Patrick Kelly is a free-thinker, well-known and respected amongst true Master Huang circles, he was one of the few Westerners to be accepted as a personal student of Master Huang Xingxian (as well as being a student of Gnostic Inner Knowledge and Raja Yoga) and since the Master's death has followed his own original path & established a worldwide network of teachers who primarily use Master Huang's Taiji method of energy cultivation, self-refinement and meditation to achieve Internal Development instead of the usual health, traditional art, and martial art orientation of most Taiji schools. In this excerpt from a longer interview, Patrick Kelly gives us his personal interpretation of the practice of Taiji to cultivate our internal development. What we get is an honest and deep set of insights from someone with a wealth of experience which is far removed from the usual commercially motivated or audience building interview.
  
What I got from this was a good explanation given by Patrick Kelly touching on the importance of the "motive" of the person in learning and practicing Taiji, the role of turning our "consciousness" internally towards deeper levels of awareness.  How the refined practice of Taiji helps us develop this awareness and the stages of merging our consciousness with these internal developments. Also he briefly explains the beneficial relaxation and health effects that occur as a side result, as well as the ability to maintain a good relaxed, centralized state under pressure. In addition he touches on what a student can expect to learn when they begin to learn from a good Taiji teacher in this Huang Yang Style, such as exercises that develop: relaxation, coordination of mind and body,  energy cultivation, and relaxed physical-emotional interaction merging with another person. 

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Author - Lee Chang Tye 
www.relaxedmindtaichi.com
Copyright - Relaxed Mind Tai Chi

Book Review: “Yi Chi Li of Opening & Closing and the Five Loosening Exercises of Tai Chi” by Glenn Blythe

For those of us who have already seriously invested in the Art of Tai Chi Chuan (or aspire to), do you dare to take the red pill and have your understanding of Taiji challenged and deepened? If so then get Glenn Blythe’s book: “Yi Chi Li of Opening and Closing and the Five Loosening Exercises of Tai Chi”. For those of us who have felt secure in having our identities connected to our years>decades of Taiji “expertise” - this book will challenge (in the best way possible) even your basic understandings and the way you practice your Tai Chi Chuan - for the better. Although the target audience for this book are the advanced students taught correctly within the Master Huang Sheng Shyan Yang Style, in my opinion those well-versed in other styles who have been true enough to the Taiji Classics, can also greatly benefit.

Book Contents & How this Book is Different

Taiji (Quan) is a subtle, complex and mysterious puzzle made up of apparently simple concepts building on/coordinating with each concept, that can only be understood with correct and accurate teaching, research, study, diligent and accurate practice and honest reflection. And getting instructions in the more advanced levels of Taiji (Quan) is notoriously difficult, who do you trust? Am I willing to travel and stay in a different country? Will that teacher accept me as a serious student, etc etc? And even when you do find someone reputable their teachings can often still be ambiguous and mysterious hence to find a book written from someone who obviously has made it his life’s work to meticulously learn, understand, master and explain the Master Huang Sheng Shyan’s Yang System in original, concise, logical/systematic and detailed way for the modern mind, is rare & invaluable. If you think that this is just a rehash/rewording of the Classics or numerous other Taiji instructional books, you’re mistaken.

The book is 144 pages packed full of practical, specific and consistent content (and illustrations), that documents the meticulous, genius and innovative system that Master Huang Sheng Shyan devised. The content  comprises of 25 chapters covering the:“Opening and Closing Exercise;
Preparation and conclusion of the five Loosening exercises”; then each of the five Loosening exercises addressed individually; and finally; 
“The application of the opening & closing and the five Loosening exercises to the Taiji Form”.
Within each topic Glenn Blythe logically breaks down each exercise or movement to: a/ “The Purpose & Methodology of….”; b/ “The Main Points of…”; and c/ “Common Faults of…”.
What’s valuable and rare about this book is that it is a very comprehensive documentation of the details, nuances and variations/permutations of these critically important exercises in the Master Huang Yang Style. When other authors/teachers matter of factly instruct us to apply Tai Chi concepts or movements as if they were so simple that any fool could do it when in fact  the simplest of these processes or correct way to move can take many years to cultivate and the method of cultivation is never explained, this book elaborates in detail about how we should activate and practice these internal (including “Yi”) aspects of this Art. So unlike most other Tai Chi references Glenn’s instructions detail the (internal) mental as well as physical (seen and unseen) aspects of our training and practice in order to tap into and cultivate these subtle internal processes. Just as the Master said: “There are no secrets in Tai Chi, just infinite call details that are overlooked” (P22: Blythe, 2022). In this invaluable way Glenn Blythe breaks down every aspect of this process by interpreting every nuance of what the Master must have been intending for his dedicated students to discover and unlock for themselves and hence nothing is “overlooked”.   

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Who is the Author and can we trust him or this review?

