Tai Chi and the Yin and Yang Calendars

For many years I have been fascinated by the “wider view of Tai Chi”---from simply a  form of exercise or martial art to actively using the Universal Principle of Yin and Yang for a more elegant understanding of Life as a whole.

Part of my quest was motivated by something I read in a book on Aikido by the great master Koichi Tohei. He said that the real meaning of Aikido (the "Way of Harmony with Chi," or Universal Energy) was to become so in tune with the Universal Energy that Nature would protect us at all times. What a huge and powerful idea! Following this suggestion, I set about to make part of my Tai Chi practice a study of cycles and patterns of energy in Nature.

One of the simplest ways to go about this is to study the Yin and Yang calendars of ancient China. The Yin was the lunar calendar; the Yang was the solar calendar. Right here we will not look at the solar calendar per se (as in the usual 365 ¼ day calendar), but the Solar Terms, which are 24 periods of the year, or “mini seasons,” sometimes called Qi-nodes.

These “mini seasons” last for approximately 15 days each, and each one of them indicates a subtle shift in the QI of that time period. Since they were developed in North China, they would correspond most accurately to the northern part of the United States. I have often been amazed at just how accurate they are, and they seem to be effective from Vermont to as far south as North Carolina. Of course, the opposite conditions would apply to the Southern Hemisphere.

Here is a summary of the Solar Terms:

The Chinese “Solar Terms”

(Reverse these for Southern Hemisphere)

Solar Terms with Month, Date, and Special Information

Lesser Cold Jan 5th

Greater Cold Jan 20th

Establishment of Spring QI   Feb 5th   Time to allow a slight adjustment away from Warm and Building foods

Rains and Waters   Feb 18th   Cool Spring rains

The Awakening of Insects   Mar 5th   Stirrings underground, as insects awaken from hibernation.

The Spring Equinox   Mar 20th   Quarter of Great Yang begins

Pure Brightness   Apr 5th   First signs of Spring light and warmth. Traditionally a day to celebrate early Spring and “Sweep the graves of the Ancestors”

Grain Rains   Apr 20th

Establishment of Summer QI   May 5th   You can begin to start taking cooler foods

Lesser Fullness of Grain   May 21st

Grain in The Ear   Jun 5th    Grains start to ripen

The Summer Solstice    Jun 21st    Apogee of Yang; start of Quarter of Lesser Yin

Lesser Heat     Jul 7th

Greater Heat     Jul 23rd     The hottest time of the year

Establishment of Autumn QI    Aug 7th    Time to make subtle changes away from cooling foods

The End of Summer Heat    Aug 23rd

White Dew    Sep 7th

The Autumn Equinox   Sep 22nd    Beginning of Quarter of Great Yin

Cold Dew    Oct 8th

Descent of Hoarfrost     Oct 23rd     First faint signs of cold weather

Establishment of Winter QI    Nov 7th    Time to begin using warming foods to prepare the body for Winter

Lesser Snow     Nov 22nd     Light snowfall in northern regions

Greater Snow    Dec 7th    It snows heavily

The Winter Solstice    Dec 22nd Apogee of Yin;    begins the Quarter of Lesser Yang

These Solar Terms are referenced in the Calendar section of my website at: 
http://www.totaltaichi.com/Total%20Taichi%20NEWS.HTM

I have found that making subtle adjustments to my lifestyle in each of the “establishment periods” of the seasons (Feb 5th, May 5th, August 7th and November 7th) allows my body to adjust to the COMING season. So on Feb 5th I can begin sleeping a bit less, and ever so slightly start to alter my eating patterns away from very warming to less warming foods. I might also start to dress just a bit lighter. The precise opposite would happen around Nov 7th, as I prepare for Winter.

(You can check out my e-book on the Tai Chi Way of Healthy Eating  for more specific details on how to adjust food through the Solar Terms). http://www.totaltaichi.com/Master_Key_to_Healthy_eating.htm
By following the Solar Terms, you will experience the ebb and flow of the Seasons in a very intimate way—and be comfortable and balanced in each Season.

The Yin Calendar of China is the lunar calendar. The lunar calendar varies each year, and generally starts on the second new moon after the Winter Solstice (about 97% of the time). The lunar calendar puts you in tune with the waning and waxing energy of the moon throughout the year and offers an interesting counterpoint to the Solar Terms. The lunar calendar is used in China to celebrate the major popular festivals, which have been observed for hundreds of years.

