Aamir Rafi - Tai Chi Space

28/02/2024

Check out my new blog post discussing a little about the constant repetitive nature of Tai Chi Chuan and it's relation to martial arts.

Explore how repetition in Chen Tai Chi contributes to traditional training and enhances martial arts skills.

07/02/2024

Some thoughts on the difficulty in teaching Tai Chi... Let me know what you think :)

Explore the challenges faced by teachers in imparting the holistic discipline of Tai Chi in a short period. Discover the benefits of long-term practice.

05/02/2024

New Beginners Tai Chi & Qigong Classes
Staring in March 2024

Tuesday 5th March 5.30 pm Chen Tai Chi
Thursday 7th March 6.30pm Qigong - 5 Animals Play

£45 for both classes and class recordings

For more details message me or email me at aamir@taichispace.online
https://www.taichispace.online/

02/02/2024

New post talking a little about Silk Reeling In Chen Tai Chi

Explore the significance of silk reeling in Tai Chi beyond just waving hands. Delve into Chen Tai Chi body method and Chan su jin.

01/02/2024

Finally Tai Chi Space has a website

Experience the practical approach to Tai Chi and traditional Chinese martial arts with Aamir Rafi. Simple, uncomplicated style with emphasis on basic technique.

05/12/2023

Spent the last 3 days with these lovely people teaching at the Tai Chi Space Winter Weekend. The theme of the weekend was to understand, explore and develop 'song' in Tai Chi with a bit of push hands applications thrown in... I think I've just about recovered!

For the next Tai Chi Space event what would you like to cover, Xin Jia or Sword?

24/11/2023

In Tai Chi practice we often hear the word ‘Fangsong’ often shortened to ‘Song’ thrown about.

The word ‘fang’ means ‘doing or to release’ and ‘sung’ means ‘relax or relaxation’. When we say relax in english we generally think of eliminating all tension, becoming almost limp. However, fangsong in tai chi refers to having alertness, springiness and aliveness. We can simply say fangsong is the act of releasing unnecessary tension in the practice of Tai Chi. It is the method of becoming aware of how you move, hold your self (posture) and to be able to inhibit any habitual contraction of muscles due to emotional stresses, bad posture, movement and breathing. Simply put we can think of fangsong in tai chi to be ‘active relaxation’ - a method of learning how to let go, release and build awareness!

As all things in tai chi the concept of fangsong isn't achieved easily, it has to be developed, trained and unpacked in stages. You can imagine the concept of fangsong in Tai Chi to be like a zip file where there's loads of information compressed and when you click on it, it all opens up. Sung in Tai Chi is just the same; it contains lots of different components to understand and to achieve song.

To learn more about how to develop and train the concept of fangsong you can join me at this year's Tai Chi Space Winter Weekend - ‘Putting the Internal into Practice’. Where we will explore all things related to developing fangsong in Tai Chi. As the saying goes ‘No song no tai chi’.

21/11/2023

The Tai Chi Space Winter Weekend! This year we will be exploring how to develop and train the concept of Sung (Relax) in Tai Chi Chuan. We will also cover the Chen Lao Jia corrections and instruction and off course some push hands and applications thrown in for some fun :)

Only a few places left!

19/11/2023

Well done Jonathan for achieving the Level 2 Tai Chi Space Instructor certification :)

18/11/2023

The correct practice of Tai Chi Chuan transforms both the body and mind, to create what I personally call the 'Tai Chi body'. So, what is a Tai Chi Body?

Simply put it's the ability to absorb and transmit force, develop integrated whole-body movement and power, and to isolate parts of the body to dissipate incoming force. To be able to empty the body and to become light but also heavy. To root or connect to the ground to generate power. The ability to stick and follow the opponent and to have the sensitivity and listening skill to react to changes made by the opponent. Most importantly the ability to build a physical frame/shape with the body with the correct structure for you to deliver all the above through.

I like to think of the Tai Chi body as a spinning top or a rotating sphere which can rotate in all directions to absorb and redirect incoming force or to project force away. The building of the Tai Chi body begins with the Jiben-gong (basics) correct form practice, zhan Zhuang (Standing Practice) and many of the auxiliary tai chi exercises. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, guidance from a good teacher and lots of practice.

To further build and to test the progress of this transformation we have several two person exercises. These exercises are designed to test the progress of your solo practice and to see if the body has all these connections and capabilities, and to what degree. The exercises start off soft and light with the intensity increasing as the level of the practitioner increases. The feedback gained from the two person exercises informs on how well your form practice is developing and the overall level of your Tai Chi.

The process of going back and forth from the solo and two person practice and working on the feedback gained helps to condition the mind. The idea is to be able to understand the two person exercises and their relation to form practice, and to become aware of weaknesses to understand what one needs to improve. Over time through continuous practice in this way the actions will become natural and automatic, with the mind being conditioned to perform the actions correctly as part of the subconscious.

The video below demonstrates and explains some of these two person exercises and is taken from one of my online workshops. The exercises are not to be confused for martial applications although there will be some cross over to all aspects of Tai Chi Chuan. To join my online or physical classes and workshops check out the following link https://www.patreon.com/taichispace

Does your Tai Chi system have similar two person exercises to test and develop the Tai Chi body?

27/10/2023

5 Week - 8 Brocades Qigong Online Course

Baduanjin (8 Brocades) is one of the forms of traditional Chinese Qigong exercises which has a history of more than 1000 years. It is characterized by interplay between symmetrical physical postures and movements, mind, and breathing exercise in a harmonious manner.

The practice of the 8 Brocades helps to revitalise and energise your body and sweeps off the stress, depression and negative emotions that have been trapped in your body. Most of all, it is easy to learn, even for people with no previous martial arts or fitness experience.

I get regular enquiries from potential students who find it hard to attend at certain times across various time zones or students who find it difficult to travel to Manchester, United Kingdom.

Because of this I have decided to run a 5 week qigong course covering the Ba Duan Jin (8 pieces of Silk Brocades), Qigong breathing and meditation exercises. Each session of the course will be recorded and included in the price so you can practice at your own leisure. This is particularly good for those in different time zones.

It will be 1 hour every Thursday 6.30 pm - 7.30 pm (GMT) via Zoom as mentioned above, if you can't make that time or prefer not to train live you can still receive the recording link the next day. Things start on 2nd November, and continue on 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th November.

The cost for the 5 week course is £50 and payable by PayPa or bank transfer prior to the commencement of the first session.

Following completion of the course if you wish to continue training you can train with the regular online classes or arrange private sessions.

To register please contact me or email aamir@taichigeek.com

27/10/2023

A recent study shows how Tai Chi practice may ease Parkinson's symptom's.

The traditional gentle Chinese exercise showed balance and movement benefits for patients.