Hi guys So my girlfriend is starting tai chi or at least attending a class on thursday... i was wondering what the best way to support her would be, i have never done any tai chi so i dont know much about it, but she wanted me to help her find a good place as i have done martial arts and this is her first time (she knows i've not done tai chi itself but she isnt asking he based off that) . whats a good tai chi class/club like? whats the best way to help her if anything in her training? and whats the main questions she should ask her instructor...not the obvious things but...tai chi related questions she wants to not this week but next week...to take her to a tai chi club and watch her in lesson. Obviously i understand in all its her choice (she loves the idea of tai chi)...and if she reali wants to train at a place i'd feel happy for her but...what should i really do?
Like he said, what does she want from it? A social exercise class? Killer martial arts? Free fighting? Just form? Most classes will let you watch to see what a class is like. If she wants more than a chinese exercise then she'll need to do push hands or similar to start with. She should ask about that. Push hands in my overbloated self opinionated belief is an excellent way to improve on form, and an entryway into the more martial aspect if it is of interest. Not everyone starting a martial art wants to kick ass. So questions to ask: What forms can she learn? Do they do push hands? What family/style is it? taichifinder.co.uk is one way to find something. Be aware though that even if a tai chi class is not overly martial it may have more than enough for her to be happy. Just because they don't use pads and weapons doesn't mean it's crap. There are still things that can be learned and developed without that. If you give the answers back on the thread I'm sure we'll argue as to whether or not it is worth attending.
Hi 'Rider', What Simon said - Where are you based. If you want to give the name of the class / instructor, it may be that I or someone here will know them...
In the uk she lives in leicestershire in earl shilton Its very close to where she lives the wedsite is http://www.dancingcat.org.uk/#! i know she isn't after the aggressive side of martail arts...she says she wants the spiritual side of it...i dont know much on tai chi so i dont know if she will get what she wants out of it...but generally i know she wants the spiritual part of it and generally as a good hobby and she likes the idea of the health benifits. She is going to a tai chi class at the club that the wedsite belongs to above on thursday (the 18th)...she will be taking part in the class but has asked me to watch as she wants to spend the day with me... If she dont enjoy the class are there other tai chi clubs in the area that anyones knows that are good? ... and how do i be supportive, i want to be supportive for her but i guess lack off experience in such things and no knowledge of tai chi is...i guess makes it hard for me to relate to her mind set at the moment
Just had a look at the website - it says she teaches Li style which I presume is the Chee Soo style - which whilst being considered by many as non-traditional is still very good (in my opinion) - so your girlfriend should give it a go and have fun.
Hi 'Yohan', I completely agree that Tai Chi (indeed virtually any martial art) should not be a substitute for, or a form of religion - however spirituality can mean more than 'religion' and some of what (to me) it encompasses can be included in martial arts teaching. Care of oneself. Care of others. Understanding of possibilities and options. Understanding that actions have consequences. and much more...
My teacher is in south Leicester.He and his wife only teach privately these days but costs are very reasonable.He introudced Sun style tai chi into the UK in the early nineties and was a disciple of the late Sun Jianyun,daughter of Sun Lutang.Training is very down to earth and practical and not really geared to any new age airy-fairy stuff.Its tai chi as it should be taught,form,push hands and applications.If she wants to learn a traditional art in a traditional way its a good opportunity.
Sorry to say but even though we like the spirtual and self inner jouney of the martial arts... We are both athiest and have no belife in god Its nothing religion related...i think she is after the spiritual harmony and inner peace...aswell as a good hobby...i know she has no belife in god is it isnt a religion issue she actually deeply felt uncomfy by a religours unbringing and disliked going to church when she was younger Hi...Thank you...do you by chance have an idea of the cost for private instruction and a phone number...i think this could be a good opition to have... Thanks
Just because you don't believe in god doesn't mean you can't learn about spirituality from them. If you want to learn about religion, only visit one church. if you want to learn about spirituality, visit many churches. I'm not trying to recommend you away from Tai Chi. I'm just saying if she has a genuine interest in Spirituality, there are more objective ways to pursue and practice it then by taking Martial Arts. By reading spiritual and religious texts, engaging in spiritual and religious practices, and by talking and learning from those who know something about it. In my quest for spiritual harmony and enlightenment I have learned more from reading, reflection, meditation, and talking with old masters then I have from any kind of Martial Arts training.
