by Rick Barrett | Jun 25, 2020 | Taiji
I came across this article buried deep in my blog archives and was excited to visit an old friend. It originally appeared in Tai Chi Magazine in Summer 2001. I don’t have the photos that appeared in the magazine, but I think the text will be sufficient for...
by Rick Barrett | Nov 2, 2019 | Jade Pillow Gate, Taiji
“When practicing the form, one should cause the yu-chen point at the base of the skull to stand out, then the spirit and ch’i will effortlessly meet at the top of the head.” Cheng Man-ch’ing, in Master Cheng’s Thirteen Chapters on...
by Rick Barrett | May 20, 2019 | Consciousness, Integration, Taiji
Marilyn from Albuquerque is reading Taijiquan: Through the Western Gate and sent me an email. “I am, of course, going around madly pointing things! If I really point my tailbone down and my crown up, I actually FEEL my centre of gravity kind of float into my lower tan...
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...