You can check out Glenn Blythe’s Taiji credentials and experience here:
http://www.taichischoolofyichili.com.au/schools-lineage.html

Am I biased because Glenn Blythe is one of my teachers? Of course I’m not completely objective, but in fact for over 2 decades of me listening to, puzzling over and struggling with, and challenging his interpretations  have I “emptied my cup”and accepted Glenn Blythe’s teachings. These years of verifying his interpretations, coupled with repeated hands-on experiences of being successfully “uprooted with emptiness”; I know that what Glenn understands, applies and teaches is systematic, consistent, detailed, accurate, meticulously and critically researched, from all the information he has received from our teacher Wee Kee Jin, Master Huang, Tony Ward, other acknowledged Masters (too many to name) and the Taiji Classics.

Significance of the Book

The book does us all a big favour by joining many of the dots and clues that those cryptic Taiji Master’s left us to work out for ourselves. And even then it was left to those who had dedicated themselves enough AND had the perceptive intelligence to pick up on the clues. Usually other more contemporary authors don’t dare to define or clarify, instead deferring to and/or quote phrases of those old Masters as though they were set in stone. Glenn has spent years/decades interpreting them for our contemporary intellect. As with any written or spoken definition, whether they are 100% in agreement with what the old masters meant we’ll never know but Glenn’s definition’s stimulate greater insights into or own understandings of what Tai Chi and this system is. Keep in mind that; “The Dao that can be spoken of is not the Dao”… In fact my initial, honest feelings and thoughts about this book was that it had way too much information, too much detail …..and revealed too many “secrets”. I mean why should this be so easily made available when I had to travel, struggle, persevere, attend regularly and develop personally in order to put aside my Taiji ego and “empty my cup”; then I had to do the work…and now any self-proclaimed Master Huang “expert” can buy, parrot and contort the information in this book to suit their own purposes and vanity? I guess that’s the way it’s always been… but I guess it’s worth it if it serves the purpose of helping keep this subtle, mysterious Art alive. And in time the Wheat from the Chaff will be separated.

Let me further emphasise - this book is so packed with so much “insider” information and instruction that after several months of possession, I still haven’t felt the need to move forward and study/integrate into my practice any contents past page 17 (Opening and Closing Exercise). To those who don’t understand, you might find that a bit simplistic, or lacking in ambition… lazy? Or even too boring but there is a lot of Gold to mine, refine and shape and that it can only be mined and processed little by little and that takes time and applied energy if you want a quality product.
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Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe that this will be a book referred to as the reference guide/bible for current and future generations of serious students who recognise, are inspired by, and follow the genius of Master Huang Sheng Shyan’s teachings and the amazing Art of Tai Chi Chuan. Tony Ward (one of the few acknowledged and respected inner-circle, Western students of the Master) refers to it as a “game-changing”contribution to The Master Huang Sheng Shyan Canon of Knowledge. It is that and one that compliments and impressively expands on the previous books (by fellow acknowledged inner-circle students of the Master) Wee Wee Jin and Patrick Kelly.      

In the end Glenn Blythe’s work is a very significant contribution to the Taiji body of knowledge (not only to the Master Hang Sheng Shyan Yang Style). Not only does this book build and expand on the foundational books by our teacher Wee Wee Jin as well as Patrick Kelly but as with all bodies of knowledge their job in my opinion is to accurately document methods/systems for current and future generations, stimulate thought, discussion, practice and further refinement….and to progress the Art…or at least keep it alive. I believe this book does all that and will be referred to as a reference for the Master Huang Style hundreds of years in the future.

If you like my efforts to bring decent and useful information then you can help me a little by buying this book through this paid Amazon affiliate links (click on pics below) .

As we enter this Christmas and New Year period after such a strange, tumultuous, fearful and divisive year, what we need is more peace of mind, mindful gratitude and resilience to recharge to better face whatever may happen in 2021. Was 2020 a crazy year or what? Many of us suddenly had a barrage of stresses thrust upon us on multiple fronts. Many of us lost the financial security of our jobs and income, had to deal with adapting to school closures, social isolation for ourselves and our children and the difficulties of online learning/work, being restricted to enclosed environments for long stretches of time, loss of our freedom to travel -  even locally, even lost relationships over political and ideological division. Some of us might have lost a bit of our sanity and health through all the constant fear, paranoia, psychological, social, emotional stress of these lockdowns.

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Yet on reflection we gained some things too (and I don’t just mean weight), like quality time with our loved ones and for ourselves. Maybe we came to realise just how far we had drifted apart from those supposedly close to us and how little we actually were communicating with each other. Not surprising considering whatever little time we had together after daily with work/school, travel, household responsibilities, technological and other distractions etc. In this enforced lockdown maybe we got to know our neighbours a little bit better, did more gardening, or formed better social communities online, maybe we educated ourselves more on areas we never had time for, or pursued old hobbies? Maybe we disciplined ourselves more and did more quality Tai Chi practice and other mindful exercises?