Here are a few of the festivals celebrated in the lunar calendar:

Needless to say, all references to “month” will be to the LUNAR month, starting with Chinese New Year on 2nd new moon after Winter Solstice.

MONTH ,  DAY   and   FESTIVAL MEANING

First Month 1st Day   New Year’s Day.       Pretty obvious---more profoundly a time to let go of the past year, forgive others and anticipate a bright new beginning

First Month 3rd Day   Birthday of Tsai Shen, the God of Wealth.        It’s always good to pay respects

First Month 15th Day   Lantern Festival, formally ends the New Year Period. First Full Moon of the New Year In some ways similar to Western festivals celebrating the newly born light

Fifth Day 5th Day   Dragon Boat Festival.    Time of maximum acceleration of Yang energy

Seventh Month 7th Day   “Seven/ Seven Day.”    Day for lovers—or for long-separated lovers to reunite

Seventh Month 15th Day   Festival of Ghosts, sometimes called the “Hungry Ghosts”   Note: This is a Full Moon day.    It was believed the spirits of the departed come to the earthly world to visit their families. Time to respect your departed ones…

Eighth Month 15th Day   “Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival.”    Celebration of the Moon and of the harvest. Generally corresponds to Western “Harvest Moon.”

Ninth Month 9th Day   “Nine/Nine Day.”    Time to enjoy the chrysanthemums and to climb a nearby mountain

Tenth Month 15th Day   “Respect the Water God.”    As the year nears its greatest Yin period

Twelfth Month 23rd Day   Chinese folk festival:  “Kitchen God Returns to Heaven.”   Kitchen God reports on the conduct of the family—somewhat like Santa Claus “who knows if you’ve been bad or good!”

I hope you have fun watching these lunar festival and Solar Term periods of the year. It is a wonderful way to experience the undulating wave-form of seasonal energy and to hone your understanding of Yin and Yang.

In line with this whole idea, I am developing the “Tai Chi Master Key Series”™ which will give you numerous practical applications of the Yin Yang principle of diverse areas of life—from Meditation to economics and home decorating with much in between.

The first publication in this series is the “Tai Chi Master Key to Healthy Eating” mentioned above. http://www.totaltaichi.com/Master_Key_to_Healthy_eating.htm

Till next time, enjoy the flow of the seasons and the rhythm of the Tao!

And don’t forget to give Thanks, as I thank all of you.

The Tai Chi Way to Healthy Eating

Tai Chi and healthy eating? At first you might ask, “What in the world does Tai Chi have to do with healthy eating?” Most people think of Tai Chi as nothing more than the slow-motion Solo Form exercise which they may have seen on TV, observed a friend practicing, or even done themselves.

But Tai Chi is actually a Principle of universal activity, and as such can be applied to numerous areas of life, as I described in my post “Yin, Yang, and Total Tai Chi” (Oct 5, 2009).

One of the most fascinating and functional uses of the Tai Chi principle of Yin and Yang is its application to “diet” and nutrition. Since the ancient Chinese physicians did not have modern scientific facts about foods, such as vitamin, mineral, or protein content, fat grams, etc., they relied instead on the energetic properties of foods to determine the best dietary regimens for their patients.

That is, they considered whether any given food was warming or cooling to the body, and whether it was building or cleansing. Their analysis of the energetic properties of foods was based on centuries of direct observation in real life. Overall, the goal was not so much curing of acute symptoms (which would be addressed by Acupuncture or Herbs), but the cultivation of long-term health, stamina, and longevity.

The ancient doctors had good reason to ensure the health of their clients, for in many periods of Chinese history they were not paid if their clients became ill! It was thought that a good doctor’s duty was to keep patients healthy and teach them the principles of healthy living. Moreover, the Chinese revered and respected old age. So if a doctor could keep clients healthy and cultivate their longevity, this would tremendously enhance the doctor’s own reputation.

The Chinese science of nutrition, called Yang Sheng “Nurturing of life” is very simple to understand and apply. First it analyzes an individual’s body and energy type and only then provides specific direction about whether a given individual requires warming or cooling; building or cleansing. There is no “one size fits all” type of dietary recommendation, since every person is absolutely unique.

