Chinese Festival 端午节 、2014年6月2号

端午节快乐！

Duan Wu Jie (Dragon Boat Festival) is to wish for health　

Celebrating Duan Wu Jie (端午節 May Festival) on May 5th of the lunar calendar started in ancient China.  Duan (端) means beginning.  The Wu month(午月) is the fifth month of the year.  五(numeral 5) is also pronounced "wu".  五月初五 became May Festival.  The summer begins from the fifth month of the year which is end of May or beginning of June of Gregorian calendar.   When Summer solstice occur, the day time is the longest of the year.  This is extreme Yang(太陽)  as day(brightness) relates to Yang and night(darkness) relates to Ying.  Extreme is out of balance.  The temperature and humidity raises high.  It's very hot and unpleasant.  More dehydration and food poison occur during hot season.  Immune system becomes weaker and easy to get infectious disease and may cause epidemics.

Ancient Chinese people thought May is the wicked month.  To get rid of toxins and prevent bad fortune(disease) , people started the ritual on May 5th.  People ate herbal medicines such as calamus and mugwort for maintaining health.  Drank realgar wine(雄黄酒) to get rid of toxin and prevent inflammation.  Let children wear a small bag of fragrance as an amulet to protect them and prevent disease.

We made a video of the carps because May fifth(of Gregorian calendar) is Children's Day in Japan and people put up carp shaped streamer(鯉のぼり) for centuries.  Also, decorate "Yoroi and Kabuto (鎧兜 armor)" to celebrate and wish health and longevity for children.

Cherry Blossoms, Sakura, 櫻花

Happy Spring! 

I saw a movie called Lost Horizon(1973) long time ago.  The airplane crash landed on a snow mountain of Himalaya.  The passengers were rescued and taken to Shangri-La 香格里拉.  I don't remember the story but I thought people went through the cave and reached a village with ever lasting spring with blossoms.  The villagers  have perpetual life.  I remember the part that a man from outside world peggy backed a village woman(Olivia Hussey) and went back to the snow mountain.  Then the woman instantly became old and died.

My video was inspired by the scenery of this movie.  Shangri-La is an utopia.  We can find the inner peace, warmth, comfort, relaxation, while practicing Taichi, Qigong, or meditation like in Shangri-La.  

Sakura, cherry blossoms bloom beautifully in spring time.  The blossoms have very short life.  They only last for about one week in Japan.  Falling petals are also beautiful like snow.  Japanese people love Sakura as thought it resembles human life.  Our life is also short, especially in the ancient time.  Average life lasted less than forty years.  I guess people wished to live happy and beautiful life.    Spring also represents youth.  People wants long lasting spring.     

Although the blossoms don't fast long, the cherry trees have strong life energy.  Some trees in Japan lives over a thousand years.   

    

Xingyi Quan(Form Mind Boxing) for health and self-defence

Xing Yi Quan appears to be a furious boxing, however, it can be practiced by people of any age for health enhancement(養生）. 

The training of Hun Yuan Zhuang(渾元樁) or Santi Shi(三体式), the Stationary Qigong may strengthen the core muscle and improve the balance.  They may help relax and also focus the mind.  

The beginners may practice 5 to 10 minutes of Hun Yuan Zhuang and Santi.

Wuxing Quan(五行拳 Five Elements Fists) and other sets of forms can be practiced slowly and gently like Taichi.  

Xing Yi Long Spear (Xingyi Quan) 形意大枪

Xingyi Long Spear is a weapon used in Xingyi Quan(also called Xingyi Boxing 形意拳)

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Xingyiquan(Hsing I Ch'uan) is a famous internal martial art.

Xingyi（形意）means form and intent.  Xingyi Quan does not use muscle force.  Fa Jing(發勁), a strong power like sudden explosion is the technique used in Xingyi.  The coordination of form and intent is necessary.  It is advanced skill of Chinese martial arts which can be acquired by internal training.  Xingyi also requires long patient training.  

