Does anyone have any recommendations for me please?
I am considering starting a tai chi course because I want to practice a moving form of meditation. I am also considering it because I want to improve my awareness/control of my personal energy.
As a complete novice, what else is 'out there' that I could look at to help me achieve the above?
Thanks!
Candice

I don't know about any recommendations.

But based on what you said in your post, you've certainly inspired me to look into it myself

Glad to be of service! lol Let me know what goodies you come up with ...

Hi Candy
You might like to check out these two places, Van gang is a shop, yet as you walk in, there is a wall full of training schools, that you might find help, and is where I used to train many years ago, you might also check out your local colleges, as most of them have very good Tai chi classes, and very cost effect. The second address, will be able to point you to a Tai chi class near you.


Van Dang Martial Arts

8 Newton St
Manchester
M1 2AN

Tai Chi Centre
17 Penfield Close
Manchester Lancashire M1 7JL
Tel: 01612 737138

I don't know whether you are aware Candice , but Tai Chi , is also a form of Martial Art , which as it is Practised with slow movements , is supposedly beneficial , to Muscle strength , Muscle Tone , Posture , and balance...all of which , we require more of , as we get older.....but a lot of younger people use it as well.

Yoga , is probably , one of the best known form of Meditation , and practised by my Daughter , who absolutely swears by it !

A lady acquaintance of mine , who was thoroughly stressed out , when she was moving house......and to whom I gave an impromptu Hypnotherapy / Relaxation session (she sat on her carpet in the corner of the room, and I sat on the carpet in another corner of the room....as no furniture had been put in at that time) described her 20 minute session of Hypnotherapy / Relaxation with me , as being as good as 2 hours of Yoga !

No movement involved though....I'm afraid.....apart from deep breathing , muscle relaxation and easing out of stress !

Candica,

If I were to suggest that you search for what's 'in there' at least as much as you are going looking for what's 'out there' you might find yourself coming up with a movement meditation that's like something totally unique and suited to the perfect individual that you are, right now!

dancing in the botanical gardens as you listen to your favourite upbeat tunes on an mp3 player while smelling the roses surrounding you on all sides is highly recommended...t'was good for me and was inspired by "dance of ecstacy" DVD program showing how dance & movement is a central activity all around the world...

by the way Bruce Lee described Tai Chi "running water never grows stale"

Hi Peter


It’s a common mistake, with many westerns and me at one time, to confuse, Tai Chi, with Tai Chi Chuan which is the combat form, Tai Chi, is similar in form, yet negates the combat aspects , and is primarily, a way to learn to more energy in and around the body for wellbeing.

Having spent many, many years, learning about the how energy and movements relate to how the body works, and having spent tens of 1000s of hours, exploring, meditation, hypnosis, and a host of energy based psychology forms. And Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Chi Kune, and even some of the darker sides, of using energy in the way Of Dim-Mac works in very, different ways, and similar in some ways.

Tai Chi for the more spiritual inclined, is a door way into some very special states of consciousness.

I am in the universe
The Universe in my body
The Universe and I combined together

The pass word to step into the emptiness

Jay

Thanks for replies so far!
Jay, those addresses are great and I will check them out.
Peter, I did a few classes of tai chi a number of years back and was amazed when the guy speeded it all up to show me what I was learning!!!! Wow! Class was just too big for my liking.
Robert, I agree with the 'in there' search - and I love your description of the botanical gardens, bet you were blissed out. I haven't done anything like this for a while, so thanks for reminding me about the upbeat tempo options!

Jay

Beautifully put:
I am in the universe
The Universe in my body
The Universe and I combined together

This is, in essence, what I am out to experience more frequently than I do now.
Thanks for this thought
C x

“This is, in essence, what I am "out" to experience”

You are looking in the wrong place, turn your "out" into an "IN" i.e. inner experience, and you will find it faster.

I had a beautiful poem , that I composed after reading this.....copied it...in case anything went wrong , while I went out of the room......I had lost the page.......came back......forgot which thread I had been on.....carried on with other threads.....found this one again.pressed "paste" and a little laughing man , was in "tucks" on the screen ..as if to say....."You've lost it dumbo !"

Damn ! Here he is again ! Little b*stard ! LOL !

That's where I've been for the last hour Jay!!! lol
There are no wrongs, only alternatives!

Maybe! Grasshopper just, maybe.

Ps there is no time, its a lot easier that way.

Yes sensei, this I know but my physical body lives in the 3rd dimension!

the 4th being time of course

I was one with the Universe ,
But what , was it worth ,
It didn’t mean much ,
Till I came to this earth ?

