Even though we have been studying Tai Chi for years with Sifu Karl Johnoff, the workshop enhanced our understanding of the principles of Tai Chi from its many different perspectives. Seeing the different styles demonstrated sequentially by different masters was a great visual tool in understanding the differences of each style. It was also helpful that we were able to perform them ourselves to get the “feel.” We took with us Peter Hill’s quote that, “There are no advanced Tai Chi techniques, only advanced basics.” And, “One can adapt all moves to all levels.” Aaron helped us to understand the importance of balancing our breath into our core (belly button) instead of our chest, as this will throw us backwards.

There were so many helpful things to take away from the weekend for our personal development and also to give to our students. Of course there was also just pure pleasure in watching Sean’s grace, and agility. We highly recommend these workshops.”

Sandy Derau and Paula Rose

Movements should NOT be painful. If it is painful then you are doing too much, too fast, or too soon. It is ok for movements to be uncomfortable but you need to let your breath do the work for you – breathe in and expand, breathe out and relax but maintain your structure/posture – breathe in again, expand, breathe out and sink/relax and you will see your ROM (Range of Motion) increase.

With that understanding, there are always students at workshops that have constant pain. At the last workshop I conducted in Feb 2012, there were 5 or 6 attendees with different pain challenges that came up when we were doing some S.T.A.R and B.E.A.M Fundational Tai Chi. One with neck pain; she had full ROM moving her head to the left but when she tried turning her head to the right it locked up at about 45 degrees and sent a wave of pain throughout her left shoulder and neck girdle. Another had sciatica, one with plantar fasciitis, one with pain in her right shoulder blade and another pain their kneecap. Within about 10 minutes I had shown everyone the yin and yang of pain management and they were all pain free and had their ROM back. The whole concept is in the STAR and BEAM Certification Workshops I conduct nationally but I want to share the basic concept with those who it can benefit here so I will share the woman with the neck pain.

I want you to picture how this played out at a live workshop. I ask everyone to observe what is happening from a whole body perspective. “Turn your head to the left”. As she does this, her head and neck move effortlessly as she is able to look out over her left shoulder. “Turn your head slowly to the right.” As she does this it locks up before it even gets to the half way point on its way to her shoulder. “Hold that position.” I point out that she has full ROM in her necks ability to contract on the left side and expand on the right when she turned her head left BUT on the right side her neck cannot contract and the pain shoots through the left side which is trying to expand/stretch. Now think of your body like a pulley system. One side pulls as the other pushes – they have to move together in sync. When the side that contracts locks up, pain radiates in the side that isn’t locked and is straining to move SO we work the side that won’t contract, NOT the side that has the pain. I have her look straight ahead and I use my index and middle fingers to gently work on the side that won’t contract through her

Sternocleidomastoid as I ask her to rate the pain in the area on a scale of 1-10 – 10 being extremely unbearable pain. As I work through the area it goes from a a scale of 3 at the top to an 8 when we get down lower into the base of the muscle. This is all done in about 30-45 seconds and then I brush the energy down and out with my palm. I ask her to turn her head left and then right and as she turns it to the right, her ROM now allows her to look over her right shoulder and the pain in the left side is gone. With a quizzical look on her face, she still doesn’t quite comprehend how that worked – working the side where there is NO PAIN to relieve the pain on the side which has it. Others start sharing their pain and I use the same concept to relieve the pain and lack of motion for each person. By the time I am done, people are starting to see the yin and yang of pain and what it is really telling them as opposed to only being able to see/feel where the pain is and not see the bigger picture.

The same thing is happening with every Qi Gung and Tai Chi movement you do. One side expands, one side contracts – they have to work in harmony and the more you can expand the more you can contract. If you are having challenges gaining more expansion, focus on contracting more or vice versa.

There is too much pain in our society that can be easily relieved without the use of drugs and pain relievers. We need to teach and share this knowledge throughout our society as we also encourage people to cultivate their vitality, energy and spirit through qi gung sets like the 8 Verses of Brocade which promote overall body flexibility and strength.

