Understanding T'AI CHI CH'UAN with Gerda Geddes

Hmm, I'm going to demonstrate the long yang form of tai tituan, as taught to me by master choi kam man in the 1950s in the far east. Tai chuan is a gentle full-body exercise suitable for both young and old. This video should be used in conjunction with teacher learning. I have made these movements in such a way that if you stand in front of the TV screen you can do the movements as if you were looking in a mirror. This movement is called holding the circle again holding the circle grabbing. the sparrow's tail oh the bird closes its beak strumming the booty holding the circle the big bird spreads its wing brush the knee and push strum the booty rush kneel and push thread the booty the hand in fist is the chuang twisted step push punch brush the sleeve take the tiger to the mountain fist under the elbow take a step back to keep the monkey away uh the magic bird stands on one leg the big bird extends its swing looking for the golden needle opening the fan the spoke of the wheel uh the bird closes its beak waving your arms like clouds bird closes its beak hello pat on a horse a gentle kick and a gentle kick with lift crosses towards the chest and sinks open on the parallel line and oh crooked step and step push punch lift kick throw it lift and fist and squeeze turn step turn the tiger's ears raise the fist and kick forward open the arms diagonally downward and grab the tiger by both ears downward raise and kick the arms above the head lower the feet parallel carry the tiger to the mountain and lift uh step on the parallel line separate the mane of the wild horse turn in a circle separate turn on and take the last step turn and sink rest the bird speaks a single whip and separate cross pass and the beautiful lady works with shuttles and press shield up and press shield and press crooked step and step, push and hit, sit, talk wheel over and under, single whip and separate cloud arms a second time, turn and go down, cross, go down , come down, oh, the snake crawls into the water, goes up and transforms into a golden one. standing on one leg steps back golden on one leg and lifts step and pushes the monkey holds the circle and the bird leaning flying up on one leg and down strums the booty turns the circle rises the bird spreads its wings down for the golden needle lift up and open the fan at the back open the fan oh bird talk and a single whip spread the arms of the cloud for the third time and duh down on the twisted step and push the punch halfway sit back and keep talking bird for the last time and separate Now this snake goes down the right leg and goes up with the back of the hand, fist and reaches the seven stars, step back, prepare to ride the tiger, then you ride the tiger, go out, lift up, pick up the lotus flower with the leg extended. make a fist and shoot the arrow above the head, lower your feet, cross your left arm in parallel, your right arm and lower your arms to the side, lift up and thank you, foreigner, take one more step towards the rear diagonal, separate yourself , move away, oh and sink, turn in. on the heel, enter the body diagonally, now turn in a spiral and push forward, lift wide.

I have been teaching tai chi chuan for approximately 25 years in London. It's interesting to see how many different types of people are drawn to Taijichuan across a wide range. of professions and ages, in recent years several people have been recommended by their doctors, people with high blood pressure, back pain, stiff shoulders, etc. Tai chi strengthens and straightens damaged backs. I also work with many young dancers. It is helpful for them to learn something about how they can improve their strength and energy to avoid injury and burnout. Many artists come perhaps because they feel that taiji helps them concentrate and makes them think more clearly.

There is a pattern and this pattern must be followed. There has to be a way but there must be. There must also be a certain freedom within the form and this is where the individual comes into play. I've been practicing tai chi for about three years I think and I certainly feel it. I mean, sometimes you talk about being able to feel the inside of your body and feel the bones inside the skin, I certainly feel like I think and breathe too, I mean, I can, I know I can control my breathing a lot more because you do tai chi movements. and then if I'm sitting anywhere, if I feel anxious.

I feel like I can control my breathing and do tai chi breathing type things to calm myself down. One of the things I discovered is that I am walking now, if I walk alone to catch the bus or coming through London, I find that I can walk, I think much faster and straighter. I mean, it has something to do with leg movement and putting your feet straight forward, which is something I never realized before and some of those things you were telling us about. recently about twisting the body by doing one movement in that direction and the other movement in the other direction on my back, that's fantastic, I do this, waving my hands like I do in the shower every morning, that's fantastic, exercise for the back.

I said you know you're not the only dancer who has come to see me with back problems and yes, tai chi helps a lot of things that can't be pinpointed. I think, above all, it teaches me to be present no matter what is happening. It's not always easy or pleasant, but how to stay in things, yes, yes, and stay in touch with the ground. I think that's probably the most helpful. Yes. My personal interpretation of Tai Chi Chuan has been greatly influenced by my previous training and background. Brought with me from Norway I was born in a big house near the old state church in Frantos and one of the first memories of my childhood is that church with its dragon heads reaching to the sky, there always seems to be something strange and mystical about it.

When I was a child I often walked through the park that surrounded the church and I was always drawn to nature. My grandfather took me for walks through forests and mountains and he told me that he had to move and walk in nature so as not to scare me. wild animals twenty years after my grandfather's death I found myself in China and there I met an old master who taught me tai chi chuan and the first thing he began to tell me was how important it was to support the foot gently with the sole of the foot in contact with the ground so as not to damage the earth, this was like listening to my grandfather over and over again.

