Sifu Terry Dunn sends regular adverts for his ongoing community classes via his Substack newsletter. Subscribe on the following site in order to receive updates, including details about pricing and joining up:
terencedunn.substack.com
Below is an edited and adapted synopsis of all the four courses as presented on the latest newsletter.
A. WARM-UP MODULE: Each class begins with 40 minutes of classical Tai Chi warm-up and conditioning exercises that I have distilled from a vast repertoire of training methods acquired over the past 46 years from several traditions: Yang Tai Chi, Chen Tai Chi (Silk-reeling Exercises), the “Silk-weaver’s Exercise” (a Qigong form not to be confused with “The 8 Brocades”), the excellent and comprehensive Qing Dynasty Imperial Guard Exercises, plus several Liu He Ba Fa training exercises.
Then we proceed to practicing three essential Yang style Tai Chi conditioning exercises that I learned in the 1980’s from my first Tai Chi teacher, the late General Abraham Liu (a senior student of Prof. Cheng Man-Ching), which I still practice to profound effects and teach to this day: (1) “Wave Hands Like Clouds” done in bow-stances and in ma-bu (horse riding stance); (2) The 90º-pivoting “Play Guitar/Lifting Hands” exercise that perfects the sit stance or cat stance; (3) the smoothly alternating “Snake Creeps Down” exercise that traces the infinity symbol (a sideways “figure-8”) with the core of the body, which is so effective for developing flexibility, posture, balance, and total-body circulation, and essential for mind-body integration.
*These three essential exercises are taught in the first 45 minutes of both of my Tai Chi For Health dvds (the all-time best-selling Tai Chi instructional videos/DVDs in the English language since their release in 1989:
B. FORM INSTRUCTION: After the warm-up module, you will receive detailed, step-by-step instruction in the 60-posture Form created by my teacher, Grandmaster William C.C. Chen. My method of Tai Chi form training is based on first learning structure, and then learning flow. That is, each posture must be learned and correctly held as a standing meditation. Then we practice transitioning from one posture to the next to develop “flow.” IMHO, art is in--or is made in--the transitions. [*Transitional flow, btw, is what each of the essential 3 conditioning exercises in the warmup module develop.] Only when the sequential flow of Tai Chi postures becomes completely relaxed, frictionless and “muscle-free” does form practice become true “moving meditation” and the full health benefits of Tai Chi form become actualized. First structure, then flow. Mastery of the solo form as a moving meditation comes when the Tai Chi player can perform the form as one thought—and one no longer feels the body.
Once proficiency in the Form is attained, we delve into the second half of the Tai Chi journey: Push-hands (“Tui-shou”) practice, or fixed-step sparring, in which one attempts to unbalance and displace one’s practice partner using a minimum of physical strength (li). Push-hands practice teaches the subtle martial applications of the Form and how to apply Tai Chi’s “soft power” for self-defense. We practice the solo form to know ourselves; we practice Push-Hands to harmonize with our environment, to neutralize aggression and (with mastery) to win without fighting.
(1) Taoist Elixir Method (“Tao Tan Pai”) Qigong is a complete system of Taoist hygienics, martial art, hermeticism, and spiritual art that was created in Tang Dynasty and is attributed to Lu Tung Pin (Lu Deng Bin), the de facto leader of the 8 Taoist Immortals (saints). Tao Tan Pai Qigong is easy to learn, easy to practice, and will serve one for a lifetime. The TTP-31 Basic Meditations consists of 15 standing moving meditations and 16 seated meditations, all of which involve movements except three.
(2) Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Qi Meditations(“Fei Feng San Gung”) imparts tangible energizing and rejuvenating effects—and deep meditative states of consciousness— in surprisingly swift manner—within 30 to 45 minutes of practicing any combination of the 8 basic standing meditations or 24 seated meditations. The allostatic (restorative) effects of FP Qigong practice continues long after one’s practice has ceased.
