Spiral Taijiquan of Qian Zhao-hong
Spiral Taiji is more formally called Yin Yang Silk Reeling Taijiquan. This rare Taiji is taught as a part of the Xin Yi Liu He Quan of Master “Q”. Done slowly, many of the moves echo moves from Xin Yi, though done in a way to be able to examine them closely while moving with healing smoothness. The basic form is a 24-move collection that takes about 5 minutes to complete.
Spiral Taiji is a complement to the faster, more explosive Xin Yi techniques. It soothes the body’s tensions, calms the mind’s intensities, and heals the emotions. It is a great Yin balancer to the more dynamic, expressive qualities of Xin Yi proper. It softens hardness and smoothes out any kinks.
Spiral Taiji is an excellent way to more deeply investigate the profound principles of Xin Yi. Moving slowly and meditatively, you gently twist, stretch, and turn the body in prescribed patterns. Seeking wholeness of body and focus of being, you work with your Jing, Qi, and Shen: Your form, energy, and mind. You learn about fascia, joint movement, breath involvement, and mental direction. You feel where you are tense, then lighten up. You root, turn with the waist, push with the back and play with multiple techniques—all in silken, slow motion.
Spiral Taiji is a creative combination of the 5 main styles of Taiji, and was developed by Chen Jizheng. Qian Zhao Hong learned it directly from the creator and credits it with calming and soothing the over-aggressive aspects of his other martial arts training. Bob Lau learned Spiral Taiji from Qian Zhao Hong.
Postures for the 24-Movement Short Form
1. Begin Taiji; hold the ball
2. Bow stance open and close
3. Raise hand
4. Left and right big rollback
5. Rotate right foot, hold ball
6. White crane displays wings
7. Right brush knee, twist step
8. Phoenix spreads its wings
9. Child makes offering to the Buddha
10. Repeat 6-9 starting with left brush knee, twist step
11. White crane displays wings
12. Right brush knee
13. In the center
14. Tiger pounces
15. Turn body
16. Hold up heaven beat the earth
17. Two hands pull the feet
18. Fan pierces the back
19. Cloud chopping hand
20. Left single whip
21. Golden chicken stands on one leg (left and right)
22. Step back drag the arm
23. Pull the sparrow’s tail
24. Finish Taiji
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I
stumbleupon every day. It’s always interesting to read through content from
other writers and practice a little something from their websites.