Xingyi Qhuan consists of Wuxing Quan(Five Elements Fists 五行拳) and Twelve Animal Fists(十二形拳).  Wuxing Quan is the basic and important forms which came from the spear technique.  

Xingyi Long Spear (形意大槍) is difficult to control as it is much longer and heavier than standard size spears.  Xingyi martial artists practice long spear forms to improve Wuxing Quan and produce powerful Fa Jing.  

Demonstrated in Honolulu Hawaii

The Xing Yi Quan was passed down from Master Wenzhong Xu 徐文忠

(the disciple of Master Song Gao Lu 盧崇高) to Master Zhengbao Feng 馮正宝, 

then to his disciples in Tokyo 

Please watch the Spring Festival short video 春節動画

Happy Chinese New Year! 

January 31 2014 is Lunar new year.  The year of the horse.   

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Chinese new year is also known as Spring Festival.  Chinese characters in this video says  春節好 Chinese new year is also known as Spring Festival.   春 節 means spring festival.  It is the beginning of the new year and also the beginning of spring.  The weather usually becomes warmer around this time of the year.   

恭賀發財 Kung Hei Fat Choi!。 新年好 Xin nian hao 。 春節好 Chun jie hao。

 All these phrases are New Year’s greeting words in Chinese.  

People in Hawaii also celebrate Chinese new year as there are large number of Asian immigrants and visitors.  They have special events in China town every year. China town Parade, Narcissus Queen Pageant, Lion Dances, martial arts demonstration, and others.  

 In this video, the martial artist in Hawaii is practicing Xing Yi Long Spear 形意大槍.  His spear is 3.3m(10.8ft) long.  It’s very heavy and hard to keep the balance.  Taichi mark means Yin and Yang 陰陽.   Yin is earth地 energy and Yang is sky天 energy.  They are balanced.  Man is in the center (in between earth and heaven) Tian Di Ren 天地人.  

See the explanation of the phrases in the horse picture from HERE.

Qi Gong ( Maintaining Healthy State of Mind and Body)

Laozi Teaching Qi Cultivation for Health, Ant-aging, and Longivity

This is a phrase from Dao De Jing (Laozi) 道徳経 chapter 3:

虛其心, 實其腹, 弱其志, 強其骨  

It can be applied for way of health and longevity 養生之道. The phrase is expressing an ideal state of mind and body.

虛其心 ...   your mind is clear and have no worries

實其腹 ...   you have eaten enough and you are not starving 

弱其志 ...   you have no craving because you are content with what you have    

強其骨 ...   your body is strong and healthy

If a ruler of a country is governing the country well, people of the country will have these physical and mental states.

This ideal state of mind and body is required to do Qi cultivation.

When your mind is clear and you have no worries, you can focus your mind on the Qi training(Qi Gong 気功).

If you are focused,  your lower belly Dan Tian 下丹田will be filled with Qi (life energy).

When you are not craving, your mind can stay peaceful and focus on Qi cultivation.

The Qi cultivation will strengthen your body (helps anti-aging, strengthen immunity and stay healthy).

Without strong body, one cannot continue Qi cultivation.

The wild horse is on the narcissus field with blue sky and mountains.  There are plenty of food for him. His belly is very big.  He is fulfilled and happy without any stresses.

Martial Arts for Health

Health is essential to happiness

Happy New Year! 　

2014甲午  is a year of the horse.  

Wishing everyone healthy and prosperous year 2014.

They are the violent scary demons called Namahage.  They come down from the mountain to visit every home to scare bad people.  They will bring good fortune and prosper.  It's a ritual in Oga Peninsula, Akita Prefecture(Northern area of Japan with heavy snow in the winter) on New Year's Eve.  

