Slanted Flying

Author: Slanted Flying

  • World Tai Chi And Qigong Day 2017

    World Tai Chi And Qigong Day 2017

    All across the globe people from more than 80 countries will gather to celebrate the practice Tai Chi and qigong. Every year on the last Saturday of April at 10:00 am local time, groups will gather in different cities for the event. This year the World Tai Chi and Qigong day will fall on April 29th.

    Please enjoy the World Tai Chi and Qiqong Day press release video!

    The worldwide events for World Tai Chi and Qiqong Day will begin in the tiny country ofFiji, at 10:00 am their local time. The yearly event will then move west through such countries as Australia, Japan, China, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, North and South America. The last of the countries to celebrate 22 hours later are the Hawaiian Islands, at 10:00 am their local time.

    It all began in 1999, when Bill Douglas organized an event to celebrate the healing benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong. He organized a group of about 200 participants to demonstrate the arts on the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, in the United States.

    The many World Tai Chi and Qigong Day events are generally organized by different local groups and schools of Tai Chi or Qiqong. To join an existing World Tai Chi and Qiqong Day event, you can visit the official World Tai Chi and Qigong Day website

    April 25, 2017
  • Over 300 Tai Chi Practitioners Demonstrate On Great Wall

    Over 300 Tai Chi Practitioners Demonstrate On Great Wall

    Over 300 Tai Chi Practitioners gathered on a section of the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall of China. Together they demonstrated the Chinese martial art of Tai Chi Chuan. In the last while, there have been more of this type of mass Tai Chi demonstrations throughout different parts of China.

    Jinshanling is a section of the Great Wall of China located in the mountainous area in Luanping County, Hebei Province, 125 km northeast of Beijing. This section of the wall is connected with the Simatai section to the east. Some distance to the west lies the Mutianyu section. Jinshanling section of the wall was built from 1570 CE during the Ming Dynasty.

    From Wikipedia

  • A Small Allegory

    A Small Allegory

    Francisco Sánchez gives a wonderful exhibition of movement in this short film titled “A Small Allegory”. In the film, Sánchez performs movements of the Taiji Neigong Wu Bu Quan, which he learned from Master Xiumu Zhang.

    Francisco Sánchez was born in Terrassa, Barcelona, during ​​the summer solstice of 1967. He is a direct disciple of the Taoist Master Zhang XiuMu, forming part of the 13th Generation of Wudang Zhao Bao TaiJi Quan lineage.Sánchez is a First Duan instructor of Taijiquan and Qigong, and founder of the TaiJi Quan YuYan® Sports Association. He is also a member of the TaiJi China-Wudang Quanfa Yanjiu Hui Chinese Association.

    If you stop and breathe, in this same place and moment, the Taiji will not be just a path that I propose to share, but what you already appreciated when stopping and observing in your interior.

    According to Francisco Sánchez, the inspiration to make this film was purely to honour his Master, 81 year old Master XiuMu Zhang, who instructs them daily with new and old teachings in order to approach the work of the Tao through the practice of Tai Chi Chuan, Qigong and Taoist meditation. Information in Spanish about Master XiuMu Zhang can be found here: https://yuyan.es/el-maestro-zhang-xiu-mu/

    The film was produced by Xavi Díaz of Nova Era Produccions.

  • Fu Sheng Yuan Passes Away

    Fu Sheng Yuan Passes Away

    Fu Sheng Yuan (1931 – 2017), son of the famous Fu Zhong Wen has passed away. He was born in Yongnian, China, the birthplace of Yang style Tai Chi. He started learning the traditional Yang Family style of Tai Chi Chuan from his father at the age of 9 years old.

    Fu is a descendant of the Yang Family. His mother, Zou Kuei Cheng, was the great grand daughter of Yang Chien Hou (son of Yang style founder Yang Lu Chan). Fu taught the Yang style for many years in China. He wanted to pass the family’s art of Tai Chi to the world, but was unable to leave China in the earlier years due to government restrictions. After the Chinese government started to allow its citizens to immigrate to other countries, Fu Sheng Yuan moved to Australia with his family in 1989.

    Fu established a school in Australia, and from there he spread the traditions of the Yang Faily style of Tai Chi Chuan throughout the would with teaching seminars hosted in other countries. Fu Sheng Yuan taught thousands of students, and has disciples teaching in China, Australia, India, the United States continue to pass on his teachings to new generations of Tai Chi students.

    Fu Qing Quan (James), the son of Fu Sheng Yuan, took over the leadership of the World Yongnian Tai Chi Federation several years ago. He learned Yang style Tai Chi extensively from his grandfather Fu Zhong Wen when he was young as well as his father. Fu Qing Quan continues to teach many of his father’s students as well as his own.

    Our deepest condolences go out to the family of Fu Sheng Yuan, as well as his many students throughout the world.

  • The Pathway To Stillness

    The Pathway To Stillness

    Gary Irwin-Kenyon is a the founding Chair of Gerontoloy at St. Thomas University in New Brunswick, Canada, and an author. He is also a longtime Tai Chi practitioner and instructor.

    He was interviewed on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) radio show “Shift” by host Vanessa Vander Valk about Tai Chi, and the ideas of stillness being used to benefit you in practice and everyday life. This is the subjest of his book: “Pathways to Stillness”. Click on the Listen button below to hear the interview.

