by Rick Barrett | Mar 12, 2026 | "A Wee Bit of Alchemy with Rick Barrett", Taiji
Song is essential to Tai Chi. Song is releasing muscular tension so that we can shift to a different source of internal power, the intrinsic structure of the body as a unified whole.
by Rick Barrett | Jul 29, 2021 | Taiji
The power I am talking about here is of a different sort than is addressed through common forms of exercise, like walking running, swimming, cycling, and yoga. It is a “soft power”: a receptive, Yin power.
by Rick Barrett | Jan 13, 2019 | Event Recaps
Is it time to shake up your t’ai chi practice? Or maybe time to start one? Have you been coasting for a while, in a comfort zone but feeling like there is much more you could get from the time you spend training? Or maybe you’ve become bored with what you...
by Rick Barrett | Feb 13, 2018 | Knee, Taiji
“Correct Knee Position” is not a topic that exactly quickens the pulse. For most of us it sounds like a real snoozer. We don’t really care. That is, until there is PAIN. For the first fifty years of my life I had little regard for this ingenious and...
by Rick Barrett | Feb 6, 2018 | Knee, Taiji
I have long advised taijiquan practitioners to consciously “Set the Knee” before loading the substantial leg. Meaning, you make sure that your structure is in place before you put weight on it. The knee should be in the optimal load-bearing position before...