Taoist Tai Chi
2695813
216728987
2008-06-02T23:11:04Z
Llewelyn MT
6709942
/* Form list */ interwiki link added
'''Taoist Tai Chi''' is an exercise form of [[tai chi chuan]]
which is taught in more than 25 countries by the non-profit
[[Taoist Tai Chi Society|Taoist Tai Chi Society of Canada]]
and associated national Taoist Tai Chi ® societies.
It is a modified form of [[Yang style Tai Chi Chuan]] developed by Taoist monk [[Moy Lin-shin]].
Moy incorporated principles of [[Liuhe Bafa|Lok Hup Ba Fa]] and other internal arts
to increase the health benefits of practising the form.
<ref name="LaRoche">
{{cite web
|url = http://www.filly.ca/health/body/fitness/Tai_Chi.asp
|title = Taoist Tai Chi: A Slow, Gentle Stretch into Good Health
|accessdate = 2008-02-11|last = LaRoche|first = Nadine|authorlink = |year = 2008
}}</ref>
'''Taoist Tai Chi Awareness Days''' have been proclaimed by municipal governments across Canada since the 1980s to acknowledge that "the slow and graceful movements of Tai Chi relax and strengthen the body and mind, help to relieve stress, develop flexibility and coordination which is particularly beneficial to seniors and others in combating a variety of health conditions and disabilities"
<ref name="CityOfToronto">
{{cite web
|url = http://www.toronto.ca/proclamations/2003/proclamation_taoisttaichiawarenessday2003.htm
|title = "Taoist Tai Chi Awareness Day"|accessdate = 2008-02-11
|last = Lastman|first = Mel|authorlink = |year = 2003
}}</ref>
These proclaimed days also serve to acknowledge that "members of the Taoist Tai Chi Society contribute many hours of service to our community, conducting fund-raising campaigns and events that have benefited many charitable organizations and other worthy causes"<ref name="CityOfToronto"/>
==Health benefits==
Practitioners find that Taoist Tai Chi improves flexibility, strength, balance and circulation.
<ref name="LaRoche"/>
There is good scientific evidence that Taoist Tai Chi reduces the incidence of falls
in the elderly and the associated broken bones and shortened life span.
There is also some evidence that Tai Chi can "boost the immune system and ease pain."
<ref name="Foss">
{{cite web
|url = http://www.homemakers.com/homemakers/client/en/Home/DetailNews.asp?idNews=231474
|title = Try Tai Chi|accessdate = 2008-02-11
|last = Foss|first = Krista|authorlink = |year = 2008
}}</ref>
==Form principles==
Taoist Tai Chi has several principles of movement that are meant to be a part of every posture;, these principles are what defines Taoist Tai Chi as a unique tai chi practice. Several of these are attributes espoused by many non-Society teachers, but are expressed somewhat differently than is traditional within Taoist Tai Chi. Here is a brief description.
;Position of the feet "45/90": the principle of 45/90 refers to the desired degree of the feet in relation to one another, usually with the front foot at 90 degrees (straight forward) and the back foot (left or right) at 45 degrees outward. This is meant to aid in squaring the hips.
;"Squaring the hips": at the end/forward position of a movement (such as [[Single Whip]]) the hips of a practitioner should be square or facing completely forward and in line with the front or "90" foot. Conversely, when at the rollback or beginning of a posture the hips should be in line with the back or "45" foot. The professed health benefit of this is that it facilitates a turning/stretching of the spine and an opening of the pelvic region (specifically the hip joint).
;"In-stepping/out-stepping": In order to properly square the hips, the feet should be placed on either side of a straight imagined line. Stepping either too far outside or inside the line makes the space between the feet either too large or to small to square the hips.
;"Head to heel": there should be a straight line from the top of the head to the heel of the rear foot in all forward positions.
;Knee requirement: The knee should not extend beyond the toes to prevent injury.
