Slanted Flying

Author: Slanted Flying

  • Foreigners Travel Half Way Around The World To Learn Tai Chi

    Foreigners Travel Half Way Around The World To Learn Tai Chi

    Every year more and more foreigners travel to China to learn and deepen their studies in the traditional art of Tai Chi Chuan. They travel from countries such as the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Brazil, and India. More often than not, their destination is the Chen Village (Chenjiagou), which is the birthplace of Chen style Tai Chi Chuan.

    In the Chen Village, there are several schools that are set up to teach foreign students, even providing dormitories. Chen Xiao Xing, Chen Zhao Sen, Chen Bing, and Wang Xi An all have schools that teach to foreign students.

    The Chen Village has transformed from a dusty little town, to a destination city for both foreigners and native Chinese to go to study Tai Chi Chuan. A lot of money has been injected into the local economy, building new schools, erecting statues, and building large plazas with the Yin Yang design.

    Tour companies and Tai Chi schools have organized tours for visiting the Chen Village, and many Tai Chi enthusiasts make their own pilgrimage to the birthplace of Chen Tai Chi.

    Click on the image below to see more about this DVD which features a documentary on the Chen Village.

    If you enjoyed this wonderful article about Tai Chi, please click the “Share” button!

    Don’t forget to leave a comment!

  • UFC Star Anderson “The Spider” Silva Tries Tai Chi

    UFC Star Anderson “The Spider” Silva Tries Tai Chi

    Mixed Martial Arts legend Anderson (the Spider) Silva is on a tour in China to promote a fight between himself and Kelvin Gastelum being featured in a UFC event in Shanghai on November 23rd. Silva took time out after a press conference in Shanghai on September 25th for some lessons on Tai Chi. He met for some Tai Chi and Chinese tea with Chen Xianglin, who is an instructor of traditional Chen style Tai Chi Chuan in Shanghai.

    In the picture below, Chen Xianglin shows Anderson Silva the correct way of “standing” in Tai Chi Chuan.

    In the video below, Chen Xianglin demonstrates Chen style Tai Chi fajin to Anderson Silva. By the look on Silva’s face, he has not seen this type of power displayed before.

    Let’s take a closer look at his reaction!

    After the lesson on Tai Chi, Anderson Silva enjoyed learning the finer points about drinking Chinese Pu-Erh tea.

  • Millions To Demonstrate Tai Chi During Month Of September

    Millions To Demonstrate Tai Chi During Month Of September

    What may be the largest Tai Chi event ever will be happening starting at the beginning of this September, and ending on the 17th of the month. The event, called the “World Hundreds Cities Tai Chi Event”, started out with several large demonstrations of Tai Chi with thousands of participants, in over 200 different arenas. It began in Chenjiago (Chen Village), and could involve up to 8 million people from more than 190 cities around the world.

    In Chenjiagou,, which is the birthplace of the Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan, 1,000 people take part in Tai Chi demonstrations.

    The video below was live streamed on the China Xinhua News Facebook Page. Reporters covered this part of the event, talking to some of the participants, including foreign students of Tai Chi Chuan.

  • The Misguided Monk – Animated Short Film

    The Misguided Monk – Animated Short Film

    This is a wonderful short animated film. It features a monk earnestly trying hard to practice his Tai Chi, when he is interrupted by a cute little dog who just wants to play. A touching little story with a moral which maybe we can all learn by.

    “When a Hermit Monk has his day interrupted by an uninvited guest, he is unwillingly taken on a journey to discover the true meaning of companionship.”

    Tom Long – http://tomlonganimation.weebly.com/student-film.html

    The Misguided Monk from Tom Long on Vimeo.

    This great film was made by animator Tom Long. You can see more about Tom Long and his animation on his website http://tomlonganimation.weebly.com/.

  • Comfortable Clothing For Practicing Tai Chi Is A Must

    Comfortable Clothing For Practicing Tai Chi Is A Must

    Whether you are taking part in a class indoors or by yourself outdoors, wearing comfortable clothing for practicing Tai Chi is a must. You want clothing that allows you to move without restriction, that is cool in the summer, and keeps you warm in the winter.

    Shirts

    I tend to like to wear long-sleeved shirts that fit a little on the loose side. Some of the shirts have Tai Chi designs or logos on them, some are just a plain one coloured shirt. But which ever shirt I wear for practice that day, it has to be comfortable, so the fit is not a distraction to my practice.

    Some of my favourite T-shirts are getting worn out! I have had them for years now. They are so comfortable to wear while practicing, that I just do not want to give them up. There are holes in the armpits, and the collar and cuffs are getting stretched and frayed.

    Pants

    Over the years, I have worn many different makes of pants for my Tai Chi practice. I tend to like the fit to be loose in the legs. Preferably cotton, but not always. I used to have a pair of light cotton Kung Fu pants I bought at a local martial arts supply store, pants for hiking/climbing, and lately pants from Lululemon which I received as a present for Christmas!.

     

     

     

     

     

    Shoes

    Shoes or no shoes. Personally, I like to wear shoes when I practice Tai Chi. I understand that some people like to practice with bare feet, but I tend to find being barefoot can be a distraction for myself (with temperature differences from the rest of my body, to small particles of whatever between my feet and the floor and uneven surfaces of the ground itself).

    Indoors I have always liked to wear the cotton soled Tai Chi shoes. They are flat and not too stiff, so the whole foot feels the floor. Outdoors, I have worn a variety of types of shoes over the years. What I try to find, is a flat soled shoe that is fairly light and flexible. One of the best shoes I had was the martial arts shoe that was made by Converse. It had a flat black rubber sole and mesh sides. It was a very comfortable shoe to practice in, and fit my feet which tend to be on the wide side. Unfortunately, Converse stopped making them some years ago.

