"a tai chi lesson"
excerpt from "the prophecy of whitetrash shaolin" at http://www.enlightentainment.com
Teachings by Lao Tzu
the students enter the quiet practice space of whitecrane shaolin martial arts school...a simple room with a padded floor and plenty of light...they begin their warm-up exercises in anticipation of their teacher's arrival...a series of body movements and heavy breathing overcomes the dojo as they run through the "teacup" exercises...knees bent in horse stance and arms sweeping grand circles with each breath...
the sifu enters...lao tzu...an ancient chinese man with bright eyes and a funny accent that hides his wisdom and cunning...
he settles into his stance and instructs the students to do so as well...knees bent and feet slightly turned inward...pelvis thrust forward and hands cupped just a few inches below the navel...shoulders drawn back and down...with the head up as if the crown were attached to the ceiling by a thread...eyes focused as the belly draws in the breath and fills the lungs completely...
lao tzu walks amongst the students and asks them to feel the energy emanating from their dan tien...the energy of their center where the muscles and viscera of the gut overlap in layers to form a powerful battery...the energy is very subtle but powerful...it feels a bit like a cross between the force one feels when trying to push two magnets together at the same poles, and the "furry" electrical static on the surface of a recently used television screen...he adjusts each student just a tiny bit here or there...moving some hands closer to the abdomen or pushing shoulders further back...then he begins to explain the power of chi in martial arts...
"when one releases their chi...the body acts like a whip or chain...from the point where the foot firmly presses against the ground...to the bones, muscles, and tendons rapidly flexing with bio-electric activation in a series of contraction and relaxation that moves through the entire body...to the point in which the mind focuses on intended impact through the hands..."
"chi is the energy that is absorbed from pushing against the earth then released by directing the body, mind, and will...a physical exterior energy integrated with more subtle interior energies that come from years of practice and focused intention..."
"move quickly and train your body to flow with this natural speed...the certainty of purpose with which you exact these movements eliminates hesitation...perfect synchronization of the entire body is required to execute total potential energy...the dragon's back is achieved when one's punch flows through the entire torso and out the arm...this is a natural whipping of the body...like a chain in which each movable joint is a link..."
"this energy can be emanated from the body...like an electric eel...as the bio-magnetic electric pulse flows through the body...to be released along with the energy of impact...sending a charge through the conducting body that it meets...connecting with it and disrupting the energy flow of one's opponent..."
"years of practice...sparring with your fellow classmates...will teach you the exact point of impact to overcome the unsuspecting opponent...the perfect advantage-point of leverage to offset balance and terminate the confrontation before most are aware that it has begun...exacted with hands unforgiving, inflexible, and hardened with callous'...gnarled tendon and bone-growth flexed by muscle into claw, beak, or fist...mudras of tough-love"
"remember the buddha's teaching on suffering...adversity is the ground against which we push towards happiness...these lessons are meant to prepare you to choose wisely...to act with courage in the face of fear and ignorance...remember that your opponent...your "enemy" is merely acting in the only way they know how, an attempt to survive - no matter how foolish...do not act with anger or hatred but do not allow others to suffer at the hands of this selfishness...this is the responsibility that you take on with this deadly knowledge...the path of the warrior..."
Teachings by Lao Tzu
the students enter the quiet practice space of whitecrane shaolin martial arts school...a simple room with a padded floor and plenty of light...they begin their warm-up exercises in anticipation of their teacher's arrival...a series of body movements and heavy breathing overcomes the dojo as they run through the "teacup" exercises...knees bent in horse stance and arms sweeping grand circles with each breath...
the sifu enters...lao tzu...an ancient chinese man with bright eyes and a funny accent that hides his wisdom and cunning...
he settles into his stance and instructs the students to do so as well...knees bent and feet slightly turned inward...pelvis thrust forward and hands cupped just a few inches below the navel...shoulders drawn back and down...with the head up as if the crown were attached to the ceiling by a thread...eyes focused as the belly draws in the breath and fills the lungs completely...
lao tzu walks amongst the students and asks them to feel the energy emanating from their dan tien...the energy of their center where the muscles and viscera of the gut overlap in layers to form a powerful battery...the energy is very subtle but powerful...it feels a bit like a cross between the force one feels when trying to push two magnets together at the same poles, and the "furry" electrical static on the surface of a recently used television screen...he adjusts each student just a tiny bit here or there...moving some hands closer to the abdomen or pushing shoulders further back...then he begins to explain the power of chi in martial arts...
"when one releases their chi...the body acts like a whip or chain...from the point where the foot firmly presses against the ground...to the bones, muscles, and tendons rapidly flexing with bio-electric activation in a series of contraction and relaxation that moves through the entire body...to the point in which the mind focuses on intended impact through the hands..."
"chi is the energy that is absorbed from pushing against the earth then released by directing the body, mind, and will...a physical exterior energy integrated with more subtle interior energies that come from years of practice and focused intention..."
"move quickly and train your body to flow with this natural speed...the certainty of purpose with which you exact these movements eliminates hesitation...perfect synchronization of the entire body is required to execute total potential energy...the dragon's back is achieved when one's punch flows through the entire torso and out the arm...this is a natural whipping of the body...like a chain in which each movable joint is a link..."
"this energy can be emanated from the body...like an electric eel...as the bio-magnetic electric pulse flows through the body...to be released along with the energy of impact...sending a charge through the conducting body that it meets...connecting with it and disrupting the energy flow of one's opponent..."
"years of practice...sparring with your fellow classmates...will teach you the exact point of impact to overcome the unsuspecting opponent...the perfect advantage-point of leverage to offset balance and terminate the confrontation before most are aware that it has begun...exacted with hands unforgiving, inflexible, and hardened with callous'...gnarled tendon and bone-growth flexed by muscle into claw, beak, or fist...mudras of tough-love"
"remember the buddha's teaching on suffering...adversity is the ground against which we push towards happiness...these lessons are meant to prepare you to choose wisely...to act with courage in the face of fear and ignorance...remember that your opponent...your "enemy" is merely acting in the only way they know how, an attempt to survive - no matter how foolish...do not act with anger or hatred but do not allow others to suffer at the hands of this selfishness...this is the responsibility that you take on with this deadly knowledge...the path of the warrior..."