Chen Zhenglei Seminar

Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei is the 19th generation inheritor of the Chen Family, and the 11th generation direct-line successor of Chen Style Taijiquan. He has been officially recognised as one of China's top ten martial artists.

He started competing in 1974 and by the end of 1987, had won more than 10 gold medals in the Henan province & National China Martial Arts competitions.

I was fortunate to catch up with him for an advanced workshop in his family form of taijiquan. Master Liming Yue is a senior student of Grandmaster Chen, and has enjoyed a long association, bringing him over to the UK to conduct lessons.

I first met him in 1999 when he came to the UK for seminars in Manchester, and have learned from him in China, and in England many times since then. He as always delivered an outstanding class.

I think it was Barbara Raskin who said "When love & skill work together, expect a masterpiece." You can say the same about Grandmaster Chen's skill as a tai chi player and teacher. Every nuance of taijiquan is conveyed with a simplicity and power that eclipses men half his age. The energy in the room was astonishing, with everyone taking away valuable lessons in the art.

If you practice your tai chi seriously, I highly recommend a lesson from Grandmaster Chen. it also goes without saying that Master Liming Yue must be applauded for bringing him to our shores and providing translation. Long may it continue.

Culture Shock! - Tales from China

The first time I went to China (1999), I went with Master Liming Yue and a group of his senior students. (Incidentally, if you ever get a chance to go to China, GO! You will not regret it.) Many of us were students from different classes, so we did not meet until the airport.

One chap was a proper northern lad called Keith. He was a larger-than-life character, who had done a lot of martial arts and was discovering tai chi. Keith was a tough guy. He did not do breakfast. He liked to get up early and go for a run. Generally, we did not see him until after breakfast.

After staying in Beijing and Jiang Jia Jie forest park, we met up with Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei in Handan. We were to undergo a week of training in a hotel there.

None of the hotel staff spoke a word of English. Most of us did not know Chinese. Generally, we got through the language barrier well, until one morning. We were having our breakfast in the hotel restaurant, minding our own business, when there was a loud commotion in the entrance hall. The next thing we saw will stay with me for the rest of my days.

Keith was being comically dragged into the restaurant by five small chinese waitresses. The noise was quite amazing. keith was shouting: "Tell them.... will someone tell them I don't do breakfast..... I just want to go for a jog".

They just didn't understand. They were only worried that he was going to miss his breakfast. Liming hastily explained to them. They finally let Keith go.

I laughed so hard, my ribs ached for the rest of the morning.

First Steps

Let me take you back to the middle-to-late 1970's. The Bionic Man, Scalextric and Evel Knievel were the number one boys toys. My first "best friend" was Paul. He was a whole year older than me and lived around the corner from my house. I attended the local state primary school and he went to the catholic school. We spent many good times getting into scrapes.

When I found out that he went to karate classes, I was intrigued. He used to show me his moves while I kept nagging my parents to allow me to go "Karate? What do you want to do karate for?". Finally, after weeks of begging, my father relented, and gave me the £1 for my first class.

The Roe Street Mission was a dark, dusty place. We would wait outside for our sensei, Brian, to arrive and open up. Once inside, the warm-ups would begin. But when his back was turned, we used to take it in turns to spin each other around by the ankles and let them go sliding on our backs along the polished wooden floor. Fantastic fun!

Then the classes would start. I don't think I was the best student Brian had ever seen. But I worked hard - press-ups on the knuckles, sit-ups, crunches, stretches - it didn't matter. I was so small and light, they were all easy. The sparring used to frighten me, but I gradually got used to it.

But good things don't last. Firstly, Paul's family moved across town, which may as well have been across the world for a seven year-old. Then we moved further away still. My peers changed for the worse, and my life changed completely. I looked at local judo and karate classes, but they did not have the spirit or character of Brian's class. I gave up martial arts completely.

A lot of water has flown under the bridge since my first Karate classes. The Roe Street Mission is now a fully-renovated, beautiful silk museum with a posh cafe and shop. It took twenty years to discover the richness of Chinese martial arts and taijiquan. I am now a taijiquan teacher and a father of two.

