Talking Tai Chi with the Teapotmonk

Talking Tai Chi with the Teapotmonk

There are those that believe to practise Tai Chi without tradition or without confirmed lineage, is simply a waste of time - or shadow boxing. It is an art that lacks substance like Bean Curd lacks solidity. But Bean Curd Boxers beg to differ. We claim that Bean Curd is the ultimate yielding substance, it maintains its shape and form, and is sold at a fair price. Additionally, it can be superbly crisp when deep fried and absorbs insults like it absorbs flavours. Bean Curd is a fine symbol of the adaptability of 21st Century Tai Chi. "Be Like Bean Curd My Friend."Said Bruce Lee. (Well, something like that). At times, all Traditions need waking up. This is the aim of the Bean Curd Boxer, to shake up tradition, challenge all claims of absoluteness and giggle in the face of rigidity and dogma. To find out about the Application of Bean Curd Philosophy to your life... join us at teapotmonk.com

Episodes

Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

May 29, 2015 • 1 min
Yes, its a chameleon moment once more when the teapotmonk says goodbye to one format and embraces another. Follow the new adventures of the mOnk over at the all new www.teapotmonk.com and subscribe to the all new podcast on itunes and stitcher called: Empty Your Cup with the mOnk. It's all new, its all shiny, 100% guru free, freshly brewed and served in an empty cup
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The Way of the Weapon: Why Learn Sword Tai Chi?

February 17, 2015 • 7 mins
This week we are going to focus on weapons, because if one element appears anachronistic to a 21st century urban warrior, then it surely is the training in sword that Tai Chi practitioners still love to promote. And the Tai Chi martial agenda is certainly broad : broad sword, sabre, staff, fan, ruler, compass, ball, poppadom, tortilla, fish-finger…the list of tai chi weapons is as endless as the debates and interpretat...
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What Makes Tai Chi a Martial Art?

January 12, 2015 • 12 mins
Do you practice full contact sparring for self defense or as part of a calorie controlled diet? Do you wear steel capped Dr Martins for aesthetics or for devastating rib attacks? And are exponents of health tai chi perverting the fundamentals of the style or are they riding the waves of a new historical tide? Find out today on the teaptomonks guide to Tai Chi as a Martial Art
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Three Reasons to Take Your Tai Chi out of the Classroom

December 11, 2014 • 10 mins
It's easy to remain content when you do not have to adapt and evolve, so every now and then, it's a good idea to step outside the temple and see what's happening in the world. The teapomonk presents 3 good reasons to step outside and let things happen.
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How Long Does it Take to Learn Tai Chi? Episode 16

September 28, 2014 • 11 mins
How long does it take to learn the form? Why are there different length forms and what does the elusive notion of time tell us about supermarket shopping, radioactive apples and the legacy of Steve Jobs? Sometimes, when I'm in the supermarket, pondering the short shelf life of vegetables, wondering what they may have Been sprayed to make them glow from such a distance - someone will come up to me and say: Hey Teapotmon...
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The Form: How to Learn the Tai Chi Form

August 11, 2014 • 7 mins
IN the last episode we looked at the structure of the form, it's roots, it's history and the way it is taught. IN this episode, I want to focus on something else...and that is one of my favorite themes: Teaching and Learning, because its all well and good saying to students, you must learn the Form, or... I will teach you the Form...when students have major difficulties not just with the techniques - but with the process...
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Ways of Learning: The Illusion of Certainty

June 17, 2014 • 54 mins
How can I teach what I need to teach more effectively? How can I learn what I need to learn more efficiently? Ways of Learning is the book that will show you how, and in this sample audio chapter, you will hear the author speak on "The Illusion of Certainty". Don't expect anything other than the unexpected in this quirky, and eccentric take on 21st century education by the teapotmonk. For more visit teapotmonk.com and f...
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The Form: Ice Dissolving Into water - Episode 13

May 28, 2014 • 9 mins
Why do Forms differ from style to style, class to class and even instructor to instructor. And is it the postures or the spaces between them that define the tai chi form? This most symbolic and synonymous representation of tai chi. And what did Bruce Lee mean when he said…When one has reached maturity in the art, one will have a formless form?
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What Do we Mean by Authenticity in Tai Chi? Episode 12

