A Thought for the Day

When learning Tai Chi and Qigong do not get caught up in the desire to learn the next move or the next technique.  Spend time doing what you already know over and over again.  When you practice this way you will begin to develop a true understanding of what you are practicing; Only then you will be ready to learn something new.

Update #2 for Amador County's 2013 World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day Celebration

Another exciting new update for Amador County's 2013 WTCQD celebration!  Massage Therapist Andrea Newman will be offering free 5 minute chair massages to anyone who attends this event.  Andrea Newman owns Waves of Healing Hands Massage in Pine Grove and offers massages at the KSW Karate Dojo in Pine Grove.  She is a very talented massage therapist and has been kind enough to offer her services to anyone who comes to enjoy World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day with us.  You can find her facebook page for Waves of Healing Hands Massage at the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/WavesofHealingHandsMassage?ref=ts&fref=ts

January 2013 Qi Gong Workshops in Amador County

In January of 2013 two, weekend Qi Gong workshops will be available in Amador County.  The focus of these workshops is to teach as many people as possible simple Qi Gong routines for health that have been used in China for centuries to maintain healthy, strong, flexible bodies. 

The first workshop will be held on Sat. Jan. 5, and will be focused on "Deer Qigong."  This form of Qi Gong is part of the "Wu Qin Xi" or "Five Animal Playing" Qi Gong set.  The Chinese developed the Deer Qigong routine to mainly focus on balancing and strengthening the kidneys, but many of the exercises are also good for balance; coordination; and back, core, and hip flexibility.

The second workshop will be held on Sat. Jan. 12, and will be covering the "Ba Duan Jin" or "8 Pieces of Brocade" Qigong set.  This set is very popular all over the world for its simplicity and the safe nature of all the exercises.  This Qi Gong set can really be viewed as a whole body tune-up, with exercises that help improve range of motion, strength the body, improve balance, improve circulation and balance the body's energy flow. 

More information about these workshops and their location, time and price of attendance can be found on the new "Workshops and Seminars" page.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Update on the 2013 World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day.

Great news!  We just added another workshop to Amador County's World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day celebration.  From 11:00 to 11:30am Sensei Rodney Peoples will be giving an introduction to breathing exercises that are used to cleanse, balance and recharge the body's energy systems.  These breathing exercises come from Sensei Peoples' martial arts training, which is predominately in Japanese styles, and offer a different perspective on these types of exercises than that which is generally seen in Chinese Qi Gong.  This is sure to be an exciting and informative workshop for all who attend.

If you would like to know more about Amador County's World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day 2013 celebration, please visit our World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day page.

This is Sensei Peoples practicing Karate at his school in Pine Grove.

Amador County's World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day Celebration in 2013

We are now in the planning stages of preparing for the 2013 celebration of World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day in Amador County.  This event will be taking place on Saturday, April 27, 2013 and even thought it is several months away we are already very excited about it.

For more information about this event please visit our "World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day in Amador County 2013" page.

If you are a Tai Chi or Qi Gong instructor and would like to lead a workshop, seminar or demonstration please contact me as soon as possible so I can add you to the event schedule. 

Everyone is welcome to come enjoy this celebration with us.

2 Students Earned Their White Sash in Tai Chi Today

Today at 5:00pm two students began the test for their White Sash rank.  One student has been training with me for about 10 months and the other has been training with me for nearly two years.  Both have put an incredible amount of time and effort into their training and it was very obvious during the test. 

During the test they were required to show proficiency in the following:

• Yang Tai Chi 24 form
• 5 directional stepping
• Zhan Zhuang Qi Gong
• Tai Chi Qi Gong set
• and more...

At about 6:30pm the test was complete and both students had passed.  Below are some pictures of them receiving their sashes.

Laura receiving her White Sash after the Test.

Laura receiving her certificate.

Rhonda receiving her White Sash.

Rhonda receiving her certificate.

Learning to tie their new sashes with a little help from someone who has done it before.

Laura showing the new certificate with me.

 Rhonda showing her new certificate with me.

Congratulations, ladies!  You did an excellent job earning this rank.  Keep up the good work!