If there is anything that I have learned about martial arts from this meandering journey... there are a lot of things that make up a good class. It can be great friends to train with like Paul or charismatic teachers like Brian. But for a martial art to really catch you, to inspire you to improve, it has to be the content of what is being taught. It took me along time to find the right content, so don't be disheartened if you don't find what works for you immediately. There is a martial art for everyone. Just keep searching.

To those who have found it, you know how it feels. This article is in response to another teacher in London who has obviously found his content. You can view it Here. Thanks Neil for sparking off the memories.

My Tai Chi Experiences by Natalie Weiner

I am your archetypal ‘rubbish at all sports’ kind of person. I hated PE at school (yes, I was the one who always got picked last!), and have never enjoyed going to the gym or going to fitness classes. But I reached the point where I thought I ought to make some kind of effort at getting fit, and Tai Chi seemed to be a gentle way in. I think it appealed to my slightly lazier side, I thought it looked easy, gentle and effortless, and I reckoned that with my lack of coordination I wouldn’t last very long anyway!

I was so wrong.

Although it looks gentle, Tai Chi is still a martial art, and not only does it require physical exertion but mental focus too. As a result of going to classes for so many years now that I don’t even remember how long it’s been, I’ve realised that Tai Chi has slowly started to infiltrate my daily life. My posture has improved hugely. It seems that my coordination isn’t as bad as I thought. And the breathing exercises which help focus the mind have been invaluable - on my wedding day, in order to stay calm, I encouraged my chief bridesmaid to join me in some ‘Tai Chi breathing’, despite the fact we were both in our dresses, fully made up, carrying flowers and about to go down to the ceremony! I dread to think how it looked but it definitely helped me!

One of the key points for me about Tai Chi has been that you are never perfect, and that’s not a bad thing. You can learn for years, and still spend time refining your posture here and there, working on it all the time. It’s given me a huge sense of achievement to be able to say that I can do the first 11 moves, plus a chunk of the sword form (on a good day!). But it’s a work in progress, and an enjoyable one which allows me to switch off from the daily grind whilst also keeping fit. If only they’d taught this at school!!

By Natalie Weiner

Balance

It's time to talk about balance fundamentals. One of the reasons why Taijiquan is practiced slowly is so that you have time to feel your balance. To describe balance, Tai Chi teachers use the scale of yin and yang, with the emphasis on yang (substantial).

So with reference to your feet, if you are standing, and your right foot is 0% yang, then no weight is on it. If your left foot is 100% yang, then all your weight is on it. Got it?

Great!

When doing the form, beginners and even some intermediate students often have problems stepping. Their feet don't come down gently on the floor. They tend to move too quickly onto their new foot. They often wobble while they are picking up the trailing foot. The reason why this happens is because they are not correctly balanced.

When people walk normally, they are almost permanently off balance. Walking is about falling over, but stopping yourself by stepping forward. Tai Chi aims to improve the balance by reducing the need to overbalance when stepping.

Although correct posture plays a part in balance, the fundamental reason why people don't step comfortably is that they are not distributing the weight between the feet in a correct manner.

The solution is simple. We are going to walk two steps. If you are stepping out with your left foot, make sure that your right foot is 100% yang before you move. You can then place your left foot exactly where it is meant to go. Place the heel down first, then the toe. Once your left foot is appropriately placed, you can slowly shift your weight onto it until the left foot is 100% yang. Here is the important bit. DO NOT RAISE THE RIGHT FOOT UNTIL THE LEFT FOOT IS 100% YANG. If you do, you will most certainly overbalance.

How do you know that the left foot is 100% yang? Because you will not be able to feel any weight on the right foot (0% yang). Now the right foot is raised, pause a little bit to check that your balance is good, then step out with the right foot. Now transfer the weight to the right foot. Remember, don't raise the left foot until you feel that there is no weight left on it.

Repeat a few times until you get the hang of it......

Now do it again without looking at your feet.

If your posture is poor, your balance may also be affected. As well as Tai Chi, you could also try Alexander Technique exercises to supplement your training.

