<![CDATA[Honest Tai Chi

<![CDATA[Honest Tai Chi - HTC Blog]]>Sat, 18 Apr 2026 20:49:21 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Principles of Yi- Intention]]>Wed, 24 Sep 2025 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.honesttaichi.com/htc-blog/principles-of-yi-intention

“Principles of Yi”
Remember Yi is an idea of intention, a name to call this happening of a unifying and driving force that we inherently possess. These principles are to help us develop tools to describe and put it to easier use.

Yi-(intention) is the unity of mind and heart, which is also the body. This is another way to say the traditional saying "When the Shen (spirit) rests in the tranquil heart the emperor (of the body) rules without rebellion." In short your intention is your ability to unify your entire being (physical body, mind, and spirit) onto or within a thing so strongly that you move in complete unity within it. (intention- balance of will, feeling and action. After doing something temper your intention with feedback gained by listening and observing what the results of your application told you. "OODA loop")
This unity will cause a strong physical feeling and bring about deeper intellectual understanding + creativity.
In physical application Yi is easier directed with the eyes.
In meditation and medical applications Yi can be directed simply by sharpening your focus, feeling and channeling your attention to move qi in directions you want it to go.
The more you relax, focus and unify yourself, the stronger your attention will guide the qi + strengthen your ability to feel and apply.

The more consistently you pay attention to something the more you compound the thing. I.e. If you spend your time focusing on what you find arousing in any environment, the more aroused you will be by this thing. Function (paying attention/yang) and substance (the physical reaction/yin)
Seek what drives your response and that will help you direct your focus. i.e. if you want to increase your arousal, focus on the roots of things you find arousing. If you want to relax, focus on the roots of things you find relaxing. If you want to be more creative, allow your mind the quiet space that builds the freedom to create things.
Feeling is said to gather or cause qi to flow. Pay attention to how you feel and are driven to respond to a certain thing, thought, or action. Then build an unattached gentle coaxing, this is the beginning of using yi to direct or guide the qi.
When principles are intact you can take action whenever you want, seeking to liberate your spontaneity. Clarify your intention by taking nothing personally and letting go of the immediate outcome to devote yourself to living innately.
In life, goals help you to pinpoint your focus to accomplish a specific result. Goals are good for accomplishing things. In the mind our goals are things to direct us short, or long term. Without goals our results will be without meaning. In the beginning our physical qigong goals are to seek openness of kinetic chains (meridians), to absorb and/or emit force and to release tension in specific areas or points (i.e. acupressure// massage) to unify the body into a single whole. Once together we can move wholeheartedly in a certain direction, physically and metaphysically.
A simplified explanation is that the use of Yi is reliant on a balance of doing not doing. This will begin to form a link between willing and feeling. Another way to describe it is observance while acting out our goals. To be pliable, changeable although steadfast in application. Soft in mind and hard in action. Round on the outside, solid principles in our center. To this aim we use Yi to seek internal harmony and dissolve internal dis harmonies. This starts with observing one’s self, seeking feeling and knowledge forming a solid foundation to discern the desirable + the undesirable. Observance helps us see what things to listen to, what things to let go of, what we’ve done and what we truly want to do… The balance of yin and yang in this context then comes from the acknowledgment of truth and falsehood within the mind. To cling to falsehood in the pursuit of truth is to lose balance and become bias. To trap one’s self in illusion is to lose the pursuit of objective righteousness, this righteousness is one that becomes revealed as we traverse the path i.e. an applicable ‘truth’.
A feeling of weakness and worthlessness will stifle everything you do. Training yourself to be numb to any of your feelings will bring about unforeseen hardships. This is due to the interdependence of feeling and intellect. One provides life to the other and should inform our decision as a whole human being. To be dishonest about how we feel is akin to lying to one-self. This twists our intellect into making false claims. Acknowledge your feelings by lovingly and mercifully accepting where they came from, all your reasons you have them, and understanding your rationalization of them. This builds trust in your self-worth and ability to overturn conditioned falsehoods.
“Let the feeling touch you, don’t let it consume you, but be touched by it.” - JR
LOVE the right action, CUT OUT the wrong action. How do we know the right or wrong action, by listening to and following lessons from feedback of our actions. In the marine corps we call this the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act)
Seven internal disharmonies that negatively affect Yi are excess, unconscious/imbalanced emotions: When we are led by our emotional responses to life everything spins around us and this chaotic qi is what leads and deeply clouds our intention to live our lives in anyway we see fit. Indeed sadness, grief, pensiveness, worry, fear, fright, anger, and euphoria are not inherently bad things, however, when they persist beyond a normal and natural flow they deeply affect and cause problems for us physiologically and psychologically. In the next section I’ll elaborate on how this framework gives us a tool to counterbalance and release these charged emotions.
- Sadness (metal)
- Grief (metal extreme and abrupt)
- Pensiveness, excess worry (earth)
- Fear (water)
- Fright (water extreme and abrupt)
- Anger (wood)
- Euphoria (fire)
Internal harmonies that positively affect Yi. A primary view is that one’s personal Shen (spirit) should be placed in a faculty of power and sovereignty to rule over our entire being. These internal harmonies or virtues are attributes to embody that allow our spirit to be sovereign. When we allow ourselves to be led away from them we get robbed of our qi and unintentionally grow into an emotional mess. Traditionally these virtues and emotional vices are said to affect various organs within the body (Zhang Fu correlations) and cause relaxation/tension in specific areas. To use this Taoist method of emotional hygiene remember the 5 element controlling and building cycles to get a working knowledge and applicable understanding of these virtues. I.e. If you are very sad and depressed then it isn't the time to force yourself to be courageous and righteous. Stuffing, negating, or making war with your sadness in this way will only further exacerbate the problem. There’s a reason this emotion is coming up to begin with. Approach it from the element that builds and controls the one you're having an issue with. In the case of dealing with sadness and grief Metal is controlled by fire, and is fed into by earth. To grow courage and righteousness it maybe wise to seek fairness and be open with yourself, trusting you will get through this hard time will allow you to seek the root of your sadness. Finding the root will lead you to the love within the situation and will help you bring joy into and out of where your sadness comes from. In its own time this will shape your view to be happy about how these things have affected you once your feeling of loss has run its course. In hindsight and distance you can find how similar experiences have made you the person you are today. Another way to put this is that courage and righteousness are a byproduct of naturally flowing with your sadness and assimilating it into a balanced human being. The same can be said of all these other emotions and virtues.
- Courage, righteousness (metal)
- Fairness, openness, trust + faith (earth)
- Gentleness, calmness, silence (water)
- Kindness, Generosity (wood)
- Love, joy, and happiness (fire)
Your life philosophy shapes your Yi and your Yi shapes your life. Your mindset is how you react to the world mentally, this physically reflects itself in your ability to move, to work efficiently, and can reflect itself in your experience of your feelings.
Your overall intent in life should be to live to get older, don’t worry about things, practice all the time and enjoy life innately + genuinely. To this end be yourself, never stop seeking the things you enjoy, always learn and grow. Growth is the essence of what keeps us alive, movement equals life and stagnation equals death. The only thing a Taoist fears is not being in the Tao. Be the central pivot. Return to your root. Invest in loss. Listen to all + act on virtue.
The bridge between Yi and qi is action. If you don’t allow your mental activity to move you, in one form or another, there is no connection between mind and body. Hence, without action internal (paradigm shift, building understanding/ intellectual application, +/or a shift of feeling to bring tranquility) or external movement to bring peace (in the broader physical +/or psychological), there is no true “Yi” without true Yi there is no movement of qi.