If you or your organization would like to book a S.T.A.R and B.E.A.M. Fundational Tai chi and Qi Gung Certification Workshop, you can contact me via email at MasterHill@TaiChiClasses.Net

Roadblock 1: “I don’t have the time.”
Even a little exercise can make a big difference in the quality of your day AND you can learn one exercise that you can do and lower your stress levels, increase the oxygenation of your cells and boost your immune system in around 5-8 minutes. How can you not have the time when you can see others who don’t have the time until they must make the time for rehab once they have a stroke, heart attack or other serious illness (my S.T.A.R. and B.E.A.M. Program is great for Rehab under professional supervision and is
also available as a Certification Program)

Roadblock 2: “I’m self conscious and don’t like other people watching me.”
The program can be done in the privacy of your home at your own pace. Schedule or make some alone time so you can focus on your goals, your energy and your inner self – which is your greatest treasure. You can lose everything you have but you take who you are with you into whatever roles and worlds you travel. This is a great way to build confidence and eventually overcome self consciousness.

Roadblock 3: “I learn slowly and am not very coordinated.”
The program is geared for you to learn at YOUR PACE! You can repeat a lesson everyday for a week or a month until YOU ARE COMFORTABLE with it. You can also email me with any questions you have as you work through the material
when you are a member.

Roadblock 4:” Fitness Programs are too expensive.”
Tai Chi Programs in private facilities can cost upwards of $300 a month but you can purchase one lesson at a time and take as long as you want. Also as a member you can get additional discounts and downloading the program makes it even more affordable. How much is your health and vitality worth? How much are you worth? Of course, I am available for private consultations and
training but that is fairly expensive. You can email me if you have an interest in that specialized attention.

Roadblock 5: Insert any other roadblock you have here, email me with the challenge you face and I will help you rise above it.
Life is about rising above the challenges you face, using them to cultivate an indomitable spirit and building your energy so you can follow the path your heart is calling out to you. The character for chi is a person standing between heaven and earth, creating their world with their actions and words, being who and what they want to be. Don’t ever settle for not saying what you want to say or doing what you want to do because of fear or a lack of energy.

I intend you the best life has to offer and to uncover your inner skills and gifts that make traversing the roles and worlds of your life a passionate, joy filled experience.

This is a testament of how the power and intense ability of energy such as Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Chakra therapy and meditation can be applied to get a miraculous result.

About 3 years ago I became very ill, thinking my hepatitis C was the culprit, I underwent extensive testing and ultimately found out that I had a cancerous lesion on my liver. (I should note here that I contracted hepatitis C from a needle stick while working in the medical field.) For the next 16 months I would be in treatment. At first my reaction was fear, regret and sorrow, but after a few weeks something inside me just snapped. That inner voice was screaming for me to take immediate action to change my health.

From that point on I started meditating and doing creative visualization to see myself healthy and happy. At the same time I created a regime of meditation, breathing, Qi Gong, Tai Chi and a diet with very little red meat and full of vegetables, fruit, grains and chicken or fish. For several months I worked daily as much as I could on changing the way I saw myself, inside and out and then little by little I worked on seeing bright energy flowing through my entire body.

I gathered energy from the movements and breathing in Qi Gong and used many acupressure techniques. After many months of conventional cancer treatment and my own regime I had new testing. This time the results were nothing short of a miracle. Nothing showed up on my MRI and my Doctor said, “I need you to come in again because we aren’t finding anything.” The next MRI was even more extensive and in fact, I was cancer free. There was no more tumor and according to my doctor this was indeed an amazing recovery. (According to the American Cancer Society only about 10% of all liver cancer patients survive or overcome their cancer.)

I have been truly blessed. My mind overcame this enemy with power from energy and intent. So to the great teachers and masters of all the different forms of Qi Gong, Tai Chi and numerous healing arts, I owe you my thanks and life. I saw myself as “a warrior” during this time and I am happy, vibrant and enjoyed with life and energy. My family and friends were my inspiration and helped to keep me going.

