Hello again, Hivers! I wrote previously that I'm training Tai Chi, more specifically the style of Tai Chi that originated on the Wudang mountains in China. We are blessed to have the shifu (teacher) who learned the techniques directly at the place where it all started, from the real masters, and thus is able to show us the authentic way of practicing.
Anyway, it was a sunny winter day yesterday and we decided to train outside. Ada lake is beautiful place for recreational activities - it has plenty of sport fields, running tracks and the surrounding forest. After finding a spot we start by doing basic warm-ups to wake up the joints especially in the knees. I've been having some annoying, recurring issue with mine so I took occasional, precautionary breaks and photographed the fellow trainees. I figured out since I started learning the techniques that recording yourself and analyzing the moves, can greatly help to speed up the process. We are not always aware how we look maintaining certain postures or performing challenging moves.
After some basic drills and a bit of Tai Chi as a warmup, we take the swords and start training Xian Men Jian, which is an advanced Kung Fu sword form. Don't get me wrong, we are peaceful warriors, but training with different weapons is always fun. :D And there are so many beautiful forms in Wudang school (you can see one advanced student training the Immortal Staff form). We train slowly and maintain postures for extended periods of time to build strength and flexibility. These forms are quite challenging, especially for the lower body, as many postures require you to stay really low.
One and a half hours later we were done, and went to a restaurant on the lake close by. Couple of friends had some fun and posed for pictures with their weapons. :) All in all it was a really fun day. Hope the images convey it.