In the next post we'll start to bridge this intention into action with our principles of Qi!

]]><![CDATA[Kwan Ying Dao Basic #1 -Arm Snakes / Arm Grabs]]>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.honesttaichi.com/htc-blog/kwan-ying-dao-basic-1-arm-snakes-arm-grabsSnake Turns Over (a.k.a-ARM SNAKES/ARM GRABS)

In martial arts we learn that basics are the most important aspect of training. No matter what level you’re looking at, the basics meld and evolve with you as a martial artist, never part from them. Basic techniques lead you, when given the correct guidance, to principle based movement and free form application. Along your progression the principles will be made a part of your natural movement. As you progress it’s always good to continue the practice of basic techniques. In your art you’ll find that basic techniques will feel and function slightly differently as you evolve and progress as a martial artist. Internalize the practice and forever you will find it grows you into an ever changing, deeper and more apt individual.

In Kwan Ying Dao, Arm Snakes are the epitome of basic techniques. Their practice builds solid foundations that will help you with a wide variety of great martial attributes. Including but not limited to: breaking out of grabs, full body power at short ranges, stability and strengthening the wrist, grip strength, “wrapping” the body, power in the forearms for hard + strong blocks, sinking into and drawing power from the earth, and last but not least learning the proper kinetic chain and structure for the delivery of punches, grips, pulls, and exchanges.

Arm Snakes are done in horse + 2nd stances keeping the bottom half of the body fixed and sunken into the ground while the top half of the body performs the movement. Though movement in the legs is not visible while doing the exercise, internally there should be movement and tension to guide the arms and keep stability in the stance.

Arm snakes are generally done in temple horse as opposed to ko horse. In Kwan Ying Dao we have a ‘temple stances’ and a ‘Ko/Gao stances’. Temple stances are more suited for application whereas Gao stances are more for strength training and flexibility. Throughout the rest of this blog post we’ll dive into the particulars of horse and second stances, as well as the 7 parts and program of the snake turns over exercise.

Before we continue a deep and heartfelt thank you to Dave Cial for introducing me and urging me to practice this program, Ron Mohr for elaborating more deeply on it, and to Steve Encamp for sharing his lineage's practice of it.

Horse Stance-

Horse stance (“ma bu” in Chinese), is a mainstay in all traditional martial arts forms. You will see this stance in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean martial arts at various depths and for various purposes. Throughout martial arts it is common knowledge that this stance is best for its side to side stability and rooting.

What is not so commonly known; is how it is an exercise for balanced strengthening of the legs. When done correctly you can work every part of the legs: adductors, abductors, rotators, extensors and flexors of the thighs, calves, ankles, even the stabilizers and the plantar muscles of the feet are strengthened with the correct focus. To train all these muscles it’s important to sink, spiral and counter these forces with opposite muscles within your body.

If you have a background in other martial arts you may have noticed our practice of this stance is a bit higher than most this is because our particular focus is on internal alignments, spiraled through muscular development.

Basic alignments for Temple Horse Stance:

Feet should extend slightly past shoulder width, measured by the opening sequence of toes 90°, heels slightly pigeon toed about shoulder width, toes 90°, heels straight, should be about 1 ½ shoulder width.
Once the feet are properly positioned, sink into the stance, pushing the knees out above the feet.
As you are pushing the knees out, counter that action by also pulling in with the inside of your thighs and use your pelvic floor and gluteal muscles to provide dome-like support for your upper body.
It is important to grip the floor with the toes and heels of each foot; rotating inward and keeping the blade edge of the feet straight. This will strengthen the support of the muscles in the feet
Once stance alignment is achieved, relax and sink the upper body into the horse stance. This action stretches the calf and builds structure in the legs.

Second stance

This stance is very similar to the horse stance. The only difference is the upper torso is twisted to its farthest extent on one side. There’s one rule most Tai Chi and Xing Yi schools have, that the Kwa (hip crease) and shoulders should function as a unit. This stance obviously doesn’t follow that rule. It teaches us how to extend the spine while stretching the torso for greater torque and power by freeing up the waist and abdomen.