Essentially the 'religion' associated with TaiChiChuan is Taoism. As far as I can tell, it is very difficult to find Taoism outside of China, and TCC has been corrupted significantly in China. So I don't know that TCC (or any MA e.g Aikido with Shintoism) is a good route to look for spirituality, but I would consider TCC as a vehicle towards a spiritual interpretation of Taoism damm difficult and almost pointless. This is a good example of where western people look to Oriental MA with spirituality as an objective, and in doing so lose sight of what MA really is all about i.e. TCC in this case. It may be a bit easier with a more mainstream religion like Bhudism via Yoga. Taoism as in the I-Ching, Bagua, 5 elements and so on, via TCC is not going to be easy unless very well versed in the so called 'classics' of TCC and other associated Neijia MA (Xing Yi, Baguazhang and other minor arts) - which are written in ancient Mandarin - and ambigiously translated into English. You can always buy hook, line and sinker the mystical mumbo jumbo that no end of folk will peddle in the west and in China.
I disagree with you on this point. Personally I found that practising Taiji helped me understand Taoist philosophy (which shouldn't be confused with religious Taoism of course.) It's rather like the saying "A picture is better than a thousand words." Abstract concepts which I found hard to get my head around only became clear when I felt what they meant in practise.
Well to put a different spin on it:- I cant see how one can develop TCC without some minimal exposure to Taoism i.e. Taoism is undeniably integral to TCC. What I cant see as workable is looking for spirituality (Meridians, Chi etc) up front when going to a TCC class. Most folk wont have even heard of Taoism prior to a TCC class, but shedloads will be seeking 'spirituality' - whatever that is. Through good TCC instruction, one can indeed pick up on elements of the Taoist philosophy (a kind of primitive 'science' - before physics, chemistry,astronomy, biology, and metrology existed). Gaining quality of instruction in TCC within a Taoist context is possible. Through bad TCC instruction (as happened to me for a few months), one can train in ineffective meaningless TaiCheese with plenty of 'Taoist' claptrap read out of a book/DVD and regurgitated to the willing (not me.) I have been through 16 TCC teachers in 3 years + 8 months and experienced more or less both ends of the spectrum. One may find Taoism and maybe 'spirituality' in TCC, but can one go into TCC actively seeking this over the Martial ? For me TCC just doesnt mean anything when its MA aspect is removed.
Well, you tell her to go for it, work hard, be proud of what she learns and show what she's learned to you while practicing. One young lady I date on and off does an art I know little to nothing about but its still fun to watch her practice ( especially when she's nude).......if she reads this I'm toast by the way...
I think I may have misinterpreted what you meant by the word 'spiritual'. I was talking more about 'philosphy' really. My mistake. I have had similar experiences to you in the past, in that I trained (briefly) with one teacher who spoke of claptrap like 'celestial energy' and who got the class to try to feel people's 'chi' with their eyes shut. On the other hand I trained for a few years with a teacher who didn't mention anything 'spiritual' once. His classes were purely practical. I'm not really a very 'spiritual' person. Whatever I tried to take from Taoist 'philosophy' was purely practical and rooted in everyday reality. Quasi-religious mumbo-jumbo puts me right off. Of course, there are 'new-age' type people who look for that in Taiji, and sadly there seem to be plenty of 'new-age' type teachers who are happy to supply with what they want.
I also cannot stand overly airy fairy feel the force Luke style of tai chi. Keep religious/spiritual stuff out of it. That being said the philosophy of Taoism, and also Confucianism to an extent, form a key element in understanding what tai chi is all about. Even if you don't want to learn physical self-defence and can help you develop a certain amount of mental self-defence in that you are better able to face the trials and stresses that life sends you. Not destroying people with mind-bullets! But to get a whole lot more out of the experience I feel that push hands is an excellent 'arena' to explore some of these principles in the physical so that you can see why they could work in the mental. It also improves your understanding of the form. In a class you can always tell the people who practice push hands from those who don't in that they develop a much better understanding of what the form is trying to do from an exercise point of view. Relaxing more, rooting better, understanding the separation of weight. Without PH it is only a shadow of what it could be. With the right partners (who are also more interested in learning the principles as opposed to blasting someone across the room) it can be great fun too. If I were ever to start up teaching again I would want to ensure that every class had a few minutes of push hands practice. Polite push hands if you will, leave the pushing people into a wall for a different session. Use the practice as a way to explain why invest in loss can be good.