Whichever you spent your time, it looks like this COVID19 situation isn’t going away anytime soon so finding more peace of mind & joy, which means that you will be better to yourself and to the world; is a very constructive & resilient way forward. According to “The Buddha’s Guide to Gratitude” by Becca Anderson, (2019) Mango Publishing. One way to find joy is to:

• Be the best that you can be according to your own standards.
• Be with people who make you feel good and inspire you.
• Be thankful & mindful of what you have and not what you don’t have.
• Genuinely smile often.
• Be honest with yourself and with others.
• Help other people.
• Be proud of your past, live in the present, and look forward to the future.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Lee Chang Tye
www.relaxedmindtaichi.com

Paid amazon link

Health Benefits for Seniors

There are also some surprising health benefits to practising these one-legged postures. Mimi Low & Sachin Kate (Source 1 & 2) cite Zhong Li Ba Ren's advice from his Chinese book:  "Self Help is Better than Seeking Doctors' Help" (see Amazon link below), that regularly practicing even a simple one-legged standing exercise (with eyes closed) can have a host of beneficial age-related health outcomes. Zhong believes that this is because this exercise tunes and direct qi to the 6 important meridians that pass through the legs. The health benefits Zhong cites include:  improving hypertension, diabetes, neck and spinal diseases, gout and dementia.  Nathan Zassman also says that Chinese specialists believe that practicing the Golden Rooster can also help with memory loss, headaches, sleep, tinnitus, veritigo or gout (4).

Some of these benefits appear to be gaining support from Western medical studies.  A study by Dr. Yasuharu Tabara of the Center for Genomic Medicine at Kyoto University (3) found that the postural inability to stand on one leg for 20 seconds might be related to age-related brain abnormalities such as stroke, small blood vessel damage in the brain and possibly reduced cognitive function. The ability to do the Golden Rooster (with eyes open) may be a simple test to see if there are early signs of cognitive decline, cerebral small vessel disease and stroke. Whether you believe all this, at the very least, practicing this posture will be sure to  improve the neural networks associated with balance - that is the sensory circuits of the vision, proprioception (sense of body position) and vestibular (inner ear) system. The end result is a lower risk for falls especially for seniors (4).

The Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg in Taiji

Ray Hayward an indoor student of the Taiji Master T.T. Liang wrote a great blog article about "The Golden Rooster stands on one leg to announce the dawn". This posture is both a metaphor for enlightenment (from a Western perspective) and the perfect & relaxed lining up of "three treasures of balance" (head, pelvis and foot) from the Eastern martial arts perspective. From a Taiji perspective, this and other one-legged postures train our "balance, rooting, and ability to relax our muscles as we strengthen our bones." (Ray Hayward: The Inspired Teacher "Golden Rooster Part 1:Benefits") (5)

Ray Hayward in his second blog instalment "Golden Rooster Part 2: The Taoist Yang" (6) recalls how Master T.T. Liang (who was quite a character) saw the "Golden Rooster" posture as the essence of Tai Chi. Ray tells a very amusing & enlightening story about T.T. Liang meeting a Taoist Tai Chi Master living in the mountains outside Taipei who blew his, then already, experienced & knowledgeable Taiji mind with his amazing execution of the  Golden Rooster posture. This level of very advanced bubbling well/mind-intent/relax-sink attainment in Taiji is something to aim for if you want to attain "Taiji immortality" (which all of us are...obviously!).  And the story is corroborated in Stuart Alve Olsen's (another indoor student of T.T. Liang) book on T.T. Liang "Steal My Art: The life and times of T'ai Chi Master." (see Amazon link below).

In the meantime if you want to methodically practice any of these one-legged stances in the Taiji set click on the youtube video above "Kung fu stance  - Jin Ji Du Li" to begin your mastery & your fight against age-related cognitive decline.  And when you do, don't just detachedly treat it like just another physical movement (as we do in any Western exercise),  keep in mind the  rich Taiji tradition, history, and  depth of subtle Tai Chi Chuan practice that surrounds it. Let's practice the Golden Rooster everyday shall we?

Here's another, more moving method to practice the Golden Rooster from Javier Mesa's Youtube channel (7).

Authour - Lee Chang Tye
www.relaxedmindtaichi.com
copyright- Relaxed Mind Tai Chi 

Sources

1/ https://sachinsweblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/jin-ji-du-li-golden-rooster-stands-on.html

2/ https://mimilow.com/jin-ji-du-li-exercise/

3/https://www.psychcongress.com/article/trouble-balancing-one-leg-may-indicate-cognitive-decline-stroke-risk

4/ https://www.avivahealth.com/blogs/articles/stop-senior-moments-before-they-start
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5/ http://www.rayhayward.com/2016/03/golden-rooster-part-1-benefits.html

6/ http://www.rayhayward.com/2016/03/golden-rooster-part-2-taoist-yang.html

7/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE8NS3yXG_Q&feature=emb_logo
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