Tai Chi the Martial Art & Philosophy – Ji Hong Tai Chi Mississauga

How Tai Chi Impacts Our Lives

November 12, 2018 by May Rahnema 1 Comment

In my previous blogs, I have spoken extensively about the health benefits of tai chi, also known as taijiquan, but there’s more than just health benefits. As many people know, martial arts have many lessons to teach us. These lessons not only transform the mechanics of our movements but they also instill life lessons.

Sometimes, we may not notice the transformative effects of these tai chi philosophies until a few years into the practice. So, let’s review some of the key advanced concepts of tai chi. Learning tai chi well means we aim to learn and master these concepts which will not only advance our mastery of tai chi but it will also permeate our lives.

Internal Discipline and Focus

Like other martial arts, tai chi also teaches discipline. It’s not an external discipline like most of the other martial arts but an internal discipline of movement. Unlike other external martial arts, tai chi requires a quiet self-discipline, there is no one shouting or pushing you to go beyond your limits. Instead, we dig deep inside your own mind and body to find the focus and inner strength to achieve the requirements of the tai chi moves.

The internal discipline of tai chi means movements start from the core of the body which is the spine and abdomen. Intentionally being able to move from the core often looks too subtle to mean anything to the untrained eye. However, after years of practice, a tai chi practitioner will use internal discipline to generate stretches and an intense flow of energy which will result in powerful movements which are deceptive looking.

The real world benefits of effectively harnessing our internal power results in not only effective martial arts performance but also improved health for the body and improved sports performance.

The Balance of Yin and Yang

One of the key principles of tai chi is the balance of Yin and Yang in our posture, stances and all movement. This balance is not just a point in time or a certain move or a certain posture. It is the constant attention to maintaining balance in your whole body through every single movement. When you find this balance, movement will feel effortless.

It’s the balance between hard and soft as well as external and internal. We typically go from being unrelaxed with muscles tensed to learning how to achieve a balance of both relaxed / soft external muscles and engaged / strong internal muscles. Most of us find it more difficult to achieve relaxed muscles. It takes work to realize we are contracting our muscles unnecessarily. We often lose our balance because we are unaware of muscles which are over extended or moving our centre away from our core.

As we master our awareness of how we occupy space with our bodies, we will gradually move from having our centre of balance all over the place to an effortless yin yang postural balance around our dantian or core almost all the time. When we are able to manage the combination of strong, engaged internal postural muscles with relaxed external movement muscles, we will be able to better reduce the stress our body experiences.

Reduced stress is one of the benefits of balance and understanding yin yang within our tai chi movements as well as body.

Tai Chi Elasticity

The principle of elasticity in tai chi allows us to harness the power of our bodies. This principle is known as “peng jing”. To achieve elasticity, the prerequisite is to be supple or flexible.

Just like the bow and arrow, the power of the arrow comes from the elasticity of the bow to launch the arrow forward much further than the bow itself would flex. Another more Canadian example is the hockey stick with its ability to flex to propel a hockey puck further and faster than just the strength of the hockey player’s power due to the elasticity of the materials of the stick’s shaft.

Tai Chi training involves developing just the right amount of flex in our body to maximize power in our movements. In life, being flexible does not mean you are weak. Instead, it can be a sign of hidden strength. If you apply this principle in how you interact with others or situations, it can have a profound impact on your life.

The key is to have the right amount of flexibility. Be too accommodating and you are a pushover. Be too inflexible and you are rigid and breakable. To acquire the right amount of flexibility in dealing with people or situations means taking a look at the big picture. Similar to how we achieve elasticity in tai chi, it must be presented as a whole and not as isolated parts of the body.

Success in Life as in Tai Chi is a Life Long Journey

The joy of learning tai chi is in the journey, not the destination. Sometimes the discoveries in tai chi are subtle and other times it can be enlightening. For me, all the discoveries are fulfilling and joyful. The personal growth and development from tai chi practice have always been a combination of physical, mental as well as emotional.

Too often, we live our lives trying to go somewhere instead of remembering to enjoy the moments as well as the companions who accompany us on that journey.

What is Chen Style Tai Chi?

November 5, 2018 by May Rahnema Leave a Comment

Welcome. My name is May Rahnema, tai chi instructor and co-owner of the Ji Hong Tai Chi Mississauga studio. In this video I am demonstrating the Chen Style form of Tai Chi, which is one of the main Tai Chi styles taught at Ji Hong Tai Chi schools.

