Yiu Style Tai Chi

Yiu Style

This document is based on classes presented by Grandmaster Ho Lo at the Tai Chi College of Australia, since March 1998. It includes the complete form, with corresponding notes about the techniques, health benefits, application and related philosophy, legend and history. It is with great pride, honor and fulfillment that I write this document. I cannot thank Grandmaster Ho Lo enough for being such a wonderful teacher, for his lifelong dedication to the art and especially for sharing literally all of its enriching and everlasting values and benefits with us all. Without Grandmaster Ho Lo these pages would be empty.

Tai Chi Chuan means the grand ultimate or supreme form of exercise. Yiu Style Tai Chi is based on Sun Style (being one of the four most popular Tai Chi schools in Chinese history), founded by Sun Lu-Tang (1861-1932). Lau Kam Tong later headed the Sun school in Hong Kong. Grandmaster Ho Lo is a disciple of Lau Kam Tong, and is honored to have received full private tuition from him. Lau Kam Tong suffered from throat cancer later in life and has now passed away.

Grandmaster Ho Lo has spent many years practising, analysing, teaching and refining this art. He has enhanced and perfected it, never swaying from the principles and philosophy upon which it is based. The movements of this style are natural, flowing and relaxing, creating a deep sense of inner harmony between the mind (yang) and the body (yin). This style is extremely soft, gentle and meditative making it suitable for all ages and especially apt to the busy, rushed and stressed lifestyle of current times. The motivation in doing this style of Tai Chi is to learn how to do deep breathing. Although the form seems basic it is nevertheless extremely meditative because the nature of the movements concentrate on calming the mind and warming the body. Through deep breathing the body is allowed time to re-adjust, rest and sink before doing the next move. Therefore the energy flow is uninterrupted and more complete.

Principles and Benefits of Tai Chi

When there is no more separation between ‘this’ and ‘that’ it is called the still-point of Tao. At the still-point in the centre of the circle one can see the infinite in all things.

Chuang Tsu, Inner Chapters (2, The Equality of All Things)

Tai Chi is about internal strength and is based on very profound Taoist philosophy and wisdom as found in the I Ching and the writings of Lao Tsu and Chuang Tsu. To learn Tai Chi without the philosophy and its history is like learning Tai Chi in black and white rather than in colour. Yin and Yang is the greatest philosophy of all, the beginning of the universe, two opposite particles, which evolve into the 8 Trigrams.

Heaven/Ch'ienBlock/Peng
Earth/K'unDrag/Lu
Water/K'anPress/Chai
Fire/LiPush/An
Thunder/ChenInward Wipe/Lieh
Wind/SunPull Down/Tsai
Lake/TuiElbow Strike/Chou
Mountain/KenShoulder Strike/Kuo

The Way gave birth to unity. Unity gave birth to duality. Duality gave birth to trinity. Trinity gave birth to the myriad creatures.

Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching (42)

Tai Chi is what life is all about. In doing Tai Chi we aim to continuously improve ourselves, maintaining brain creativity and a supple body, just as the universe is forever in motion. To do this we must move in a circular way, with minimum effort, yet maximum return. When you do Tai Chi the flow of energy mirrors that of the universe. The stars and celestial bodies are continuously moving. Human beings need to replicate the perpetual motion of the heavenly bodies in their minds and movement. For the energy to flow properly the knees must be bent and the mind must be with the thought, directing the energy. In Tai Chi, when one part of the body moves the other parts follow. If the body moves in a circular way and the arms spiral and twist, the hands will begin to feel warmer. Energy is conserved and yet the blood is forced to travel a longer distance as a result of the circular and spiral movement.

Human beings are soft and supple when alive and stiff and straight when dead… the trees are soft and fragile when alive, dry and withered when dead

Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching (76)

The secret to Tai Chi is seeking tranquillity in motion, which is represented by the pause between movements and breathing. When we pause we build little moments of calmness and so, as one practises the set they create more and more calmness through the consistent pausing.

Tai Chi is a long-term discipline and once you have learnt it you must keep practising it in order to achieve its benefits and results. By repeating what is good you will get positive results but you must keep practising. Positive actions lead to positive results. With regular practice, Tai Chi develops the self on three capacities (physical, mental and spiritual). Physically it improves your heath. Mentally it gives you peace of mind and clears the head. Spiritually it gives you wisdom of the soul. Without exercising our spiritual capacity our life seems incomplete. Tai Chi is about the body, energy, the mind and the spirit.

The basic requirement of Tai Chi is 36 movements. The 108 moves are made up of 3 sub sets of 36 movements. Heaven (set 1), Human Beings (sets 2 and 3) and Earth (sets 4,5,6).


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