Live Q&A with Sifu Adam Mizner

[@rumsbums3113]

probably listened to it 10 times by now... still finding new things... thank you for your work!

[@dwellontruth]

It took me being fortunate to have met a great Sifu to realize the wealth of information that is in this video. Many of this will pass over people's heads. Truly thank you for your insights.

[@almiller5711]

CanIusetaTaIChI stroke recovery?

[@almiller5711]

Can I use TaIchi for stroke recovery

[@chrisdell8576]

The most clear transmission of knowing the correct process for Tai Ji Chuan. I cannot thank you enough, even when I don't want to hear it sometimes :-). Love the analogue of the faceted diamond!

[@nonsensicalnonsense4260]

Your insights are so helpful, this is helping me with inner guidance 🙏

[@liamporter6243]

I have been going through a very difficult divorce and had a heart attack. listening to Adam has helped to heal my pain and suffering. I am profoundly grateful for these discussions. Tai Chi is healing my damaged heart, since I can no longer lift weights. Thank you.

[@MisterPartner.]

have will to strenght you heart man ! wish u the best .

[@davidryan7386]

look into hawthorne!

[@maduroholdings]

I just signed up for the online course so far week one I am really happy the exercises are a really good recipe for opening the body I've been doing hsing I bagua for 30 years and I love exercises seeing them as the foundation of the system and this set is definitely in the to three I have encountered

[@phuket.meditation]

Thank you for having posted this. Serves as a great reminder and a very valuable lesson. Good to see you do these, Adam :)

[@ulrichresch178]

thank you very much! I love your clear and down-to-earth way of teaching!

[@vitalyromas6752]

Thank you! Very informative format. It would be great if sessions like this happen some time.

[@sifuthomasbordon-petersen1126]

Thank you for sharing your wisdom...❤

[@cloudcave]

At 24:58 Sifu mentions the "taiji creature." My sifu would show me a form that I would then copy. I would say, "Like that?" And he would reply, "Sort of...something like that." A bit frustrated I would insist that he show me exactly what he wants and he would say that he did just show me, but I can't do it. I was doing a movement (he said) but it's not taiji, because I just wasn't there yet. Later, when I began to teach I expressed this idea as language. I taught that our bodies come to taiji speaking their own language and that they were here to learn another language and hopefully forget the language their bodies spoke when they arrived. The only way to learn taiji is to do it all the time . When walking, sitting, opening doors, lifting objects, etc. Just as when you speak another language, ALL the words are in that language, when we learn taiji, we "speak" it at all times.

[@jamduke]

Amazing statement on keeping goals vague! Especially helpful in this arena where the path is infinite and you can't know intellectually what it will be like when you achieve your goal!

[@verlyncraig]

Thank you so much for sharing this. I especially liked the parts on will and integrity. Much wisdom here.

[@rwijetunga]

Excellent Q&A Session. That you Sifu

[@TempleToursRedwood]

Loved your Q&A. With answer very similar to myself..& yes all master used to say is practice, practice and more practice & l agrèe to many people are put thoughts on visualising instead of reality .

[@kdnwen]

Thank you Adam! Genuinely, concisely, and practically stated answers to common questions. I look forward to the rest of the online training and interacting in the future.

[@koribrandt3419]

Thank you adam! I really like your no bull shit approach to answering questions. You also helped me a lot this video realize how much i was trying to combine methods and the failures in thinking that way. Either way this video helped a ton

[@jamesb6500]

Thank you for sharing your remarkable experience. I am grateful.

[@northwestpicker3551]

Very helpful and informative. I appreciate the clarity of your understanding and your ability to communicate it so clearly. Thank you for making this video! I look forward to seeing more in the future.

[@samsararjrip]

Hi Sifu Mizner, great Q/A! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and within this format. I'm just discovering Taijiquan, and through your system (no pun intended :) and this is very helpful in answering common questions that arise, and perhaps more importantly, for reminding me to resist the temptation to mix/alter training and veer down a wrong path. For this reason, I really appreciated and connected with your views on upholding the integrity to the method. Hopefully more Q/A to come, thanks!

[@cliffordlyon]

Thanks - enjoyed it. More would be great.

[@ytb460]

Standing and waiting for a bus is exactly what most do. Add on 6 directions and it becomes hard. I'd say that I spent about 10 years doing lazy standing and only a few doing real standing work but you can only do it with relaxing. It helped a lot of my health issues, got me rooted and I really progressed.

