TAI CHI CHUAN & RETREAT TEACHING
On the way to knowledge: everything that is not constant is an illusion! Only the absolute truth is constant! It has no beginning and no end, it is eternal “Now!”
NEWS
Knowledge is power!
But knowledge alone is not enough; you also have to be able to apply it. It needs a second and decisive aspect, the feeling, the female part of the human being, not just the rational (male) part. It is the: Yin and Yang!
Tai chi / yin & yang, the female & male principle:
The principle is very closely observable on the basis of our nature. There the same natural life principles work as with us humans. The trees in the forest are bursting with strength and energy in spring and summer, while in winter they let the branches hang and lose their "dress", the leaves. So the tree goes into a hibernation at the end of the fall (passivity, rest, relaxation), in order to regain new strength in the spring and to blossom with life energy (activity, movement, tension). ... [Click to continue]
In our structures, organizations and companies dominate the masculine principles, at the forefront are characteristics such as activity, logic and rationality, which are always unspoken demanded. Due to the lack of balance, as it fools us nature (see trees), an imbalance arises, and thus it becomes clear why the world has to suffer from the many problems. Resources are scarce and money rules the world. A successful person is one who has material wealth and an influential job. A consequence of the “always further, faster, better, higher – rules”, the male principle in pure culture. On the track, as male and female are so educated, the (once) feminine principles remain mainly to show and force the masculine qualities to be able to keep up in life. Women too are pursuing these primitive masculine principles so as not to fall by the wayside.
The public clearly reflects this effect. In the focus and focus are mostly politicians, corporate bosses, professional athletes, actors and scientists, all professional groups and people who shine by “doing”, and less by “receiving”, at least at first glance. Because, admittedly, we often only know the façade of these people and they would be unfairly wrong to deny them all inner harmony. And indeed, many successful people know that not only can they succeed through “doing and rationality,” but they also know the antithesis of “passivity and intuition.” They eventually realized they needed the necessary balance This balance and much more can be achieved with awareness-raising practices such as, meditation, qigong, neigong, etc. In the true teachings (wholeness) of Tai Chi, these are all of them Unfortunately, in most (about 95%) of teachers and schools, inner knowledge is only academically available and not internalized to apply and thus teach Tai Chi comes from Taoism (the Teaching of the Way ) and is the embodiment of the Taoist way, Daoism and Buddhism are equal in essence.
Steve Jobs eg. trained his intuition with Buddhism.
RETREAT
retreat – teaching
Irrespective of which method is employed to achieve this success, the most important requirement should be that the desired success will be of "lasting permanence"! If the goal is to improve the physical and moreover the mental condition it is a good basis to have a pleasant local atmosphere, and also to experience treatments that relax both the body and the mind. ... [Click to continue]
As, for example, a quiet and aesthetically pleasant place, where one can quietly “let the soul travel freely”, massages or similar physical treatments of a relaxing nature. However, if the method is mainly limited to this, the effect can and will not be of lasting duration. As soon as one returns to daily life, the effect will soon fade and we are again in the condition we were prior to the application. It is, therefore, essentially important that the method is sustainable and that its effect is of lasting duration. As stated, it is not the goal to feel better for a limited time-period. It is also imperative to be aware of and understand the applied method, as only then can one further apply it effectively oneself. A pre-condition is that the method is based on and conveys the necessary basic knowledge of the application so that one can continue independently without the direct instruction of a helper.
All methods that lead to lasting, ongoing improvements of the physical and mental well-being; that achieve a continual developmental process, awaken in this way the inner teacher who resides in each of us. It is our immeasurable mental potential, of which most of us are unaware! A method only really leads to success if it is confirmed by direct experiences. This confirmational experience brings conviction. That what has been learned has had an effect. So the new experience flows into what has been learned and reinforces it. Likewise this leads to new experiences and to further conviction. In this way there is a continual forward momentum!
The quality of the experiences that we have in our ife is fundamentally determined by our perception! Gradually, therefore, we change our perception of ourselves and the world. In this way, step by step, we recognize our true self.
