Discovering Yin Yoga

One of the great things about Yoogaia is the variety of yoga styles and teachers on offer. For a long time I have wanted to try Yin Yoga, partially because it was founded by Martial Artist Paulie Zink and also because of it's Taoist Yoga roots. However there aren't any classes near to me. Now was my chance as Yoogaia has numerous Yin Yoga classes!

I started with a 30 minute class with Greta Lai and really enjoyed the pace and style of her teaching. The length of time we held the Asanas was fantastic. Holding some poses for over 5 minutes you really do have time to develop and fully relax into the posture. Excellent class, so I took another one of her Yin Yoga classes towards the end of the week.

The next day I did Mariann Vella's 30 minute Yin yoga class. The meditation at the start really got my mind in the right place to enjoy the class, the centering and disconnecting, then connecting with the breath and staying passive in the pose were excellent comments and for me at least needed pointers, wonderful.

Heidi Poon's 45 minute Yin Yoga was next, the breath affirmation was insightful and helped me personally as I often have trouble relaxing the breath especially with more challenging poses. Heidi also acknowledged that Yin can be challenging! I completely agree, especially if the mind is busy.

Next week I will try Vinyasa Flow, another type I haven't done before. A little research suggests it connects flowing movements with the breath. Can't wait!

Weiji Yufang Gong - Stress Prevention

Over the past couple of weeks I have been going to a class which teaches Gordon Faulkner's Daoyin Yangsheng Gong Stress Prevention (Weiji Yufang Gong) routine.

So far we have covered Taiji Breathing (Taiji Tiaoxi) and Sink Qi to the Dantian (Qichen Dantian), Round Fan Covers the Moon (Tuanshan Zheyue) and the recent lesson Buffalo Plows the Land (Liniu Gengdi). What I really enjoy is the pace, each week we recap what we did the week before, then move on to the next exercise.  It gives you a week to practice the one move you have covered, and allows the move and the theory shared by the teacher time to sink in. Faulkner's book, Managing Stress with Qigong adds further depth (and indeed reminders of the theory covered in class).

So this week I will be working on Buffalo Plows the Land and getting to grips with the first 3 parts of Chen Style Laojia I was taught on the seminar.

One must try everyday to expand ones limits ~ Sosai Mas Oyama

Yoogaia!

I recently came across Yoogaia. Yoogaia.com is an online yoga studio where you can participate in real time classes (and get feedback via webcam) or your can watch recordings of a class. They were offering a free trial so I took the plunge and tried one of the yoga sessions. I've done yoga (mainly Hatha) for about 12 years now and the idea of having access to lots of different instructors and styles really appealed. Such a fantastic idea. There are many different yoga styles and teachers available (as well as Pilates, Barre, Core) and you don't need to leave the comfort of your own home. The varying length of classes is the icing on the cake, with classes as short as 15 minutes and as long as 75 minutes.

There is a very comprehensive list of recordings to choose from I was intrigued by the Travel Yoga as it was billed as being great for office workers, so gave it a go. A fantastic 15 minute stretch that I will be doing regularly, I feel both stretched and relaxed - perfect! The instruction was precise and clear, plus the various stretches certainly would help if you've been sat all day in the office! I will certainly be trying out the other classes over the course of the free trial and I will post some updates.

Whilst looking at the classes I also noticed 3 Tai Chi classes on there, and after a little research it seems to be Chen style - how lucky for me, so I will be giving those a try and seeing what tips I can pick up!

An introduction to Chen Style Seminar.

Since getting my karate Dan grade I have always enjoyed going on open courses. The opportunity to learn something new, to gain a different perspective, or indeed to delve deeper into a specific aspect or technique. When I saw that a day workshop was being held promising to be an introduction to Chen Style Tai Chi I just had to attend. Most of the seminars I have attended had been with a particular notable instructor, so this was a unique opportunity to get to grips with the stylistic foundations and not be thrown in at the deep end! Coming from a mainly external martial arts back ground the seminar promised to be really interesting, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. A full day of Chen Style Tai Chi with a 5th degree Duan Wei (Chinese Wushu Association).

Needless to say I really enjoyed, and came away with so much more than a small portion of the Lao Jia Yi Lu form. The instructor tried to explain the philosophy and the approach of Chen Tai Chi and the methodology behind this style. Luckily for me all of the other course participants were from hard styles; mostly Wing Chun and Lau Gar. So the course participants were all in the same boat. Questions were encouraged, and answered comprehensively. The best courses I have attended have included an element of exchange between styles and a focus on shared concepts, in this case it was referred to as good gong fu. It was highlighted that regardless of style you can see if someone has good gong fu or not. Equally to put our various styles into context we were told that hard or external styles and soft or internal styles start at the opposite end of the spectrum but we are all aiming to meet in the middle. This type of understanding and thinking is really up my street. Regardless of your rank or prowess in a particular style, a style is merely a vehicle for an understanding of martial principles that should be shared by all schools and styles teaching martial arts.

One part of the course I found really interesting was the standing meditation, although it looks very simple, it really is more than just standing still. It is an exercise that really does need a teacher to guide because the body position is so important, I hadn’t previously appreciated this, nor the subtleties of standing meditation’s practice. After the standing meditation we then moved on to 2 pieces of chi kung. The opening and unfolding of the hips was particularly challenging and something to work on! After a short break we started on the Lao Jia Yi Lu form and ran through the following: 

1, Yu Bei Shi – Preparing Form.

2, Jin Gang Dao Dui – Buddha’s Warrior Attendant Pounds Mortar.

3, Lan Zha Yi – Lazy About Tying the Coat.

So basically I have a lot to practice and think about! If anyone can recommend any good Chen style DVDs or resources please leave a comment to let me know.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog, which will delve into my studies in Tai Chi, include some reviews of books and DVDs, general discussions about Martial Arts and Tai Chi, as well as reviews of any open courses I attend. I hope you find it interesting.