You’ve probably already noticed that it reminds you of other martial arts forms if you’ve seen other martial arts performances. It’s true, Tai Chi or taijijian is a martial art.

But, tai chi is an internal martial art which is why you may have also heard that it is recognized as having a multitude of health and fitness benefits. These health benefits have been studied and are well-documented.

Chen Style: History

This particular form that I’m demonstrating is called Chen Style. Chen style is the oldest tai chi form of the five primary tai chi styles so there is a lot of history behind this form.

A famous Chinese martial arts historian, Tang Hao, provides the most extensive historical tai chi research based on verified records. The research shows that in the 17th century, the Chen family of Chen Village in the Henan province of China were practising their own unique form of martial arts (Tai Chi, the Martial Art). This original practice became the Chen family style of tai chi and all other tai chi styles are derived from this original form.

Tai Chi Forms: Chen Style

Forms or Taolu (套路; Chinese pinyin: tàolù) are choreographed movements emulating actual martial arts moves. A form serves as a means of training. This manner of training is common to many martial arts and allows people to practice alone when the martial artist does not have a training partner.

Even though, it is said that Chen style started out with 7 different forms, only 2 forms remain. The two remaining sets of Chen style tai chi are often referred to as the First routine and Second routine. The second routine (二路;Chinese pinyin: Èrlù)is more commonly known as Cannon Fist Fist (炮捶;Chinese pinyin: Pào chuí). This routine that you’re watching is the 1^st routine (一路; Chinese pinyin: yī lù) which is typically refered to as Chen style.

Tai Chi Forms: Cannon Fist

The first routine is performed slowly with a focus on softness and flow. There are few explosive movements.

The second routine called Cannon Fist is more advanced. The first routine is a pre-requisite for learning the second routine. The second routine, Cannon Fist, is characterized by numerous explosive movements with more strikes, kicks and jumps to increase stamina and striking power.

Higher stances and a routine with much faster, repetitive and explosive power movements emulate a more realistic application of the martial arts techniques.

When the first and second routines are practiced together back to back, it will take approximate 30 – 35 minutes to complete the forms. It is an exhausting workout testing an individual’s limit on endurance, stamina, strength in the lower body, internal qi and mental focus.

Old Frame vs New Frame

Within these two routines, there are still two main variants of Chen style tai chi: Old frame and New frame.

Old frame is obviously the older system of the 2 variants. Movements consist of relatively larger circles and less visible movement in the waist.

New frame has a strong focus on movements initiating from the dantian and waist, with more compact spirals and circular motions which is considered to be more difficult of the two.

The more compact spirals are subtle and difficulty to grasp. The stronger focus on dantian means the practitioner needs to have a higher comprehension of internal qi when executing moves. Regardless of which variant you practice, Old or New frame, the fundamental requirements, principles and practice methods remain the same.

Where to learn Chen Style Tai Chi

At Ji Hong Tai Chi schools, we practice the New frame Chen style tai chi First and Second routines.

New students at Ji Hong Tai Chi Mississauga start their tai chi journey by learning tai chi basics and foundational principles. After that, they can begin learning the Chen style First routine. It takes 3 semesters just to learn the moves, after that the student can progress to refinement and deeper understanding of the Chen style form in the Chen Advance classes. Having spent enough time practicing the First routine, students can progress to learning the Chen style second routine, a.k.a. Cannon Fist.

What to Look for in a Great Tai Chi Teacher

September 10, 2018 by May Rahnema Leave a Comment

When you’re looking to learn tai chi, you want to find a good teacher who can help you understand, enjoy and appreciate tai chi in a way that’s meaningful for you. Ji Hong Tai Chi has a philosophy of grooming good teachers not just people who have mastered tai chi in some way. This makes the Ji Hong Tai Chi a great place to learn and grow your qi gong, tai chi and weapons skills.

So, while you might be considering where to learn tai chi, I have been considering what we evaluate when we look for good teachers here at Ji Hong Tai Chi Mississauga.

To Be a Great Tai Chi Teacher, We Must First Master Tai Chi

Firstly, it takes many years of learning and diligent practice before one can achieve the skills and proficiency to be considered a tai chi expert. Even under ideal conditions, where you have the time and ability to train several hours daily under a good tai chi teacher, it will still be 10 years at a minimum. To be a good tai chi teacher, you need at a minimum certain technical proficiencies such as sound knowledge of the forms and underlying tai chi principles plus:

good observation skills
attention to the details
good communication skills

To be a great tai chi teacher, you need more than just the technical skills, you need a set of qualities that are not easy to cultivate. The following are the top 10 qualities that I believe can serve as a guide to becoming a great tai chi teacher.