I am always amazed by the many dietary fads and fancies we see touted every day which totally neglect to consider a person’s body and energetic type, as well as their age, amount of physical activity, and even spiritual aspiration. These were all taken into account in the ancient Chinese science of Yang Sheng—or the “Tai Chi Master Key to Healthy Eating,” using the Yin/Yang Principle.

If you would like to learn more about the Tai Chi way of healthy eating, it is all summarized in a 55 page E-book which distills my 30 plus years of research and observation.

You can find out all about it at:


www.totaltaichi.com/Master_Key_to_Healthy_Eating.htm


Meanwhile, we in the Northern Hemisphere have just gone into the period of Li Dong “Establishment of Winter QI.” So be sure to keep warm, avoid ice-cold drinks, sleep a bit more, and preserve your QI. (Below the Equator, you can do just the opposite).


© Copyright Paul B. Gallagher, all rights reserved

"Tai Chi Friends are Best Friends"

Today I am sitting in Virginia Beach, gazing at the gray, windy, drizzly sky, and the rough incoming waves. I remember the times some twenty years ago when I taught several Tai Chi seminars here at the invitation of my dear friend and colleague Almanzo Lamoureux, also known as Professor Lao Ma.

Professor Ma is a long-time Tai Chi Player, Master Teacher, and a very gifted Chinese calligrapher. More than that, he is one of my dearest friends. (He teaches in Chapel Hill, NC.)

Reflecting on old times and friendship caused me to recall a saying oft-repeated by my main Tai Chi teacher, T.T. Liang (1900-2002), “Tai Chi friends are best friends.” Those words were very meaningful to Master Liang because they had literally saved his life.

A high-ranking customs officer in Shanghai during the 1940’s, Master Liang’s duties put him into numerous life and death situations. In his later years, he loved to regale his students with his real-life tales of smugglers, drug lords, opium dens, and back street gun battles.

Sadly, part of that culture rubbed off on Liang, and in his early 40’s he found himself deathly ill from his indulgence in the “five vices.” (I will leave to your imagination just what those were). In fact, a doctor told him he had barely three months left to live.

Master Liang then decided to renounce his former lifestyle and begin a serious practice of Tai Chi. Even after his decision to live a “clean life,” however, gangsters would frequently appear at his home late at night, demanding that he come and join them in the gambling parlors. That made him realize he needed to find a completely new set of associates—and he did! They became his “Tai Chi friends.”

Following the Master’s example, I too developed a group of Tai Chi friends. The very best of them were my “old-time” students, who would come up to my mountain studio in Vermont to train each Saturday morning—even during the harsh Vermont winters--and drive up the steep snow-covered road for two miles from the state highway.

Of course they came on balmy Summer mornings as well.

What a wonderful energy we had training together! Practicing Tai Chi in a group of high-level players creates a powerful QI-field which is very evident to all. Everyone in the group contributes to and can draw from that field of bio-electrical energy. One of my teachers told me, “If you feel great, come to class to share your energy; if you feel down or depleted, come to class to absorb energy.” And that is exactly how the dynamic works.

Practicing Tai Chi with your “Tai Chi friends” creates a greatly magnified energy, which seems to grow geometrically in proportion to the number of people that are training together. In addition to the enhanced QI-field, there is an interesting resonance, as the players share rhythms of movement and breath.

Tai Chi friends can playfully “intimidate each other to advance,” another expression of Master Liang, as he recalled his Tai Chi friends of decades ago coming to take him to the park to practice, even when he didn’t feel like it. Once the gangsters had given up coming in the middle of the night to drag him off to the gambling dens, the Tai Chi friends started coming in the morning to take him to the park.

So—if you are now practicing Tai Chi, or if you plan to become a student of the art, just remember to find a group of Tai Chi friends. They will inspire you to practice, share their energy and insight with you—and they just might become your best friends!

Here is bit of news:

I am now working on the “Tai Chi Master Key Series™” which will use the Universal Principles of Yin and Yang to enlighten and simplify your approach to numerous areas of life. The “Tai Chi Master Key to Healthy Eating” is NOW available as a 55 page e-book.

You can learn more about it at

www.totaltaichi.com/master_key_to_healthy_eating.htm


Until then, enjoy the late Autumn (or early Spring), and cherish ALL of your friends, whether or not they are “Tai Chi friends.”

Next day at the beach; sunny skies and good humor...

(C)  Copyright Paul B Gallagher
all articles on this blog are copyrighted , with all rights reserved