While in second stance you should feel a slight stretch:

Diagonally from the back of the hip, on the rear shoulder side across the back, to the front shoulder
Straight across the ribs in the midsection
Diagonally from the bottom of the ribs to the opposite hip on both sides.
The hips should remain facing forward to form an anchor for the rotational force.
The spine should be kept erect as in the Horse, Wu Ji, and Hug Tree postures. This point is extremely important as you don’t want to injure your spine by loading a max amount of tension onto a spine that is angled/tilted out of alignment while being rotated.
When doing training this stance alone outside of other basics, turn the head looking to the side you are turned to.
Keep your shoulders locked. Be sure to keep the arms taught back and not to collapse them because of the rotation. This will force you to be aware of your spinal rotation instead of moving your shoulders.
The Second Stance contributes to the ability to hit forward while standing square; keeping you grounded. This stance builds power in your upper body by focusing on how to connect force across the body and along the same side. This ability is then easily applied to a fighting stance or any action. The isolation of the abdominal rotation is a great way to build the Middle Jiao (the section between the sternum and the bottom of the rib cage) that connects the lower Dan Tien to the upper body so power flows from the legs to the shoulders without being lost to misalignments of the spine.

Arm Snakes First Movement: Snake Leaves Its Nest

In this first movement there are many things to pay attention to. First thing is to not allow the waist to collapse when performing the curl. Second is to be sure to use the Second Stance to power the movement. In phase 1 (noted in picture to the left) you should be in Second Stance. Bring the shoulder forward rotating the spine, without allowing the hips or the spinal structure to collapse. In phase 2 of the movement you come back to horse stance; keeping the tension and torque in the wrist.

The Second Stance is what powers the movement while solidifying your base in the horse stance. This first movement establishes the connection between the rotation of the body and the movement of the hand. The following movements need to have the same type of mechanic if they are going to have any sort of martial translation and effectiveness.

In “Snake Leaves Its Nest” we find a movement that resembles a curl that builds strength in the bicep, forearm muscles, shoulder, and chest. This movement has many muscular benefits. You also acquire a great deal of timing/ coordination skills. These skills are easily translated into a grab/wrap/block of an incoming strike/kick/grab of any sort. It also teaches exceptional mechanics for raising the arm in front of the body therefore covering and clearing the entire body for a block. Within this movement we are also training an uppercut. Make sure to keep the hand and arm tight and snug; again drilling in the power from the Second Stance.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to maintain Second Stance and proper structure within the rotation of this movement (The Snake Leaves Its Nest). Aside from a strength training regimen, Arm Snakes are also an exercise to help the chi rise up from the legs and Dan Tien. The chi spirals up the spine, opens the Ren + Du channels, and branches out to the arms. Physically, this translates to a realignment of the individual vertebra; bringing space and movement to the intervertebral discs. It also contributes to the retraining of the legs; relaxing them into their structure. This brings fluidity and connectivity to the movement of spine, scapula, elbow, wrist, and hand; in that order.

At times you may find yourself pushing your head or spine forward when curling up. Be quick to correct it! If you do not, you will develop pain from poor alignment and this will eventually lead to severe injuries. The tension used in these exercises; when done with proper alignment, can do wonders for all sorts of joint malfunctions, ailments of various internal organs (mainly in the abdomen, but heart and lungs benefit as well), and muscular issues. Alignment is easily corrected but difficult to maintain and takes constant personal reminding. Starting off, practice beside a mirror and pause at different portions of the movement and check your alignment. This will help you keep your spine straight and your body relaxed into the legs.

Arm Snakes Second Movement:
Snake Looks for its Prey

These movements are simple ones, although in their simplicity I find many foundational principles are lost. Their difficulty lies in connecting the rotation of the spine with the minute rotation and extension of the hand.
From the first movement we learned how to connect the rotation with the curling up of the fist. In the second and third movements we work with the turning of the wrist and that same rotation. When you bring the hand down and rotate it forward as if the “snake is looking for its prey” you should be in second stance toward the opposite side. When bringing the fist back into extension “finding its prey” you should be in second stance toward the same side.

This connection of the body to the rotation of the wrist is what builds immense power in the forearms and has many martial applications. When a wrist lock is being performed on you move your body in the same way as in these exercises and you will find it very easy to escape. With wrist grabs it is the same, joining the movement of the wrist with the body makes it very easy to manipulate someone else’s arm should they make the mistake of holding on; if you wish to break the hold this same mechanic can be used fairly easily.

Arm Snakes Third Movement: Snake Finds its Prey

As in the first movement, maintaining the structure of the second stance is paramount. Along with the second stance’s alignments of the spine, relaxation into the legs, rotation of the torso and keeping the hips in line with the legs, there is another attribute that I feel is important to address. The position of the shoulders, your shoulders should stay flat and not rotate independently or rise from their starting position. To let them rise is to build tension in the neck and break the connection of the scapula to the ribcage. This connection is the bridge of power from the spine to the arm. In these smaller movements this connection is very important.
The bottom line is that wherever you want there to be power, generate that power from the movement of your body. In Arm Snakes we are focusing on the rotation of the trunk, keeping stability in the legs. The power here comes from that second stance rotation.

Remember to practice all the movements of the Arm Snakes at a slow steady pace with tension. This tension will build proper timing and alignment in the long run. Don’t speed it up but flow within the movements. When you come to apply them later your movements will keep their timing and effectiveness. Nothing benefits from sloppiness. Take your time, build strength, then power will become second nature, without even trying.