1. A Passion for Teaching Tai Chi

Passion manifests itself in many ways. Passionate teachers wake up looking forward to a day with the opportunity to work with students so the students can gain a passion for tai chi as well. Some teachers will walk into the room with a spring in their steps while others show it quietly with earnest dedication. This passion is something that cannot be faked nor hidden and students can feel it.

2. A Love for Tai Chi

Great teachers not only love Tai Chi, but they love to share that joy with their students. You cannot escape the enthusiasm and joy that exudes from a great teacher when they discuss and share their favourite subject. You can see the glint in their eyes, hear the excitement in their voices and watch the enjoyment in their face and entire demeanour.

3. Vested in the Personal Growth of Students

An expert can talk for hours about a subject. A great teacher will always talk about the students and the joy of seeing students grasp and understand a subject. For a tai chi teacher, joy comes in the form of seeing a student execute a move, understand something or achieve something that was unattainable just moments ago. What feeds the soul of a great teacher comes from seeing students who have been working hard for weeks or months and suddenly have a break through where they realize that they have got it finally. And, once someone knows, it is not possible to not know any longer. This look on their face is priceless. This is the personal growth that every great teacher wishes for their students.

4. Patience

Great teachers are patient with their students, they will repeat the move or explanation as many times as necessary for students to learn. They do it with a smile every time. They allow mistakes without judging. They wait for the right moment to say the right thing. Teachers gently correct and encourage while patiently waiting for students to reach their own potential in their own time.

5. Personal Self-Reflection

Like many professionals, great teachers work to improve their skills as teachers. They study and continually upgrade their skills in the art of teaching. And, they regularly reflect upon their own performance throughout the day or daily so they keep learning as teachers as well as tai chi martial artists.

When something good or bad happens, teachers want to spend time reflecting on it. If things went well, we ask ourselves questions such as whether it was something that a student did or something that we as teachers facilitated. If things went poorly, we focus on what we did or did not do and what we would do in a similar situation the next time. We are constructively critical of ourselves and learn from any mistakes we may make along the way.

6. Learning is a Two Way Street

A great teacher learns from the students as much as the students learn from the teacher. Great teachers are not threatened by questions from students and do not take it personally when challenged on a topic. We aim to listen carefully without jumping to conclusions. Questions help us as teachers to increase our depth of knowledge about tai chi and wisdom about the process. We all improve as teachers as much as students.

7. Teachers are Humble

A great teacher will not let ego get in the way. When we put the focus on the students instead of ourselves, then we are performing our role well. Students use the mirror to see if they are doing things well and whether they are modeling the movements correctly. When leading a class, the great teacher uses the mirror to see if the students are able to keep up with the pace of the lesson.

8. Being Flexible

Things do not always go as planned during a lesson. A great teacher must be flexible enough to change the lesson plan when things are not working out for the students. We are constantly assessing the class to make sure that every student is able to understand what to do and be able to learn the lesson well.

A great teacher can conjure up new ways to present the same topic from new perspectives. This helps students grasp the lesson from a more relatable point of view for them. Great teachers understand their students and they will adjust to the learning style of the students present in the studio during each hour.

9. Professionalism

Professionalism shows in our personal presentation, timeliness, preparedness for the classes, and the way we interact with students, peers and our own teachers. Beyond the classroom, we may need to look after other aspects of maintaining a healthy learning environment. We may need to look after problems that might impact the class or a student’s health and well-being. Regardless, we are able to maintain our poise through difficult situations and react in an appropriate manner.

10. Self-Improvement

There is always room for improvement. No matter how good we think we are, we can still be better. Improvements can come in many ways:

Advancing our tai chi skills – as our skill level increases, we may see things from a different perspective and that allows us to explain concepts with greater clarity.
Expanding our knowledge – a wider or deeper knowledge base helps relate tai chi concepts with other concepts and knowledge with which students can relate.
Upgrading our teaching techniques – continuously exploring different ways to teach the same topic is key to improving our success as teachers.

If You Enjoy Tai Chi and Might Enjoy Teaching Tai Chi, Take the First Step

If you enjoy tai chi, continue your learning path to becoming a tai chi instructor. Start practicing these 10 qualities of being a great teacher. As a studio which looks for great tai chi masters who are also great teachers, we’ll start to take notice of the people who have the passion as well as the talent to make this long journey with us. We are always in search for good people and good company on this journey to improving our tai chi and becoming great teachers.