[@brianscott3622]

Thank you for your answers. Truly appreciate the causticity about "la la" practice versus real practice. Particularly enjoyed your perspective on the difference between standing post real work versus meditation.

[@massivezen7]

Enjoyed it very much, thank you Adam.

[@matreyia]

the more I practice the harder it gets. its very counter-intuitive.

[@yellostallion]

Very helpful. Thank you sifu Adam

[@danielzegeling]

I appreciated this talk very much Mr. Mizner, like most everything that i see you do on the net. Thank you. One thing though: doesn't it get to your head, sometimes, all this expertise?

[@nonsensicalnonsense4260]

You'll know you're in your head when it doesn't work.

[@markdonovan1540]

Thank you for dedicating the time to answer so many questions. I must admit that I didn't understand some questions or the answers, it was way above my level. However, the main thing I will take away from it is the analogy of the multi-faceted diamond in relation to mixing, I can definitely relate to that.

[@yogavibe2516]

absolutely brilliant

[@sergiohuneeus6453]

Thank you. Hope you vive us another Teaching in antier time.

[@primitiveways7183]

I'm so glad I found this

[@BWater-yq3jx]

1:04:49 Interesting and important last part about chakras vs dantiens ☝️🤨

[@HillardEarl]

@While tai chi and meditation share some similarities, they are not exactly the same practice. Tai chi is a Chinese martial art that combines slow, flowing movements with deep breathing and mental focus. It is often referred to as "moving meditation" because it promotes relaxation, balance, and harmony between the mind and body. Tai chi involves a series of choreographed movements called forms, which are performed in a slow and controlled manner. On the other hand, meditation is a practice that involves focusing one's attention and eliminating the stream of thoughts in order to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. It can be done in various ways, such as focusing on the breath, repeating a mantra, or visualizing an image. Meditation aims to cultivate mindfulness, reduce stress, and enhance overall well-being. While tai chi incorporates elements of meditation, such as deep breathing and mental focus, it also includes physical movements and postures. Tai chi can be seen as a form of meditation in motion, as it requires concentration and mindfulness while performing the flowing movements. However, meditation can be practiced in a stationary position, without any physical movements. In summary, while tai chi and meditation share some similarities and can complement each other, they are distinct practices with different focuses and techniques.

[@minituremarvels]

Hello Sifu Mizner, thank you for the opportunity. Could you please talk a little bit about the various methods for developing internal force in Taijiquan e.g Zhan Zhuang, Form practice, silk reeling etc and the pros and cons of each? If you had to choose one, which would it be? Thank you for your time :)

[@thenecrons100]

minituremarvels In Tai Chi Chuan, it matters the "whole" practice you do, not just the single exercises. If you practice correctly, the usefulness of each single exercise is gonna merge and mix with the others. One can do only form and do pretty good. Or he can do form, ZZ, silk reeling, meditation and do pretty bad.

[@anandshapira1]

excellent thank you very much adam

[@RickMatz]

I got a lot out of this. Thanks.

[@brianscott3622]

Crowley said "shut up, sit still, stop thinking, get out!"

[@brianscott3622]

Appreciate the food for thought you gave on "Chi" definitions.

[@gunfugames7430]

Do more of this. Is book ready for 2020?

[@danielskipp1]

Thank you for enduring ;)

[@StephenLuckingham]

I'm following the online course. I've not seen any pushing hands videos as of yet (in the middle of the form) ... but I'm curious. Will there be "sticking" drills? Having been a martial artist for 60 years, so I'm totally on board with repetition. I tell my students that the most popular word in Tai Chi Chuan is "Again." I get that. I did find one sticking drill with a jab on KZbin. Love it! My guess is that one would focus on just sticking, before going on to adhering, then joining, then following. In other words, gain some mastery over "sticking" first. Work on adhering in combination with sticking. Add join. Add Follow. Would this be a reasonable approach and if yes, will there be videos eventually that address each of these elements with corresponding drills? As you noted, do not mix exercises... so I'm hoping there is a methodical approach to "Stick, Adhere, Join & Follow." Is there? Thanks! -Lucky-

[@StephenLuckingham]

Cool... thanks!

