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In October of 2017 I asked the 8th level and some other well-experienced teachers how they were enriching their classes and what they did outside of the regular curriculum. How did they use Qigong, The 8 Ways, meditation and anything else? Did they have drop-in classes? In our busy times, some students cannot commit to weekly classes to learn the form. And some senior students have difficulty remembering the form. So more options are needed.
Some teachers take a very long time to teach the form, mixing in qi gong and breathing and meditation and not advancing until the students are ready. In other locations, there are drop-in classes where you never know who will show up and the challenge is to see what the group needs. In some classes for senior citizens, a lot of the work was done sitting down and learning principles and bits of the form and then standing. Some of the qualities needed in teaching were spontaneity, humor and a relaxed attitude.
Thank you to Steve Shulman, George Kormendi, Mark Preston, Judith Sullivan, Carla Van Arnam, Cathy Cody, Rhoda Jacobs, Barbara Carlisle, Vicki Shackford, AJ Allen, Tina Curran and Birgitt Krauss for your input and creativity in teaching. Below is a summary.
Class types
- Drop in
- Weekly series
- Monthly
- “Tai chi principled movement for sitting, standing and walking”
- “Tai chi for health”
Main purpose of class
- Learn and embody principles to enhance quality of life
- Build strength
- Increase relaxation
- Improve health and wellbeing
Resources
- 8 Ways
- R&B Five-Element Qigong
- Tai chi form
- Breathing exercises
- Meditation
- Stretching
- Self-massages
- Exploring the differences in out-of-principle and in-principle movement
- Any combination thereof
Principles
- Relaxation of body and mind
- Alignment: heaven and earth, open joints
- Soft, relaxed feet
- Kua: folding into hips, nose-navel
- Balance: 70/30, 100%
- Internal awareness
- Focused mind
- Utilizing the breath
Options
- Teach various moves and mention a few principles
- Pick one principle and focus on that throughout the class using specific exercises to illustrate the principle, i.e., feet: soft and relaxed; tripod: three balance points of the foot
- Work principles/8Ways/Qigong for half the class and teach the form in the second half
- When teaching the form, if the class meets more than once/week, teach only one new position/week so there is lots of opportunity for review and for people who can’t come twice.
- Mix and match using your creativity, skill and awareness of the students’ needs
Verbal therapy
- Positive statements
Other information
- Anatomy
- Five elements: seasons, organs, energies
- Readings from the classics
Teaching Qualities:
- Spontaneity
- Relaxed attitude
- Humor
- Seeing the needs of the class
- Demonstrating with your body and demeanor
- Compassion
As your teaching experience and embodiment of principle increases, enjoy exploring how to bring our beautiful art to others so they may receive the benefits we all have experienced. And then share your experiences with other tai chi teachers.
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