If we are prepared to confront our true identity, to examine critically our true self, then we have taken the first important step that will lead us to positive new thoughts and experiences. It is absolutely necessary for each of us who experiences positive new thoughts, to receive confirmation of these in experiences; only then will we experience increased security. When we gain this security that means we begin to achieve conviction! Only when we have gained a certain degree of conviction are we able to grow, that is, we trust, we recognize our true self! Our ego will not increase but our “true” self. It overtakes the ego until it is gradually eliminated!
It is of immeasurable advantage for everyone to have direct mental and physical experiences and therein to receive the confirmation that the applied method promises. A relaxed and pleasant atmosphere is also, as a support, a great advantage. That is why the Retreat-Seminars offer exactly this requirement which is a distinct advantage in order to renew oneself both mentally and physically. Renewal being genuinely the operative word!
When mind and body are in harmony a true condition is presented which serves introspection, that is to recognize deeper lying aspects of the mind’s thoughts and, in this way, to allow new thought processes to evolve. This is how we experience a new consciousness! New strengths that accompany us on the path of contentment and harmony!
The first and most important step is to consciously “want” to learn , to “want” to become aware of one’s mental strength; one’s immeasurable potential. Only then can we achieve optimal learning and be able to apply what has been learned. When through application we have direct, positive experiences, then our belief in what has been learned strengthens and increases until conviction is attained. As stated, only when we experience something directly, will conviction develop from our belief; then it will be reality for us; “the truth“!
I have had many experiences in my life, both pleasant and unpleasant, like most of us. For most of my life, I was not aware how great the influence of my beliefs , of my thoughts on my life’s experiences were and are. First I had to experience loss in order to learn this fact! As I became aware of this, I could begin to let go and to accept the loss! Step by step I had new experiences in the form of varying happenings (things) that ostensibly entered my life „coincidentally”.
Firstly, therefore, we must have experiences in order to be able to believe, to be convinced. I can say from personal experience that for a long time it seemed unreal that there was more than merely the obvious. I had to first have experiences that confirmed for me that this was the case. I experience this continually. Now it is an almost indescribably positive feeling and animates me to share it with others. Just as there are many different ways that can help us to experience our true potential so there are many helpers (teachers) who through their experiences (that learned) show other people a path that leads them to contentment. Each of us has the possibility to find these teachers, we only have to be open and impartial. Everyone sooner or later finds their teacher!
“Ultimately every pupil is a potential teacher”!
TAI CHI CHUANG
With Tai Chi Kung we learn to move in harmony with the principles of Tao. It is based on the classic taoistic philosophy as expressed in Ching in Tao Te Ching. Its principles are based further on the esoteric taoistic theory of the inner alchemy. Although the martial arts aspect plays a substantial role, so should the ability to defend oneself not be used to attack and, according to prioritized order, serve the wise use of our vitality. "Learning and teaching to heal oneself and others, to learn to rise into the realm of the mind in harmony with nature is our true purpose in this world." (Dr Jampa Mackenzie Stewart). ... [Click to continue]
Tai Chi Chuan is a Chinese method of physical and mental training. In practice, the body should be “relaxed”. That does not mean that all the body’s muscles are slack, but that only the muscles necessary for a particular movement or stance are tense while the other muscles remain loose. This is the distinctive Jin-Strength directed movements that are entirely co-ordinated in the body and that are not subject to any inhibiting stress. Breathing should be deep and relaxed and flow naturally. Through the strived for abdominal-breathing, the breathing frequency is clearly lower than in the usual chest-breathing. The movements in Taijiquan should be carried out carefully and consciously. It is not called for that the pupil solely concentrates on the physical process but that an even distribution of perception is attained between the own movements and the environment. First and foremost is the mind (Deep Mind); the mind dictates and the body follows. The Yi (Chinese yi ‘purpose, intention’) and do not use the force-energy (Chinese – li ‘physical strength’). Because of its close connection to the philosophy of Daoism, the concept of Qi (Chinese qi, W.-G. Ch’i) has an important significance in Taijiquan as in all inner martial arts.