;Weight placement: In Taoist Tai Chi, similar to the teaching of [[Wu style Tai Chi Chuan]], only one foot should be [[weight bearing]] at a time. Also referenced as one foot being Yin or empty and another being Yang or full.
==Foundation exercises==
In addition to the full 108 Taoist Tai Chi set, students are taught a unique group of cyclical foundation exercises that focus on the joints, called "the jongs". Most of these exercises, either in their form or execution, are completely unique to Taoist Tai Chi. These exercises are not only used as preliminaries to the form, they are espoused as being the basic elements that provide health benefit in the varying movements of Taoist Tai Chi. Instructors often explain postures by referring to a foundation exercise.
The main foundations include:
* A basic forearm rotation: the forearms are held up and forward and rotate in and out. The hands are located in front of the left and right [[Meridian (Chinese medicine)|meridian]]. The elbows are stationary.
* A rotation of the arms in front of the body: making a circular motion with the hands: where one pushes away the other pulls in. The thumbs move from the central axis of the body. It is mainly an upper body stretch in which the arms move outward from the center and then back.
* "[[Dan Yu]]" (spine stretching). A squatting exercise meant to work primarily the pelvic region, the legs and the lower back. Fifty or more repetitions may be performed in advanced classes. The feet are placed in a stance wider than the shoulders. When squatting the knees move in the direction of the feet.
* "[[Tor Yu]]" (spine turning). The feet are at the typical "45/90" position, minding the "in-stepping/out-stepping". The pelvis alternates between weight over the front "90" and the back "45" foot. Thus the trunk moves following the pelvis. The hands follow the body and cross in front of the lower [[Dan Tien]] when the body moves backward to the '45 back" position, and then uncross and push away towards the "90 front" position leading the trunk. For the outside observer it seems that the hands make a circular motion, however they don't for the practitioner. In addition to its purported health benefits this exercise is particularly similar to the [[Silk reeling]] of other styles in that it helps develop the theory of movement present in all of Taoist Tai Chi.
* An arm separation such as in kicks: the arms start crossed in front of the body, move sideways, backward and down, and forward up again with the hands crossed on the centerline in front of the chest.
* A variant of the "[[Wave Hands like Clouds]]" move.
* Stationary stance versions of the posture "Snake Creeps Low", in which the practitioner may come to a full standing position in between left and right sides of the posture.
* Sometimes repetitions of various other movements (e.g., Brush Knee, Go Back to Ward Off Monkey, or Flying at a Slant) but usually movements that lend themselves to repetition.
==Form list==
The 108 movements of the Taoist Tai Chi set are:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|<blockquote>
:1. Opening of Tai Chi
:2. Left Grasp Bird's Tail
:3. Grasp Bird's Tail
:4. [[Single Whip]]
:5. Step Up and Raise Hands
:6. White Stork Spreads Wings
:7. Brush Knee (left)
:8. Strum the [[Pipa|Pei Pa]]
:9. Brush Knee and Twist Step (left)
:10. Brush Knee and Twist Step (right)
:11. Brush Knee (left)
:12. Strum the Pei Pa
:13. Brush Knee and Twist Step (left)
:14. Chop with Fist
:15. Step Up, Deflect, Parry, Punch
:16. Appear to Close Entrance
:17. Cross Hands
:18. Carry Tiger to Mountain
:19. Whip Out Diagonally
