Tongren Feb 2012

Iching-hexagram-13 7/15/09 4:20 PM TongRen A publication of the Canadian Taijiquan Federation Une publication de la Fédération Canadienne de Taijiquan February 2012 Février Volume 19 . Issue 1 Numéro file:///Users/rhubarb/Desktop/Iching-hexagram-13.webarchive Page 1 of 1 Putting the TongRen in your Taiji since 1988. TongRen February/Février 2012 Volume 19 . Issue 1 Numéro Published by the Canadian Taijiquan Federation, P.O. Box 32055, London, Ontario, Canada N5V 5K4 www.canadiantaijiquanfederation.com Editor: Michelle McMillan, KI DESIGN, Guelph, Ontario <[email protected]> TongRen provides a forum for the discussion, TongRen fournit un forum pour discuter, exprimer et expression, and experience of Taijiquan and related vivre le Taijiquan et ses domaines connextes. Articles, subjects. Articles, reports on events, biographies, reportages, activitiés, biographies, lettres, critiques de letters, book reviews, poems, illustrations, scholarly livres, poèmes, illustrations, textes savants et réflexions research, and philosophical musings are welcomed. philosophiques sont les bienvenus. Veuillez soumettre Please email submissions for consideration for tout matériel à fin de publication à la rédactrice de publication in TongRen to the editor, Michelle T o n g R e n , M i c h e l l e M c M i l l a n McMillan <[email protected]> <[email protected]> TongRen is published quarterly: February, May, TongRen est publié quatre fois par année, en février, August, November. Submissions must be received by mai, août et novembre. Toute sumission doit être reçue the first day of the preceding month to be included. avant le premier du mois qui précède la date de The Editor reserves the right to determine content of publication. La rédactrice réserve le droit de décider each issue. Priority is given to content submitted by du contenu de chaque numéro. On accorde priorité au CTF members. contenu soumis par les membres de la FCT. Next issue will be published in May 2012 Le prochain numéro sera publié en mai 2012 Submission deadline: 1 April 2012 Datelimite des soumissions: 1 avril 2012 Advertising Rates / Tarifs publicitaires Size One Time Insertion Four Issues (one year) Dimension Une seule parution Quatre numéros (une année) Business Card / Carte d’affaires $25$ $50$ Quarter Page / Quart de page $45$ $90$ Half Page / Demi-page $75$ $150$ Full Page / Pleine page $125$ $250$ 2 November 2011 Volume 18 . Issue 4 TongRen Novembre 2011 Volume 18 . 4 Numéro Support World Tai Chi & Qigong Day on Saturday 28 April 2012 10:00am CONTENTS TABLE DES MATIÈRES Article Authour / Auteur Page Put Your Practice on the Map ...................... 4 The Four Squares and Four Corners Sam Masich 5 Year of the Water Dragon ...................... 10 CTF T-Shirts Are Back! ...................... 11 Tales of Tai Chi & Qigong from the Mighty Miramichi Dave Bucklow 12 News from the Yukon Helene Dobrowolsky 13 Cheers from the Wet Coast Ed Cooper 13 Heart Wise in the Upper Ottawa Valley Cindy Sell 14 Riverbank Push Hands 2012 Diane Kehoe & John Lastman 15 New Push Hands Curriculum James Coons 16 Joyful Qi Hajime Naka 17 Workshops with Jill Heath & Adriaan Blaauw ...................... 18 Journal of Chinese Martial Arts Nick Scrima 19 Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan on Ipad Jonathan Krehm 19 Upcoming Workshops & Events ...................... 20 Canadian Taijiquan Federation ...................... 23 Cover photo: Hajime (Dancing Dragon) Naka, Kelowna, B.C. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by contributing authors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect the policies or beliefs of the Canadian Taijiquan Federation; its executive, Board of Directors, Editor, or members collectively or individually. All material in this publication is provided as information only and should not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No physical activity or medical action should be initiated based on the contents of this publication. Always consult appropriate health care professionals. The Editor reserves the right to edit or decline submissions. All rights reserved by the Canadian Taijiquan Federation under the authority of its executive. Décharge: Les opinions exprimées dans TongRen par les auteurs et les annonceurs ne reflètent pas nécessairement la politique ou les positions de la Fédération Canadienne de Taijiquan, de son conseil d’administration, de ses dirigeants ou de ses membres, collectivement on individuellement. Tout matériel dans TongRen n’a qu’une valeur informative et ne constitue en rien des avis on des directives médicaux. Aucune activité physique ou action médicale ne devrait être enterprise en fonction du contenu de TongRen. Il est recommandé de toujours consulter un spécialiste de la santé avant de s’y engager. La rédaction se réserve le droit de revoir ou de refuser tout matériel soumis. Tous droits réservés par la Fédération Canadienne de Taijiquan en conformité avec le mandat de ses dirigeants. 