Arm Snakes Fourth Movement: Snake Strikes Out

This Fourth Movement is done right after the “snake sees his prey”. As if opening the mouth of the snake forcefully and slowly open the fingers. Outstretch the fingers not only by extension but also by spreading them out as far as you can. There should be whiteness spread along the palm from the stretching of the hand. While spreading out the hand you should push out at a 45⁰ angle to the opposite shoulder. Keep the elbow snug and rubbing against the body during the push out. At the end of the movement the elbows should be down and the push should be up at a 45⁰ angle.

The important thing to pay attention to stance and structure wise is that you should feel a pull from the shoulder that is pushing forward to the opposite hip. This is important because it is a sign that you are stretching and opening the back to perform the push. Same thing as in all the other movements the spine should be kept erect and the rotation should be from the second stance.

All parts of Arm Snakes are important for different reasons but the first and fourth are very important. I say this because they show the basic functions and timing for blocks (1st + 4th movement) and strikes//pushes (4th movement). This fourth movement besides teaching proper striking alignment also gives one the ability for uprooting someone.

To uproot is a term we use in Tai Chi and Kung Fu practice which basically means to cause someone to lose their footing or in other words disrupt their balance. This uprooting action comes from the angle of the push. The angle from the shoulder to the hand should be 45⁰ upwards. The push is also 45⁰ off the shoulder to the opposite side. This is so that the power can be drawn from the foot of the same side or the foot of the opposite side. Ultimately you can draw the power from either leg with enough practice.

Arm Snakes Fifth Movement: Snake Bites its Prey

Snake Bites its Prey is an extremely important exercise when it comes to building grip strength in the hand and opening up the hand, wrist, and carpal tunnel. In order to do open all these areas it is important to spread the fingers out as wide and as long as they will go before performing the grip. On gripping it is also very important to go slowly; grip from the outside knuckle inwards keeping all other knuckles and parts of the hands extended out and back. In doing this you open the muscles in between the metacarpals and thumb. Besides helping to open the joints and deter arthritis this also has an important martial art application. When you are gripping someone it is important to grip suctioning the palm of the hand to the person through the fingers. The action of Snake Bites its Prey trains this full palm contact through clawing. Gripping like this is what makes the difference between clawing as opposed to grabbing.

If you see a snake bite onto something and drag it into its mouth its teeth act as levers that pull the prey into its mouth this is the same mechanic we are training with this grip. Similar to when a cat paws at its bed to soften it up we're stretching the hand to allow for more range of motion in the fingers. In exercise science it is well understood that by actively stretching a muscle in the right manner you can and will have more explosive power by rebounding off that contracted stretch. Stretching in a loose manner has the opposite effect. Prolonged static stretching destabilizes the joints which is why it is never recommended to do static stretching prior to any heavy lift.

Arm Snakes Sixth Movement: Snake Swallows its Prey

The gripping of movement 5 should be joined half way through by movement #6 Snake Swallows its Prey. As a snake swallows its prey you see a ripple go through its body as to move it down the digestive tract, using the body to push//pull the prey into itself. This is the same mechanism you should be using in the sixth movement.

After gripping the prey, rotate the elbow in toward the centerline this will fortify your grip and put you in a better position to pull and “Swallow” whatever you are grabbing.

Arm Snakes Seventh Movement: Snake Returns to its Nest

To further secure your grip and pull, drag the elbow back along the center line and rub the ribs straight back into the chambered position. This completes the movement of Arm Snakes and is 1 full repetition.

On returning to the nest when you drag the elbow back along the ribs be sure not to raise the shoulder. Raising the shoulder would sacrifice all the power you’re trying to maintain. Instead keep the shoulder low and allow the shoulder to remain stationary by rotating the spine while keeping it erect.

When you do this the force is directed along some of the most powerful muscles of the body. It travels down the back using Latissimus dorsi, the lower back stabilizers, obliques and legs to anchor it to the earth. Rather if you allow the shoulder to raise you will only be relying on the rear deltoid, trapezius, and neck muscles for the pull. These muscles have nothing to push off of as your head isn’t pushing against anything, this also leads to lots of strain on the rotator cuff and all the problems associated with that. When pulling and pushing, always move toward the centerline and rub the ribs on returning or shooting the hand to the final position by keeping the shoulder low.

In the next blog post we'll be diving into applications... follow the Arm Snake Program and your body will be well prepared for applying them.

Arm Snake Program-
30 arm snakes for 30 days...
Add 1 till you reach 100...
then practice 100 for the remainder of 6 months totaling 183 days of practice.

]]><![CDATA[Soft Style Qigong Principles- brief on yi, qi, blood]]>Fri, 29 Aug 2025 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.honesttaichi.com/htc-blog/soft-style-qigong-principles-brief-on-yi-qi-blood

Soft style principles set an internal foundation for goodness by correcting the mishaps of imbalanced responsibility, passion and/or drive. All three are important but without the right mindset from the beginning you will lack the knowledge to adequately apply yourself to heal and build a solid root in practicing your honorable way.

Learning how to handle your physiological and emotional environment will strengthen you to handle the circumstantial hardships that life will throw at you. With these foundations your personal application of the art will be widespread and in turn benefit your whole life. This is another/ the main reason I say soft style is the foundation for hard style. If only the hard style is trained without the soft there is much higher risk of succumbing to your own ego and the natural inflation that comes from witnessing one’s growth in personal strength. So every time we train we are drawing from our eternal spring within. Every time we train it is as if we are drinking a glass of water, remembering where it came from. Your discipline, passion, and drive to find your way, a good way. The Way. This starts with the phrase...

Mind calm blend with the universe!

