hg tai chi booklet shibashi-2 - adhisthana.org
TRANSCRIPT
Tai C
hi Shiba
shi
W
ith
Hrid
aya
gita
Ta
raloka
, Bettisfield, Shrop
shire, SY13 2LD
Knots of the mind and
allow
s a na
tural state of rela
xed
alertness to repla
ce the unnatura
l state of tense frenetic
activity.
There is one other asp
ect to these exercises: they are
devised w
ith a knowled
ge of the internal energy known
as C
hi. This system of energy, or life force, m
oves around
the body in its ow
n circulatory system
supplying every p
art of the body’s orga
ns with life - susta
ining energy. You ca
n stimula
te it by moving a
nd stretching those pa
rts of the b
ody in w
hich these lines of energy lie. It is this com
bina
tion of imp
roved blood circula
tion, a re-
laxed
and
integrated m
ind a
nd b
ody, and
a hea
lthy en-ergy system
which m
akes these Shiba
shi exercises quite
exceptional.
Through the practice of these exercises you gain the flexi-
bility of a ba
y, the wisd
om of a sa
ge and the stillness of a
deep
pool. Shibashi is such a b
eautiful thing to give your-
self, it is such a wond
erous way to join forces w
ith a new
d
ay. Why w
ould you not wa
nt to do it?! H
rida
yagita
The Shibashi seq
uence wa
s first brought to us by Hea
ther W
illiam
s of RDTC
Llandrindodd W
ells. It is also know
n as Ta
i C
hi Gong a
nd Taiji Shib
ashi. It a
cts as a brid
ge betw
een Tai C
hi Chua
n and Qigong. It allow
s the practice of an ea
sy-to-learn exercise form
that is sim
ple, sa
fe and from
which b
en-efit can b
e derived in a
short time. Its gentle q
uality m
akes it
idea
l for older p
eople. Shiba
shi does not have any difficult
steps and ea
ch movem
ent involves the whole bod
y. It can
be a
useful prelim
inary to learning or studying Tai C
hi Chua
n a
s it initially builds confid
ence and
ma
kes the learning of a
m
ore comp
licated
stepping form
accessible.
There are a grea
t variety of Q
igong medita
tions and exer-cise w
ith different bra
nches stemm
ing from different
sources: Buddhist, Taoist, M
edical a
nd M
artial A
rts Qigong.
Each school ha
s develop
ed its own app
roach, functions
and
results. Now
adays a
system of Q
igong is often a com
bi-na
tion of different styles: The Flying Cra
ne, the Wild G
oose, Ta
ijishibashi a
re some exa
mp
les. The Rising Dra
gon Tai Chi
School currently pra
ctices the following Q
igong forms:
Taoist H
ealth Exercises
Va
ncouver Breathing Form
Eight Strands of Broca
de
Shiba
shi There are m
any other Q
igong systems but w
e feel that
these require a m
ore personal tuition over m
any yea
rs if p
roblems w
ith stuck energy are to b
e avoided
. We disa
gree w
ith the current pra
ctice of ma
king exercises available
through books and videos w
hich were originally, for good
rea
son, kept p
rivate and
taught on a one-to-one b
asis. The
exercises we use are for general use, are extrem
ely and
ca
n be pra
cticed alone and in safety. If a
n in depth stud
y of Q
igong is required we suggest you study w
ith an officially
recognised m
aster of the a
rt.
It is good to p
ractice these exercises a
s a seq
uence because
it is like giving yourself a trea
tment. Pra
ctise each one for the
sam
e numb
er of brea
ths so your whole system
can b
e treat-
ed equa
lly. However nothing is w
ritten in stone– you ma
y like to exp
lore putting them in a
different ord
er or pra
ctising then ind
ividually if there is one you pa
rticularly like. H
aving said
that, a
s far as Shiba
shi is concerned, the w
hole is greater tha
n the sum
of its parts. Shiba
shi is a very flexible a
nd com
plete tool. It is flexib
le beca
use it is based
around
the brea
th. Dur-
ing one brea
th of in and out you make one rep
etition or round
of each exercise. The m
ore rounds you d
ecide to do
the longer it takes to do it a
whole sequence. A
s I mentioned
ea
rlier, if you have only a short period of tim
e then just use the one brea
th, one round per exercise, then this w
ill increase the
time it ta
kes and ma
ke the sequence stronger and
deep
er. Shiba
shi is a com
plete exercise system b
ecause it is a synthe-
sis of a whole ra
nge and variety of Chi Kung styles. Ea
ch of these styles cover w
ithin them w
arm - up
s, stretches, posture -
work, brea
th, cleansing, C
hi stimula
tion, directing C
hi and the sym
bolic or universal connection to the Tao.