2 Students Earned Their Yellow Sash Ranks in Tai Chi

It has been over 6 months since they tested for their white sashes.  Six months filled with hard work, sweat, perseverance, and dedication to  practicing the same things over and over..... and it has paid off.  The two students who earned their Yellow Sashes today have truly earned this new rank and I'm very proud to have helped them reach this point in their training.

The skills that are required to earn a yellow sash include:

• Knowing and being able to perform the first part of the traditional Yang Style Long Form
• Learning 10 basic Tai Chi stepping sets that enforce many basic moving patterns of Tai Chi
• Rocking Qi Gong Sets that begin to prepare a student many aspects of pushing hands and sticking hands practice
• New stance practice routines that help strengthen the legs and coordinate body movements
• The 8 Doors, or fundamental moving concepts, of Tai Chi.
• And more...

Both of these students have been training with me since the beginning of 2011 and I'm very pleased with the progress they have made and the hard working attitude they have diplayed in their training so for.  It has taken them more than a year and a half to reach their second rank in our sash system.  This is not because they have not worked hard, on the contrary, it is because of their hard work that they have been able to reach this rank so quickly.  It is so important to make sure each skill is truly learned and not just briefly touched on and it can take a long time to get these things down.

Below are some pictures of the sash promotion ceremony.

In this picture my dad is giving me his old white sash and receiving his brand new Yellow Sash.

 Here my dad is receiving his rank certificate.

 

Here Kathy is receiving her new Yellow Sash.

Kathy looking over her new Yellow Sash rank certificate.

Dad and me showing off his new yellow sash and rank certificate.

 Kathy and me showing her new yellow sash and rank certificate.

Congratulations to you both!

Two Summer Classes Have Come to an End

Two of the Classes on our Summer Class Schedule have come to an end.  The First is the Lunch Break Qi Gong Classes that were held at the Motherlode Holistic Connection in Jackson, CA and the second is the Aqua-Aerobics Weight Loss Boot Camp.  The registration time for the July Aqua-Aerobics Weight Loss Boot Camp passed last week and because the Sutter Creek Pool will not be open through the end of August there will not be any Aqua-Aerobics Weight Loss Boot Camp in the month of August.  However, the regular Weight Loss Boot Camp at the KSW Karate Dojo in Pine Grove will continue to the end of August and you may register for the August Boot Camp any time this month.

A Video for the Morning Tai Chi Class

Here is a video for the Morning Tai Chi and Qi Gong lessons I teach at New York Fitness on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30am to 8:30am.  Enjoy.  :)

Lunch Time Qi Gong Classes

For the Months of June, July and August I will be offering a lunch time Qi Gong class at the Motherlode Holistic Center in Jackson.  This class is designed to give people a break from their work day and better equip them to cope with the stresses they may experience at work.  Each class is only 30 minutes long to allow time to get to the class from work, recharge your mind and body in class, grab a bite to eat for lunch, then return to work with a calmer mind and better focus with which to face the second half of your work day.

These classes will be on Mondays and Fridays, from 12:10 to 12:40.
The classes are either $7 per class or $25 for the month.

Click here to Register for the Lunch Time Qi Gong Class

World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day is THIS Saturday! :)

Just a friendly reminder that we are celebrating World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day at the Motherlode Holistic Connection this Saturday at 10:00am.  Everyone is welcome to come join us for a morning Qi Gong session and find out what makes Tai Chi and Qi Gong such popular forms of exercise around the world!  I hope to see you there!  :)

Click here to view more info about this event.

3 Students Preparing for Their White Sash Test

I'm very pleased to announce that 3 of my Tai Chi students will be testing for there white sashes next week.  They have been training for a little over a year at this point and I'm very proud of them for all their hard work.  I'm also very excited that they are about to take this next step in their training.


Below is a list of all the things they will be tested on and will need to show proficiency in to pass the test:

• Zhan Zhuang Qi Gong (Standing Like a Tree Qi Gong)
• Correct movements into posture, correct posture, and correct closing movements as well as an understanding of what you should be focusing on during this Qi Gong

• 8 Fundamental Stances – Static  (Ji Ben Ba Shi)
• Able to hold each Stance for 30 seconds 
• Horse Stance
• Bow & Arrow Stance
• Sitting on Crossed Legs Stance
• Four-Six Stance
• Tame the Tiger Stance
• False Stance
• Rooster Stands on One Leg Stance
• Squat Stance

