8 Points of Root—A new perspective If you have ever trained Chinese Martial Arts, then you are familiar with Stance training—Horse Stance, Forward stance, Nail Stance, Crane Stance, Empty Stance, Dragon Stance, Snake Stance—to name a few. To gracefully accomplish these while using them to express power requires Root. Let's go beyond Theory. Try This...

Can we successfully train Kung Fu and Tai Chi through zoom? Yes!We are successfully and safely training through zoom throughout the pandemic.

I remember hearing about how Lou Reed studied Tai Chi back in the early 90's when I first started studying. His fame and sincerity gave legitimacy to the art of Tai Chi when few people knew what Tai Chi was, or cared. "That's those slow movements the Chinese Elders do in the park down in the city?" On August 3, 2019 my students and I had the honor of demonstrating the Wu Chan Taiji Dao form on the steps of the Brooklyn Public Library at the International Lou Reed Tai Chi Day. "...the banality of ordinary life is replaced by the awe and grandeur of the soul." –Deng Ming-Dao, "365 Tao" Karin Alpert (top row, 6th from the right) is an extraordinary person. Her son and daughter gifted her this sword

功夫 Gong Fu- Time, effort, [energy], with attention to detail. –Grand Master Wang Tian Min and his Honored Student Shifu Ed. When you watch a master of Chinese martial arts (or any discipline) perform their art, what you are seeing is an expression of their Gong—the minutes, hours, days, and years they devoted to honing the details of their art. When a Master expresses their art form, it appears unique, effortless, natural, and is inspiring to the observer.

In a recent online Tai Chi class, an honored new student asked: "How is your style different from other Tai Chi I find online?" A very important question for anyone interested in Tai Chi. It all comes down to lineage and purpose. Martial? Meditation? Both? Read ahead to find out what makes this essential for all of us with the demands of the pandemic reality we face.

When it comes to Chinese Martial Arts, lineage and tradition are paramount. They are like the roots that form the foundation of the tree and connect it to the power and sustenance that feeds it. Lineage and tradition are the bridge that connects present and future students, Masters, and Shifus to the ancient scholars, philosophers, sages, and warriors that discovered and defined the 5000-year-old root of Chinese Medicine and Martial Arts Philosophy and Culture.

Do you feel tired when you feel happy, fit, or healthy? Do you feel energized when you feel sad, injured, or sick? Have you ever noticed your energy level when you were happy or sad? Healthy or sick? Fit or injured? It is simple, our sense of wellness reflects our energy level. When we have an abundance of energy, we feel great. When we have too little, we feel bad. When life demands more energy than we have to spend or wish to spend, we feel stressed. Most people do not associate the presence of stress with a feeling of wellness. Usually, wellness involves the absence of stress, but as we know, all the vacation in the world cannot free us from stress. Have you ever felt stressed AND well? If you have the[...]

In addition to Resilient Stress Management, wherever I currently teach, I teach a style of Gong Fu called Shen Shing Wu Chan. Shen is spirit, Shing is movement, Wu is mixed Chinese martial arts, and Chan is meditation. Together they are “Inspired movement through conflict, while meditating.” I have the unique privilege of studying directly under Master Wang Tian Min, who grew up in China and had the rare opportunity to grow up studying under many Chinese martial arts Masters. Additionally, he studied Chinese medicine, philosophy, and culture: the I Ching, Ba Gua, Yin and Yang, and the Tao. Master Tian synthesized his knowledge and experience into the Shen Shing Wu Chan system. He embodies the art of extending[...]