    In summary, whatever one wears when practicing Tai Chi, it will be a personal choice (unless you are required to wear a school uniform or shirts for classes). One must feel comfortable and not distracted by clothing to be able to focus on the task at hand… To practice Tai Chi Chuan.

  • Basketball Star Stephen Curry Tries Tai Chi

    Basketball Star Stephen Curry Tries Tai Chi

    For those of you who don’t know, Stephen Curry is a star basketball player tor the NBA team Golden State Warriors. While in China taking part in Under Armour’s SC30 Asia Tour, Curry, along with members of his family, tried his hand learning Tai Chi in the city of Guangzhou.

    The Tai Chi session had such a positive effect of Stephen Curry, that he now wants to include the use of tai chi as part of his pre-game routine.

    “It works on my balance, my focus. Jody makes it look so easy, but it’s pretty hard, even though we’re moving pretty slow.”

     

    “Definitely, I have to bring that back to the pre-game routine next year. So I got some more ammo to work with.”

  • Tai Chi & Health Qigong Festival Held In New York

    Tai Chi & Health Qigong Festival Held In New York

    Hundreds of Tai Ch enthusiasts gathered at New York’s Corona Park! The Confucius Institute at Pace University hosted the 2017 Tai Chi & Health Qigong Festival on June 3rd. Groups such as the American Tai Chi & Health Qigong Center, Tai Chi Institute USA, and others participated in the annual event.

    The video of the event was taken by the China Xinhua News Agency. Please forgive the sound, as it seems it was windy out when the recording was done.

  • Arthur Storey Park Tai Chi Court

    Arthur Storey Park Tai Chi Court

    Arthur Storey Park in Houston, Texas, has a special place for practitioners of Tai Chi to go to practice.  The Arthur Storey Park Tai Chi Court is located in a beautiful setting, with amenities such as picnic pavilions and bird watching activities.

    The serene and beautiful setting of the park has been used for years by people to practice Tai Chi, and in January 2005, the local parks board gave the go ahead to build this dedicated space for Tai Chi practice.

    The platform is a round, 50-foot wide, elevated concrete slab that can easily accommodate 20 or more people practicing Tai Chi at a time. It features a black and white Yin Yang symbol in a red circle, and has eight granite blocks set around the outside edge which represent the eight major points of the compass.

    Please check out our other articles on designated Tai Chi parks!

     

  • A World Tai Chi Day Tradition Continues In Greenville

    A World Tai Chi Day Tradition Continues In Greenville

    The World Tai Chi and Qigong Day event in Greenville, South Carolina continues the tradition of hosting local Tai Chi schools to give a wonderful demonstration of the art of Tai Chi Chuan. This year’s World Tai Chi and Qigong Day in Greenville, South Carolina was held on April 39th, 2017. The event was held at in the Downtown of the city of Greenville. Every year communities such as Greensville organize their local World Tai Chi and Qigong Day events to take place on the last Saturday of April at 10:00am local time around the globe.

    Please enjoy this beautiful video of the 2017 World Tai Chi and Qigong Day event in Greenville.

    The 2017 World Tai Chi Day held in Greenville included participants from some of the local Tai Chi schools. Some of the schools which attended this this year which are seen in the video, include the Greenville Chen Style Tai Chi School led by Jimmy Dong; members of the Greensville Chinese Association; and George Gantt of the Equilibrium Zen Gym which teaches Yang 24, sword, and fan: and students from the St. Francis LifeWise Tai Chi Classes.

    This beautifully filmed video of the event was shot by film maker Valdas Kotovas. You can view some of his other excellent films on his YouTube Channel and see more about his work on his website valdasvideo.com.

  • The Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden Needs Your Vote

    The Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden Needs Your Vote

    Some time ago, Slanted Flying received an email from one of our readers. Her Tai Chi instructor saw an article we did titled “Tai Chi Park Was Built As Tribute For A Teacher“, which was about the David Chen Memorial Tai Chi Park in Montgomery County, Maryland. The instructor, Michel Czehatowski, e-mailed the article to his class. The woman exclaimed in the email: “It is BEAUTIFUL!! Several of the students, as well as Michel, are interested in creating something like this in our town – Redding, California.”

    Artist’s conception of the completed Tai Chi Meditation Garden at the Sundial Bridge site.

    I was able to forward the contact information of the people involved in building the David Chen Memorial Tai Chi Park for her to give to Michel Czehatowski. I was happy to hear that they have proceeded with planning a Tai Chi Meditation Garden for practicing Tai Chi and Qigong in Redding, California. The plans for the garden are based on the design of the David Chen Memorial Tai Chi Park.

    To complete this wonderful project, their group will need to find funding to build the Tai Chi Meditation Garden. To help achieve this goal, they are looking at the possibility of getting a grant for the extra funding.

    The Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden project video, created with the help of the Shasta County Arts Council, has been submitted to the USA Today Network “A Community Thrives” (ACT) grant competition. The National Voting Period began on April 12, 2017 and will end on May 12, 2017.

    You can vote for this great project by viewing their submission at http://act.usatoday.com/submit-an-idea/#/gallery/60443995 on the A Community Thrives (ACT) official website during the Voting Period. There is a maximum of one (1) vote per person, per day. The top 10 voted submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges. The panel will determine the top three applicants in each category who will be awarded grants of either $50,000 or $100,000 each.

    Winning the grant will mean that the group can go forward with the building of the Tai Chi Meditation Garden, however they must get into the top ten most popular videos to win. I feel it is important to support these types of projects that can only have a strong benefit for the larger Tai Chi community as a whole. I would love to see more of these types of dedicated spaces for the practice of Tai Chi!

    You can find out more about the Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden project by visiting this link: http://www.reddingtaichi.com/tai-chi-meditation-garden.