In the movements the “Qi should be able to flow” in as much as the muscles and joints are, as far as is possible, relaxed and the movements carried out in a relaxed and flowing manner. Through practice “the Qi should multiply in the body”, and the pupil should be progressively able to perceive the Qi and ultimately to control it. The arising feeling is a flow of energy that one can let circulate in the body and that one can send to particular body parts in a targeted manner. On the one hand this serves the healthy maintenance of body and mind as well as mental and physical control and also the application for the fight. In the West the nature of the Qi is discussed as to whether it is the case of a type of micromatter energy or if it is above all a helpful concept for the necessary type of movement for the Taijiquan and to develop its biomechanical efficiency. For the application of the term in Taijiquann, the deciding factor for the user is to actually, tangibly perceive this energy (Qi). From personal experience, I can confirm that this energy is perceptible and thus real. Precisely this perception is desirable and, through relative learned understanding, an excellent and integrative method to become aware of one’s true self. Clinical investigations in western medicine have shown that regular practice of Taijiquan has diverse positive effects on various aspects of physical and psychological health; for example on the heart and circulatory system, the immune system, pain threshholds, balance, strengthening of the bones, tendons, joints and generally on physical control. Also on mobility and mental and physical energy. Sustained practice is a guarantee for mental and physical fitness up into “higher” age!
Taiji (Chinese 太極 / 太极 Tàijí)
is a synonym in Daoism for the very highest principled effect and difficult to translate as there is no relative term in the German language. It is represented by the Yin and Yang symbol, that expresses the harmonic alternation of the dual energies of Yin and Yang. In the movements of Taijiquan this dualism of Yin and Yang plays an important role. As for example: “Keeping the emptiness and fullness separate”, ” The co-ordination of above and below”, ” The harmony between interior and exterior”, mind and body. The main goal of this Teatching, is to become aware of the real mind. In addition there is no learning more in this World!
seminars
Private Lessons, Seminars. lectures and readings with Mike Michaels are available in various locations. In the summer months we offer, amongst others, seminars on the sunny Isle of Majorca where seminar content is combined with rest and relaxation.The Retreat-Theory applied in the seminars includes in particular mental and physical exercises. These exercises complement each other and alternate accordingly. The daily programme of seminars comprises 3 hours exercises during the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon with 1 1/2 hours (rest and refreshment) break. Applications for further information can be made at the contact page.
MIKE MICHAELS
I started learning Asian martial arts at the age of 15. Later I made further experience in traditional boxing and kick boxing. Learning Tai Chi Chuang began with a longer stay in Asia. In Chiang Mai (Thailand) I found after long searches, also my current teacher, for which I am very grateful. It is not easy to find a teacher who has the inner (energetic) knowledge, much less the ability to apply it. It soon became clear to me that knowledge alone was not enough to apply it. It is a great advantage to have a teacher who is willing to share his knowledge and apply it in the personal partner practice, also tangible. ... [Click to continue]
It is essential to not only gain knowledge intellectually, but also to be able to feel what one has intellectually understood. If both flows into the training as balanced as possible, one can really make advances that go far beyond intellectual knowledge. For this reason, I practice with my students, from the beginning, the energetic (qigong and neigong) training, the taichi ultimately to the true inner teaching, of mind (all-encompassing) energy (subtle) and body (form / Matter). A beautiful outward form may have some expression, but only the content (the energy) makes the difference. When these three components are in harmony, harmony arises that balances yin and yan and body and mind are in harmony, healthy, strong and resilient! Specifically, the mental (mental) as well as physical experiences that I experienced while practicing Tai Chi have inspired me to write a book. My book, “Toys of Truth,” is not based on publishing my experience of Tai-Chi practice. Rather, these experiences have encouraged me to not only perceive the spiritual content of the book as a pleasant possibility, but to acknowledge it as true.
Bock: “illusion – spielzeug der wahrheit” by mike michaels
We all want contentment, we want a harmonius life and in this way: "security"! How can we expect, however, to experience security and contentment when we are not even "sure" who we "really" are? Each one of us has at some time already posed the question "Who or what is the ego in me?" Or: "what is the reason for my positive and also negative thinking, feeling and dealing in relation to everything that I perceive either in myself or the world?" Who was not yet in the situation of being undecided about what is right or wrong for him? We are continually seeking what is right for us, irrespective of how we are searching. ... [Click to continue]
Public welfare does not appear then to be of paramount importance to us. However, in general we are unaware of this. But we are all part of a whole! That becomes very clear when we look at the world; our earth. All life on earth is connected to each other, all the actions of one living thing has effects on life itself and on our planet. The most obvious consequences are created by man, so “us”! Our actions have partially dramatic effects on our environment, the earth and life on it. Our actions are directed by our thoughts! We are also hardly aware of this! When our thoughts and thus our actions obviously show grave negative consequences in our lives and on our planet, why do we continue in this way? Can this path lead us to contentment? What is the answer to this question?