A calm mind brings down the natural resistance we have to our opposite. This allows us to open ourselves up to learning yin + yang as well as nurtures empathy towards the subconscious parts of ourselves and other people. This tranquility grants us the opportunity to be aware of, listen to, and learn from yin and yang which draws them closer together in us. In time this puts us in place as the pivot of yin and yang. This path culminates as us authentically being ourselves while blending with the universe. So calmness of mind is a cornerstone for balancing ourselves and building a deeper relationship with all of existence.

Our Soft Style foundations can be summed up in 3 phrases:

Invest in loss and return to the root.
Mind calm blend with the universe. (this is an applicable take on the two foundational sayings of kwan ying dao “punch the southern tiger from its mountain, and kick the northern dragon from its sea”)
Yi moves Qi, Qi moves blood.
- In application this basically means keep Yin (principles, knowledge + substance) and Yang (coordinated movement, testing + application) close and there will always be evolving results.
- Yi intention, when properly placed, builds application through following the flow of qi this then brings the blood, as blood flow is a physiological result of stimulation in a particular way.
- Blood is synonymous with results in this case because yi (intentional will) inspires actions which move Qi (relationships and circumstance) in a direction that brings blood (results)

Basic theory of our QiGong practice: Keep yin + yang close with awareness, action, and tranquility, then there will be steady Chi (Qi) and movement. MOVEMENT = LIFE

Foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Yi moves Chi, Chi moves Blood. The path that Chi flows is led, assisted, and supported by the Tao. (Tao is loosely translated as the great way, in short it is the way that everything works. It is the inseparable unity and function of yin and yang) These three are also partially how yin and yang are reflected in how each individual person conducts or lives their life. They can be loosely classified as Yi is yang, Chi/Qi is the relationship between the two and Blood is Yin.

In the next few posts I'll dive specifically into our principles that form the basis of how we practically apply the ideas of yi, qi + blood as a part of our Tao or way of life.

]]><![CDATA[Broad Strokes on Meditation and… 4 primary uses for it.]]>Fri, 22 Aug 2025 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.honesttaichi.com/htc-blog/broad-strokes-on-meditation-and-4-primary-uses-for-it

From a Taoist point of view there are 4 postures/ways of meditation:

Moving- The Arts, Wei Wu Wei, Tai Chi, Moving Qigong, Breath walking/moving, Exercise w/ proper focus, Martial Art practice- basics, tokens, and applications
Standing- Standing Stake, Temple stances, Ko stances, Tai Chi Postures, Golden Buddha, Micro + Macrocosmic orbit, many others
Sitting- Chan/zen, Golden Buddha, Healing smile, Micro + Macrosmic orbit, many others
Laying- various Sleeping and visualization meditations/ self and assisted hypnosis.

Below are my thoughts and philosophy on meditation that are of particular importance to our life as a whole and to that of our tai chi, qigong, and kung fu practice.

Being that meditation can have a religious focus I’ll touch on this briefly, although, I firmly hold that a person’s spirituality is completely up to them. Because of this I’ll never strive to convert anyone to any belief over another as long as it doesn’t contradict the student's goals to live a healthy way of life. This chapter isn’t meant to be a theological dissertation, "witness" nor a letter for conversion. That being said I’ll include how I’ve come to evolve within the practice of meditation through different belief systems and share with you my overall understanding of meditation as I apply it in and outside of a healing and martial context. I’m constantly evolving in this pursuit as meditation is a very deep practice and some would say a lifelong process of uncovering.

Some of these practices I've been doing for my entire adolescence into adult life.

These flow from 4 main traditions: ...

Catholic, Buddhist, Taoist and Native American. As master Ong used to say, “When you drink a glass of water remember where it came from.” and so I’m including their roots for that reason.

If it inspires you to return to the source you can follow the river I’m providing back to it. The methods of thought that stem from various mystical traditions within these religions have greatly aided and informed my practice of meditation. Before we dive into the weeds I want to make my point clear. I want to clarify how meditation can be a tool to enrich your life, and live as full, free, healthy and vibrant life you can. If you find anything I am saying that doesn’t fit or make sense to you please reach out to me via email at daniel.hyde.1092@gmail.com let's chat about it, and with your permission I may use our explorations for material to help others. I cannot stress this enough, always, always, always do what is best for you personally, love yourself, have mercy on yourself and honestly live your life. Enjoy.

Throughout my entire life I have never completely subscribed to any viewpoint. My process and main focus in all disciplines, meditative or otherwise, is finding what works, and then practicing it enough for it to become an efficient tool to help me be more loving and merciful to those around me. For this reason I consider myself a Taoist Catholic in the loosest sense of those terms. Taoist=one who follows the way Catholic= Universal. As Chuang Tzu once said, “Small knowledge encompasses one thing, great knowledge encompasses many things.” and as Christ said “I am the way, the truth, and the light.” Meditation is to live by the way, the truth, and the enlightenment of our lives, to take that knowledge and apply it as broadly as possible until shown the need for a more specific focus.

It is important to look at meditation and indeed every facet of any practice as a tool with which to expand the skills you gain there into the rest of how you live your life. To that end it is important to have a meditative life, not just a meditation practice.

Embody the skills you get from silent sitting or wei wu wei (doing non-doing) I.e. getting into the flow state. There are many ways to do this running and cardio can be meditative. Painting, drawing, writing, crafting, dancing, gaming, yoga, qigong, tai chi, kung fu, jiu jitsu, boxing, weightlifting etc. can be meditative. Doing strenuous activity followed by letting yourself let go and relax is very beneficial to our overall health. Whatever you can do, establish this shifting of yin and yang as a regular habit, and strive to learn how to embody it without an external stimulus. Still and silent forms of meditation have many great and deep benefits to relaxation and all things we decide to do or not do.