Ultimately I discovered and cultivated my inner strength strength and and awoke the spirituality within myself. Life is beautiful and I will never forget how powerful energy, mind, body and spirit can be. Thank you to everyone who sent positive energy and love to me over the years it does make a huge difference. Thank you all

Mr. Jim Apelian, Master Peter Hill, Master Richard Hurtado, Master. Ray Fisher and Master Craig Palm.

Many books were instrumental in forming the ideas I used to heal myself. I hope you will be inspired to read some or all of these books. Their collective knowledge made it possible for me to beat the odds and continue my quest for higher knowledge and spiritual enlightenment.

• The Magus of Strovolos by Kyracos C. Markides
• Evolution in this lifetime Kundalini and the Chakras by Genevieve Lewis Paulson
• Meditation and Human Growth A practical Manuel for Higher Consciousness by Genevieve Lewis Paulson
• Touch for Helath by John T. Thie D.C.
• The Touch of Healing Energizing Body Mind and Spirit with the Art of Jin Shin Jyutsu by Alice Barmeister with Tom Monte
• A Handbook of Chakra Healing Spiritual Practice for Helath, Harmony and Inner Peace by Kalashatra Govinda
• Qi Gong Chinese Movements Meditation for Helath by Danny Connor featuring MasterMichaelTse
• The Acupuncture Treatment of Internal Disease by George T. Lewith M.A.,M.R.C.C.P.,M.R.C.P.
• Iron Shirt Chi Kung I by Mantak Chia
• Get It Together by Peter Hill

I would like to specifically give recognition to those teachers that inspired me and helped me become more connected with my mind, body and soul.

Animals are amazing. Each species has its own characteristics and its own way of harmonizing with the world around it. They sense activity and energy all around them and act or react according to their needs. The Five Animal Set is a wonderful introduction into the essence of the Dragon, Tiger, Crane, Snake and Leopard. I have been teaching and rotating through the Five Animal forms in my Tai Chi class pretty consistently for a couple years. I always ask my students how they feel after performing each animal form. Did they feel, for instance, the yin and yang and the powerful swaying of a dragon’s tail in the Dragon form? Or did they feel the openness and balance of the Crane or the coiling and precision of the Snake? I like to repeat the comment Master Hill relates from when he learned the Tiger Form. “In doing the Tiger form, should we be angry like a tiger?” his instructor laughed and replied, “Tigers aren’t angry…they’re just tigers!” Then he went on to explain that tigers are naturally strong and full of charged up, powerful energy. Animals don’t have human emotions and we should not characterize them into emotional categories. Instead, dig down to the primitive state of your chi and think about how it might feel to be that animal. I think I am a Crane.

I also ask my students which animal they feel closest in tune to. Most of them relate to the Dragon pretty well. That makes sense since it is the first form and works to open the meridians in the body. The form itself is very symmetrical and uses a lot of strong back and forth movements—like water or the ocean. I taught the Tiger form to some karate students. They related to that form very well, I think because of the harder, more explosive movements, like the pouncing. The Crane, I think is my favorite. I love the balance and grace of that form. It is just what I need after slumping over a computer keyboard all day. It gently stretches my spine, straightens my shoulders and frees up my tense muscles so energy can flow through my body and out my fingertips. The Snake is very similar to the Crane in some ways. They are both lighter energy forms. The Snake has large, open, circular movements like the Crane, but also has sharp, precise strikes. I also have a few students who related most to the Leopard. One student commented that it made the most sense. Both of them have had other martial arts experience, so I think they could relate to the powerful martial aspects of the form. Movements in the Leopard form are very connected—much like in boxing. There is lots of pivoting and using the entire body to connect to your opponent with powerful strikes.

Sometimes I think it’s fun to watch people and fit them into an animal category. I was watching some people in a sparring class and I was taking notes and noticed one teenage girl throw a round kick that was very quick yet powerful and connected perfectly to her opponent. Her fast punches packed the same kind of power and connectivity. “Definitely a Leopard”, I thought. Another student moved fluidly and threw rapid punches one after the other. A Snake. We can truly learn a lot from watching animals, each other and even more from practicing their essence through the Five Animal Set.