:20. Fist Under Elbow
:21. Go Back to Ward Off Monkey (right)
:22. Go Back to Ward Off Monkey (left)
:23. Go Back to Ward Off Monkey (right)
:24. Flying at a Slant
:25. Step Up and Raise Hands
:26. White Stork Spreads Wings
:27. Brush Knee (left)
:28. Push Needle to Sea Bottom
:29. Fan Penetrates through the Back
:30. Turn and Chop with Fist
:31. Step Up, Deflect, Parry, Punch
:32. Step Up to Grasp Bird's Tail
:33. Single Whip
:34. Move Hands Like Clouds (five times)
:35. Single Whip
:36. Reach Up to Pat Horse
:37. Separate Foot to Right
:38. Separate Foot to Left
:39. Turn and Kick
:40. Brush Knee and Twist Step (left)
:41. Brush Knee and Twist Step (right)
:42. Step Up and Punch
:43. Turn and Chop with Fist
:44. Step Up, Deflect, Parry, Punch
:45. Right Foot Kick
:46. Hit Tiger at Left
:47. Hit Tiger at Right
:48. Right Foot Kick
:49. Strike Ears with Fists
:50. Left Foot Kick
:51. Turn and Kick
:52. Chop with Fist
:53. Step Up, Deflect, Parry, Punch
:54. Appear to Close Entrance
</blockquote>
|<blockquote>
:55. Cross Hands
:56. Carry Tiger to Mountain
:57. Whip Out Horizontally
:58. Parting Wild Horse's Mane (right)
:59. Parting Wild Horse's Mane (left)
:60. Parting Wild Horse's Mane (right)
:61. Parting Wild Horse's Mane (left)
:62. Parting Wild Horse's Mane (right)
:63. Left Grasp Bird's Tail
:64. Step Up to Grasp Bird's Tail
:65. Single Whip
:66. Fair Lady Works Shuttles (left)
:67. Fair Lady Works Shuttles (right)
:68. Fair Lady Works Shuttles (left)
:69. Fair Lady Works Shuttles (right)
:70. Left Grasp Bird's Tail
:71. Step Up to Grasp Bird's Tail
:72. Single Whip
:73. Move Hands Like Clouds
:74. Single Whip
:75. Creeping Low Like a Snake
:76. Golden Cock Stands on One Leg (left)
:77. Golden Cock Stands on One Leg (right)
:78. Go Back to Ward Off Monkey (right)
:79. Go Back to Ward Off Monkey (left)
:80. Flying at a Slant
:81. Step Up and Raise Hands
:82. White Stork Spreads Wings
:83. Brush Knee (left)
:84. Push Needle to Sea Bottom
:85. Fan Penetrates through the Back
:86. White Snake Turns and Puts Out Tongue
:87. Step Up, Deflect, Parry, Punch
:88. Step Up to Grasp Bird's Tail
:89. Single Whip
:90. Move Hands Like Clouds
:91. Single Whip
:92. Reach Up to Pat Horse
:93. Cross Hands to Penetrate
:94. Turn and Kick
:95. Chop with Fist
:96. Brush Knee and Punch
:97. Step Up to Grasp Bird's Tail
:98. Single Whip
:99. Creeping Low Like a Snake
:100. Step Up to Seven Stars
:101. Retreat to Ride Tiger
:102. Turn Around to Sweep Lotus
:103. Draw Bow to Shoot Tiger
:104. Chop with Fist
:105. Step Up, Deflect, Parry, Punch
:106. Appear to Close Entrance
:107. Cross Hands
:108. Closing of Tai Chi
</blockquote>
|}
==References==
* {{cite news |first=Leslie |last=Scrivener |title=Marshalling praise for art of Tai Chi |url=http://www.thestar.com/article/254609 |work=The Toronto Star |date=Sep 09, 2007 |accessdate=2008-02-11}}
* {{cite news |first=Pamela |last=Griner Leavy |title=The gentle art of health |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/08/Northpinellas/The_gentle_art_of_hea.shtml |work=The St. Petersburg Times |date=October 8, 2004 |accessdate=2008-02-11 }}
* {{cite news |first=Kristen |last=Charron |title=Health through Tai Chi; Taoist Tai Chi society has open house |url=http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=889441 |work=The Observer |date=Weds, Feb 06 2008 |accessdate=2008-02-11 }}
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://taoist.org/ International Taoist Tai Chi Society] - official website
[[Category:T'ai Chi Ch'uan]]
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[[nl:Taoïstische Tai Chi]]
[[pl:Taoistyczne Tai Chi]]