"The secret of tai ch'i ch'uan is this - never apply nor accept more than four ounces of force."
- Cheng Man Ch'ing
I got the date nailed down for my semi-annual Cheng style taiji sampler seminar, it will be Saturday July 12, probably 10 AM to about 3 or 4 PM or so with midday break, at ETM. The workshop will be held if enough of those who have expressed initial interest eventually follow through as actual pre-regs (once the actual seminar notice is posted on ETM site).
Then and there I will show and tell the meaning of the above quote from Professor Zheng, how it applies to both form and push training, along with lots of other stuff, including but not limited to perpetual questions such as:
- Should we be practicing the combative applications of the Taiji techniques contained in the form?
- What is the relation if any between Taiji and Qigong?
- What is the best way to arrange/allocate your practice time?
- Must I do the entire form to get benefits?
- Isn't the Zheng shortened form less useful than the longer forms out there?
- Practicing non-Taiji calesthentics or exercises while on the Taiji path: Useful? Harmful? Irrelevant? Essential?
- Why is Zheng style or approach radically distinct from any other Taiji approach out there?
And tons more. The meat of the seminar will be the Five Principles and Two Fundamental Postures of the Zheng style, and I will spend significant time doing push hands 1-1 with each attendee who wishes to do so, whether you are a starting-line zero total newbie or a multi-decades Taiji or martial art instructor.
But right now I have bigger fish to fry. I am analyzing the current food shortage and crisis. I figure this may be some kind of trick orchestrated by Monsanto for the purpose of decisively overcoming all global resistance to GMO seeds and foods, once and for all, forever. Enough of this and it will be ok ok, GMO GMSCHMO, just give us the fricking food. That will really boost the book value of their patent portfolio. Smart.
Oh? Do I hear some snickering? That kind of thing can't happen? Something along the lines of "There's that nutcase Tabby mouthing off about his usual conspiracy kookiness". Is that it? Before you go too far with that and make a fool of yourself, dig this book: The Informant: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald.