Health and well-being is important to our lives.  Exercise is essential to the health.  In this video, Namahages are training the Chinese martial art called Bagua 八卦掌 (Eight Trigram Fists) for health.  The famous Baguazhang masters lived healthy long life.  The training may help maintain the health to become active seniors. 

More story is on YouTube.  

Happy Thanksgiving !（感謝祭）

 Thanksgiving Day

I made a motion graphics with Apple Motion and Logic Pro.  Please enjoy my "Turkeys Parade".

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We teach Qigong（養生気功) and martial arts exercises（武術基本功),  Traditional Yang Style Taichi(伝統楊式太極拳), and Taijiyuangong(太極元功) for health, beauty, and longevity.

Visit Hawaiian Relaxation Qigong and Taichi Class in Tokyo.

Anti-aging Health Qigong 12,13

Eight Direction Qigong 陰陽八方功

Movement 12 &13

12.  Turning Ankles (for better Qi circulation and helps preventing ankle injury)

Place hands on knees.  Rotate them in a circular motion, first in, then forward, than out, finally returning to the original position.  Rotate the knees in the reverse direction.  Return to fully standing position. 

13.  Lower Back Massage (helps preventing back pain)

Place hands on lower back, thumbs on side, with four fingers on lower back.  Inhale,  rotate the hips to the left, placing pressure on the left lower back with the fingers; rotate hips forward, pushing forward with the hands; Exhale, rotate hips to the right, pushing on the right lower back with the fingers; rotate hips backward, returning to the original position. Revere the direction of motion.

Qigong for Anti-aging and Health 10, 11

Eight Direction Exercise

Movement 10 & 11

10.  Exercise for Preventing and Improving Hemorrhoid

 Inhale Interlace fingers in front of the chest.  ExhaleBend down to the floor, lowering the hands as far as possible.  Bend knees and bring them together, sitting down as far as possible.  Inhale Stand up, extending legs, still bending forward at the waist.  Inhale Contract glutes and Exhale relax 3 times. 

11.  Hip joint and knee Exercise
Place hands on knees.  Rotate them in a circular motion, first in, then forward, than out, finally returning to the original position.  Rotate the knees in the reverse direction.  Return to fully standing position. 

Qigong for Anti-aging and Health 9

Eight Direction Exercise 

Movement 9

9.  Stretching the back

Bring hands in front of the chest with fingers interlaced and palms facing down.  Bend down at waist, getting down as close as possible to the floor, stretching the lower back and legs.  Inhale, lifting torso parallel to the ground, rotate at the waist in the direction of the left foot.  Exhale, lowering the hands down to the left foot. Perform on the right side. Place hands behind the ankle, relaxing the knee joints.  Inhale, stand up, hands tracing up the back of the legs, and up to the Ming Men (lower back area). Rotate palms outward on Ming Men.  Raise hands up along the back as high as possible, and trace the hands through the under arms, and up to the eye level, palms facing inward.  Think of chi flowing through the arms into the hands. Exhale, relaxing knees, and lowering hands to the waist, Chi flowing down to the Dantian, palms facing upwards. Inhale, palms facing down, raise the arms up parallel to the body. Exhale, bringing hands in front of the chest, interlacing the fingers.  Bend down to the floor, extending arms to the ground.

Qigong for Anti-aging and Health 7, 8

Eight Direction Exercise 阴阳八方功

Movement 7 and 8

7.  Energy come in from Danzhong　膻中穴
Bring forearms together in front of the chest, palms, facing the chest, hands in a fist, elbows and forearms tight to the body.  Inhale, rotate arms outwards, keeping elbows pinned to the ribcage and rotating the fists outwards towards the shoulders, stretching the muscles around the scapula.  Exhale, 

8.  Open the window

Returning to the original position in a reverse motion.
Place hands together in a praying posture in front of the chest. Push hands out from the body in a horizontal circular motion until they are parallel to the body.  Fully extend the arms as much as possible to stretch the chest and arm muscles.  Return arms to original position.