Challenges

Challenges happen all the time. Life throws all kinds of obstacles at you. But the kind of challenges that I'm referring to in this article are the martial kind. Someone wants to fight. They want a fight with you. No-one else will do. They make it entirely personal and they won't take no for an answer.

Every serious martial artist must consider that if they achieve a good reputation, they may be challenged. The challenge could happen at any time - in a bar, at your place of work or where you practice. It could come from anyone - even your buddies that you train with.

Being a Tai Chi teacher means that I get very few challenges. The kind of students who go to Tai Chi classes are rarely into fighting. However, I do occasionally get someone turning up and wanting to test me. Let's examine the probable motives for someone wanting to challenge you. (I will refer to them as 'he' - just for speed)

1. He wants to test his own martial skill.

2. He wants to elevate his status at your cost.

3. He wishes to prove that his chosen discipline (usually different than yours) is better.

4. He is another teacher who wants to take your students.

5. He has a severe inferiority complex, and only pummelling you will relieve it.

6. You may have done or said something that offended him.

7. He wants a free lesson.

There may be no single reason, but a combination of the above. Never rule out number 6. By advocating your own techniques, people will become insulted because they believe you are rejecting theirs.

If you choose to accept the challenge there are many risks to consider. If they have no skill you may do them severe damage. If they have different rules of engagement you risk being attacked while you are going through any ritual preparations you may have. An unknown fighter without scruples may not quit when others with more sense would stop. The video below is disturbing, but illustrates what some people will do for the sake of their own egos:

As you can see, if you choose to make or accept challenges, you run the risk of escalating violence to the point of severe repercussions. You tube is full of people getting hurt in fights over which martial art is best. They are all missing a fundamental dichotomy within the martial arts contest.

All official martial arts contests are artificial in nature due to the imposition of rules designed to protect everyone involved. Contrarily, the very nature of martial arts is for defence only. Ergo if two true martial arts masters were to walk into a ring together, they would wait for each other to strike first, hence a stalemate and they would both walk out without striking a blow.

Respect for the diversity across the different martial arts will go a long way to reducing the friction between disciplines. Manners and respect for all go a long way to reducing friction between individuals. While you cannot always dissuade challenges completely, walking away from them will not injure anyone in the long run.

Tom Campbell - A new perspective on consciousness

Tom Campbell was one of the original explorers to work with the late consciousness pioneer - Robert Monroe. He was one of the original scientists to use binaural technology to explore altered states of consciousness. His work with Robert Monroe turned from exploratory to educational, with the foundation of the Monroe Institute.

A Physicist by trade, Tom has now moved forward with an expansive 3 volumes of work, mapping out his Big Theory of Everything. The trilogy is called "My Big TOE", and is available on amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Toe-Philosophy-Metaphysics-Awakening/dp/0972509461/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255632262&sr=8-1

On October 10 & 11th, Tom was in London to give two lectures on his theories. It was with a little trepidation that I attended. Very often people who set themselves up as gurus get caught up in their own self-importance, leave yawning gaps in their logic and surround their methods in pointless ritual. I was prepared for a let-down.

As Tom went through his theories it was evident by his anecdotes, he had done a lot of personal exploration. Many of his stories deeply resonated with my own experiences. For two whole days, he clearly and precisely took us all through philosophy, advanced quantum physics, metaphysics, consciousness, existence, healing, remote viewing, clairvoyance and out-of-body experiences. He explained the rationale behind the fundamentals of existence and shot down one or two long-held myths.

And what about his "Theory of Everything". Is it true? Only time will tell. I personally think that we as individuals will discover the truth way before mankind ever turns the scrutinising eye of science in that direction. Tom's wish is that people don't follow his theories blindly, and that the only way to be sure is for everyone to discover for themselves and make their own "T.O.E.".... or as Chinese Taoism put it:

"Do not follow the great masters..... seek what they sought."

The energy in the room was outstanding. From my personal perspective, the workshop rekindled my desire to explore the greater consciousness and continue to learn more about myself and how I fit into this universe. Not bad for a weekend in Camden.