Watch and Learn about Tai Chi – A Video Blog

August 31, 2018 by May Rahnema Leave a Comment

Live Performance of Tai Chi

Tai Chi, commonly known as “moving meditation”, is much more than just an activity performed by people in the park. Tai Chi has its origins as an INTERNAL martial art, it can help maintain health as well as build skills to better movement, balance and biomechanics.

As we will witness in this demonstration, there is a lot of flow and grace in each of the movements, with a variety of speeds and dynamic interactions. Tai chi is not JUST the stereotypical slow moving exercise you see on TV or in the park. It is so much more … so let me introduce some of the lesser known aspects of tai chi.

Chen Village – The Birthplace of Tai Chi

Chen Village is the birth place of Tai Chi with roots dating back over 300 years. The oldest and original form of tai chi comes from Chen Village, therefore it is named Chen Style Tai Chi. In the early years, the original Tai Chi forms were kept a secret and practiced solely by villagers of all ages to defend the community. Tai Chi may have started as an internal martial art but the Chinese soon discovered that it offered enormous pro-active healthcare benefits to those who practice it daily.

Tai Chi – An International Martial Arts Sport

Tai Chi has also become an international sport, with athletes showcasing the grace and beauty of tai chi movements that vary between slow and fast, soft and powerful, with low stances, jumps, kicks and strikes.

In the late 1800s, a modified version of tai chi emerged called Yang Style Tai Chi. Yang Style Tai Chi is a gentle and flowing form, performed at an even speed, with simple, direct and easily adaptable stances. This form of tai chi is the most widespread and commonly practiced form of tai chi today.

Tai Chi for Health & Fitness

People of all ages practice tai chi for improving health and fitness. Learning Tai Chi is challenging with a steep learning curve, but the benefits and rewards are profound and long lasting.

Everyone starts with the basic skills program to learn vocabulary, principles and foundational movements before branching out to either a Yang style or Chen style tai chi, and weapons at the advanced levels.

Learning Tai Chi at Ji Hong Tai Chi Mississauga

My name is May Rahnema and this is Master Bao Sen Liang leading a class. We would like to welcome you to visit our studio in Mississauga, Ontario. Or visit our website: www.taichi.ca for more information.

Try a complimentary trial class or attend one of our monthly Open House events. We look forward to seeing you!

5 Myths about Tai Chi

July 7, 2018 by May Rahnema Leave a Comment

In North America, most people have only seen Tai Chi, also written as taiji or taijiquan, as an exercise that people perform in the park. But, most people don’t understand its full potential as a work out for people of all ages.

Many do not realize that tai chi originated as an internal martial arts, from a place known as Chen Village. As a means of survival, the entire village, from the very young to the very old, learned tai chi and have become renowned for their martial arts. Tai chi is a highly effective martial arts. However it takes a long time, with a lot of commitment and hard work to become proficient.

People may have a few ideas about tai chi but there are also definitely some misconceptions about tai chi. Very often these misconceptions prevent many people from even trying out tai chi.

Myth 1: Isn’t Tai Chi Too Slow to offer a Good Work Out?

In North America, we believe that a real work out must involve fast aerobic exercises. However, practicing the Yang style tai chi form which can take 25 – 30 minutes to complete will have fitness effects lasting hours afterwards. And, on top of that, there are other health benefits.

If your additional health goals include any of the following, then you should try a tai chi class.

Improving balance to reduce injuries due to falls
Improving postural alignment
Using core muscles for movement and work
Improving biomechanics
Reducing joint wear and tear
Increasing muscle relaxation and balanced muscle use
Reducing mental stress and anxiety

Tai Chi when performed correctly in this slow and deliberate manner is more strenuous than it looks, while providing a safer and better whole body workout from the inside to the outside.

Myth 2: I thought Tai Chi is too gentle for anyone except the Elderly

Most of the tai chi styles do appear to be soft and gentle, but this is not always the case. After all, its origins are from martial arts. For instance, the Chen style tai chi form incorporates gentle movements with interjected explosive movements. As the original and oldest form of tai chi, this style retained most of its martial arts roots and techniques.

The Chen Style form includes a more dynamic range of postures that demand more strength, flexibility and engagement of the core muscles. Also, when our bodies move from a slow gentle movement to an explosive one, it is like accelerating a vehicle from 0 to 100km/hr, it requires a lot more energy and stability. Our bodies demand a great deal of cardiovascular activity as well as core muscle strength to move powerfully in quick bursts.