3 The Canadian Taijiquan Federation. Putting the TongRen in your Taiji since 1988. from the west coast to the east Hajime (Dancing Dragon) Naka Dave Bucklow Instructor Instructor Dancing Dragon Tai Chi Oriental Arts N.B. Tai Chi & Qigong Kelowna, British Columbia Miramichi West, New Brunswick Put your practice on the map! Send us a photo of yourself wearing a CTF t-shirt and we will add you to our national portrait gallery. 4 The Four Squares and the Four Corners by Sam Masich No topic is more fundamental to an combat strategy. But it has much broader understanding of taijiquan than the theory of the implications. The ideas offered in these few words four squares and the four corners. The artʼs can be applied to any type of interaction whether essence, even itʼs raison dʼêtre is entirely bound up or not conflict is present; to how events are in the theory, function and philosophy of what in understood and experienced; even to spiritual Chinese language are called the si zheng and the si metamorphosis. They hint at something of the yu. great and universal human story and the nature of It has been said by past masters, “Without an the universe in which that story unfolds. They understanding of the thirteen powers oneʼs art imply something about self-cultivation and the cannot properly be called taijiquan.” The entire consequences of walking a lesser path. They are underpinning of the thirteen power model is truths which, rather than begging to be embraced, anchored in the association between the four offer themselves for embodiment. squares and four corners, known collectively as the The terms si zheng and si yu are rife with meaning. ba men or eight gates. One of the opening ʻSiʼ; the number four, and ʻbaʼ; the number eight, statements in the ʻYang Family Forty Chapters’ are richly connected to much in Chinese reads as follows: symbolism. Four is a number related obviously to It is indispensable to understand the si direction. The notion of the cardinal directions— zheng and the si yu. The four-squares north, south, east, west — as related to the ʻfour- techniques are peng, lü, ji, an; the four- squaresʼ, and the four-diagonal directions —north- corners techniques are cai, lie, zhou, kao. east, north-west etc.—related to the ʻfour-cornersʼ, reinforce a sense of primal significance. While the Understanding the relationship between these number four taken on its own can connote bad two elemental power archetypes is vital to luck, the number eight is considered to be apprehending the purpose of the taijiquan, and supremely fortunate. The idea of two components for evaluating and reconciling the artʼs vast array of four working together as a single module of methods, techniques and stylistic variations — implies good fortune overcoming negative fates. even its history. Once having understood the premise of what might be called the ʻfour-fourʼ The compass points and bagua theory, even subjects falling well outside the demonstrate the principle of cyclical topical range of taijiquan per se, can be opened up exchange of yin and yang that operates to principled abstract analysis. endlessly in its course. The thirteen powers for example, are almost always portrayed as; the five steps and the eight gates, Defining the four squares and the four corners and never as; the five steps, the four squares and A very cursory summary of the si zheng-si yu the four corners. Possibly part of the reason so theory might go as follows: little discussion is devoted to them has had to do with this superstition. Whether or not this is the ʻWhen properly cultivated and effectively reason that the si zheng and si yu are generally employed, use of the si zheng is preferable lumped together into undifferentiated groupings to the si yu. If the si zheng is ineffective or of eight or thirteen, it is important that an effort be inadequate, employ the si yu.ʼ made to disentangle them so that they may be This simple statement sketches out a martial arts reassembled in a useful fashion. formula having to do with a theoretically superior 5 Si zheng In taijiquan push-hands curriculum, all roads lead If the opponent's movement is quick, then to the study of ʻsizheng tuishouʼ, the single most I am quick. important technical drill in the art. In a perfect If the opponentʼs movement is slow, then world — at least from a martial artistʼs standpoint I follow slowly. — we would never need the four-corners. Our ‘peng’ would be perfect and our ‘ji’ would never Although the variations are infinite, the get us into trouble. We would ‘stick’ perfectly to principle remains the same. our opponents and be peerless masters. Sizheng In mastering movement, one gradually tuishou, better known in English as ‘four-hands’, acquires ʻDong jinʼ. is a partner training drill essentially comprised of From the acquisition of dong jin one can the four basic ‘square’ energies: peng, lü, ji and an.

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