The Yang Style became popular in 1928.
From 1928, Yang style has become more and more popular.
Today, you see it everywhere.
Why has Yang style become so popular.
It is because of its benefits. Its benefits for health are amazing.
Why is it so amazing?
Because, when Yang, Cheng-Fu changed the form
into bigger postures, its became more relaxing.
People began to experience that relaxation, it helped to open the joints.
Also, the body structure gave them center, balance, and root.
Scientists have confirmed
that forty, two percent of seniors fall less,
when they practice taijiquan.
It has been repeatedly reported, and verified that taijiquan is
good for the joints, and most importantly, for the bones.
The older people developed better balance and root.
Remember, if you don't have balance and root, you can't find the center.
If you can't find the center, that is the reason that people's mind's are in chaos.
It's very important to find this center.
Taijiquan helps you do that.
A very important benefit is to the bones.
Bones are piezo-electric material.
Piezo-electric material means that when there
is pressure, there is electricity circulating in it.
The Chinese consider this electricity to be qi,
bio-energy circulating in the body. In the body, in taijiquan you'll see.
Let's take this squat for example.
These sections of the leg create the structure for the foundation
If these three sections are weak, you won't have root, you won't have balance.
When people's legs are weak, they walk like this, and they fall.
It's very important for anyone interested in building their spirit,
in finding center, that these three sections have to be strong.
Taijiquan can help you do that.
People have told me that their legs are too weak. That's fine,
start with a high posture, there's no problem.
Slowly, as you get stronger and stronger, you can get lower, and lower, and lower.
When you can get low, that's good. Watch me, I'm sixty-five.
Practicing at this level is very typical of
traditional Yang Style Taijiquan.
The movements are done this low.
If you can get this low, then your legs are strong.
You have to be stable. You have to be very stable and balanced.
An important part of studying taijiquan,
for a long time, is trying to feel the center.
Instead of by looking,
Right now, you rely on visual clues for balance, to find your center.
This is an idea of what you could do.
For example, Peng, Lu, Ji, An, occurs often.
Close your eyes, feel for your balance,
feel for the center.
Move without destroying the center, feel the body's structure.
If you want to learn to feel the balance
of your center, close your eyes.
One of the simple exercises from taijiquan is to stand on one leg,
with your eyes closed, and see how long you can stand.
If you can find your center, you have a good internal foundation of taijiquan.
Normally do Yang Style Taijiquan for 18 to 20 minutes is good.
To the martial artist, that is not enough.
18 to 20 minutes is for beginners.
The traditional martial artists train taijiquan
slower and slower and slower.
You can train so that it takes 1 hour to perform the entire sequence.
That means that your movements are so slow,
that it takes 1 hour to do the sequence.
That means that your breathing is three times longer than normal.
I have not reached that stage yet. I'm still working on it.
The mind has to be so peaceful.
The body has to be in a highly relaxed state
so that the oxygen consumption is minimum.
If you don't have that highly relaxed meditative state,
it is impossible to reach the level of one hour.
That's the internal training.
We're talking about the energy circulation in the body.
The yang side of the training, is to train to go faster and faster.
When you train to move faster and faster, it becomes the martial side, applications.
In a real fight, speed is important.
You cannot say to your enemy, "Slow down, you're too fast."
You have to have speed.
The yang side of the training is to move faster and faster. It becomes power manifestation.
Train until you can do the sequence in three minutes.
For example, Peng, Lu, Ji, An.
This is Peng at regular speed.
In a real situation, this is the speed.
It's fast, every movement is fast.
You strike, and then you immediately relax.
How you train taijiquan, how long it takes,
depends on your purpose.
For beginner, 18 to 20 minutes is reasonable.
Many people ask me, If I want to study taijiquan for
health purposes, why should I have a sense of enemy,
why should I know the applications?
I always say, "If you want to learn taijiquan for relaxation, you
don't need a teacher, you don't need me, you don't need anyone."
You just need to put on some nice music,
and don't worry about anything. You are not looking for the
deeper aspects of the art. Just move your hands and relax.
But, the movements won't have a deeper meaning.
If you want to learn the meaning,
Remember, it is the mind that leads the qi, to circulate the energy.
If you want to be able to use your mind to lead the qi,
you have to have a sense of enemy. Every movement is designed for that.
If you want to learn taijiquan just for relaxation,
sorry, you have the wrong place.
If you want to do taijiquan to train your mind to focus,
maintain a high level alertness and awareness,
to learn to lead the qi to circulate in the body,
that's a challenge, that is deep.
You have to think about your reason for learning taijiquan.
Are you learning taijiquan for a lifetime or just for fun?
If you are learning taijiquan for a lifetime,
I would say that traditional taijiquan is better.
Because the more you practice, the deeper it becomes.
Thank you.