The Taoist Sanctuary welcomed Grandmaster Chen Xiaoxing to San Diego this past week. He taught seminars on Laojia Yilu, Xinjia Yilu and reeling silk. He was in great form as always, generous with his teaching, and remained steadfast in his message that there are no shortcuts to improvement.
The main lesson was to pay attention to the transitions! One cannot move on until the transitions are clear, otherwise the next posture will not be correct. He demonstrated the changes that have to occur before the weight can shift, then how to maintain the integrity of the move during the shift. Great information!
His corrections are clear and exacting, and LOW, pushing our bodies down into the sweet spot of the posture. We all had fun trying to hold the corrected postures after he stepped back, mostly unsuccessfully, to his amusement.
With Grandmaster now in Seattle at Embrace the Moon with Kim Ivy, it falls to us to practice, practice and practice. No shortcuts! We will see him again this summer in China, and until then, we need to remember those fabulous corrections.
Bill and I will be teaching a monthly workshop next Tuesday, March 15th, detailing the short section from the first Single Whip to the second Buddha’s Attendant Pounds Mortar. Our focus will be on the transitions, the reeling silk in the movements, and posture corrections. Qi Gong master Ken Cohen has one more workshop coming up as well on March 22nd, taught with Curandera Grace Sesma. They will discuss both the Taoist and MesoAmerican understanding of healing and spirituality.
Finally, if you are interested in our China trip this summer, there are still spaces available and time to make that decision for the trip of a lifetime! Contact us if you are interested!
