Between tai chi meals

On Tuesdays, I keep my body heaters going all day. Start it up around 9am when I teach my first two tai chi classes. Then a lunch break and then my two hour class.

My triple heaters are engaged all day and I am perspiring all day.

Went with Korean between tai chi today. Partly because the wifee and I watched a really good Korean movie last night. The Masquerade was very well done.

 

Hanzo: I have made a poor attempt to study Tai Chi twice and really enjoyed it. I still have the VHS tape from my teacher the from the second time I studied, but it's VHS and doesn't lend itself well to pause/play function of attempting to learn the forms. I have been looking for a DVD for some time and stumbled upon Dr. Paul Lam and would be interested in your opinion of his work and if you've had a chance to look at his DVD contents? I love Tai Chi and would like to get back to those work outs, but it's not a popular topic where I live so...

This question may have been more appropriate to a personal message but I posted it here before I had that revelation. Sorry to hyjacking your journel...

 

Does mini-monkey do tai chi as well? Perhaps an instructional YouTube...

 

@Broker, I like it! I had to reread what I posted to see if autocorrect went wild on me again.

San Jiao - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My first tai chi teacher referred to the three dantien as the triple heater, so slightly different. But similar.

Dantian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I know Paul. In fact, I teach his tai chi to seniors as it has been modified for more ease of movement and to be more joint friendly. His is a modified Sun Style. If you PM me your address, I can send you a DVD.

Paul is awesome in his tai chi, but his is not my favorite. I started with the Yang Style. If there is one form to learn, I would suggest the Yang Style 24 movement form. It is the most widely practiced in the world and there is a good chance that if you see someone doing tai chi somewhere, it will most likely be the 24. And you would be able to jump right in.

My favorite is tai chi is from Wudang. And my favorite chi kung is the Eight Pieces of Brocade. I use that as a warm up for my classes.

 

@Brokor, I DO live in paradise, but I only THINK I'm as cool as they come. And even then, I know better.

 

I'm not good enough for that, @Dunerunner. I've only reluctantly let some students video me so they could practice while away. When I have my class at a local park, I get people walking up and joining the class. Sometimes, they watch from afar and try to follow along. One time, it was a city worker. When I waved him over, he said he couldn't because he was "working." Yesterday, a lady from Mexico was following along from her picnic spot. She happily joined us when I waved her over and practiced with us and left eating a Spanish roll that I bought for my students.

Towards the end of class, I noticed a girl taking pictures or videos with her camera phone. So maybe there already is something posted somewhere. I do ask my students not to post any videos they take.

 

My monkeys do not want to take any martial arts classes. Not even from me. My little one will jump in and join us from time to time, if the mood strikes her. She does do some Kung Fu and Tai Chi with me, but it is more practical stuff and no forms. No patience for forms, but she could spend hours punching daddy. That's actually how I got her started when she was five. She would punch me several hundred times a day and I would correct her for and technique. By six, if she catches my right, she could leave a tiny fist shaped bruise. And instinctively would use it as her target. Then I would have to caution her about going to it too often. Around 7, she could hit hard enough to almost move my 200 pound carcass. Then I started defending and countering, so she would stop me and say, "Dad, how'd you do that?" And she started to learn more defense. Before all that, at 4, I just showed her how to use distance and space and how to break free if someone grabbed her.

My oldest is not interested. But from the time she could stand, she was busting out really nice kicks. And she can still kick really freaking hard.

 

Good on you. And thank your son for his service for me.

Even though, my little one doesn't like classes, she enjoys the "playing around" part of martial arts. And both are smart so they actually hear what I tell them and take some of it to heart.

"When a student is ready, a teacher appears."

Not sure if I shared this story here before. When the little monkey was 6 or 7, we were playing at a park. I'm talking to some parents why I spy two bigger older boys (a full head or so taller than her) grab her, one on each arm. I'm about to get up to check it out. But before I could do so, she snaps a quick kick and boy 1's groin. She held back to not make contact, but he backed up. She used the space to break free of him. Then she snapped a kick right in front on boy 2's face, again not making contact. She used that space to break free. Then she giggled and ran away.

That took about as long as it did for my butt to get halfway out of my chair. So I say back down and whispered to my wife, "That's my girl!"

She could break free when my wife grabs her from around 6 or 7 too. I used to do summer kids classes. It was my ploy to get the monkeys into a class. I invited their friends and parents to join, thinking to use group persuasion to get my kids there. They did it for a couple of summers, but weren't into it. Their favorite part was demonstrating moves that I taught them. So little monkey asked me to grab her arm after class. And she would break free. After a few times, my wife called bs on me, saying I wasn't trying hard to hold her. So she calls the monkey over and grabs her, and monkey breaks free. So she grabs her harder, and monkey breaks free. This happened a bunch of times. While this is going on, I'm talking to one of the other moms. And behind me, I can hear every time monkey breaks free because I can hear my wife saying, "Ow!" The harder she holds, the more it hurt. Of course, I whisper to the other mom, "That's my girl!"

 

Today's light? lunch. OMASAKE, BABY!!













And my first Tesla sighting in the wild.

 

Omakase...

 

Cooked tonight. A simple pasta, garlic rosemary potatoes, sausage and peppers, and mushrooms and spinach. Dessert was fresh lychee.

 

My wife likes to roast a bunch of potatoes and store them in the fridge. Then, whenever we need a starch for meals, cut up up, butter, season and nuke. Good to go.

 

Only if in a hurry...