The Flying Phoenix Qigong was created in 1644 by the famous Taoist, Feng Dao Deh (Feng Do Duk in Cantonese) of Ehrmeishan. The video below shows my spontaneous demonstration of the capstone moving meditation called “Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Chi Meditation,” which is taught in the fourth volume of my best-selling Chi Kung For Health DVD series that I produced in 2004. Once the choreography is memorized, it is performed with the eyes closed and at a speed three times slower than Tai Chi form speed.
View: https://youtu.be/LVWwrFObaUQ
A. Warm-up: We begin every class with this easy and healthful basic Qigong routine called “the Silkweaver’s Exercise”, which you can learn on your own by practicing to this Youtube video that I excerpted from one of my accredited Medical Qigong I course for Emperor’s College of TOM:
View: https://youtu.be/ojSjUDR2QGQ
**If you practice to this video this as homework and memorize the Silkweaver’s Exercise choreography, you’ll hit the deck “running” in all of my weekly classes and be able to attain deeper levels of relaxation, mind-body integration, physical comfort, emotional calm, and mental concentration during each class.
B. After warming up with the Silkweaver’s Exercise, we practice 50 minutes of the Basic Tao Tan Pai 31 Meditations (“TTP-31” for short), which in and of itself is a complete system of Yoga, compared to what has been taught in Yoga classes throughout the western world. We start off by learning a distillation of this series of 31 called the “Tao Tan Pai Short Form Power Yoga” consisting of the first four standing Meditations followed by the third of the 16 seated meditations (aka, Meditation No.18). This is a classical practice, not a recent advent or abbreviation—which I practiced daily every morning during my first four years of kung fu training—from 1976 to 1980. It is one of the most reliable and effective self-empowering yogic practices to elevate and organize one’s energies, and to instantly concentrate Qi flow to the hands.
We practice 4 to 15 of the standing meditations and 2 to 5 of the seated meditations in each class. By adding new meditations each week, we cover all of the 31 Basic Meditations of Tao Tan Pai in about 12 classes. This easy and yet profoundly healthful and transformative practice can be started by beginners in any class.
2. Proficiency in the Tao Tan Pai Short Form Power Yoga (e.g., Exercises #1, #2, #3, #4, and #18 of the Tao Tan Pai 31 Basic Meditations)—and familiarity with the overall sequence of TTP 31 Basic Meditations—as acquired through attendance of two 3-day TTP Qigong workshops at Eastover Estate over past 3 years, or 3 months of weekly community classes (12 classes).
2. Refinement of FP Long Form Standing Meditation
3. Lessons in advanced seated “Monk Serves Wine” FP Mediations
4. Advanced Flying Phoenix Qigong – 9 standing moving meditations
5. Tao Tan Pai Cane Form
6. Tao Tan Pai Monkey Form
7. Introduction to Preparatory Form of 8 Sections of Energy Combined
8. Introduction to “10,000 Buddhas Ascend To Heaven” Meditations
Terry Dunn’s Newsletter on Tai Chi, Qigong, Kung Fu &Healing
(Sifu) Terry Dunn's teachings & publications of Tai Chi Chuan, Tao Tan Pai & Flying Phoenix Qigong & related Ehrmeishan arts!--including updated schedule of Zoom courses. Click to read Terry Dunn’s Newsletter on Tai Chi, Qigong, Kung Fu &Healing, by Terence Dunn, a Substack publication with...
terencedunn.substack.com
Below is an edited and adapted synopsis of all the four courses as presented on the latest newsletter.
