robert wrote:charlie_cambridge wrote:My first CMC teacher was Liam Comerford 2001-2007, then Ben Lo 2008-2010 (most senior student of CMC in US). I trained what they taught me (holding low one legged postures every day etc) until I met PK in 2014.
I have a question if you don't mind. There's a video of ZMQ discussing qi circulation and taijiquan.
It's not clear if he taught students how to circulate qi while they did the form.
Did Ben Lo teach students how to circulate qi while they did the form?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0tLYajHBm8
Sharing some of my experience with Ben...
Me a student of the time from another teacher "Professor Ken Wen Chi, “亓冠文”
who had trained under ZMQ in Taiwan, recommend that I stop in
to meet Ben and check out his classes...
Which I would do when visiting my Home town SF
as a drop in from time to time...did have time to chat with him before and after
the training sessions. ..
Some thoughts
He didn't expressly talk about the qi flow, but did use alignments in the opening posture among others, mentioning that it was used to connect the Qi....
The connection ie flow was self evident. Doing the from according to his standard, provided one was able to meet his requirements it was also self evident.
Ben, like other noted teachers i've meet...did have his own limitations based on his experience relative to "Qi"
In other words, based on some conversations with him. what he could not do, nor had experienced in his opinion was still a question to him...
Understandable.
He had some other students open their own gym
"Martin Inn founded the IRI and has taught T’ai Chi Ch’uan for over 50 years. With Benjamin Lo, he is the co-translator of The Essence of T’ai Chi Ch’uan and Cheng Tze’s Thirteen Treatises on T’ai Chi Ch’uan. "
"Here T’ai Chi classes are taught with the emphasis on the development of the ch’i with respect to the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The purpose and goals of the school are to teach and develop the art of T’ai Chi Ch’uan as a tool for improving one’s health.
Through the understanding of one’s ch’i energy, one may embrace more fully life’s treasures of harmony and happiness.
Ben was very strict in his method of training...
also very funny at times...
Once when correcting me...he said " with this finger I can move you"
testing my posture with his small finger placed at the small of my back..
I looked at him and said "yes this is true, but its the finger of a taiji master "
he stopped thought about it, laughed saying " you'r right"