Wu Style Tai Chi Short Form Demonstrated by Paul Cavel

Tai chi offers all the health benefits of qigong and neigong and amplifies them to greater effect. Tai chi also adds the dimension of martial application with unique characteristics of softness and yielding. The movements of tai chi are like a great river, yielding to the strong and rooted, brushing aside the weak and unstable.

The Wu style of tai chi is the latest development of tai chi. The original Chen style was transformed from a hard, sudden style to a soft rounded style by Yang Lu Chan. This was done by deepening the neigong work within the tai chi vessel.

Later Wu Jien Chuan finished the work initiated by his father, Chuan You, who was Yang Lu Chan’s best student. This completed the fusion of neigong with tai chi, making the outer form smaller, but with more internal movement. This fusion brought true meditation work to tai chi-as Gods Playing in the Clouds qigong, the final qigong set-initiates work on the Emotional Body, where meditation work commences.

Wu style tai chi starts with a short 18-step form containing the essence of tai chi. This form was developed by Tai Chi Lineage Holder Bruce Frantzis after encouragement from his teacher, Tai Chi Grandmaster Liu Hung Chieh. Once the short form has been grasped, one can proceed to learn the traditional 108-step long form, which is complete for health, martial and meditation applications.

Paul will teach many courses in 2010 on the neigong that can boost your tai chi practice. If you want to study Wu style tai chi short form with him, your opportunity is his Crete retreat (24-30 April), Circles & Spheres: Creating Central Equilibrium in Qigong, Bagua & Tai Chi.