They believe in the East that the first thing Buddha did was walk seven steps and in each of his footprints a lotus flower grew. My old teacher said that if you can walk on this earth in such a way that your foot can grow flowers, then you know you are walking the right way. When my husband and I went to China, we lived in the countryside outside of Shanghai during the summer. In Shanghai it was so hot that to get some exercise we went for a walk early in the morning and one day we saw an old Chinese man standing next to a canal and we could see his image reflected in the water while he was doing something very slow.

With slow movements, he concentrated. so much into what he was doing that he didn't pay attention to us while we watched. I felt hot and cold down my spine and thought, what is this wonderful thing I'm seeing? and then I had a feeling. that this was what I had been looking for my whole life before we went to Shanghai. I had been studying psychology and dance and completed a learning analysis. He had a half-brother who became schizophrenic. I thought I had received secret messages from India and China through spells from him and as a child I felt I could understand what he was talking about and perhaps it was thanks to my brother that I became so interested in these things.

I've always been trying to figure out what motivates people, the sign that taiji represents. a circle and you see that the circle contains two fish each with one eye the white fish has a black eye and the black fish has a white eye you have yang which is masculine and yin which is feminine taiji means the ten thousand things, everything in the universe and then you have the word chuan chuan which means closed hand and this closed hand indicates the use of concentration and self-discipline, thus keeping our impulses under control and making them servants, not masters.

A principle of Tajik is that before you start moving you must To find stillness you have to find this stillness within yourself and the Chinese say that stillness is the master of movement and that heaviness is the basis of lightness. You must feel the force of gravity before you can understand the lightness in all the taijichuan movements that exist. a balance between yang and yin taiji also teaches you about energy and change and how to make use of your energy so as not to waste it this is what we often do in the west we put too much energy into what we are doing we are doing and then We become completely exhausted, but if you study taiji for a long period of time you will learn to use your body and your spirit in such a way that you will always have a certain amount of energy available while we are in this life.

We live within this body and therefore it is important to use the body in the correct way so that we do not have the head in one place and the body in another, both have to work together if one tries to interpret the tai symbols. chi chuan in order of appearance will show us an allegory of our journey through life and this allegorical journey is the same for all of us the ancient form of titan consisted of three parts at the end of each part there is a movement called carrying the tiger in your arms and return to the mountain for the chinese the mountain symbolizes stillness the tiger represents energy so when one has walked for a while on the road one needs to rest and then hug the tiger and return to the mountain when one is rested the journey continues the tiger presents other movements like grabbing the tiger by both ears and holding it tight and grabbing the tiger's ears and turning its head these movements show how one has to fight with one's natural impulses in order to control them, it is said that the monkey represents human nature and that it was born well, but the monkey, like human beings, was easily led into temptation and the monkey is always there when you try to concentrate and then in taiji there is a movement in which you have to walk. back so that you slowly push the monkey and when you have done that and you have got rid of all your monkey thoughts, then comes a movement called the magic bird spreads its wings when the bird does this movement it is like the whole body opens ready to receive grace when you have received a blessing you are ready to create this idea is developed in a movement called look for the golden needle at the bottom of the sea the golden needle represents an act of original thought the next movement is named opening the fan in china they were made many beautiful paintings and works of art on the fans.

It is interesting that this whole sequence is repeated later in the taijichuan as if to show that not only once in a lifetime can you be creative, but perhaps you can do something even more beautiful later in life if you continue to develop. The next animal I want to mention is the snake. The snake in China represents knowledge and learning. There is a movement called the snake crawls into the water, which means our search for The unconscious, the snake emerges transformed into a golden position on one leg, it represents a new day and a new beginning.

At this stage of life one has accumulated experience, but if you want to find wisdom you must set aside your knowledge and learning. you have to let everything go let it fall into the water then you will be reborn and the new you will see life in a different way in the last part of the tajichuan we have the symbol of the horse in the early days the horse It was thought to be aggressive and represented the conquering hordes that They invaded China from the north. The only way one can overcome aggression is by being gentle, if you are scared and full of aggression the horse will feel the same, so you will only be able to approach the horse if you are gentle and not afraid the next sequence is called the beautiful lady works with shuttles the beautiful lady is guanyin the goddess of mercy and with her cards she is weaving a pattern between heaven and earth this goddess came down to earth to help human beings when we were in trouble and she wove a magical cloth making the connection between heaven and earth possible in the last sequence we had the lotus flower and the lotus flower represents everything that is beautiful on this earth before you leave this existence, you take the lotus flower and say thank you for everything beautiful in your life towards the end of the taijichuan you ride your tiger you pick the lotus flower and then you shoot the arrow when you know how to ride your tiger you have control of yourself and then you can decide when it is time to leave symbolized by shooting the arrow the soul leaves the body one thing to pay attention to when practicing tai chi chuan is that one should not take oneself too seriously the Chinese say that it is important to play and enjoy life, as well as being serious to that you can