Old Oak Taiji School (古栎太極學院)

Qi-cultivation has been practiced throughout Asia for thousands of years.  In recent times, the term “Qigong” ("chee-gong", 氣功), meaning "energy practice", has come to represent a diverse array of qi-cultivation systems.

Perhaps the most subtle and sophisticated system of Qigong ever developed is the internal martial art Taijiquan (“tai-ji-chuan”, 太極拳),  commonly known in the West as Tai Chi, a slow-moving, martial meditation.

The legendary genesis of Taijiquan occurred when a 13th-century Daoist hermit named Zhang San Feng witnessed a bird attacking a snake and noticed how the soft, fluid movement of the snake prevailed over the hard, jerky attacks of the bird.

Historical records indicate that Taijiquan was developed in the Chen-family village in 16th-century China.  In the early 19th-century it was transmitted outside the family and modified as Yang style.  In the mid 20th-century, Zheng Man Qing of Taiwan modified the form to make it more upright and relaxed.

In the late 20th-century, Master Chen Qu Kuan (no relation to  Chen-family village) modified the form again to make it even more upright and relaxed.  What inspired Master Chen to develop his style was a thorough study of the Dao De Jing and closely attending to the feeling in his body.  He calls his style "Ruyu Taiji" (如魚太極).

Master Chen's Taijiquan has been brought to America by a few key practitioners, including Sam Edwards and Frank Broadhead of Redwood Coast Internal Arts, Kyle Plagan, Don Miller, and Bruce Shapiro.

According to Master Chen, Taijiquan is a Qigong, a martial art, and a living embodiment of Dao.  As such, he feels it is important for the Taiji adept to understand the philosophy and principles that serve as the basis of the art.  These principles are found in Laozi's Dao De Jing.

The Dao De Jing says that we must mix yin and yang to create harmony.  It also says that if we enact non-action (wuwei, 無為), everything rectifies itself (zheng ziran, 正自然).  In the context of Taiji practice, this means that we do not need to actively control our qi, we just need to relax our body and release our mind.  Then qi flows freely and yin and yang mix together of themselves.

Ruyu-style Taijiquan therefore emphasizes relaxation and natural movement perhaps more than any other Taiji style.  The emphasis is to release the tension in the body and to let the mind become empty, so that we become again like babies, soft and supple, so qi can flow freely, without hindrance.

The Ruyu system focuses a great deal on basics.  As Master Chen says, "the fundamentals are few, but they run very deep."  These practices require a great deal of personal instruction, but I have videos online to help.  They include:

Falling into the Wall (坠入壁)

Releases tension throughout the body, especially the spine.

Constant Bear Qigong (熊长)

Trains body alignment and circulates the qi.

Taiji Walking (行功)

Trains relaxed stepping and moving the whole body from the foot.

Solo Open-Hand Form (三十七身)

The solo open-hand form is the heart of Taijiquan practice.  It consists of 37 postures strung together in a series of smooth, choreographed movement.  The form uses the same series as Zheng Man Qing's style, but the quality of movement is somewhat different.  See Resources page for instructional photographs and videos.

Sword Form (剑身)

Sword form is more advanced and is only taught after practitioners become very comfortable with the solo open hand form.

Partner-practice provides a feedback mechanism for the qi-quality of our Taijiquan practice.  It also is the martial application of Taijiquan.  The foundational principle of Taijiquan martial art is that "the soft and weak conquers the hard and strong" (DDJ Chapter 36).

Partner-practice of Ruyu Taijiquan includes the basics of yielding, rooting, and moving, and later develops into a free-style moving-step "Push-Hands" (Tui-Shou, 推手), where we try to push one another around, always staying true to the fundamentals.

My emphasis is always on establishing a ground of trust, safety, and cooperation.  Once comfort is established, then cooperative training can gradually develop into competitive sparring.