Any time you’re looking at meditation it is important to outline what is actually meant by the word. IMOp meditation as the word is used here in the west fits best with the culture it originated in. In other words when looking into western religions meditation is used in a very different way than it is when exploring the outlooks and philosophies of the far east. So the word itself when talking about Ch’an, Zen, and Taoist practices doesn’t really describe the practice or any aspect of what your ‘goals’ are within it. The classical western view on meditation is to ponder something deeply. To a practitioner of Ch'an, Zen or the Tao this is not correct for many reasons, the big one being that meditation is a tool to peer through the illusions of our existence into what is more stable and some would say eternal.

I look at our practice of meditation as all encompassing and at a minimum double fold. On the one hand, the Yin method is through deep ponderance, study followed by testing its application then looking into the root of demonstrated findings deeply. In other words, studying all things to reveal their way, truth, and light. In a moral sense this is to study how to live life by “love and mercy” as St. Maria Foustina Kowalska used to pray…

On the other hand, the Yang method is in uncovering the body and mind to deeply unify every aspect of our being, then transferring this into placing ourselves at the service of others. Unity of body and mind while giving of oneself leads to a settling of the spirit which comes to mix jing, qi and shen into the lower dan tien. The more we practice this full form of giving, it will draw qi from the Tao into and come to engulf our being. This in turn brings the healing potential of our body into fruition cycling back into living an innately loving and merciful life.

So in both cases the focus is to engender love and mercy toward oneself and others whether the focus is on studying how to do that or listening and letting the universe/Tao/God show you how to do it.

In short, Meditation and study alone does not make us good people. How this deeper thought, ponderance and inner unity overflows to positively affect all around us is what helps us take beneficial action. That leads us to be good people.

Treat others as you would treat yourself as if you truly loved and genuinely cared for yourself. How do we truly love and genuinely care for ourselves? I pose that the answer to this question lies in learning internally (silent sitting, journaling on the things you uncover) and externally directing those findings toward practicing goodness toward oneself and others, then adjusting as feedback allows you to learn more.

In a physical sense, training to be fully centered and unified in our approach is the ultimate goal of everything we do in tai chi and kung fu. Breathwork coupled with Dan Tien centering and developing solid structure through tendinomuscular alignment supports all aspects of Chinese Martial Arts, this is what's meant by moving meditation. These three things are the focus and point for many standing meditation methods. There are many layers and the 4 different types noted above evolve as the practitioner progresses through the particular practice, which we’ll elaborate on in later posts. For now it is enough to keep in mind these 4 primary uses for meditation.

In short I hold four primary goals for the practice of meditation regardless of posture.

Discernment
Facing existence
Preparing yourself for right action
Healing oneself
Providing space for the creative, Tao and unifying all things

]]><![CDATA[How to approach Basic Methods (Ji Ben Gong) and Token Training in Kwan Ying Dao]]>Sat, 16 Aug 2025 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.honesttaichi.com/htc-blog/how-to-approach-basic-methods-ji-ben-gong-and-token-training-in-kwan-ying-dao

When Kwan Ying Dao was created by Feeman Ong he organized the art in soft and hard styles, northern and southern shaolin. It’s for this reason the practice of Kwan Ying Dao emphasizes training in all 4 for natural balance to counteract the extremes of each frame of thought (Too soft =toothless tiger, Too hard =brittle body + fragile mind, Northern Kicks, Southern Fists). Since Feeman Ong was a devout Buddhist and Taoist our art naturally flows from both of these methods. The Buddhist’s focus on bringing one’s self to live the 8 fold path (Yang hard style) brings balance to the Taoist’s focus on living in complete naturalness to derive their (Yin soft style) ideals. Traditionally students would practice both methods simultaneously through learning soft and hard practices at different times throughout the week with certain basics as a foundation for both.

In both of these categories we have meditation, qigong, 2 person drills, push hands/step sparring or slow sparring, moving step push hands/shuai jiao/ wrestling, and live sparring.

In time soft style and hard style meet at the precipice in the center. Giving the practitioner innate awareness and ability that unfolds naturally to protect oneself from harm in every sense, through shifts in habits, mindset, lifestyle and martial practice. The basic training in each system is similar, although in the beginning each ‘style’s’ approach can seem quite opposite. Soft style’s approach starts slowly using awareness with minimal tension whereas hard style’s approach starts with rigorous training coming to stack maximal tension onto various alignments. Naturally this leads to certain pros and cons depending on the person's yin/yang balance and/or desires of what they want from training. Soft style tends to be more yin predominate whereas hard style is more yang predominate. Since we are drawn to our similar nature, it makes sense that naturally people will lean toward their similar qi, yin to yin + yang to yang. Although it is important to note, health and balance comes from balancing oneself with the opposite of what they naturally have more of. Our opposite qi will always feel uncomfortable, therefore as the Chinese saying goes: In order to taste sweet one must be willing to eat bitter.

7 Methods of Training in Soft Style and Hard Style:

1. SOFT STYLE: Laying, seated, and standing meditation
HARD STYLE: Temple + Ko stances for strengthening and meditation

2. SOFT STYLE: Nei gong for medical purposes, internal power development and Chi Kung (Taoist exercises) for healing
HARD STYLE: Chi kung (Buddhist exercise) for strengthening and conditioning In the hard style these are simply called “basics”

3. SOFT STYLE: Forms to train functional relaxation and movement principles
HARD STYLE: Forms in hard style are called “tokens” or “dao chuan”. These are practiced for a variety of reasons, as I’ll elaborate below…

4. SOFT STYLE: Partner drills for principle building and training specific form applications
HARD STYLE: 2 person drills to train timing pieces of tokens and coordinating proper application of techniques.