Contentment should be a priority for each of us and ultimately it is, but we must also possess the will to recognize ourselves, to experience our “true” self. To recognize ourselves also means to be honest with ourselves. To critically examine our thoughts and actions!
There are people with power in this world who are aware of this fact and ,therefore, aware of the power of their thoughts, but who do not use them for the advantage of all. These people have recognized the power of the mind, the power of the will and of belief.
“The power of thoughts”!
However, they use this power with their “ego-consciousness” and thus only for themselves, without wanting the well-being of all. The most powerful people in the world have always been aware of the power of the mind and of their thoughts. Only because of this fact can they be powerful on earth. Only when we also become aware of this power can we use it. That is why everyone should aim to become aware of themselves.
This is the most important thing for each of us, “to recognize our true self, our true potential that is infinite”!
This book should be a guide to becoming aware of ourselves and of the power of self.
Obviously we are all subject to fluctuations in our lives. Fluctuations that apparently continually affect our well-being and our contentment. Consciously or unconsciously, most of us believe that it has to be this way. That there is no choice! If we think about it clearly we shall see that it seems to be this way for us. For example, we say that we cannot predict that this or that would or could happen. Consequently it seems obvious to us that we must tolerate these fluctuations in our lives. How does it come to the things and situations that apparently happen to us, the circumstances that arise in our lives, irrespective of which form they take? As discussed, we seem to be completely innocent regarding these situations and circumstances.
“However, nothing that happens in our lives is a coincidence”!
“There are no coincidences”!
Here an example that we can apply to “everything”:
Probably the best-known so-called coincidence is that of when two people “apparently coincidentally” meet. Each says they had no idea of this meeting beforehand. This is probably so. However, each person had made unavoidable decisions that led to the seemingly coincidental meeting. From the moment we begin our day we make decisions, consciously or unconsciously. We decide with which foot we get up and if we first go into the kitchen, the bathroom or if we take another path. Usually we do much out of habit. Sometimes we change the habit but we can only do all this because we continually make decisions, either “consciously or unconsciously”! When we, therefore, meet someone coincidentally, up until the meeting we have continually made decisions. If we had only not taken one of these decisions and would, for example, have left the house a few minutes later because we made a phone-call that we actually wanted to make later, or if we had forgotten to set the alarm because we got home late the night before, then this meeting would not have taken place. All these possibilities are only examples but we can clearly recognize that our decisions always lead to something, irrespective of whether we make them consciously or unconsciously. Also our opposite number, the person we met, made decisions up until the meeting, also consciously or unconsciously. Our whole perception of the world is based on our decisions, on our “judgements”.
Irrespective of what matter is at hand, our decision is always based on our judgement.
And so everything that we perceive is connected with each other because we also judge “everything ” we perceive.
If this is the case, how can we avert the apparently unavoidable and unwanted or better still, not let it happen? For this to be the case, we must first become aware that we have this possibiity, this power at our disposal. We must believe it, yes even be convinced of it – that we possess this potential! But who is convinced of this fact, who believes in this potential? Also here we must be honest with ourselves and ask what we believe – of what are we convinced. Everyone should at this point ask and listen to their inner voice, what it is telling them. Here our rational reasoning will with certainty reject this theory. As long as it is not convinced by facts or direct evidence, our mind will not believe this. And yet there are people with a strong belief that equals conviction. It is these people who have other experiences than those who believe (think) differently.
“We always receive exactly that in which we believe”!
Initially this also sounds unbelievable. However, the following should show that this is exactly the case:
I must believe in order to think and I can only believe when I think! Thinking and belief are one. Without belief there are no thoughts and without thoughts there is no belief. Both are mutually dependent. The power of our thoughts is the strongest phenomenon in the world!