[@lockedfn]

Cool, not far away, looking fwd to 2x man routeens. I've been stuck on wk23 for month now, there was a lot for me in that week

[@StephenLuckingham]

I'm assuming you mean you're not far away from the partnership drills at Week 29. At first, I thought you were implying that you weren't far away from me... but that can't be true since I've not disclosed where I do pushing hands. (For the record, though, I'm in Manchester, CT.)

[@lockedfn]

Yes I'm a few weeks videos away from partner drills. I'm across the pond from you in Cork Ireland 😁

[@notaot]

Totally off-topic, hi Lucky, you may remember me from Master Henry Wang's summer camp in 2000. Hope you're doing well, Greg

[@vb428]

When is the book coming out?

[@uscoast2coast]

Is there any update on the release of the book ?

[@simonegamberoni3022]

@@uscoast2coast in his last Q&A he simply said that it'll be ready when it'll be ready, for he writes only when he feels it's the time to write.

[@TaichiOsorno]

Adam, Is your book on 6 levels of song ready? When will it be?

[@beaglewong89]

Enjoyed the no nonsense and matter of fact response to questions. So much delusory mumbo jumbo has been planted in the minds of tai chi practitioners and some teachers encourage all this fabrication of nonsense. Thanks for not encouraging the nonsense and pointing towards groundedness and reality based training.

[@tmaeer5446]

43:00 - fascinating to hear about fun vs hard work

[@SnakeAndTurtleQigong]

🙏

[@Rankawino]

You said Pushing hands is to build power inside ....please refer to it...thanks sifu

[@arikarma]

thanks Adam.

[@taopaw]

See Bob Newhart's "Just Stop It!".

[@REANIMATOR067]

love this, adam Mizner, is great, but it's always buy my book or I can't speak to this, because it's too advanced... like say what you know man obviously people wont get it unless they practise it, so what's the harm?

[@congamike1]

I'm watching it again and still get discouraged by the broken audio stream. Please use a better internet connection for being live.

[@krystiak6527]

stop

[@Gieszkanne]

What do you think of the promissed longevity? Many Taiji masters dont get old only around 70 what is quite average or even under compared to "normal" people. Yang Chengfu even only get 52 and Yang Banhou 55 and Dong Yingjie 62. That is very strange and looks like there could be even some live shortening elements especially in some Yang Stiles. Some are using the reverse breath. Maybe it has something to do with that?

[@ytb460]

I know of some who got to be very old as they stored their energy. Using it in fighting probably reduces it and getting hit is damaging, even hitting someone means getting impacted back.

[@cloudcave]

I don't think that it has anything to do with the practices. It is a question of lifestyle. We like to idealize/idolize the masters and see them as individuals dedicated to self awareness and moral improvement. The sad truth is that many of them smoked, ate, drank and fornicated constantly. As their fame grew students would pay a high price to join a school just to say that so-and-so was their teacher when they may never have had a single lesson from the sifu. You can only eat dim sum and duck 3 times a day for so long before it takes a deadly toll on your health. Not to mention that syphilis and gonorrhea were major killers in all societies before the advent of penicillin. We see martial arts as a journey of self discovery and even awakening, but for almost all of the old masters, it was a profession. A source of fame and income and power. And we all know the corrupting influence of power. Power over your opponent, over your students and even over society can be an addiction that is hard to ignore. Even today, there is no lack of corruption and deviancy among many so called "spiritual leaders."

[@Gieszkanne]

@@cloudcave Do you know those mentioned masters life style? I guess you are just speculating. And you are even wrong with your assumtions. There many people who smoke and get old. The oldest women get 120 and smoked almost her whole life. Yip Man was a heavy smoker and get 79 even with cancer. So to get only 52 55 or 62 cant be explained by life style. On the other hand it is known that if you do energy work and doing somthing wrong it can mess you up very badly!

[@cloudcave]

@@Gieszkanne I must respectfully disagree with you. It is not even in question that statistically smoking reduces life expectancy and simply citing a few anecdotes of smokers who did live long doesn't alter that. Not to mention the intake of alcohol, fat, sugar and refined carbohydrates which you do not even mention. As for the lifestyles of the masters, no, I do not have direct knowledge of each of them, but I have read accounts of Yang Cheng Fu that are in agreement with my assumptions and one only has to look at photos of him later in life to see that he overindulged in food at least, if nothing else. Add to this my own experiences of many "spiritual masters" and martial arts masters that one can research today. Your example of Yip Man actually supports my assertion since according to all reports, he led a frugal and moral life, with smoking being his only vice. As for damaging oneself with energy work, I am not saying that cannot happen, but there is no statistical evidence for that. There are only anecdotes that are almost impossible to verify as no one has (to my knowledge) set up a blind experiment using "proper" and "Improper" methods to determine this. I am quite sure that we will never know why these masters lived relatively short lives: lifestyle or genetics, or energy work but I still think that lifestyle is the most likely cause.