    Gary is a teacher and practitioner of Tai Chi with more than thirty years experience. He designed a program, Tai Chi as Narrative Care, which he has been teaching for the past ten years to special groups, including residents in long-term care. He conducts workshops and seminars in Canada, The United States, Europe, and Asia.

    Excerpt from Gary Irwan-Kenyon’s website. To see the whole biography and his website click this Link

    His book, Pathways to Stillness, was published in 2016 and is available on Amazon.com.

    Click on the image below to see more of this interesting book.

  • International Tai Chi Park

    International Tai Chi Park

    On the northern shores of Lake Superior lies Thunder Bay, Canada. An unlikely place to have an International Tai Chi Park. However, such a place was built and completed in 2011 with a Moon Gate looking out over Lake Superior and the Sleeping Giant. Beside the Moon Gate lies a patterned stone pad 60 feet in diameter designed for groups to practice Tai Chi Chuan.

    Moongate

    International Taiji ParkThe city of Thunder Bay has had a long history of being active with Tai Chi Chuan, and is
    internationally known as “The Taiji City”. In 1990 Tai Chi master Peng Youlian came to Canada and soon started teaching Tai Chi. He built up a following of students and even brought them regularly to China to train in Tai Chi Chuan, as well as bringing Tai Chi teachers from China to visit Thunder Bay.

    A meeting of Tai Chi masters came to Thunder Bay in July of 2006. There were 7 masters of Tai Chi Chuan who came from China for the The International Forum on Taijiquan, which was hosted by Peng Youlian. They represented the different family styles of Tai Chi Chuan. Master Wu Wenhan, Master Yang Zhenduo, Master Chen Zhenglei, Master Sun Yongtian, Master Zeng Nailiang, Master Ma Hailong and Master Eddie Wu Kwong Yu travelled to Canada to demonstrate and give lectures on their different style of Tai Chi Chaun for the event.

    Framing Sleeping GiantMaster Peng Youlian came up with the concept of the International Tai Chi Park, and working together with the Form Architecture Engineering  firm, the project came to realization.  Peng Youlian regularly hosts training and events such as the World Tai Chi Day at the park.  Visit the website of master Peng Youlian to find out more about Tai Chi and the International Tai Chi Park in Thunder Bay, Canada.

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

  • Tai Chi In The Movie “Killer Elite”

    Tai Chi In The Movie “Killer Elite”

    The 1975 movie “Killer Elite” stars James Caan as Mike Locken, an agent who works for a company that handles covert assignments for the CIA. His best friend (and fellow agent) George Hansen, played by Robert Duvall, ends up betraying Locken in a double cross.

    In one of the scenes of the movie, Locken meets an old friend who is practicing Tai Chi in a group which is led by Guang Ping Tai Chi Chuan master Kuo Lien-ying. At one point Kuo tries to teach Caan’s character Tai Chi, but he is soon called away.

    If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you can click on the image below to see more about it!

    Check out our other articles about Tai Chi in Films and TV!

  • Yuki’s Gift

    Yuki’s Gift

    Yuki Tanji is a Tai Chi practitioner and instructor based in Berlin, Germany. In this beautifully filmed video produced by Jhohan Planefeldt, Yuki demonstrates the flowing art of Tai Chi Chuan.

    GIFT from yuki on Vimeo.

    Yuki Tanji was trained in classical ballet in Japan for 14 years. in 1999, she left her homeland of Japan, and moved to Berlin. Starting in 2000 she began learning the Chinese Martial Arts, starting first with the Shaolin art of Nan Chaun. Yuki was able to see connecting lines between the Martial Arts and Dance.

    After becoming pregnant, Yuki began seeking softer methods of the Martial Arts. She began learning weapons, Tai Chi Chuan, as well as Qigong exercises. It was from the experiences and skills acquired from both Ballet and the Chinese martial arts, that she teaches Botan, a style of Tai Chi and Qigong with inspirations of Dance, which is clearly demonstrated in the above video.

    You can view Yuki Tanji’s Facebook page here, and the website MindBodyOnline.com with information for her classes at Chimosa, where she teaches in Berlin, Germany.

  • Tai Chi Helps The Homeless With Hope

    Tai Chi Helps The Homeless With Hope

    A library in Salt Lake City is giving the homeless an opportunity for exercise, and hope. The library offers free Tai Chi classes to the city’s homeless.

    Bernie Hart is the instructor of the morning Tai Chi program at the Salt Lake City Main Library. Hart initiated the program with the library to bring an opportunity of exercise and hope to the homeless in his city. There were only one or two people attending when the free classes started, and since then it has grown to around 40!

    You can view the original articles on this story here and here by KSL TV reporter Alex Cabrero,

  • Is Tai Chi The Answer To Back Pain?

    Is Tai Chi The Answer To Back Pain?

    Many people suffer from back pain. As individuals get older, the likelihood of having to deal with back pain from recent or older injuries becomes greater. The general method of first treating back pain with medication is now being looked at differently. The American College of Physicians, who now have new guidelines for treatment, suggest that the first course of treatment should be things like heat wraps, exercise therapy, methods to reduce stress.

    With its gentle movement and shifting of the weight, attention to alignment, and effects on reducing stress, Tai Chi would seem to be the ideal exercise therapy to deal with back pain. It would be important to be extra aware of how one’s movement, and not make any strenuous moves. It is also important to let your Tai Chi instructor know of any injuries or pain, so they may adjust your training to address any problems.

    The type of treatment for back pain will of course depend upon the injury to the back. It is best to consult with your doctor to insure that any exercise will not further the injury.