Who has doubts should consider the following:
Everything in the world that was ever created by man was always first a thought. Every idea, irrespective of type is always composed of thoughts. It doesn’t matter how many different people were part of the original idea, everyone brought their thoughts to the table. Everything ever created by man from the smallest to the largest creation, be it a microchip or a match, an aircraft carrier or a skyscraper, none would have been created without a “thought”! Everything was always first a thought connected with a belief.
A thought without belief would be a thought without content, thereby empty! But that does not mean that if we do not believe anything that these thoughts are empty or without content! They certainly do have a content in the form of “that” which we do “not” believe. To take an example, if we do not believe in God then we have a reason for this and this reason is our belief, it is the content of our thoughts!
Whichever reason we have is irrelevant. Every thought comprises a belief as its content, irrespective of whether we believe in something or we do not believe in something. Thoughts are the expressions of our mind and are witness to our belief, it does not matter what we believe.
“Belief moves mountains”!
If we want to move a mountain we should ask ourselves, examine critically, how strong our belief really is.
Do we believe we can move a mountain or do we “only” wish to be able to and harbour in fact strong “doubts”?
There is a huge difference between true belief and a wish. I can wish for a great career, a house or whatever it may be. If I only wish for it but do not believe that my wish will be granted, then it cannot be fulfilled. I say, for example: I wish for a certain career but within me I say that I do not know how this wish can be fulfilled. I doubt; I remove the belief from my wish, my thoughts and thus the energy!
I have not nourished my wish, that is also a thought, with the energy, the power of belief. So energy and power are missing from my thought, my wish. Without belief a wish has no power, no energy. Ultimately I have made a judgement against what I really want without being aware of it!
“Nourish your thoughts with the power of belief and they will become true”!
Now we must become aware of what it means to have unconscious, therefore uncontrolled, unobserved thoughts.
It is very important and decisive for us to understand this. If, for example, we wish to achieve or receive something, irrespective of what it is, but we unconsciously and therefore “uncontrolledly” doubt, then we unconsciously believe we are not able to achieve or receive a positive outcome. It is obvious that here we have a wish that we do not believe will be fulfilled. In this way, we have unconsciously put our belief in what we do not want. For example, if we are afraid of something and we think thoughts like “I don’t want to become ill”, then we unconsciously put belief in what we do “not” want, we confirm its reality. We have “born witness” to something that we did “not” want.
We have acknowledged it and have lent it “reality”!
We can only fear something if we believe that it exists! Therefore we think: We do not want anything to happen to us, but think unconsciously that it could happen to us. We doubt, are afraid and have in this way unconsciously targeted our belief in a direction that we definitely did not want!
Always when we do not want something, we believe consciously or unconsciously in its “existence”. And exactly here, the “reason” is that we attract it, we have confirmed its “reality”, we have “attested” the fact! As discussed, we can only fear something that we do not want if we believe in its existence! Our belief in what we feared was strong! Thus, we received only seemingly paradoxically what we did “not” want! It is irrelevant if we believed consciously or unconsciously!
Our thoughts are powerful and all the more powerful when we invest a strong belief in them. We should never leave out of consideration that we create both positives as well as negatives with our thoughts and that consciously or unconsciously! We should therefore, always “consciously” pay attention, that is be vigilant in how we handle our power of thought, our belief!
If we also try here to ask and answer ourselves honestly, whether we follow the discussed, if we want to believe it, then we have set the condition to change our experiences qualitatively. In this way we can expand our awareness and consciously influence our perception of the world and things that “apparently coincidentally” reveal themselves in our lives. The more consciously we deal with the power of our thoughts, our beliefs, the more fulfilled our lives will be!
Much of what has been discussed here has been written about in detail in the book “Illusion – Toy of Truth”. The aim is to stimulate thought and thus to allow everyone to draw their own conclusions. Everyone must decide for themselves what he or she wants to believe and experience in their lives. The quality of the experience that everyone has in their lives is always and without exception dependent upon their beliefs, their thoughts.
If we are prepared to become aware of the power of our mind and, in this way, the power of our thoughts, we shall be able to apply this consciously and will unavoidably transform our lives positively!