactly the right amount rather than encouraging the belief that the more you stretch the better you are doing. However, I think the moves themselves are more geared towards things that the body normally does, which is why people often feel that they are not doing exercise when doing tai chi, until they feel the benefits afterwards.

Autumn

Autumn is a time for going back to school. Summer is over and with it playing at tai chi in the park. We don't have the climate for regular outdoor sessions all year round.

The nights are getting longer and it gets darker earlier every day, which makes many of us feel sad as we miss the daylight.

Although the darker, wetter evenings can make us feel like staying at home with a cup of cocoa, a better way of dealing with seasonal blues is getting out and being active. So if you haven't been to tai chi classes for a while or are new to tai chi and thinking about starting, now is a good time to do it.

Tai chi in the park postponed

Sitting here listening to the rain, I've decided to postpone this afternoon's tai chi in the park for another week. It's not so much fun in the wet. Even if you have one of those umbrella hats the grass is going to be wet and slippery.

This seemed like such a good idea when we having that long, hot, dry spell!

Tai chi in the park

All this nice weather we've been having has inspired me to organise a free regular outdoor tai chi session in Lilford Park, Leigh on Wednesdays at 2pm, starting next Wednesday 31 July and continuing while the good weather lasts.

Anyone is welcome to join in, so if you are free on Wednesday afternoons, come along and bring your friends!

Upcoming events

There are lots of good tai chi and qigong workshops coming up this month.

On Sunday 16 June Master Faye Yip will be leading a workshop on the seated version of Daoyin Yang Sheng Gong 12 Method Health Qigong in Denshaw, Oldham.

If you have been learning the tai chi kungfu fan form or would like to start, Angela Howarth will be giving a one-day workshop on section 1 in Liverpool on Saturday 22 June.

And to finish the month I will be going down to Wolverhampton for the Deyin Taijiquan Institute's annual summer camp on 29/30 June where you can choose from workshops on the 24 step form, tai chi spear form, Yang sheng tai chi stick health qigong, Sun style tai chi sword and combined 42 step tai chi.

Pictures from World Tai Chi Day

As promised, you can find more pictures from World Tai Chi Day here. There is also a video, but it is too big to upload to Blogger so I will have to see if there is anything I can do with it.

Day after World Tai Chi Day

I had a fantastic day out yesterday at the World Tai Chi Day celebration in the Festival Gardens in Liverpool. Many thanks to Angela for organising the event and Steve for letting me join his group. I'll post more pictures later when I get them.

What I did over Easter...

...was meet up with a friend to practise tai chi. We got a chance to do some pushing hands and compare traditional and modern Yang style long forms. And he took this video of me doing the fan form.

Happy Chinese New Year this Sunday!

Gōng xǐ fā cái!

2013 will be the year of the water snake, bringing unexpected transformations.  

There will be celebrations this weekend in the Manchester and Liverpool Chinatowns, but I will be heading down the M6 to Wolverhampton to join my school, the Deyin Taijiquan Institute, for a free tai chi open day.

Getting ready for World Tai Chi Day

I visited the Liverpool Festival Gardens in the snow over the weekend, getting together with some other tai chi instructors to plan an event for World Tai Chi Day on 27 April. It's a beautiful place to do tai chi and I'm really looking forward to it. Put the date in your diaries!

Today's class at Captain's lane is cancelled because of the weather. See you next week!

New tai chi class in Ashton-in-Makerfield

It is actually two new classes at the Captain's Lane Community Centre, here in Ashton-in-Makerfield. On Monday evenings from 14 January onwards, there will be 24-step Yang style tai chi from 7.15pm to 8.15pm and Taiji Kungfu Fan from 8.15pm to 9.15pm.

Classes cost £6 for the evening, whether you attend one class or both, so why not come along and give it a go? You will need a kungfu fan for the fan class, which you can buy here.

Start 2013 as you mean to go on, and get fit and have fun with some relaxing tai chi.