YouTube - Traditional Yang Simplified Tai-Chi 24form JUNKO

YouTube
- Traditional Yang Simplified Tai-Chi 24form JUNKO

I study at Madisonville Community College a different form of Tai Chi that has elements of this style. Tai Chi has many family styles like Chen, Sun, Wu, Yang etc. and some forms go up to 104 and some include weapons like spear and sword. All have emphasis on chi, breathing, centered movement, slow flowing patterns, and have scientific background studies showing aid for balance, fall prevention in the elderly, better lung capacity, blood glucose improvements, and arthritis aid. Since I rehab a torn medial meniscus in my left knee still from an errant hay bale I was taking off a pick up truck for someone else's sake, it has helped me with blood pressure, blood glucose levels, and balance. I am by no means an expert even after months, but I did find it was useful after 4 rounds to feel differently with stress control, and I found it was energizing inside. I have several books, and DVD's now, but I follow only the form I was taught by my professor out of respect and frankly because I think it would detract from what I still learn. In group sessions I still pick up as a person who tends to be analytical on why things work, what leads to the next movement, why is my hand out, where should my eyes go, what periphery should I expand, when do I inhale in the movement, and how to transition smoothly to the next movement in the form. I do see variations among the You Tube folks that do it better than I can in their own form and its kind of neat to see Repulse Monkey done by different styles or Wave Hands Like Clouds. I do see this girl tends to be lower in center of gravity, sometimes seems to push the front leg knee just a little in front of toes where in my style I try hard to never let my knee extend past an invisible line from my big toe to the sky. In my case it may be my knee injury makes me sensitive to it, but I try to always lead with the hip before the knee to reduce stress on it. Dr. Scott Vander Ploeg is our sifu in Tai Chi at MCC in Madisonville Kentucky and I could recommend the class to anyone. It is typically taught at 5 pm on Tuesday's at Glema Mahr Center for the Fine Arts and is well worth it. You also get a DVD with the class to do study at home when not in class. As many times as I view it I still tend to pick up things the more I do the study I missed before, and I find its just simply more fun in a group setting where there is no judgmental folk issues, you go at your own pace trying to not have any pain by over extending, and as you learn you can try to help the beginner around you. Since I have lived a lot lately as an elderly care giver, and visited a lot with new friends I made in patients in multiple nursing home settings, I think Tai Chi done when you are younger has even added benefits as you age. Kentucky has 6 inches of snow in my front yard right now with blackbirds pushing aside the cardinal pair to get to my bird feeders. On a snowy day it is good to be warm inside still with power and to have Tai Chi to warm your inside. I like to spend the time doing things like looking at You Tube forms to see how others study and what the other forms provide. My teacher was taught by a sifu and out of respect for him tries to keep the form the same. I kind of like that aspect of it. I still like to see what other forms are like, how folks do them etc. I also can recommend anything by Dr. Paul Liam you can find on Amazon.com or his books. He is very good on senior Tai Chi benefits as a doctor. I have also been looking at Qiqong or Chi Kung movements that are linked to Tai Chi on things like breathing and movement as a method of stress reduction. In English there are variations on how the word is written from a Chinese character. For example there is something called the dan tien in Chinese medicine that has a lot to do with center of gravity and core use breathing. I like James Shaw's book on Tai Chi for Equestrians because it combines something I get from dressage horse riding lessons from Trinity Stables on how the horse reads how I ride from the core, seat bones, pelvic girdle without me doing a verbal cue. Learning Tai Chi made me a better rider, but riding made me sensitive to balance and core use issues that helps me with Tai Chi. Live long and prosper and have a warm internal core today in the snow. My wind chimes on the front porch are ringing off and I notice the birds are not bothered by the sound since they are used to it.