Tapping Ren Du and going with the Vinyasa Flow

This week’s class saw the final piece of the Weiji Yufang Gong puzzle being put into place. Since May the group has been steadily working through the form and now we practiced it, the whole set. Now starts the period of polishing and going deeper, I can’t wait. I really enjoy detail and the theory that I believe goes hand in hand with the movements. Without this detail we are embarking on a memory game of chorography, a dance and not a Qi Gong set. I am really lucky because the teacher Mike drip feeds us this vital knowledge alongside learning the motions. This reminds me of a quote by Goju Ryu Karate Master Gogen “the Cat” Yamaguchi who rightly points out that "It’s not how many Kata you know, but the substance of Kata you have acquired”. Quality is critical not quantity. I think many martial artists are guiltly of wanting to move on, push and learn the next form, the next move, etc. I personally prefer to lock in a technique, to make it mine so I can perform and practice with confidence, rather than knowing half the story and filling in the blanks myself. Having Gordon Faulkner’s book to hand is also useful, so each time I practice I am going to focus on one of the moves, read the relevant explanation in the book then practice the set focusing on what I have just read. Hopefully that system will help me to slow it down and make the most of my technique.

I also had time to pick up Master Liming Yue’s Laojia DVD and have again been revising over the opening, Buddha’s warrior attendant pounds the mortar, lazy about tying the coat and six sealings and four closings. I am really looking forward to the next seminar, which is rapidly approaching in September!

Yoga this week was also really good, at class we ran through the sun salutation, which is one of my favourite sets in Yoga. I also did my last free class on Yoogaia. I went for some Vinyasa  flow which I really, really enjoyed. I really enjoyed Yoogaia because you could fit yoga classes around your other commitments and the amount of choice was brilliant. I could try out yoga styles that aren’t available locally to me. Wonderful. 

If you'd like to try out Yoogaia click the link for a free trial! https://yoogaia.com/?referral=97C9P7URUMZM

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!

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!