[@Gieszkanne]

@@cloudcave "that statistically smoking reduces life expectancy" But not to 50 years of age! Cheng Fu ate a lot and he was obviuosly strong overweight but didn smoke. About both of the other I can only say that they where slim. But also here nobody dies with 52 just because he is overweight. I have seen some Taiji pedigrees and 70 is a common age. You totally ignore my point here. That the assertion that Taiji giving a long live is a myth. I take those 3 extremes only to point it out and that its maybe even unhealthy sometimes. "but there is no statistical evidence for that" just lol I just recently read a book of somone who vistits daoist and buddhist erimites in China. One daoist was blind and he asked how this happened. He answerd him that it was his fault because he did something wrong with energy work. That energy work can be harmful is a known fact under chinese. But you can just scientifically ignore it, like I ignore you ; )

[@leoramirez4024]

How important is relaxation and how is it done when your in combat by the way good morning and happy Thanksgiving

[@carlpostuma1469]

Thanks for giving me hope about this art being and actual fighting art, Not just something older people do in the park. Its gotten a bad rap because of that.

[@minituremarvels]

One more if I may; if someone cannot Fa Jing after a reasonable period of correct practice, what is generally missing (lack of force/jin, yi etc)? How long should someone be practicing a day to achieve a 'good standard' of Taijiquan. Thank you

[@thenecrons100]

minituremarvels Putting time limits did not show to be useful. It's important to focus on doing the practices correctly (form, Zhan Zhuang..). I can't say what is wrong precisely...but doing the exercises correctly and continuosly developing is THE basis to Taijiquan.

[@alejandrodragon9131]

Hello Mr mizner

[@minhduytruong9186]

hi sifu, could you please make clear this thing. we sink the to the dantien, it become full, and when we send chi to the opponent'body, at that time, the chi in dantien will be sent out and it becone empty or what? or we always keep the dantien fullfil with chi? thank you so much sifu.

[@sakulwud3986]

I am the one who learn Tai Chi, but I'm not good enough to go to fight. I feel bad that someone is saying that Kung Fu is fake.

[@briansprock2248]

So have you finished your book so that I can read about the six levels of song?

[@kaistigerboy]

Hi.Do you train anywhere in Australia. Thanks.Mick

[@alexfpower]

whew this vid had some technical difficulties.

[@garrygadsby5061]

The Will gives the Mind focus which then determines the outcome, both physical and Spiritual?

[@diosdadosantiago7566]

~~ Many Questions, with Good Answers, which the Questioners Can Not Understand unless They have Done, or will be Doing the 'Work' that will help them to comprehend. HA.. Perhaps, at a Later Date.. HA, again..! ~~ All these Questions and Answers can Fill a Book..---Therefore, Adam will be Creating more than One Book, more than one, I think, and still will Not Be the Gist of his Course Method. So.. Sign-up for the Monthly, and also 'Buy the Book'..! HA.' ~ Many of my Old Taichi School Comrades Criticise Adam on the basis of What He Charges for his Lessons/Information, and try to Denigrate him on that. I guess they don't remember Professor Cheng Man Ching admonishing that when one Starts Teaching Taichichuan it is a Valuable Thing, and one should charge or those Lessons.. HA !

[@BWater-yq3jx]

47:56 - 50:04 Gold.

[@selviskk]

Focus on the causes, not the effect 💥💣💫🤪

[@alejandrodragon9131]

Mr mizner. How important is Qi in combat? I mean if it's enough for a defense or even a duel. It is clear that the training is much more complete. You have said that Qi is the fundamental thing, but there are other elements that are also important, such as elusiveness or timing. My experience in martial training (and I have practiced both TaiChi and WingChun and contact sports) is that it is much more complex to carry out and that when the opponent moves constantly and hits you it is very difficult to respond with sufficient precision to the time to stay "stuck". To what extent can the Qi go beyond the physical? Do you know Sifu Ma Yue Liang? What do you think about his Qi capacity?

