Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) & Neigong (Nei Kung)

Tensegrity and Taijiquan (Tai Chi Ch'uan)

By Marshall @ Taiji Neigong, on May 2nd, 2012

No matter what school, style, or lineage of taijiquan you may encounter, it is likely that over the course of studying this internal martial art … you will at some point be forced to totally reconsider the way you think your body works.

The above spinning image (left) is an example of a structure being held together by the force of tensegrity or tensional integrity. In other words, the rigid green “beams” are never touching, but are suspended in their shape by the interconnected flexible red “strings.” The structure in the black and white image (right) is a symbolically simplified model of our skeleton & muscles to display that the …

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The Zen of Taijiquan

By Marshall @ Taiji Neigong, on March 28th, 2012

When people think of taijiquan — as a martial art or as a spiritual discipline — the first association is with the principles of the Tao. The classics of Taoism are tai chi chuan’s philosophical foundation, and without them, any consideration of our beloved art is missing its most essential cornerstone.

The history of Taoism and Zen (Cha’an in China) are intertwined in too many ways to count, but for the sake of the Zen of this article … we’ll save the history lesson for another time.

As I have heard from one of my teachers:

“All explanations are wrong. Correct taijiquan is a feeling.”

It is here, at this intersection of feeling & explanation, that I would like to examine the “Zen” of Taijiquan.

As I understand it, Zen, too, is a feeling.

I have heard it referred …

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Huang Style Taijiquan - Young Master Adam Mizner - Part One

By Marshall @ Taiji Neigong, on February 21st, 2012

Adam Mizner is a young master of taijiquan that has been a great inspiration to myself & many fans of tai chi. His skills are apparent in the videos below … but the aspect of Mizner’s art that I personally have found most thought provoking is his deep philosophical / metaphysical / spiritual rooting for all his taijiquan.

Sifu Mizner’s tai chi is uniquely influenced by his understanding and practice of the Buddha’s Satipatthana Sutra (roughly translated as “Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness”).

Satipatthana – most commonly associated with Theravada Buddhism – is probably best known as the foundation for the practice of Vipassana Meditation. Vipassana (literally translated …

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Guo Shilei Taijiquan Lecture Series - Part One

By Marshall @ Taiji Neigong, on February 11th, 2012

Who is Guo Shilei (郭石磊) … and where’d he get his ill gongfu skillz?* (See videos for proof)

According to an excellent interview available on his own site … Guo Shilei began his deeper studies into the Chinese Internal Martial Arts (CIMA) when he was 15. That is when he met his teacher, who is the renowned Shi Chongying (石崇英), a 6th generation inheritor of Ma Weiqi style Bagua as well as a 7th generation inheritor of Yang style taiji. Guo’s own words express his relationship to his teacher the best:

“When I was 15 I met my teacher Shi Chongying and, thinking that my iron arm was already …

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Intention and Attention: The Alchemical Formula in Taijiquan - Pt. 1

By Marshall @ Taiji Neigong, on December 14th, 2011

Since our birth as a species, mankind has actively pursued a peculiar form of conscious evolution … different from the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms … in that we uniquely aspire to become Something Greater.

Whether it be approaching the Divine, a Creator, Mother Nature, the Tao, or simply Greater Knowledge, Wealth, Fame, or Status … human beings are a group of unusually aspirant & ambitious creatures. It is our every intention to be Greater than we are … and one way or another our attention tends to settle on the path we …

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Tai Chi Movements: Fu Zhongwen's Traditional Yang Style Taijiquan

By Marshall @ Taiji Neigong, on December 5th, 2011

Fu Zhongwen (1903-1994) is one of the most renowned, accomplished, and important figures for today’s Yang style taijiquan (and for the world tai chi community in general).

Zhongwen was born in the village of Guanfu in Yong Nian County, Hebei Province … the birthplace of Yang Lu Chan & the cradle of Yang style taijiquan. Grandmaster Fu was apprenticed to Yang Lu Chan’s most famous grandson, Yang Chengfu, at the tender age of 9 (in 1913). It was with Great Grandmaster Yang Chengfu that Zhongwen travelled around china, to Hong Kong, Tianjing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Beijing, and more. During these travels, Yang Chengfu would teach & Fu Zhongwen would demonstrate. Fu Zhongwen would also …

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Study Guide to Taijiquan Fajin (Fa Chin ... or 'Fa Jing') - Part Two

By Marshall @ Taiji Neigong, on November 22nd, 2011

The most popular topic of reading & discussion on this website is tai chi “fajing” (a technically incorrect spelling / concept). As such, I am going to build & refine this extensive online fajin study guide, for my fellow taijiquan enthusiasts to consider and comment.

Before I provide some of my own analysis on several fajin demos of accomplished taijiquan masters … we need to review the basics.

The Basics of Taiji Fajin

First of all, the “correct” translation would be taiji fajin (pinyin) … tai chi fa chin (Wade-Giles) … or 太極發勁 (Mandarin).

I get the impression — quite often — that many western taiji practitioners feel that “fa jin” …

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