Translations (译文)
Connections is available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Chinese. We are very grateful for our translators who volunteered to translate: Rubén Coirini, Daniela Famulari, Gennaro Ripa, Françoise Desagnat, Jean-Claude Miremont, Thilo Krienke, Davi Garritano, and Li Mingyang. Thank you very much! Here are the links to the other languages:
Welcome to Our New Members
I would like to welcome all new members who have recently joined Yang Family Tai Chi. Thank you for joining us and welcome to our tai chi family! I am happy you have chosen to join us and hope that you feel welcome and receive great value from your membership.
I hope that all members will have a long and fulfilling relationship with our association. For those members who have been with us through the years, I appreciate that you have chosen to stay with us as we continue to spread tai chi chuan worldwide to help humankind.
Sincerely,
Yang Jun
President
Remembering Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo
November 7, 2021, marked the first anniversary of the passing of Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo. People gathered at his grave at the Taiyuan Longshan Cemetery to remember the master who dedicated his life to sharing Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan with the world. He was deeply loved and respected, and was a role model for us all.
A live online event was also held so that people around the world could also come together and participate. After the ceremony at the cemetery, Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo's wife, Hu Ruidi, appeared online and thanked everyone for attending. The online event also included stories, songs, poetry, and memories through videos and photos. A recording of the 2-hour event is on Yang Family Tai Chi's YouTube channel, where you can view many more photos and videos.
The online event was hosted by Duan Zhibian and Guang Huang. In China, disciples gathered in Yingze Park where Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo taught every week. They performed a song called "Father". In the 1980s, Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo became the first heir to spread Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan outside of China. Over many years, he and Master Yang Jun nurtured Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan in many countries around the world. International disciples sang a song of thanks for bringing Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan to the world. Then, disciples in China recited a poem called "Remembering Grandmaster".
Yang Family Tai Chi disciples and practitioners around the world shared photos and videos of performances of the hand form, sword form, and saber form. This beautiful collection of videos from around the world was set to the song "You Raise Me Up".
A short video was shown of the building in Guangzhou where Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo lived in his childhood. Later in his life, Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo traveled back to the area to teach. Videos and photos of how Yang Family Tai Chi is progressing in some areas of China were shared.
Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo was a beloved and extraordinary tai chi teacher and also a wonderful role model. He was kind, humble, and greatly loved and respected. He lived his life with a high moral standard that was an example for everyone.
The theme of this online anniversary event was "Zhenduo Spirit Guides Us Forward". Master Yang Jun and several teachers and colleagues described what "Zhenduo Spirit" means with four words: Upright, Harmonious, Humble, and Attainment.
Upright: Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo was honest and honorable. He had a moral character and did what was right.
Harmonious: He created positive relationships with everyone and with all tai chi styles. He chose to see the good in others instead of the negative. He focused on the similarities between people and also chose to see the goodness in people.
Humble: He treated everyone with equal respect, regardless of their position in life. He treated all his tai chi students with equal respect regardless of their level. He also avoided feeling too proud or full so he could still have room to grow and learn.
Attainment: Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo was able to make great contributions to tai chi. His kind personality made people respect him. Because they respected him, he was able to lead them and influence the development of tai chi around the world. Having a positive outlook on life and seeing all tai chi styles as belonging to one family also helped him reach high levels of achievement.
As Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan practitioners, these four principles that summarize Zhenduo Spirit can help us keep Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo alive in our hearts. Now we can use Zhenduo Spirit to guide us forward into the future, using his guidance and teaching to improve our skills so we can be of benefit to the people around us. It is hoped that everyone will try their best to live up to his expectations so that tai chi chuan can improve the lives of people all over the world.
Special Journal Issue
The latest edition of our journal, Issue 48, is a special remembrance issue honoring Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo on the 1st anniversary of his passing. This special edition is available to both members and non-members and has articles in both English and Chinese. Thank you to Edward Moore (Editor) and his team for producing such a beautiful tribute to Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo. Also, thank you to everyone who sent photos and their memories for this journal issue. READ
Training Standards Department
Online Training
During these past two years, we created our Virtual Classroom and have been holding live online training events. While many instructors are beginning the transition back to in-person training, we will continue to offer some online courses in 2022. For those instructors who wish to submit course proposals, we would like to announce that courses may now be either live or pre-recorded.
Instructor Certification Renewal
The next renewal date for instructor certification will be December 31st so please check the expiration date on your certificate. A reminder will be sent and the association has eased the requirements during these challenging times.
Please contact the Training Standards Department with any questions you may have: ts-dept@yangfamilytaichi.com.
Ranking Department News
Distance Ranking Events:
Beginning in 2022, the Ranking Department will conduct distance (i.e. virtual) ranking events. The plan is to hold four each year. Pete Voll, who is a Golden Eagle Academy Instructor and a member of the Ranking Advisory Committee, will coordinate our distance ranking events. You may reach him at distanceranking@yangfamilytaichi.com.
