Posts

Small Heavenly Circle Continued

[Path to Mastery 6/2/10 – Wk38 D3 (Str 9.12.09)] Continuing our Tai-Chi Journey: Continuing the story on my journey with the Small Heavenly Circle meditation from last week: Years later, I was sitting cross-legged and working on my Dan-Tien breathing.  This was a good day.  I had just completed Taoist Yoga and my body felt loose and relaxed.  I felt the heat comfortably accumulate in my Dan-Tien.  At some point I started feeling the heat coming down my central channel down the front, and then it naturally started overflowing from my Dan-Tien out and up my spine.  The Taoists say that water rises to the head, and the fire descend to your Dan-Tien.  The teachings say that when your Dan-Tien is warm and your head feels clear and cool, your energy is balanced and circulating well.  That is exactly what happened.  I started out this practice by moving my attention from my crown chakra (crown of my head) to my upper Dan-Tien (third eye), and then to ...
3 comments
Read more

Small Heavenly Circle

[Path to Mastery 5/25/10 – Wk37 D2 (Str 9.12.09)] Continuing our Tai-Chi Journey: “Small Heavenly Circle” breathing.  The purpose of practicing “Small Heavenly Circle” breathing is to open up your energy channel that runs through the vertical center line of the front and back of your torso.  In case you want a visual aid, just type in Du Mei channel on the internet, you will see what I am talking about.  Small Heavenly Circle is another name for the Du Mei channel.  So, unless you have some knowledge of energy practice, you are probably wondering why you should try to open the central channel through “Small Heavenly Circle” breathing.  I mean Tai-Chi is a martial art, so it has to benefit martial arts somehow, right?  But how does breathing and getting the energy channels to open up help your martial arts?  Here is how.  When the central channel opens, you gain access to an uninhibited and unlimited source of energy.  This means you gain ...
1 comment
Read more
Hello my beloved fans!!!! I am back!  Ok, while I was away, in my cave, I was in deep contemplation.  I have been pondering how I could make this writing more helpful.  After much research, talking to people, reading books, and letting it marinate, I think it gelled.   Melanie, my beloved wife, found me this quote yesterday and I realized this was the answer: “Good writing does not succeed or fail on the strength of its ability to convince you, but on the strength of its ability to engage you, to make you think, to give you a glimpse into someone else’s head” – Malcom Gladwell I have decided to start the journey to engage you more and give you more of a glimpse into my head (I know, scary, I know).  I won’t be writing everyday, like I used to.  I tried to finish “Small Heavenly Circle” today, but it is not quite done yet, so please have patience!  I will aim to provide quality versus quantity.  I aim to have the article done by Tuesday...
Post a Comment
Read more
Hello to everyone who’s been reading the blog! Thank you for your interest and hopefully we’ve been able to aid in your progress of practicing Tai-Chi!  We are currently going through some restructuring of our presentation and how we can more effectively present our material.  We will be taking a temporary break while that is happening.  In the mean while, please visit our Fan page on our Facebook.  We have been putting video instructions on Facebook for your information.  You can get to our Facebook through the new updates on our website.  We will be back and running on 5/24!!!!       Thank you for your patience!!!!  Sang
Post a Comment
Read more

Road Trip!!

I will be driving to Atlanta with the family for a wedding this weekend.  We had to get ready for the trip and didn't get the chance to get the writing up.  Will be right back on line next week!  Road trip!!!!!
Post a Comment
Read more

Directed Breathing

[Path to Mastery 4/27/10 – Wk33 D2 (Str 9.12.09)(Ph2 11.15.09)] Continuing our Tai-Chi Journey: Directed breathing is where you lead the energy with the breath.  Traditionally, this concept is also called Hen Ha.  You could almost argue that in the end, we learn all this in order to learn how to breathe.  If you know how to breathe, then you accomplish everything with just breathing.  You can accomplish alignment with breathing, you can accomplish movement with breathing, and you can accomplish relaxation with breathing.  So, here is how you practice Directed Breathing.  Some ground rules.  When you inhale, you inhale through your nose, and your tongue is on the roof of your mouth.  When you exhale you exhale through your mouth, and your tongue is either relaxed, or on the bottom of your mouth, behind your bottom teeth, but not touching.  (In the beginning the tongue is not as important, but as you get better in your ability to direct you...
3 comments
Read more

Dan-Tien Breathing

[Path to Mastery 4/26/10 – Wk33 D1 (Str 9.12.09)(Ph2 11.15.09)] Continuing our Tai-Chi Journey:   Dan-Tien breathing is nothing more than breathing with your lower abdomen. The good part of the equation is diaphragmatic breathing.  But it is not all.  It is a good place to start though so let’s start there.  Relax your rib cage, and imagine that your lungs move (diaphragm) moves down as you inhale instead of your chest expanding outward. You will notice that your breath sinks down and low.  You will also notice that the lower abdomen expands as you do this breathing.  The lungs don’t have much space to expand outward because of your rib cage.  However, the lungs are well designed to move downward.  When you inhale downwards, you will notice that you can take a much deeper breath.  Not only that, as your lung moves downward, it creates movement in your intestines.  This is part of the reason why your lower abdomen expands since your...
1 comment
Read more