gongfu of taijiquan

"... Taijiquan gradually allows our bodies and minds to change in ways that resonate with the pulse of life. It serves to remind us gently of our deeper nature by allowing us to experience again and again this primordial interplay of substantial and insubstantial."

Rick Barrett. Taijiquan: Through the Western Gate

Some words from Lao Tzu's other work.

If you go searching for the great Creator you'll come back  empty handed.

The source of the universe is ultimately unknowable, a great invisible river flowing forever through a vast and fertile valley.

Silent and uncreated, it creates all things.

All things are brought forth from the subtle realm into the manifest world by the mystical intercourse of yin and yang.

The dynamic river yang pushes forward, still valley yin is receptive, and through their integration things come into existence.

This is known as the Great Tai Chi.

Tai chi is the integral truth of the universe.

Everything is a tai chi: your body, the cosmic body, form, appearance, wisdom, energy, the unions of people, 

the dispersal of time and places.

Each brings itself into existence through the integration of yin and yang, maintains itself, 

and disperses itself without the direction of any Creator.

Your creation, your self-transformation, the accumulation of energy and wisdom, the decline and cessation of your body:

all takes place by themselves with in the subtle operation of the universe.

Therefore agitated effort is not necessary.

Just be aware of the Great Tai Chi.

from Hua Hu Ching  - Lao Tzu  (translation by Brian Walker)

If you go searching for the great Creator you'll come back  empty handed.The source of the universe is ultimately unknowable, a great invisible river flowing forever through a vast and fertile valley.Silent and uncreated, it creates all things.
All things are brought forth from the subtle realm into the manifest world by the mystical intercourse of yin and yang.The dynamic river yang pushes forward, still valley yin is receptive, and through their integration things come into existence.This is known as the Great Tai Chi.
Tai chi is the integral truth of the universe.Everything is a tai chi: your body, the cosmic body, form, appearance, wisdom, energy, the unions of people, the dispersal of time and places.Each brings itself into existence through the integration of yin and yang, maintains itself, and disperses itself without the direction of any Creator.Your creation, your self-transformation, the accumulation of energy and wisdom, the decline and cessation of your body:all takes place by themselves with in the subtle operation of the universe.
Therefore agitated effort is not necessary.Just be aware of the Great Tai Chi.

from Hua Hu Ching verse 39 - Lao Tzu  (translation by Brian Walker)

Go to the outdoors

I have just come in from doing my Tai Chi and Qigong outside.  These last few days have been wonderful here and it has been a pleasure to be able to go out and do the Qi practices out in Nature once again.  Now, while the ground is still too cold do do in barefoot, dress accordingly and get outside to draw on the burgeoning spring chi.   

 I strongly encourage you to move you practice outside as soon as practical. There really is nothing like it.

Quotations from the masters.

Be still like a great mountain.
Move like a flowing river. 

-Chang San-Feng, creator of Tai Chi

Hot off the Presses

Just uploaded an article about how the practice of Tai Chi has grown dramatically in the U.S.  This was published earlier today on People's Daily Online.  You can find it in the articles section or download  here.