[@thenecrons100]

Alejandro Dragón Alejandro Dragón Talking about Qi alone is not complete. You are talking about a big number of skills, and one of the important questiones becomes: I have Qi...can I use it? Taijiquan let you learn how to interact using ALSO your Qi. But one important thing you are gonna learn, is HOW to use it. The skills regarding timing, elusvness, being able to abide to the opponent actions without being distracted, are included in the Taijiquan practice. And you can apply them, ALSO due your Qi. But you need to learn the skills present in Taijiquan. One of the skills is: mindfulness. Without it, abiding to the opponent interaction without losing physical and internal balance, is hard.

[@billyferguson6455]

When a Skilled Tai Ji Person Hits You with Qi or Internal Energy it Feels Like being Hit with a Building...Its a Nasty & Devastating Strike..Lethal..

[@alejandrodragon9131]

Have you practiced with sifu Mizner? Is It feel that?

[@billyferguson6455]

I have Felt Adams Awesome Power in 2 Workshops I Attended in Glasgow..I was Fortunate Enough to have a Number of Personal Practical Demonstrations from Adam in these Workshops..In a Friendly & Learning Manner of Course..I Got Corrections & Information from Adam that have had a Huge Impact on the Quality & Development of My Daily Practice..His Internal Chi Gung Teachings & Sung Gung Exercises have Changed by Body Dramatically for Health & Martially..He Managed to Drop the SUNG Penny for Me..SUNG is the Prime Focus of My Training these Days & My Shoulder Nest & Shoulder Area has Released a Lifetimes of Tension through his Direct & Clear Jargon Free Instruction Whilst Always Adhering to the Classics..I Have Suffered a Lot of Painful Practice Since Meeting Adam to Release My Shoulders...There was a Lot of Pennies Dropped for Me Under His Clear Guidance..Adams Stick Adhere Join and Follow Skills are Profound..I Am SUNG in the Brain Now & Almost Fanatical about it..My Own Teacher Hit Me to the Ground with Fajin Many Years Ago & Said..Are You OK..I Looked Up & Said..Wow..That was Like Getting Hit with a House..He Laughed & Said I Know..

[@ominae1]

When you release your book?

[@TheFreeba]

Trank you✌️🌈🍀

[@maduroholdings]

How interesting I finally found a formula of doing three workouts a day and Adam recommends one long one over a few shorter ones Clearly he know a great deal so I won't argue But I like my three workouts

[@DiscoverTaiji]

both ways are good ;)

[@taotaopai1136]

What if two masters go up against each other, will their force work against each other?

[@privacyghost]

Tao Tao Pai Yes with listening and song. Push hands would be idea competition

[@janedoe9940]

I wonder if anybody who has subscribed to his online course could answer me this - is the course suitable for say medical purposes. Meaning, if you are not interested in the fighting aspect of the martial art, but want to improve your energy flow and dissolve blockages etc. My knowledge of Tai Chi is mostly about forms, which can be done pretty much by anyone more or less fit. I guess what I want to know is what is the level of physical exertion and the duration of the exercises.

[@sakulwud3986]

fight fight in MMA or fight with Muay Thai Champion Show your taichi kung fu to be Real, Anyone can speak. Must show, I saw a lot said good. Made it bad,If you are truly good, show the world that MMA knows that Kung Fu is not a fake.

[@Iceman_mike]

It's not a fight art, it's a visual art

[@davidgeldner2167]

Not a real master at all.

[@Sheepamongwolves54]

Enter an MMA tournament. Better yet, go fight Silva, or even one of the Diaz bros. You would get drilled. Fast. Tai chi may be good for your health (even that's questionable as most all of the Yang family died in their 50s or earlier), but it is not even kind-of a serious combat art. Go test it. Prove me wrong.

[@DiscoverTaiji]

why? I make no such claims and don't care about fighting...

[@Sheepamongwolves54]

@@DiscoverTaiji Hence all of the combat skills nonsense you've posted, right? Even for health, Tai Chi is questionable. Most of the Yang family died in their 50s. If it was such a miraculous healing art, you would think they'd all have lived to ripe old ages. Self-defense, healing... it's really largely rubbish. Maybe good for the elderly who can't perform more strenuous exercise, but that's about it. And again, yes... you have repeatedly attempted to demonstrate the combat aspects over the years. To claim otherwise is disingenuous at best. But you do you, hoss:)