WEEKLY COMMUNITY CLASSES (Zoom-able)
I. TAI CHI FOR HEALTH - the 60-posture Short Form
Graceful in movement, slow in tempo, relaxed in fluid natural postures, Tai Chi Chuan is an ancient Chinese martial art practiced by millions throughout the world as a moving meditation for health, longevity, and self-defense. Regular practice of Tai Chi forms imparts many health benefits: improved circulation, respiration, flexibility agility, balance, posture, coordination, metabolism, bone and muscle strength, neuro-muscular coordination, immunity, and heightened ecological awareness. Tai Chi Chuan has also been accurately described as medicine, metaphysics, and psychology—all in the body of a martial art.Class Agenda
In this ongoing weekly class, I teach the popular 60-posture Yang Style Tai Chi form (pre-choreographed routine) created by my teacher, Grandmaster William C.C. Chen. You will learn the essential postures and body mechanics of Tai Chi Chuan that will give absolute beginners a solid foundation from which to further explore the art, while enabling experienced Tai Chi players of all levels and from all styles to advance their practice.A. WARM-UP MODULE: Each class begins with 40 minutes of classical Tai Chi warm-up and conditioning exercises that I have distilled from a vast repertoire of training methods acquired over the past 46 years from several traditions: Yang Tai Chi, Chen Tai Chi (Silk-reeling Exercises), the “Silk-weaver’s Exercise” (a Qigong form not to be confused with “The 8 Brocades”), the excellent and comprehensive Qing Dynasty Imperial Guard Exercises, plus several Liu He Ba Fa training exercises.
Then we proceed to practicing three essential Yang style Tai Chi conditioning exercises that I learned in the 1980’s from my first Tai Chi teacher, the late General Abraham Liu (a senior student of Prof. Cheng Man-Ching), which I still practice to profound effects and teach to this day: (1) “Wave Hands Like Clouds” done in bow-stances and in ma-bu (horse riding stance); (2) The 90º-pivoting “Play Guitar/Lifting Hands” exercise that perfects the sit stance or cat stance; (3) the smoothly alternating “Snake Creeps Down” exercise that traces the infinity symbol (a sideways “figure-8”) with the core of the body, which is so effective for developing flexibility, posture, balance, and total-body circulation, and essential for mind-body integration.
*These three essential exercises are taught in the first 45 minutes of both of my Tai Chi For Health dvds (the all-time best-selling Tai Chi instructional videos/DVDs in the English language since their release in 1989:
B. FORM INSTRUCTION: After the warm-up module, you will receive detailed, step-by-step instruction in the 60-posture Form created by my teacher, Grandmaster William C.C. Chen. My method of Tai Chi form training is based on first learning structure, and then learning flow. That is, each posture must be learned and correctly held as a standing meditation. Then we practice transitioning from one posture to the next to develop “flow.” IMHO, art is in--or is made in--the transitions. [*Transitional flow, btw, is what each of the essential 3 conditioning exercises in the warmup module develop.] Only when the sequential flow of Tai Chi postures becomes completely relaxed, frictionless and “muscle-free” does form practice become true “moving meditation” and the full health benefits of Tai Chi form become actualized. First structure, then flow. Mastery of the solo form as a moving meditation comes when the Tai Chi player can perform the form as one thought—and one no longer feels the body.
Once proficiency in the Form is attained, we delve into the second half of the Tai Chi journey: Push-hands (“Tui-shou”) practice, or fixed-step sparring, in which one attempts to unbalance and displace one’s practice partner using a minimum of physical strength (li). Push-hands practice teaches the subtle martial applications of the Form and how to apply Tai Chi’s “soft power” for self-defense. We practice the solo form to know ourselves; we practice Push-Hands to harmonize with our environment, to neutralize aggression and (with mastery) to win without fighting.
II. QIGONG FOR HEALTH FOR 1st RESPONDERS: FLYING PHOENIX QIGONG
Each class immerses you in two (not one, but two) authentic and powerful ancient Taoist monastic systems of Qigong that impart tangible and visible health benefits repeatable verifiable health benefits.(1) Taoist Elixir Method (“Tao Tan Pai”) Qigong is a complete system of Taoist hygienics, martial art, hermeticism, and spiritual art that was created in Tang Dynasty and is attributed to Lu Tung Pin (Lu Deng Bin), the de facto leader of the 8 Taoist Immortals (saints). Tao Tan Pai Qigong is easy to learn, easy to practice, and will serve one for a lifetime. The TTP-31 Basic Meditations consists of 15 standing moving meditations and 16 seated meditations, all of which involve movements except three.
(2) Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Qi Meditations(“Fei Feng San Gung”) imparts tangible energizing and rejuvenating effects—and deep meditative states of consciousness— in surprisingly swift manner—within 30 to 45 minutes of practicing any combination of the 8 basic standing meditations or 24 seated meditations. The allostatic (restorative) effects of FP Qigong practice continues long after one’s practice has ceased.
