Integral Tai Chi

Integral Tai Chi (CK10) is a series of exercises, relaxation technique and meditation that combine Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and meditation into a self-healing system that integrates body, mind and spirit. This comprehensive approach involves a series of 10 body movement postures each designed to increase balance, awareness, endurance, flexibility, flow, concentration, energy and spiritual transformation.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Heaven posture 1


HEAVEN (Can, Trời)

The first form or movement holds an imaginary ball in the hands and moves in gyrating circle, twisting the spine to energize the spine along with the chi or energy will flow. This form (Can) is positive in its nature.

 Mantra (Khẩu Quyết)

  • Dharma (the truth) starts from within us (Khởi đạo trong tâm)
  • Dharma (the truth) reaches out to others (Vận đạo tới người)
  • The teaching is everywhere (Hóa đạo khắp nơi)
  • The practice is infinite (Hành đạo vô tận)

Essential points (Điểm Chính Yếu)

  1. Focus on the spine, imagine the spine can swirl and rotate, or twist and torque.
  2. This form captures the spiraling movement, imitating the moment the universe began.

Starting position (Vị Trí Khởi Đầu)

  1. Breathe in – Step out with the left foot, feet are parallel to each other spacing about one and a half (1½) shoulder width.
  2. Breathe out – Hands form a circle in front of the chest.

Action (Động Tác)

  1. Hands form a circle like embracing a big tree trunk; relax the shoulder and elbows, and level hands about the navel area.
  2. Breathe in, pulling both hands to the right, imitating “stirring the pot” action, hands making half of an oval shape.
  3. Hands turn opened to the left side into a pushing position. Breathe out, pushing both hands to the left, imitating “pushing the clouds” or “pushing a person to the left”.

Points of attention (Điểm Đáng Chú ý)

  1. Focus on the lower back region, the body should be led by the hip movement. As the body twists 45 degrees on each side, the hip, the abdomen, the shoulder and the hands move subsequent to each others in order.
  2. Throughout the movement, the body should be relaxed. Keep both feet parallel to each other and rooted firmly on the ground.
  3. Keep both knees bent and back straight at all times. Knees move in a swirling motion like drawing two circles.
  4. Body upright, neither leaned forward or back, nor tilted to either side, while moving to the right then twisting 45 degrees, then to the left and * Imagine everything is in motion as a spiraling oval shape.
  5. Eyes gaze outward, not looking at the hands. Shift the eyes from one side to the other in 180 degree along with the motion of the body.
  6. The speed of movement to the right is slightly faster than to the left. Do the opposite in the reversed form.

Techniques (Phương Pháp)

There are four phases in this exercise.
  1. The first phase is simply making the oval shape movement of the hands and being familiar with the body rotating motion.
  2. The second phase is to rotate the body and hands 45 degree further to the left and the right side with relaxed fingers. This phase helps to generate more energy from the lower back.
  3. The third phase is to move the sweeping hands into a half-moon shape with slightly lift the elbows. In this phase, energy will further flow to the upper part of the body and flush to the arms and hands more powerful than the first two phases.
  4. The fourth phase is to lift the elbows up and move the hands in a figure of an 8 shape. Two hands are closer to each other as they start to create a ball of energy in between. At this phase, not only the lower back generate energy but now the hands also generate a ball of energy.