inside tai chi

For the 1st time, Brian is offering a series of workshops on the Wu style long form tai chi as taught to him by Master Bruce Frantzis.

The Wu style Tai Chi long form that will be taught was developed by Wu style co-founder Wu Jien Chuan. He personally taught it to Liu Hung Chieh, who taught it to Bruce who taught it to Brian. The form takes 20 to 30 min to complete.

Although a little more complex in its movements than the Yang style, the Wu style is particularly suited to our present times with its slightly smaller stances and the emphasis on protecting injuries in the body such as knee and back problems. The long form, traditionally made up of 108 named postures actually contains thousands of small gestures each with their own meaning and purpose.

The form is divided into 3 sections, each section having its own characteristics but including elements and movements from the previous sections.

The 1st section; called the crane section, has its emphasis on the correct alignment of the body.

The 2nd section; called the tiger section works on lengthening the tissues of the body and opening the joints and ligaments.

The 3rd section; called the snake section works on deep internal twisting, in circles and spirals.

This particular Wu style also carries within it the technology that Taoists used for their moving meditation practices. This makes it particularly useful in our present stressful times to use the form as a vehicle for meditation.

Brian will teach the form from the beginning

In each workshop we will proceed move by move making sure all students understand qualities of each move before moving on to the next move. Because of this it is impossible to estimate how far we will get through the form in any one workshop.

Brian will teach these moves first to level I requirements until the whole form is learned. Beyond that Brian will teach workshops taking the form into the next level, the Chi mechanics and martial applications.

Our aim is to backup each workshop with a follow-up video as a reminder of what was taught.

It is probable in the future that Bruce Francis will hold a long form instructor training. The keen student would want to be well prepared, with the help of these workshops.