• 5 Stepping Practices – Solo and with a partner
• Stepping Forward
• Stepping Backward
• Stepping to the Left – Inside and Outside
• Stepping to the Right – Inside and Outside
• Keeping the Center

• Yang Tai Chi 24 Postures Form

• Tai Chi 10 postures Qi Gong

• Basic Off-Balancing Concepts
• Explain the concept of the “3^rd leg of the triangle”
• Demonstrate where to lead someone to take them off balance from Horse Stance, Bow & Arrow Stance, and Four-Six Stance

• Correct Wushu Salute and Its Meaning

Many of these things may sound very simple when just reading the titles, but each section of this test requires a great deal of attention to detail.  There is a reason it has taken these students a year to prepare for this test, but all their hard work has definitely earned them the right to take part in this examination of skills.  :)


Stay tuned for pictures and updates from the test and the ceremony.  :) 

A New Qi Gong Class in Sutter Creek!

Here's some great news for those of you who are wanting a class that focuses more on Qi Gong.  Start January 29th (Sunday) at 5:00pm I will be offering a Qi Gong specific class once a week at Sophia's Well of Wisdom in Sutter Creek.  :)  This class will be taking place every Sunday at 5:00pm.  We're only asking for a minimum donation of $5 per person to make the health benefits of Qi Gong easily accessible to everyone in our community.  

For those of you who aren't quite sure what Qi Gong is...

Qi Gong (pronounced “Chee Gong”) was once a secret art in China taught only to a privileged few and was considered a closely guarded treasure amongst those who practiced it because of its many health benefits.  It was developed for the purpose of increasing the body’s vital energy to restore or maintain the body’s youthful vigor.  Over the past few decades Qi Gong has become more and more accessible to the general public and is now an extremely popular form of exercise that is used to help limber up joints, increase circulation, increase flexibility, focus the mind, relieve stress, and energize the body and mind.  This art is now practiced by millions of people every day for its many health benefits and on the 29th it will be available in Sutter Creek to anyone interested in experiencing this ancient art for themselves.  

Sophia's Well of Wisdom is located across the street from the Days Inn in Sutter Creek.

The Address is:

270 Hanford Street, Suite A. 

If you have any questions or would like more info about this class please feel free to Contact Me. 

 

A Small Glossery of Commonly used Chinese terms for Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Chinese Martial Arts

I added a page with a list of commonly used Chinese terms for Tai Chi Chuan, Qi Gong, and Chinese Martial Arts.  This isn't something that I require my students to learn, but i wanted to make these terms available to anyone interested in learning them.  :)  A link to this new page is listed in the "pages" section on the left side of this blog.  You can also Click Here to view it.  Check it out.  :)

New Evening Tai Chi and Qi Gong Classes Starting in January 2012

I just wanted to let everyone know that starting in January 2012 at the KSW Karate Dojo in Pine Grove, CA evening classes in Tai Chi and Qi Gong will be made available. The classes will be held on Monday and Wednesday evenings starting at 6:00. If you have further questions please feel free to contact the KSW Karate Dojo at (209) 296-4200 or Contact Me.

Can Tai Chi Benefit People with Fibromyalgia?

The following is a short article from the National Center of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM); I think it is awesome and I think you all will enjoy it too: 

Tai Chi May Benefit Patients With Fibromyalgia

People with fibromyalgia may benefit from practicing tai chi, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by muscle pain, fatigue, and other symptoms. People with fibromyalgia have chronic widespread pain, as well as "tender points" on areas of the body, which hurt when slight pressure is applied. Although exercise appears to be an important part of fibromyalgia treatment, many people with fibromyalgia need medication to control symptoms and are unable to maintain muscle strength, flexibility, and overall fitness.

Researchers, funded in part by NCCAM, evaluated the physical and psychological benefits of tai chi (which combines meditation, slow movements, deep breathing, and relaxation) in 66 people with fibromyalgia. The participants were assigned to one of two groups: an attention control group that received wellness education and practiced stretching exercises, or a tai chi group that received instruction in tai chi principles and techniques and practiced 10 forms of Yang‑style tai chi. Both groups met in 1‑hour sessions twice a week for 12 weeks and also practiced daily at home. Tai chi participants used an instructional DVD to continue practice for 12 more weeks.
Compared with the attention control group, the tai chi group had a significantly greater decrease in total score on the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire at 12 weeks. In addition, the tai chi group demonstrated greater improvement in sleep quality, mood, and quality of life. Improvements were still present at 24 weeks. No adverse events were reported.
The researchers concluded that these findings support previous research indicating benefits of tai chi for musculoskeletal pain, depression, and quality of life. The underlying mechanisms are unknown, and the researchers noted that larger, longer term studies are needed to evaluate the potential benefits of tai chi for patients with fibromyalgia.