5. SOFT STYLE: Push hands HARD STYLE: Step sparring/ slow sparring

6. SOFT STYLE: Moving step push hands + interpersonal and situational awareness to deter and avoid conflict HARD STYLE: Shuai Jiao- literally means leg taking (wrestling/throwing)

7. SOFT STYLE: Practice and healing in order to help others apply the art, HARD STYLE: sparring of various types.

Soft style tends to have a strong wudang/ Taoist influence whereas hard style tends to have a strong shaolin/ Buddhist influence. Soft and hard styles have 5 animals with different connotations and attributes that are meant by each animal.

5 Animals

Taoist/ Wudang 5 animals: (there are actually 12)
Tiger- Moving and Stretching
Bear- Thinking and inquiring
Monkey- Gripping and supporting
Deer- Legs crouching and running
Bird- Arms flying and swimming

Shaolin 5 animals:
Tiger- Strength and muscles, long power
Leopard- Speed
Crane- Balance
Dragon- Alertness, lizard darting eyes,
Snake- Coiling, Endurance + low, long, spinal breathing

Tokens- Token is Cantonese for “set or way of fists”. In the mandarin dialect it would be pronounced dao chuan. Master Ong used to teach that within Kwan Ying Dao there is enough material to accomplish the attributes, power and coordination that forms the foundation of all the myriad styles of kung fu. For this reason and to this effect it’s more important to emphasize the basics. We should seek quality in consistent dedicated practice over quantity. To reiterate this point he recommends that students focus on perfecting 5 tokens very well, whereas all the others should be kept up with to always have room to grow.

Our tokens come from a variety of places. Many tokens in our system are a distillation of a particular style and/or the main form within a style that holds all foundational attributes of that particular system, bung bo is an example from praying mantis. Some forms are more combative focused, some for strength building, and every form is meant to build certain attributes or abilities. Master Ong used to say that he "enjoyed learning other arts for their strategy not necessarily for their power development because within our system we have all we need for this."

To put it simply, tokens are a method to help with remembering the vast amount of material within our system and to train us to link various things together for different applications. In Kwan Ying Dao there are far more basic techniques than there are tokens. This is partly because each “basic” is meant to establish a certain attribute in your body that prepares you for the movements of the form, which in turn help to prepare you to live a healthier life and to protect yourself from harm in every sense.

Basics- Basics help you develop a certain attribute and a way to move that sets the foundation for more difficult applications later on. We call these basics because they are skill sets that you need to progress in this art and any skill. The longer you train in the art the more one basic will compound into and onto another. The other reason there are more basics than tokens is because many tokens hold at least one (more often than not several) basics and other chi kung strengthening exercises within its full set of movements.

How to put a critical eye and mine riches from token form work...

When training in Kwan Ying Dao and other Southern Shaolin Martial Arts ask yourself the following questions when examining and trying to understand the token you are practicing:

What is this specific movement?
Does it train a certain type of coordinated attribute?
Is it straight or circular?
How does it affect the spine?
Is it to open a certain meridian?
Is it to benefit the shoulders or hips?
Is it to strengthen or make a certain dan tien or jiao more open?
How does it sequence through the body?
How does it link the body?
Does it develop the legs for a certain movement?
How can the footwork be coordinated for offense or defense?
How can it be used?
Is it a Chi Kung type of technique?
How does that complement the rest of the form?
If so, what are those points generally used for?
Are there any acupuncture points that it correlates with or coincides with?
Where should the intention be placed, and for what purpose?
Is it soft or hard?
If so, what strengthening attribute does it build?
Is it a self defense technique?
If so, how can it be applied at various joints?
More importantly how can these things be set up, lead into and/or out to a more effective position, submission, knockout, combination or disconnect to get away?
How can these things be set up, flowed into and drilled to be effective in a live environment on a resisting opponent?
How can it be a joint lock/ na?
How can it be a throw/ shuai?
How can it be a kick/Ti or strike/ Da?
If it is a leg technique how can it apply at the foot, ankle, knee or hip?
If it is an arm technique how can it apply at the hand, elbow, shoulder, neck, head/face?
What does the name of this form mean?
Is it connected to another style of kung fu?
If so, what are the characteristics of that style? What are the basics that give them their main attributes? (as an example Hok ken is a form that has its origins in crane styles, crane basics will inform the practice of the form as well as inform and improve the practice of other styles that borrow foundations or started from crane systems such as wing chun. Their basics will also feed back into and help improve the practice of our tokens)
Does the name have another cultural link, does it have a deeper meaning in the context of the culture it came from?

Is the form linked to any animals? If so, what are their primary attributes? If there are offshoot systems of kung fu the basics from those systems will lend to a deeper understanding of the animal movements in the form as a whole. Hung Gar Ken means tiger crane fist, their whole system is named after its founder/s preferred animals the tiger crane movements. So naturally in tiger crane movements they will be more efficient and effective in those attributes, similar in Tang Lang Chuan, preying mantis fist, White Crane, etc.

Come learn this and more in class, see you soon.

]]><![CDATA[Kwan Ying Dao Salute]]>Wed, 06 Aug 2025 01:23:38 GMThttps://www.honesttaichi.com/htc-blog/kwan-ying-dao-salute

Many traditional Chinese martial art styles have their own unique type of salute. Just as Japanese karate styles usually bow or have a certain presentation prior to beginning a form, Chinese styles have a set of movements to introduce their particular system. Most are finished by bringing the fist and hand together.

Kwan Ying Dao is no different in this regard. At its root Kwan Ying Dao is a Southern Shaolin inspired style. This has many implications to how our entire system is set up. The salute is no exception.

To start to understand the practice and the reason for our attention to detail and breaking things up so specifically is to explore what it means to be a person who practices Southern Shaolin. Traditional Shaolin styles are separated into north, south, western and eastern branches. Of the 4 only 2 still exist today; these are the northern and southern branches. All styles of Shaolin kung fu originated in the temple by various monks keeping imparted kung fu knowledge alive, whether it came from inside the temple or was brought in by outsiders.