1. Take a deep breath and look inward, open your awareness to everything going on within you and rate your current stress level between 1 – 10, 10 being high (I have had students say ’20′ on this scale), 4-6 being moderate and 1-3 being low.
2. Next rate your happiness level on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest. If you don’t have a feeling of your happiness level, then rate your current level of contentment with your life and present state (how you feel here and now)
3. Take another deep breath and repeat this mantra: “For me all things are permissible but not all things are beneficial and I WILL NOT BE MASTERED BY ANYTHING!
4. Take 3 harmonizing breaths, do swaying swaying tree 10-20 times.
5. Do either the 5 Organ/Element Set or the 5 Centering Set (generally 3-12 repetitions of each exercise based on your current health state)
6. Do some more swaying tree to cool down, take 1-3 harmonizing breaths and recheck in with your current state.
7. Rate your stress level now and compare to earlier state and do the same with your happiness state.

The norm for this little amount of low impact aerobic exercise (qi gung/chi gung) is to have stress levels go from high to none (0) and for the feelings of happiness, inner serenity and contentment go from the low spectrum to the high.

Take the challenge yourself and comment back. You can get the two recommended sets in either a dvd or download format. Avoid doing too much, too fast or too soon based on your situation. Invest in yourself and you will find you can be more productive, happy and able to serve those you love and enjoy more everything you do!

The word ‘meditation’ means to ‘be in the middle’. Another word that is often used is the term, ‘centered’ and a person who is centered can be said to “be in the zone’.

People do many things to clear their mind, gain new perspectives from different vantage points, reset their thinking patterns or “check out” for awhile. Growing up in the Midwest, I used to wonder how a women of the area could sit around knitting all day, or weaving quilts, canning, baking, or sit in a Church reciting a prayer book for hours on end, essentially meditating on the verses, letting them flow through their being and then, later, at lunch or dinner, share some insights that everyone could contemplate. Looking back at that time, it is clear that this was their form of retreating from the challenges of the world, re-establishing their values and then jumping back in.

One of the things people tend to neglect though was getting enough exercise – taking long walks in the country was great when the weather permitted but that wasn’t always available. A great low impact aerobic exercise like Tai Chi or Qi Gung would have been great for all family members to share in and away for everyone to regain their center.

Tai Chi is considered “moving meditation” because as soon as you aren’t present, your mind drifts, you hold your breath, your mental tension stiffens your body – you lose your balance, your center, and you are reminded to be here, now, in this moment.

Here are a few tools to use regardless of what you do to center yourself:

1. Affirm that you are “letting go” for awhile. You might do something like this.
Take a deep breath and as you breathe out say, “I’m relaxing and letting go of my ego. I am connecting to the energy within and around me and I ask (God, the Spirit, my higher self, my guides) to give me new insight into the changing situations swirling around me.”

2. As you start whatever form you choose to use, remember to “relax and sink”. Periodically take a deep breath and let it lift
you up high as you breathe in and connect you to the earth as you breath out.

3. If you are doing movement as your meditation, periodically stretch up and out, roll your shoulders, bend your waist or squat. Stay within the comforts of your body and ability.

4. Remind yourself that you are here, the time is now and you are this moment, this action, this breath, this willful conscious intentional choice. As you do this more often, you will gain a broader perspective of your life, your energy and what you are painting on the canvas of forever.

5. As a fun video meditation/perspective, Google, “The Pale Blue Dot” featuring Carl Sagan’s commentary. It puts the Earth, time, space and your challenges all into a bigger perspective.

6. And when you are ready to try Tai Chi as a moving meditation, download any of the online Tai Chi video courses that jump out or speak to you – you will be drawn to what resonates with you.

Enjoy the journey and bliss of centering with movement, meditation and breath.