References

• Wang C, Schmid CH, Rones R, et al. A randomized trial of tai chi for fibromyalgia. New England Journal of Medicine. 2010;363(8):743–754.
• Yeh GY, Kaptchuk TJ, Shmerling RH. Prescribing tai chi for fibromyalgia—are we there yet? New England Journal of Medicine. 2010;363(8):783–784.

Additional Resources

• Tai Chi
• Fibromyalgia and CAM: At a Glance
• Fibromyalgia (NIAMS)

Journal Publication Date: August 19, 2010
http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/081810.htm


If you're interested in learning Tai Chi in Amador County visit our Class Schedules and Locations page to find out what classes will work best for you.  :)

Great News About the Tai Chi DVD

After months of set-backs, technical difficulties, and a super busy schedule to contend with, the "Tai Chi Basics" DVD is finally finished!  :)  I just finished putting the first batch into my gym bag to take to class tomorrow morning at New York Fitness and I will be bringing several copies to the classes in Pine Grove as well.  So they will be available at both locations during each class.  :)

This project originally started as a single DVD and has turned into a 2 DVD set because I was not able to fit all of the information on one disc.  Some of the topics covered in this set are as follows:

• Basic Movements
• Basic Footwork
• The Yang Style Tai Chi 24 form (With each step broken down in detail)
• Basic Stances
• Standing Like a Tree Qi Gong
• A Tai Chi Moving Qi Gong Set
• Warm Up Exercises
• Cool Down Exercises
• And Other Information

I'm really excited to have this project complete and to have this learning aid available to all of my students.  I am very much in hopes that these DVD's will help you all practice at home.  Thank you all for your patience while this project was in the works!  See you at class.   :)

An Interview With My Master in China

One of my friends (Will) that I met while I was in China had the opportunity to interview my master and posted the interview on his blog.  I just found it yesterday and I enjoyed reading it so much that I want to give you all the chance to read it too.  This will give you a little glimpse of the master that I had the incredible privilege of training with during my most recent trip to China.  Feel free to check out the other stuff on Will's blog.  He has done a lot of traveling and studying in China and he has some very fascinating posts on his blog.  :)  Enjoy!

Click Here to read the "Interview with Kun Yu Shan's Master Guo Xin Min"

Master Guo and Me.

Amazing Start for the Weekend

The "Rise and Shine" Qi Gong Session in Detert (Jackson) Park on Saturday morning was the perfect way to start this weekend.  A small group of people arrived at the park at 6:30 in the morning looking forward to trying something new.  A couple of them have been to my Tai Chi classes before, but we usually only spend a small portion of the Tai Chi classes practicing Qi Gong and at this event....it was all about Qi Gong.  :)

The air was cool and crisp, the park was practically empty, and the sun was just rising into the sky when we began.  We started by taking a little walk in the park to help get our blood circulating, then we practiced a moving Qi Gong set, took some time to work on stationary Qi Gong focused on breathing, and we topped it off with some very simple and invigorating Qi Gong cool down exercises that left us feeling revitalized, rested, rid of the weeks burdens, and ready to fully enjoy our weekend.  :)

After we were done everyone who came told me how much better they felt, how much more alive they felt, and how happy they were that they came.  :)  Hearing that thrilled me because that was the whole point of this early morning session.  If that sounds like a way you want to start your weekend come join us for the next "Rise ans Shine" Qi Gong session.  I'll post the time, date and location soon.  So stay tuned.  :)  I hope to see you there.

Good News About the Tuesday Afternoon Tai Chi Class at NYF.

I just got an e-mail from Natalie (Fitness Manager at New York Fitness) saying that we can continue the Tuesday afternoon (4:00 to 5:00pm) Tai Chi Classes through the end of July!  :D  How awesome is that?!

I hope to see you all there!  :)