Still Mountain Tai Chi Kung Institute
In cooperation with Chris has studied Tai Chi for many years and has
Wushu Federation Philippines &
Tai Chi Union Phils.
presents
STANDING:
To Develop Root, Structure,
Line & Energy
Tai Chi Push Hands
Workshop Series I
by Chris Vogel
ƒ A 4-hour workshop
ƒ Either on 11 Nov, 2007 (Sun)
ƒ or 18 Nov, 2007 (Sun)
ƒ 10:00AM-3:00PM (1hr Lunch)
ƒ At the Wushu Federation
Rizal Memorial Complex, Manila
The first of several intensive hands-on workshop
series focuses on – Qigong and how it creates a
usable “structure”, types of “contact”, and a
listening “connection” and how to produce and
direct a “chi ball”. We will explore standing’s
crucial role in developing energy skills along with
how it relates to the other major facets of push
hands. We will also explore the essential skills of
how to contact and connect to you partner, and
how to produce and use your chi and intention to
listen to their root, structure, and movements.
Inside Three Panels w/ 2 Folds
About Chris Vogel
Fees & Inquiries
had the good fortune to learn from a number of Workshop Fee:
very high level teachers. A few of Chris' more well P1,500 (includes handouts and snacks)
known teachers include: Grand Master Chen
Xao Wang, Grand Master Chen Zhang Lei, Reservation Required:
Grand Master Li Shu Dong, George Xu, P500 reservation down payment is needed
Grand Master Zhu Tain Xi, Grand Master Ren
Guang Yi, and Zhang Xu Xin.
to ensure participation since the Workshop
is limited to 14 Participants
Specializing in the fiery Chen Style, Chris also For Inquiries:
practices Yang style and has been exposed to Ed Sevilla
several other styles. Chris believes that which Mobile:0917 549 1949
style a student chooses is of little importance Land line: 823 0750
compared to the quality of teacher. All styles are E-mail: ed.stillmountain@gmail.com
just different expressions of the quest of learning Chris Vogel
how to build, move, and issue energy. Mobile: 0917 547 8900
Chris teaches the 4 "treasures" of Tai Chi: Qi
Gong, Silk Reeling, Forms, and Sticky Hands and
offers a very unique teaching method.
Chris' basis for sticky hands practice and
teaching comes from the lineage of Cai
Songfong, the teacher who was the inspiration for
the book "Warriors of Stillness".
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TaiChi-PushHands
Module I:
Standing:
To Develop Root, Structure, Line
& Energy for Tai Chi Push Hands
The key and cornerstone of Tai Chi or any
internal Martial Art is the daily practice of Qi Gong
or “Standing Meditation”. It develops one’s root,
structure, internal energy, and contributes to
overall good health.
In this first of a series we will focus on the
mechanics, imagery, and sensations of standing
and explore how they relate to push hands
practice. We will link this focus to the concepts of
achieving the proper contact with one’s partner,
how to develop a “listening” connection, and
using intention to direct one’s energy in working
with the “The Point” of contact.
Standing:
Essentially, learning the depth and profundity of
tai chi requires that we break it down to smaller
and simpler components in order to make its
complex subtlety understandable and practicable.
Thus, the learning of “deflecting a force of a
thousand pounds with a mere four ounces of
strength”, had to be painstaking slowed down to
the tai chi pace and further “frozen” into a
standstill to put into microscopic feel the fine and
subtle details of energy work.
In this workshop, the essential forms and practice
of standing shall be explored along with goals of
using them as a means to understand and
develop the “internal power” of Tai Chi. With this,
Inside Three Panels w/ 2 Folds
one can also bring this understanding into the
practice of one’s moving Tai Chi form.
Root:
The development of the quality of “rootedness” is
the special stability to withstand being easily
pulled and pushed. This is an essential aspect of
push hands and like most other body and mind tai
chi qualities, having root involves a combination
of factors. Rooting involves a high level of
relaxing and sinking one’s energy that allows one
to use the force of gravity and the stability of the
ground and the lower members of our body as a
constant ally in the balancing game of Push
Hands. Through a system of the practice of
Standing one can understand how one’s practice
can lead to acquiring this quality.
Structure & Line:
One of the main push hands qualities that
standing builds is “structure”. Good structure will
feel springy, connected, and strong, but never
stiff. It is sometimes referred to as “iron wrapped
in cotton”. Another quality that standing builds is
the ability to shrink and shift one’s centerline.
Contact:
Along with the development of a usable structure,
one has to learn how to use it. The first step in
using one’s structure is the type and quality of
contact with a partner. Here it’s a balance of not
being too light, but also not being too heavy and
using muscle. We will explore the various levels
and types of contact.
Connection and Chi Ball:
Connection is extremely important in push hands.
The combination of contact and connection give
the push hands player the ability to “stick” and
“listen” to their partner. We will explore types and
levels of connection. We will also explore how to
produce and direct what we refer to as a chi ball.
A metaphor for what happens in push hands
would be to: “throw the water on the rock, and it
will find the cracks”. In our case the water is chi,
the rock is your partner, and the cracks are their
energy holes, which you can flow into and use to
your advantage.
Standing and Push Hands:
Push hands is the tai chi way of putting one’s
abilities “under a microscope”. Building and
using energy will be explored in this workshop.
Push hands actually tests whether you can use
the energies developed in standing, silk reeling,
and forms.
There are many realizations that can come only
through doing push hands with a competent
instructor. In this workshop we explore:
1. Contact Intention on One’s Partner –
Simply stay neutral to listen to one’s and
the other’s energy. To distinguish the
quality of our own and the other’s
structure.
2. Covering Lanes of Attack on You – Avoid
being double weighted and ensure exits
so that we are not jammed into a “corner”.
3. Connection and Chi Ball – How to form a
clear connection with your partner and
how to send chi in them to listen to their
structure and energy holes.
These are a few of the understandings we pick up
from pushing hands with the teacher, that we can
bring into all our practices - our standing, our
form, our lives, and our own push hands with
others.
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