March 15, '24 It's Spring! I saw a gathering of daffodils in the park this morning! They've arrived -- and I bowed to them (actually I didn't. But tomorrow I will) So in honor of the new season, sending on the first stanzas of Lao Tze, the great Taoist poet... The Great Way isn't difficult for those who are unattached to their preferences... Let go of longing and aversion, and everything will be perfectly clear... If you want to realize the truth, don't be for or against... Who ever said these things were easy?! They are NOT! Here's something that's easy and fun, it's maybe not strictly t'ai chi, maybe homegrown, that is to say, these moves have emerged from the bouncy traditions of the American gym class but they have the feeling of our internal arts. These exercises combine joy and work-out Enjoy! https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/24/well/move/joy-workout-exercises-happiness.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=article
Shaolin . It's very graceful, yet from the second you start watching, you'll see it also demands quite a bit of strength, both inner and outer. Yin and Yang are perfectly blended. And having that calibrated just right, it's beautiful to watch. I've advised my students, if you don't want to necessarily learn these moves, just sit back and enjoy this charming monk's performance. The practitioner, in the video is Thich Man Tue, who is affiliated with Thich Nath Hanh's Tibetan Buddhist tradition, in particular with their Deer Park Monastery in California. About half way through, you'll come across their version of Eight Pieces of Brocade -- maybe the most practiced qigong sequence there is. (There's another version of it shown in its entirety on this blog, as demonstrated by Laoshi Faye Yip. And I've learned a third way, courtesy of my former teacher, Master Hawkes.) So if you come to my qigong class (Tuesday mornings) you'll