April 29, 2014 • 8 mins
What do we mean by authentic Tai Chi? What does traditional Tai Chi mean? And why are Tai Chi practitioners so obsessed in claiming exclusive access to these very elusive terms? Many people say: "Hey Teapotmonk, answer me this, if you're really an authentic teacher you must have trained in China, or learnt from a Chinese practioner of recognised lineage. How come you don't speak Cantonese like a local, and how come y...
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It's All About Style: Part 2

April 10, 2014 • 8 mins
Why do some teachers teach a hybrid form of Tai Chi? Does this amount to sacrilege or is this the way of the world given the origins of the art and how it's developed over the years? And what should a student look for in a class, if not purity and the all-important surname? Find out in this weeks episode of TCC.
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It's All About Style: Part 1

February 27, 2014 • 10 mins
What should you look for when considering which style of Tai Chi to learn? Are there major differences between the different schools or do they share more than they would like to admit? And does your school offer a range of learning techniques for the different ways we all learn? Find out in part 1 of It's all about Style with the teapotmonk.
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The History of Tai Chi: Part 3 (Episode 9)

January 30, 2014 • 10 mins
What caused tai chi to go west, and was it - like an exotic fruit - starting to decay upon arrival? What role played the American Secret Services in opening up the practice to American audiences and what legacy has the innovators of the 1960's left for us - bewildered and bemused - practitioners of the 21st century ? Find out on this weeks episode of Talking Tai Chi with the teapotmonk.
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The History of Tai Chi Part 2

January 9, 2014 • 8 mins
In the previous episode, we started the history of Tai Chi, recognizing that little was in fact, factual, and that there was little point in attempting to substantiate the insubstantial, as history tends to lean heavily towards the partial and the subjective. And so we ended up about to launch into the -totally unsubstantiated - two-minute version of the History of Tai Chi Chuan. A version that takes into account...
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The History of Tai Chi Episode 7

October 28, 2013 • 12 mins
Where did TC begin and why? What were the reasons behind the splits in styles and techniques and why, after centuries of evolution do such squabbles between stylists still enrage even the most placid of practitioners. Find out in this weeks episode part 1 of The Fascinating, but schizophrenic history of Tai Chi Chuan
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A Lack of Uniformity

October 10, 2013 • 9 mins
In Karate and Judo, In aikido and Hapkido, in kendo and taekwondo there are uniforms, belts and gradings. You know where you are with a Japanese or Korean Art. But in Tai Chi, there is nothing. No costumes, no headscarfs, no ninja styled fingerless gloves. So why are some classes then taught by nights in white satin and others in jeans and flip-flops, and what does uniformity say about you and your class? Find out on T...
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What Does Tai Chi Really Mean? Episode 5

September 23, 2013 • 13 mins
What does TC Mean? Why is it spelt in different ways? Why is it sometimes referred to as Tai Chi and others as TCC? And why, even after explaining all this do most people say afterwards, I'm no more clearer than before? Literally it means the "supreme ultimate fist". Clear? Of course not...as as, this doesn't help at all..... so we need to take a look at something other than the literal meaning. And this is a good le...
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What is rooting? Episode 4

September 2, 2013 • 7 mins
*What do we mean by learning to root? *Can Tai chi claim to offering better rooting skills or training than other disciplines? *And What practical use is Rooting outside a text book glossary? All this and more in this weeks episode of Talking Tai Chi with the Teapotmonk.
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Yielding and Sticking: Episode 3

August 11, 2013 • 9 mins
Last episode we spoke about what happens in a TC class and today we are going to explore the crucial concepts of 'Yielding', ' and Sticking . I'm going to try and keep the topics broad and hopefully applicable to all the different styles and variations of TC out there. and I'm going to try and make the concepts useful, as Is the way of Bean Curd Boxing...applicable to your life outside the confines of the training hall. ...
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What Happens in a Tai Chi Class?

July 4, 2013 • 37 mins
Welcome to this weeks episode where we ask the simple, but surprisingly complex question... Q2. What happens in a Tai Chi Class? A. Well, The short answer is that in a class of Tai Chi, you learn tai chi. The content of that learning experience however can vary from school to school, from teacher to teacher so much, that books and web sites and DVD's recommending one version over another, one style over another d...
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What is Tai Chi?

June 24, 2013 • 8 mins
Hi welcome to Talking Tai Chi with the teapotmonk. Today we begin out journey and start our exploration of what is Tai Chi. But instead of defining it - a rather meaningless task given the enormous cultural and linguistic issues involved, I'm going to begin with a question that is not only fundamental to all beginners of the art, but of equal importance to teachers, intermediate students and everyone seeking to impro...
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