We know that as the COVID-19 pandemic resolves and public health restrictions lift, more and more in-person ranking events will again take place. However, distance ranking events will continue to better accommodate those members who wish to rank and do not live close to where a standard ranking event is taking place.
We are early in the planning stages for next year’s distance ranking events. There’s not much more to report at this time, but we will keep everyone informed as we go forward. Happy 2022 to you!
Teacher Academy USA: TTM-1
The Teacher Academy USA will host a virtual course for 2022 Winter TTM. Teacher Academy members will be awarded 20 TTM/Academy credits for this virtual course.
Understanding the Relationship Between Body Shape and Breathing.
Lecture: January 16, 2022. 1:00pm-5:00pm EST (4 hours, 8 credits)
The lecture component will examine the biomechanics of breathing and discuss what comprises “natural breathing.”
Four Practicum: January 23, 30, February 6, 13, 2022. 1:00pm-2:30pm EST (90min each class, 3 credits)
The practicum will apply all traditional forms of still practice (reclining, seated and standing) to the issue of body shape and flow of breath through the body. The focus of all practical exercises will be ways to instruct still practice for maximum benefit for the student and how to modify traditional postures of still practice to help all students achieve a more correct body shape in their practice.
Faculty: Holly Sweeney-Hillman
Registration is available on the IYFTTCA website.
For more information, please contact Mari Lewis mari@yangfamilytaichi.com
Footwork Positions
Klaus Kaysers (Associate Instructor in Köln, Germany) has created summaries of the end positions of the footwork in the Tai Chi Kung (10-movement) Form, the 13-Movement Form, the 16-Movement Form, the Essential Form, the Senior Form, and the Traditional Form. He kindly offered to share links to these summaries for our readers. Below are the Traditional Form (Section 1) and the 13-Movement Form. See our June 2021 newsletter for the Tai Chi Kung Form and Essential Form and our September 2021 newsletter for the 16-Movement Form and the Senior Form. A big thank you to Klaus for sharing his work!
Download links:
Traditional Form (Section 1)
13-Movement Form
Workshop in Rennes, Britany (France)
In November, we were invited by the CSGR Tai Chi Club for a 2-day weekend regional workshop on hand form and sword. The workshop took place November 20-21 in Rennes, Britany (about 330 km from Paris).
Huge thanks to Bernard Bruzeau, manager of the tai chi section and his great team, for a flawless organization. This workshop helped bring new energy and enthusiasm for Yang Family Tai Chi in France. Congratulations to him for allowing so many students to join us, who even came from remote regions of France. Compliments to the schools of Brest, Cherbourg, and Lyon for joining us in this workshop. Congratulations to all the students for the quality of their studying and their encouraging enthusiasm.
We are happy to have been able to share a teaching that everyone could draw on to enrich their tai chi.
We also visited the city of Rennes and enjoyed its gastronomy. Rennes has a reputation for being one of the top cities in France where life is good!
Duc & Carole, YFTC Paris Center
Ribeirão Preto YFTC Center - Brazil
From November 13-14th, 2021, the Ribeirão Preto YFTC Center - Brazil held a Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan meeting. In these two days they practiced and studied the Yang Family practices, 103 Hand Form, theory, and Tui Shou.
Center Director: Fernando De Lazzari
Online Tai Chi Lessons
Davi Garritano is offering online lessons to English speakers starting in January. He is a Gold Tiger (Ranking 6) Academy Instructor whose lessons count for credits with the Teachers Academy.
Email: davi.garritano@gmail.com
Journal Gem
"Pulling the Back: Exploring Yang Chengfu's Second Principle" by Edward Moore. Issue #41 (2017), pages 22-25.
This article can be found in our Members-Only Area on our website.
Contribute to Our Journal
Posting to Yang Family Tai Chi's Social Media Pages
Want to post news on Yang Family Tai Chi's social media pages? Yang Family Tai Chi would like to keep its social media pages updated with current information from the association, centers, and schools. Ana Horta is managing Yang Family Tai Chi's social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. If you would like to share news on Yang Family Tai Chi's social media pages, please send an email to Ana at anamaghorta@gmail.com.
VISIT YANG FAMILY TAI CHI'S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES
Join Our Association
Become a member of Yang Family Tai Chi! For more information about membership benefits and how to apply, please visit our membership page on our website.
Previous Issue
Did you miss the last issue of Connections? You can read it here.
Next Issue of Connections
Carolyn Fung, Editor
Connections is published in March, June, September, and December. We publish association news and school news (upcoming events, recent past events, awards, other news) but not general school advertisements.
The next issue of Connections will be published in March 2022. Please send any announcements to me at carolyn@yangfamilytaichi.com by February 19, 2022.
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