Turn
Your Tai Chi into a Meditation
Learn
the basics of Meditation before you enroll in a Tai Chi class and take yourself
to a higher level
My
name is Abby and I have studied Tai Chi with the Erle Montaigue School of Tai
Chi from February 1998 - 2004. I trained with Wally Simpson and Paul Morrison
in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast of Queensland. Wally is considered one of
Erle's top trainers and I believe Paul to be at an advanced level.
THE
BEGINNERS DILEMMA: How to choose a Tai Chi training school?
Over
the years I have observed many students come and go from Wally's Tai Chi class.
Most come with the 21st century fast food attitude. They want to become a Master
of Tai Chi in a few lessons but once they realise it will take years of training
they give up. However those who persevere are rewarded by learning Tai Chi at
the highest level.
THE
ERLE MONTAIGUE TRAINING STYLE
If
you attend one of Wally's Tai Chi classes on the Gold Coast you will find that
we train outside under a shelter at the local primary school. There are no bright
lights or mirrored walls. The light is low, there is nothing much to distract
the mind, you breath fresh air, you feel the wind on your skin, there are stars,
a moon, grass and trees, sometimes the occasional dog or a curious onlooker, and
when it rains you find your meditation enhanced. The experience of Tai Chi with
Wally is of a Meditator in the market place.
Because
everyone is at different stages of mental, physical and spiritual development
each student receives personal tuition. If you attend Wally's class you will be
given some instruction by Wally or one of his assistant trainers and then left
to yourself to practice for a while before receiving more instruction and so on.
When your Tai Chi repertoire is large enough you will be invited to join in group
activities. If you wish to master Tai Chi then you will need to practise your
Tai Chi on a daily basis.
You
have the choice of learning a variety of Tai Chi and Bagwa forms.
- Yeng Cheng Fu Tai
Chi form.
- Yeng
Lu Chuan Tai Chi form.
- Bagwa
circular form.
- Bagwa
linear form.
- San
Sau, small and large.
- Tai
Chi stick and pole forms
- Sword
forms.
- Chi disruptive
kata's
- Deadly
dim mak kata's
- Chi
kung / Qi Qong
- And
more
We
do not teach the much touted short Beijing 24 or 48 styles of Tai Chi which have
been designed to entertain the student with a short attention span, and which
provide limited health benefits and martial ability.
THE
FAST FOOD TAI CHI TRAINING STYLE
There
are Tai Chi schools which cater for the fast food, 3 minute attention span student.
They provide highly structured classes where the students line up in rows, perhaps
in a room with mirrored walls, and where all the students are expected to follow
the instructors moves. Of course, since everyone learns Tai Chi at a different
rate then it is not long before some students are left behind. Knowing this, the
school has to keep the moves very simple and stage their classes at various levels
of ability. The downside is that it is not possible to learn Tai Chi at an advanced
level with this type of training.
The
feedback I have heard about these types of schools and academies, is that they
teach you simple external movements, which may look impressive to an observer
and even feel nice to the practitioner, but these external moves do not give you
the full health benefits and will never take you to the level of Tai Chi Master.
What needs to be understood is that Tai Chi is an internal martial art which require
a meditative approach.
Beijing
24 type Tai Chi schools cater to the student who needs constant stimulation. Their
structured group type classes provide this attention but they do a disservice
to the student inasmuch as they do not give the student an opportunity to turn
their Tai Chi into a deeply meditative practice.
If
your Tai Chi is not yet a Meditation then you are invited to enroll in a Zen Meditation
class with Abby Eagle
ENROLL
IN A ZEN MEDITATION CLASS BEFORE YOU TAKE UP TAI CHI AND GET MORE OUT OF YOUR
TAI CHI SOONER
Classes
and Personal Training
Tai Chi classes are held under the shelters at the
Burleigh Primary School Monday and Wednesday evening from 6:15pm - 8:00pm, and
on the last Sunday of the month on the Burleigh foreshore from 9:00am - 11:00am
with chief instructor Wally Simpson.
For more information about the Tai Classes please phone Wally Simpson on (07) 5598-6204.
For information
about meditation classes please email or phone Abby Eagle on 07 5576 4270 Palm Beach, Gold Coast Qld Australia.
Paul
Morrison also runs classes but he has moved to Tasmania.
Follow this link to look at Erle Montaigue's
Tai Chi website.
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