So how does it w
ork? Essentially tensions in the body a
re ca
used by tensions in the m
ind. So by ea
sing and moving the
bod
y we can touch the m
ind. H
ow d
o we do this? First, w
e m
ove slowly so tha
t care and
attention can b
e brought to
bear a
llowing us to see the im
bala
nces of incorrect posture a
nd unnecessa
ry holding in the muscles of the bod
y. By cor-recting the alignm
ent of the bod
y and
releasing tension, the
circulation can flow
more ea
sily, without recourse to strong
physical exertion. This ha
s the add
ed advanta
ge that p
eople w
ith heart conditions or w
ho are not strong enough for vigor-
ous exercise can pa
rticipate in Shib
ashi.
By resting in the mom
ent, in the centre of your experience, you relea
se the mind
that is continually striving into the future
or holding onto the pa
st. This in in the long run undoes the
5. Sw
inging Arm
s 6. Row
ing a Boat
7. Lifting The Ball 8. G
aze at the Moon
9. Micro Form
10. W
ave Hands
11.scooping the Sea 12. Pushing W
aves
13. Dove Spread Wings
14. Punching
15. Flying Wild G
oose 16. Spinning W
heels..
...16. Cont...
17. Bouncing Ball with Steps
18. Palms in C
almness
Tai C
hi Shiba
shi
Stand
Quietly to b
egin, w
ith a feeling
of relaxa
tion throug
hout the joints of your bod
y.
Keep the w
eight in your feet even letting the soles of the
feet relax into the floor.
Brea
the naturally, d
o not control the brea
th.
When you a
re ready, let the m
ovements follow
the brea
th
Do not force the m
uscles, use repetition a
nd rela
xation to help
you release.
Pra
ctice the exercises in a sm
ooth flowing w
ay, ma
intain-
ing your own soft lim
it and
grad
ually increase ea
ch one from
3– 10 times.
Let the m
ovements b
e a vehicle of self expression, let
them nourish a
nd supp
ort you. Let the poise of your sp
ine show
your inner self worth.
Standing 1.The beginning
2. Opening the C
hest
3. Painting a Rainbow
4. Part the Clouds
1. The Beginning -
To bala
nce the blood p
ressure a
nd strengthen the heart. The gen-
tle flexing of joints smoothes the
channels of energy, helping to
2. Opening the C
hest - Beneficial for those suffering from
d
epression, insom
nia, hyp
erten-sion.
3. Painting a Rainbow -
To bala
nce blood p
ressure, aid
the d
igestive system a
nd relieve
stoma
ch ache.
4. Part the Clouds -
Useful in stretching the legs, stimu-
lating the kid
neys and
raising the sp
irit of vitality.
5. Swinging A
rms -
Beneficial for those suffering arthri-tis or a
sthma
.
6. Rowing a Boat -
Aid
s the digestive system and is
beneficial for ba
ckache, hea
d-a
che and the kidneys.
7. Lifting the Ball - Stim
ulates blood
circulation.
8. Turning to Gaze at the M
oon To ba
lance blood
pressure and
reduce insomnia
.
9. Micro Form
- Strengthens the sp
leen and
p
romotes leg and ba
ck energy.
10. Wave Hands like C
louds - A
ids d
igestive system and help
s p
revent arthritis.
11. Scooping the Sea and See the Sky - Rela
xes muscles, im
proves circu-la
tion, balances b
lood pressure.
12. Pushing Waves -
Strengthens the waist a
nd leg en-
ergy and is beneficial is suffering
hypertension.
13. Flying Dove spreads its w
ings - G
ood for Brea
thing, asthm
a.
Disp
els feelings of oppression in
the chest and promotes the
digestive system
.
14. Punching - A
n invigorating p
ractice
prom
oting all round body
15. Flying Wild G
oose - Strengthens the legs a
nd kidneys.
Bala
nces blood p
ressure and im
proves low blood
pressure.
16. Spinning Wheels -
Improves low
blood p
ressure, reduces ba
ck stiffness. Help
s a tired bod
y
17. Bouncing Ball with steps -
Good
for relaxing the bod
y and recovering from
tiredness. Help
s b
alance.
18. Pressing the Palms in C
alm-
ness - For calm
ing and
bala
ncing the C
h’I, can be p
ractised
on its own
for this purpose.