With the recent change to our Library computer system came a lot of extra keystrokes and mouse clicks. The user interface is not quite as intuitive as a modern computer programme like you would use at home, and some things require a lot of different steps to execute.
So, to stave off any concerns of OOS (Occupational Overuse Syndrome, otherwise known as RSI), I decided to return to Tai Chi classes.
In 1992 I started going to Sing Ong Tai Chi, which is a school run by the irrepressible Master Yek Sing Ong. Master Yek moved to New Zealand from Kuching in Sarawak some years back, and he comes from a very highly-regarded Tai Chi lineage (which you can explore on the Sing Ong Tai Chi website.)
I studied at that school for twelve years, and for nine of those years I was an instructor. In 2004 I decided to take a 6-month break. After attending for twelve years I felt I could do with a bit of time off. Sadly my 6-month break turned into an eight year stretch...
Tai Chi is great for relaxation, and if you study under someone like Master Yek, it's also a top-notch martial art.
Check out this clip of the man who taught Master Yek - GrandMaster Huang Sheng Shyan:
You may ask: why are all those guys letting an old man push them around? Here's the deal - they are trying their best not to!
Tai Chi teaches you to be relaxed, to use your opponent's force against them, to bend, deflect and to move your centre of gravity so that people can't push you around.
A Grandmaster like Huang Sheng Shyan makes it look like he's not doing anything at all. He embodies the principle of "wu wei" ("doing or making nothing except in conformity to the Tao", or in my defintion: doing only that which is necessary to achieve your goal).
Obviously, I was never that good, but back in the day, I knew two sets of preparatory relaxing exercises, the 42 Competition Form (a set of 42 postures or movements strung together like a rather slow old-time dance routine) and I had got about halfway through the 37 Yang Form (another set of moves).
When I went back to class recently, I found out that although I have remembered all the movements, I have remembered them in my own particular style. That's another way of saying I would have to start all over again from the beginning and try to weed out bad habits that have crept in!
But that's all part of learning Tai Chi - you never actually finish - you just refine your style every year and strive to make it better.
Oh, and boy were my legs sore after the first class - there are a lot of low stances that really give your pegs a workout.
I'll let you know how I get on!
Book of the week: Tai Chi Classics by Waysun Liao. A great description of Tai Chi principles.
Movie of the week: The One, featuring Jet Li. OK, it doesn't actually have Tai Chi in it, but he gives a great demonstration of the related disciplines of Hsing I and Ba Gua Chuan, which are also based on ancient Chinese principles.
CD of the week: Art of the Chinese Harp: Guzheng. To get you in the right vibe.
So, to stave off any concerns of OOS (Occupational Overuse Syndrome, otherwise known as RSI), I decided to return to Tai Chi classes.
In 1992 I started going to Sing Ong Tai Chi, which is a school run by the irrepressible Master Yek Sing Ong. Master Yek moved to New Zealand from Kuching in Sarawak some years back, and he comes from a very highly-regarded Tai Chi lineage (which you can explore on the Sing Ong Tai Chi website.)
I studied at that school for twelve years, and for nine of those years I was an instructor. In 2004 I decided to take a 6-month break. After attending for twelve years I felt I could do with a bit of time off. Sadly my 6-month break turned into an eight year stretch...
Tai Chi is great for relaxation, and if you study under someone like Master Yek, it's also a top-notch martial art.
Check out this clip of the man who taught Master Yek - GrandMaster Huang Sheng Shyan:
You may ask: why are all those guys letting an old man push them around? Here's the deal - they are trying their best not to!
Tai Chi teaches you to be relaxed, to use your opponent's force against them, to bend, deflect and to move your centre of gravity so that people can't push you around.
A Grandmaster like Huang Sheng Shyan makes it look like he's not doing anything at all. He embodies the principle of "wu wei" ("doing or making nothing except in conformity to the Tao", or in my defintion: doing only that which is necessary to achieve your goal).
Obviously, I was never that good, but back in the day, I knew two sets of preparatory relaxing exercises, the 42 Competition Form (a set of 42 postures or movements strung together like a rather slow old-time dance routine) and I had got about halfway through the 37 Yang Form (another set of moves).
When I went back to class recently, I found out that although I have remembered all the movements, I have remembered them in my own particular style. That's another way of saying I would have to start all over again from the beginning and try to weed out bad habits that have crept in!
But that's all part of learning Tai Chi - you never actually finish - you just refine your style every year and strive to make it better.
Oh, and boy were my legs sore after the first class - there are a lot of low stances that really give your pegs a workout.
I'll let you know how I get on!
Book of the week: Tai Chi Classics by Waysun Liao. A great description of Tai Chi principles.
Movie of the week: The One, featuring Jet Li. OK, it doesn't actually have Tai Chi in it, but he gives a great demonstration of the related disciplines of Hsing I and Ba Gua Chuan, which are also based on ancient Chinese principles.
CD of the week: Art of the Chinese Harp: Guzheng. To get you in the right vibe.
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