Cheng Man Ching Yang Style 37 Posture Tai Chi Form

First Section

· Lift Hands
· Ward Off Left
· Grasp Sparrow’s Tail
· Single Whip
· Lift Hands
· Elbow and Shoulder
· White Crane Spread Wings
· Brush Knee and Push
· Play Guitar
· Brush Knee and Push
· Deflect Parry Punch
· Cross Hands

Second Section

· Return Tiger to Mountain
· Grasp Sparrow’s Tail
· Diagonal Single Whip
· Fist Under Elbow
· Step Back Repulse Monkey (x3)
· Slant Fly (Part Wild Horse’s Mane)
· Wave Hand Like Clouds (x3)
· Single Whip
· Snake Creeps Down
· Separate Right & Left Foot
· Kick with Heel
· Brush Knee and Push Right & Left
· Punch Low
· Grasp Sparrow’s Tail
· Single Whip
· Fair Lady Works Shuttles (4 corners)
· Grasp Sparrow’s Tail
· Single Whip
· Snake Creeps Down
· Step Up to Form Seven Stars
· Step Back Ride Tiger
· Bend Bow Shoot Arrow
· Step Forward and Punch
· Cross Hands

24 Posture Simplified Yang Style Tai Chi Form

Performing in the video above is Jiamin Gao who teaches at the US Wushu center here in Portland. She is a champion Tai Chi performer in China.

Section 1

1. Side step, open form (palms float up), hold ball
2. Part Wild Horses Mane (slant fly) x3
3. White Crane Spreads Wings
4. Brush Knee & Push x3
5. Play Guitar (strum lute, play pipa)
6. (step back) Repulse Monkey x4

Section 2

7. Hold Ball, Grasp Sparrow’s Tail left (roll back, press, push)
8. Grasp Sparrow’s Tail right (roll back, press, push)
9. Single Whip
10. Wave Hands Like Clouds (cloud hands) x3
11. Single Whip
12. High Pat on Horse

Section 3

13. Separate Right Heel (kick right)
14. Two Fists to Ears (box tiger’s ears)
15. Kick with Heel (left)
16. Snake Creeps down, Rooster on One Leg (right)
17. Snake Creeps down, Rooster on One Leg (left)
18. Fair Lady Works Shuttles (right & left)

Section 4

19. Needle at Bottom of the Sea
20. Fan Through Back
21. Deflect, Parry, & Punch
22. Apparent Close Up
23. Cross Hands
24. Close Form

How To Build A Practice

Commit

Make at least one night a week Tai Chi night. Find a teacher (see article) and go to class even when you don’t feel like it. Make Tai Chi Night your weekly ritual and let nothing get in the way.

How Much Is Enough?

Two classes a week is enough to start to experience the benefits of practice. Tai Chi is an exercise and they say it’s good to exercise daily…

Postures

Concentrate on doing the postures you remember. The best way to remember is to practice every day, while some postures are fresh in your mind. Practice especially the day after class for best retention. Practice what you can recall. You didn’t learn how to speak English by memorizing the dictionary first and then perfecting your pronunciation. Do what you remember. Even if you only remember one posture, you can stand and hold that posture and it’s still good for you.

Paradigm

The Internal Arts (of which Tai Chi is a part) are vast. Think of learning Tai Chi more like learning how to play music and less like learning the Macarena. Just because you have memorized the form doesn’t mean you have mastered Tai Chi. By far!

Depth

Maybe you don’t want to “get all into” it. That’s okay. However, if you want to feel the benefits of Tai Chi practice you must, um, practice. So, make sure you get to class at least one time a week.

Self Defeating Phenomena

It happens. You miss one class. You miss another class. You’ve missed two classes in a row. You feel guilty. The teacher will notice. You’ll be behind. Next thing you know a month has gone by and you never went back! Suddenly Tai Chi has become something you failed rather than something you championed.

The remedy? Return to class. Your teacher will be happy to see you. Relax and trust me. All you have to do is go back.

Read Books

There are tons of books about Tai Chi. Find some that jive with you and read ‘em!

Make It Your Own

Tai Chi becomes you. In the same way that everyone has their own handwriting, you will develop your own Tai Chi. You just do it. It just happens, as long as you practice. But remember, you didn’t learn how to write in three hours a week for six weeks.

Don’t Worry

Just practice. Just do it. Don’t beat yourself up. This is YOUR thing for YOU. Give yourself a break. Give yourself a kick in the pants. Whatever you need to do, just don’t give up!