One of the key components of the program is that exercise may be uncomfortable but it should never be painful and if it is painful then you are doing too much. Another key component that differentiates it from traditional programs is that you let your breath do the work for you. I have had numerous physical and occupational therapists wonder why they didn’t learn this technique in their vast array of training. It is both common sense and it doesn’t promote muscle tearing or injury. It is one of the best techniques when dealing with opening the space anywhere in the spine and especially in the neck region where compressed vertebrae can cause tingling in the arms and hands and make raising one’s arm above shoulder level near impossible. I have one student who is 82 and after being in a car accident where his rotator cuff was torn, the surgeon and therapist told him his goal would be to eventually raise his arm to shoulder height. He can now, after doing the S.T.A.R. Program daily, raise his arm well above his head. “It’s amazing”, he says while enjoying an ROM he thought he might have lost forever.

Another common effect is that arthritis pain often goes away with the increase in circulation, oxygenation and nervous system enhancement. I am always amazed by how many people are in pain and they DON’T NEED TO BE! I am also amazed by how amazed they are when they are pain free after doing some of these basic exercises. It goes to show how we tend to look ‘out there’ for answers rather than ‘looking with’. The S.T.A.R. Program can help to wean people off a variety of medications (you should only do this under a Doctors care) and revitalize one’s life, level of energy and spirit for living and serving.

Studies have shown that people who live vitally into their 90′s and 100′s have some simple common attributes:

• They eat a diet low in fat, high in fiber, fish oils and consume at least 60 or more ounces of water a day
• They have a good social network where they feel they contribute, are appreciated and loved
• They maintain a healthy sense of humor about the challenges they face
• They exercise daily to keep their system flexible and fluid
• They have a strong sense of a spiritual connection to something beyond themselves and that connects them to all of life

You may have other values that you can insert in this list but if you would like to increase your ROM and your awareness of how a great program can impact your overall quality of life, then I encourage you to order the S.T.A.R. Program today. Learn it, do aspects of it daily and encourage others to do the same. Your vitality, energy and spirit will love you for it!

Damo, an Indian Prince, brought the yoga style exercises to the Shaolin Temple in 500AD and used them to help the monks develop a body mind discipline that would help them transcend their harsh and challenging environment. When you study 18 Hands of Lohan, you can see a variety of sets that have been handed down from that point in time and space and you can see some poses that are very distinctively Yoga core postures.

The Sun Salutation, one of Yoga’s most popular and recognized sets, is a “moving meditation” and may have been the inspiration for moving from the original static postures that were the basis for Tai Chi into it’s flowing movements and graceful exercises utilizing muscle, tendon, ligament, bone and all the body system’s in harmony , synced with the mind.

If you would like to explore the connection between Tai Chi and Yoga, I recommend starting with the 5 Centering Set or the 8 Verses of Brocade – 2 great sets that are easy to learn and the yoga – tai chi posture connection with the added flow can be easily seen and experienced.

Whether you are currently doing yoga, tai chi sets or other fitness regimes, these sets will add to your appreciation, awareness and understanding of the connection we all share within the magic of movement and breath.

First step: Do your best!

Second step: Help others!

Third step: Have fun!

Each of these steps build momentum from each other and work synergistically.

Step one is the easiest concept but the hardest to practice. Doing your best! Discipline is the core of being the best you can be. Knowing your goals will help keep you focused. Practicing your techniques helps make them a part of your instinctual behavior. Persevere through the difficult and challenging times on your journey of self- discovery and physical development.

Step two: Help others! We should all remember the golden rule “Treat others as you would have them treat you.” In order to do that we must remain open to hear challenges. Stay respectful of the way others do things but help show and share infinite possibilities. Understand that others are responsible for their own thoughts, feelings, and actions; everybody must be loyal to themselves.

Finally, always remember to have fun on this wonderful journey called life. The most effective way to do that is to make sure what we do is as safe as nature can permit. Activities should be invigorating, challenging, and help test your limits. Once the effort is put forth one should feel uplifted, more alert, and centered.

By following this basic guide you should have a clearer sense of direction.

Hopefully, this will assist you as you continue to expand your knowledge.