This cultural practice was prevalent until many martial art masters and practitioners fled China during the cultural revolution and more following the boxer rebellion. The revolution and cultural shift lead to the destruction of various temples, the murder of many teachers, and the outlawing of martial art practice. From that point on Chinese martial traditions split away from their homeland and many teachers no longer trusted Shaolin, nor the bulk of Chinese mainstream with their knowledge. Many traditional martial arts became underground practice and had to become far more secretive and selective to who they chose to teach. Following this betrayal by the Chinese government many traditional kung fu systems spread out from China. Kwan Ying Do is one of those systems as Master Feeman Ong left China around this time in the 1940s-50s.

How does this history impact our practice today?
How do we do perform the salute, and what's the purpose behind it?

Southern Shaolin styles, have always had a secretive, close knit and deeply symbolic practice. These attributes trace back to the conflict between those silently loyal to the Ming dynasty following the Mongol takeover which solidified Qing dynastic rule back in 1644. The deep seated need to be secret and cryptic have lead to southern inspired systems to having very specific methods, deep meanings, healing techniques, martial and other ‘secrets’ embedded in their practice and hidden all throughout their form work. Kwan Ying Do is no exception to this. Many of our forms have Qigong practices mixed within them and the forms are riddled with qi enhancing acupressure, meridian stretches and therapeutic alignments that unlock loads of potential in the body for those committed enough to find and practice them.

This brings me to my next point. Southern Shaolin forms specifically are meant to be deconstructed and deciphered. As I mentioned above each form is a treasure trove of martial technique, strength exercises, and healing techniques all intertwined within the form work. Therefore to have a deep and a complete understanding of the practice all things must be deconstructed, dissected, and examined to determine the underlying meaning and purpose of the shapes of each individual movement in each form. As this is done there is an extreme amount of depth and richness that is gotten from even the simplest of movements. Understanding this lets dive into the practice and meaning behind our Kwan Ying Dao Salute.

How do we do perform the salute, and what's the purpose behind it?

For full instruction on the salute, come to class! But if you try hard enough you should be able to follow along with the pictures and points of focus below without too much issue.

The salute starts by putting your heels together with your left foot toward the front and right foot at a 90 degree angle. With a deep breath in bring both your hands to your heart while coiling the entire body pointing your right elbow toward the front. The wide reach and facing the hands toward the body is us taking in all around us and pointing all of it toward our heart. The coiling and wrapping of the body is to prepare us and unify us in the effort to come to our center and into our heart. As we step into twist we are releasing the coil of the upper body while simultaneously coiling the lower body. This release should happen simultaneously and with a strong snap. Loosely whip the arms down and slap the back of your hands down at a 45 with gusto. This action begins from the spiral of footwork and the unwinding of the spine. Symbolically in this movement we are opening our heart to the art and moving the body toward the complete pursuit of this goal top to bottom, internally and externally.

After opening ourselves up with the whipping down of the arms and stepping, turning, + sinking into twist we close our R fist and open our L hand sternly with correct structure to symbolically present and represent yang (closed fist) and yin (open hand). We then lift the hands to shoulder height and bring them together. As the hands meet the yin yang symbol becomes apparent. The closed fist represents the bright yang sun and the open hand represents the dark yin moon. In relation to application the meaning of the open hand clasping the closed fist is symbolic of using yin to subdue yang.

As we bring the hands together and turn toward the front the middle knuckle on the fist meets below the middle knuckle on the inside linking yang(outside) with yin(inside). Our middle knuckle connects at the ‘center’ of the palm at PC8 and is commonly referred to as the bubbling spring of the palm. This is a key point for directing qi and our personal awareness as we practice. The pointer finger and the thumb are both fingers that are associated with the metal element, metal pertaining to the lungs is said to be the governor of the qi. So as we are bringing these areas together when we salute we are also linking and calling on the governance of our qi or innate vitality and relationship to all things.

As we present the salute toward the front this is when we would also vocally present ourselves and what we are getting ready to perform. At a tournament or other formal ranking this is when we would announce our name to the judges and the form or particular ranking we are about to perform.

Presenting the salute is also very symbolic. We keep the open hand extended and fingers tightly together which is culturally known in China as saying at your service compared to the clasped hand over the fist which is seen as a gesture to generally say thank you. When we present the salute we are also coming to the cat stance rooting forward and simultaneously staying centered in the legs. This is also a reference to the yin yang symbol. The rear leg has 90% of the weight and the front has 10% so splitting the weight the front leg is 'soft' (yin) the back one is hard (yang). The position of our hands on centerline keeping a circular structure to our arms starts to set the stage for our training symbolically and physically. Balance your yang and forceful strength by simultaneously training and developing yin care, compassion and self control. This leads to structuring yourself to develop power and to use it for good and moral purposes.

As we block down completing the salute we are bringing the open palms back toward our hip linking our intentions to our core center of balance and center of our being which is an area known as our lower Dan Tien. As we rub up the centerline and close our fists to double back fist smashes we are taking that qi, intention and movement while rippling it up the spine (central pillar) to then strike down and close the salute. This close brings the whole body together, closing and fully preparing ourselves for our next endeavor in training and in life.

There are also martial and combative applications to every piece and segment of the salute, to learn those come to class. :)

From this place we begin our journey together.

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Horse Stance-

Second stance

​Arm Snakes First Movement: Snake Leaves Its Nest

​Arm Snakes Second Movement: Snake Looks for its Prey

​Arm Snakes Third Movement: Snake Finds its Prey

​Arm Snakes Fourth Movement: Snake Strikes Out

​Arm Snakes Fifth Movement: Snake Bites its Prey

​Arm Snakes Sixth Movement: Snake Swallows its Prey

​Arm Snakes Seventh Movement: Snake Returns to its Nest