By Walther Chen
Walther is an advanced student and an assistant instructor at Wu Dao
Walther is an advanced student and an assistant instructor at Wu Dao
In June, Wu Dao was fortunate to have Master Wei-Lun Wang
visit for a series of weekend seminars. He is accomplished in all the internal
styles (Tai Ji Quan, Xing Yi, and Bagua Zhang), as well as the art of Liu He Ba Fa
which brings all the internal styles into one elegant practice.
The weekend was divided into two parts. In the first,
attendees had the opportunity to learn in-depth the choreography of the first
two sections of the Yang 108 form. Master Huang had great emphasis on finding
connection within the body and understanding the structure, intent, and feel of
each movement. Some interesting connections he mentioned were elbows-kidney and
palms-feet. Connecting the elbows and kidneys together helps to engage the elbow,
allowing it to hang correctly. And connecting the palms to the feet can help to
feel a connection and line of energy running all the way through the body. Not
all of the theory was quite as esoteric. Master Huang reminded us that many Tai Ji Quan movements (like Wave Hands Like Clouds) are powered from inside to outside,
and that the action of one hand may power the following action of other hand
like in the movement “Turn and Chop.”
Master Huang was very expressive and very
interested in trying to transmit the depth of Tai Ji. If you are interested in
learning more about the deep connections of the body, and how those connections
can improve your Tai Ji or Kung Fu, please join us next year when Master Huang
returns for another set of workshops. (More on the second part of the workshop
in next month’s newsletter).
