Monday, June 30, 2014

Foot & Ankle Strength, Stretch, and Balance Qigong Video

Here is a video of a short, simple exercise that helps strengthen and stretch the feet and ankles.  It's usually practiced after an extended standing Qigong session, but it is excellent for those who wish to improve their balance, loosen up first thing in the morning, or cool down after a run/standing workout.  We hope you all find it useful and enjoy it immensely as you practice.


Sunday, June 22, 2014

Seated Meditation/Qigong Video Series

Good news!  We just posted another follow-along Qigong video series.  This time it is a seated Meditation/Qigong video series for those of you who want a break from the standing Qigong sets every now and then.  We hope you all enjoy this series and find it very useful and beneficial.  Enjoy!


























Monday, June 16, 2014

Chen Style Tai Chi 27 Postures Form Videos

Here is another set of videos showing the Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan) 27 Form, from the front and rear views.  This one is up at the request of those students who are currently learning this form in the morning Tai Chi classes at New York Fitness in Jackson, CA.  We hope these videos are very helpful as you all practice in your spare time.  Enjoy!


This video is a demonstration of the Chen Tai Chi 27 Form, from the front.




This video uses "line recognition" effects to help reduce distractions in the video and focus more on the movements only.  It is the same video as above, except for the added effects.




This video is a demonstration of the Chen Tai Chi 27 Form, from the rear.




This video uses "line recognition" effects to help reduce distractions in the video and focus more on the movements only.  It is the same video as above, except for the added effects.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Yang Tai Chi Traditional Saber Form Videos

We have been working hard this summer to put up a lot of instructional, follow-along, and demo videos for our students and fans.  We just posted another video set on you tube and this time it's a demo for the Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Saber Form, filmed from a front view and a rear view.  We hope you enjoy this little demo of one of the many fun forms Yang Style Tai Chi (Tajiquan) has to offer.  These videos were filmed in Pine Grove, CA at the KSW Karate dojo.  If you are interested in learning Tai Chi, please have a look at our class schedule to see which classes work for you.  Enjoy the videos!


This video is a front view demo of the form.




This video is a repeat of the above video in a "line recognition" format that helps remove some of the distractions of the room and draws attention more to the movements of the form.




This video is a rear view demo of the form.




This video is a repeat of the above video in a "line recognition" format that helps remove some of the distractions of the room and draws attention more to the movements of the form.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

8 Pieces of Brocade (Ba Duan Jin) Qigong Video Series

We just posted another Qigong video series on YouTube and this time it's for a Qigong set that is considered to be one of the most popular Qigong sets practiced around the world.  There are many versions and variations of the movements in this set, but they all work on the same principles and are considered very beneficial for health.  It is believed by many that this particular Qigong set was developed by the legendary Chinese General, Yue Fei, to keep his troops strong, healthy, and battle ready.  People all around the world now enjoy these exercises to stay fit, strong, and flexible.

In this video series the first video gives you an introduction and explains how the series works.  The next 8 videos each describe one of the 8 movements in this Qigong set.  The last two videos are follow-along videos that are silent, except for quiet chimes that alert you when it is time to change moves.  We hope you all find this series very helpful and useful in your daily exercise routine.  Enjoy!





















Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Zhan Zhuang Qigong Video Series

This is a very exciting update about the latest video series we posted on Youtube today.  This series in unlike any we have posted before because it is a follow-along Qigong set for daily practice.  The first video in this series is the instructional video that explains the movements, postures, breathing, and focus for "Standing Like a Post Qigong" (Zhan Zhuang Qigong), but the other videos include no instructions and are silent excpet for soft chimes that let you know when something is changing (This allows you to stay focused while meditating, without having to peek at the video to see if the posture has changed).  Each of the follow-along videos is set for a different time interval for holding the Zhan Zhuang posture (the first one starting at 1 minute and each subsequent video is a little longer).  This way, one may begin by practicing the 1 minute video daily, until it becomes easy, then they can progress to the next video, and so on.

For those of you who have not heard of Zhan Zhuang before, it is a standing Qigong practice that is considered one of the most important and most foundational Qigong practices for health and for the internal martial arts such as Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan), Xingyi quan, and Bagua Zhang.  It is believed to be one of the best energy cultivating Qigong exercises and is used to help people develop their root and therefore improve their balance.  Maintaining the Zhan Zhuang structure over a period of time helps develop awareness of your body that will cause you to recognize tension in your body of which you were previously unaware.  It will build a habit of holding a body structure that is not only more efficient in martial art movements, but more efficient in daily activities.  This structure is also said to open up the body's primary energy channels and break up any blockages in energy flow, which is one of the main sources of its health benefits.  The relaxation also calms the mind and the deep breathing massages the internal organs to help increase circulation to them, thereby nourishing and cleansing them more efficiently.

We are very excited about this video series and the opportunity to share a simple exercise that you can follow along with and enjoy on a daily basis.