While there are many incidental health benefits for the elderly or those handicapped by other health issues, when practiced correctly, tai chi is both physically demanding as well as difficult to master advanced biomechanics. A typical practice of the Chen style first routine followed by the second routine can last for up to 40 minutes and leave you soaking in sweat as well as both mentally and physically exhausted.

Myth 3: Is Tai Chi just a series of Steps with Waving Arm Movements

If you end up in a class where you don’t learn anything more than which direction to wave your arm next, then you are not learning tai chi. To get the best out of practicing tai chi and the full health benefits, you want to understand how to move from the inside out using internal martial arts principles which engage core muscles fully, employ the full range of motion of our joints and demands postural alignment.

A good teacher will guide you through how to work with your internal core as much as your arms and legs which are the manifestation of the movement of our core energy or the “dantian”. A good teacher will guide you with goals that are within your abilities and explain how to achieve it in your practice. Repetition and a variety of training programs are required to achieve the muscle memory as well as mastery of concepts first introduced in the Tai Chi Basics class. And it does not need to be boring.

With a wide variety of tai chi class choices, people are able to continue learning, practicing and remain challenged while staying healthy and eventually mastering some of the more elusive concepts of an internal martial art. Our extensive offering of tai chi programs means people can tailor a journey that most inspires them.

Tai Chi Basics – our mandatory introductory course
Chen Style Tai Chi – Level 1, 2 & 3 plus workshops
Yang Style Tai Chi – Level 1, & 2 plus workshops
Wu Style Tai Chi – Level 1, 2 & 3 plus workshops
Tai Chi Push Hands
Cannon Fist which is the Chen Style Second Routine
Tai Chi Weapons– Spear, Sword, Sabre & Long Pole
Forms Practice – practice skills from the many classes
Tai Chi Fitness – enhance your fitness while honing more difficult Yang & Chen Style moves
Qi Gong Health and Vitality (read more about Qi Gong here: What is Qi Gong? )

The Tai Chi Fitness class is a unique offering pioneered at our Mississauga school which incorporates repetitive Tai Chi movements from Yang and Chen styles tai chi to achieve fluency in the movements while getting a good work out. People attend Qi Gong, Forms Practice and Tai Chi Fitness in addition to a primary program to boost their weekly work out time or hone skills which may still seem elusive.

Myth 4: But, I have bad knees so I can’t practice Tai Chi

When you practice tai chi as intended, tai chi will help your knees not hurt them. Knowing how to move into and out of the most effective postures for your body, you’ll learn good biomechanics which minimize impact on your knees and return proper knee alignment and function. On the other hand, poor biomechanics, tense muscles and tight knee joints are some of the issues which lead to the deterioration of our knees.

Start slow and do not push yourself too hard too fast, your muscles need time to strengthen and joints need time to restore its elasticity. Rest when you are either mentally or physically tired. We make mistakes in our movements when we are tired and not paying attention, so avoid injuries by taking a break.

To learn more about why tai chi helps knees, read our blog on how to Strengthen and Protect Knee Joints with Tai Chi.

Myth 5: Isn’t Tai Chi the Chinese version of Yoga?

Tai Chi is not anything like yoga. Firstly, Tai Chi is an internal martial art, even if you are practicing it for health reasons. Tai Chi is not static and will never fit on a mat like yoga. It’s a series of continuous movements which flow from one to the next. Hyperextension or over stretching is discouraged due to its potential for injury while moving from one stance to the next.

Tai Chi is known as the “moving meditation”. How you move is just as important as the final stance into which the movements evolve. It takes all of our awareness and focus to move into and finish tai chi stances as they were intended. Since there is no stopping between movements, there’s no time for our focus or attention to lapse. We have no choice except to be fully present as we practice tai chi. This fully engaged mindfulness into what you are doing now is the definition of meditation.

Even with a hip or knee replacement, tai chi can be practiced as joints remain well within their normal range of movement and typically, within the strongest range of its movement. And, because all the movements are done slowly in standing stances, people with hypertension or vascular conditions are able to participate safely.

Explore the Many Exciting Aspects of Tai Chi

These are just a few of the myths that we answer for new or prospective participants who may hesitate to join a tai chi class. The only way to understand is to get started with one of our Basic Tai Chi classes. We’ll get you started with tai chi terminology as well as typical movements which you will need again and again as you take your journey through the many exciting and challenging tai chi or qi gong classes. Check out our schedule and contact us to attend an open house or trial class.