My one became two when I met my young wife ,
Our two became three , as we made a new life ,
Our three became four , as our young son was born ,
Our four became five , as we had our third child…..

Our five became six , when our Grandson was born
Our six became seven , with our Grandchild from Heaven
Whatever life’s got , And whatever life gives ,
We are proud to accept , and we’re happy to live.

Still waiting for eight , but what can we do,
As my wife tells me now ,”it’s not up to you !”
When I give up this life , and this body and earth ,
I’ll appreciate the quiet , of that Great Universe !



haha ! You didn't expect a serious ending did you ?

Peter, great poem - you have a big soft centre x

Hi Ive had roughly 3 years experience with internal energetic artforms. I believe I have found a very good school, really focusing on alignments, softness, smootheness, finding an ever increasing efficiency and good health in the day to day running of you. We are careful and take our time with all we learn, this is why I am sure there is a higher concentration of what makes tai chi/nei gung/chi gung great in these ways of learning, as oppose to some groups who appear more concerned with external shapes.

I would really take your time to find a group who work like this if you can, and if you are a beginner look for a nei gung, as this is good at getting your body primed to use tai chi to a greater extent.

Im sure there are many good instructors around but these are the instructors i know to be good:

My instructor's name is Mathew Brewer and the head of his lineage is Bruce Frantzis.

here is Matthew's website: Daoist Internal Arts (based in bermuda and kent)


here is Bruce's website: energyarts: Energy Arts (based in usa and visits uk)

here is brian cooper's website: http://www.taoarts.co.uk (based in Brighton)

hope this helps

Hiya Candice, a little about Tai Chi as an excercise system. Tai Chi is a sport that is derived from martial arts, similar to javelin or fencing. During the 1950's the Chinese government gathered all of the martial art styles from the whole of China. This is known by the mandarin word as Wu Shu 武术 and was simplified and stylised to be taught at schools and universities as an academic subject.
Much of the Tai Chi originally practiced in the west from the 1960's came from people who had travelled to the west either through Taiwan or Hong Kong, that's why genuine masters were so difficult to find. Now there is an abundance of Tai Chi teachers everywhere though most have only learnt a basic level of what Tai chi really is.

Tai Chi is a very profound art and has to be viewed as such, the roots of Tai Chi stem, they say, from Wu Dang mountain where a monk by the name of Chang San Feng lived. There is still now a temple at the top where monks continue to live and practice Wu Dang styles of martial arts, of which Tai Chi is one. He was summoned by the emperor to Beijing to teach the emperor and his guards martial arts. On his way he met with a dilenma. He figured he needed to be able to fight off any bandits that should attack him, so, they say he dreamt up Tai Chi as a supreme ultimate way to ward off any potential foes.

He dreamt that using other peoples energy and deflecting that energy he could use it to his advantage. He worked out that the best way to function, when under stress, is to be relaxed, sounds familiar. China at the time was full of many skilfull fighters and many of them renegades and bandits, their styles still exist and are practiced even today.

En route to Beijing Chang San Feng went to the Shaolin temple to check and catalogue his style, so Shaolin also lays claim to the invention of Tai Chi, they also found that practicing in nature helps so much. Chinese people catalogue things very, very accurately and they say that to look at the colour green is helpful, as is understanding the substance known as water and it's properties. Tai Chi is a wonderful subject 'TO LEARN' to just go to lessons defeats the object, IMO.

Here are some links: Wushu One Family | W1F v2.0

The Lam Association

Jin Long Wushu Manchester

Lam Kam Chuen is extremely knowledgeable about Tai Chi and similar excercise systems and he is based in London. Alternatively, Chen De Ching is based in Manchester and is actually a descendant of one of the first people outside of Shaolin and The Forbidden City in Beijing. He comes from the Chen village in Hennan province in central China, where the Chen style of Tai Chi was developed.

I hope you enjoy the videos on the w1f website and there are many more available on Youtube as well. I think that when westerners are taught to imagine that they are 'floating on a stream' or whatever it excercise it is, it's actually a visualisation to them to understand the subtleties of the art, most of them are a mile off and get carried away with their feelings and generally miss the whole point of what the teacher is teaching them. The teacher either doesn't know Tai Chi very well or just gives up, because he doesn't understand why westerners don't get it. SO, PLEASE GO WITH AN ATTITUDE TO LEARN!

Tai Chi is great fun and very relaxing as with most things there are levels of learning and Tai Chi is no exception, you will definitely benefit greatly from practicing it, looking at it from Chinese medicine point of view Tai Chi opens the meridians and allows energy to flow. Cool=)