The Flying Phoenix Qigong was created in 1644 by the famous Taoist, Feng Dao Deh (Feng Do Duk in Cantonese) of Ehrmeishan. The video below shows my spontaneous demonstration of the capstone moving meditation called “Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Chi Meditation,” which is taught in the fourth volume of my best-selling Chi Kung For Health DVD series that I produced in 2004. Once the choreography is memorized, it is performed with the eyes closed and at a speed three times slower than Tai Chi form speed.
“Qigong For Health For First Responders” Class Agenda:
A. Warm-up: We begin every class with this easy and healthful basic Qigong routine called “the Silkweaver’s Exercise”, which you can learn on your own by practicing to this Youtube video that I excerpted from one of my accredited Medical Qigong I course for Emperor’s College of TOM:
**If you practice to this video this as homework and memorize the Silkweaver’s Exercise choreography, you’ll hit the deck “running” in all of my weekly classes and be able to attain deeper levels of relaxation, mind-body integration, physical comfort, emotional calm, and mental concentration during each class.
B. After warming up with the Silkweaver’s Exercise, we practice 50 minutes of the Basic Tao Tan Pai 31 Meditations (“TTP-31” for short), which in and of itself is a complete system of Yoga, compared to what has been taught in Yoga classes throughout the western world. We start off by learning a distillation of this series of 31 called the “Tao Tan Pai Short Form Power Yoga” consisting of the first four standing Meditations followed by the third of the 16 seated meditations (aka, Meditation No.18). This is a classical practice, not a recent advent or abbreviation—which I practiced daily every morning during my first four years of kung fu training—from 1976 to 1980. It is one of the most reliable and effective self-empowering yogic practices to elevate and organize one’s energies, and to instantly concentrate Qi flow to the hands.
We practice 4 to 15 of the standing meditations and 2 to 5 of the seated meditations in each class. By adding new meditations each week, we cover all of the 31 Basic Meditations of Tao Tan Pai in about 12 classes. This easy and yet profoundly healthful and transformative practice can be started by beginners in any class.
Tao Tan Pai Qigong catalyzes the Flying Phoenix Qigong, deeply enhancing and prolonging the healing effects of the latter.
But beyond this fact that Flying Phoenix Qigong induces a healing event in the practitioner that continues long after the practice of the Qigong has ceased and can also induce a healing event several hours after the practice has concluded, I discovered seven years ago—after practicing Flying Phoenix Qigong for 23 years and the Tao Tan Pai Qigong for 38 years—that the Tao Tan Pai Qigong if practiced prior to practicing the Flying Phoenix Qigong, acts as powerful foundational catalyst or “accelerant” that enhances the restorative effects of the Flying Phoenix Qigong and prolongs “normal” duration of the energizing, rejuvenating, and self-healing events activated by the latter. Hence the format of every class in this series is one hour of Taoist Elixir Method Qigong followed by an hour of Flying Phoenix Qigong.III. INTERMEDIATE QIGONG & BASIC KUNG FU
This course concentrates on the intermediate and advanced levels of the two rare and powerful Kung Fu/Qigong system— Tao Tan Pai (Taoist Elixir Method”) Nei Kung created in the Tang Dynasty and Ehrmei Mountain White Tiger Kung Fu, created in 1644 by Taoist monk Feng Dao Deh, and which includes Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Qigong, the medical qigong system and health safety “net” of Bok Fu Pai.Prerequisites for joining the Intermediate class have recently been adjusted—please note:
1. Proficiency in all of the Flying Phoenix standing Qigong exercises up to and including “Moonbeam Splashes On Water” moving meditation—i.e., proficiency in performing all the meditative exercises in Volumes 1, 2 and 3 of Chi Kung For Health DVD series. —i.e. you should have “Moonbeam Splashes On Water” moving meditation memorized and be able to do it and its breath control sequence from memory and with the eyes closed.2. Proficiency in the Tao Tan Pai Short Form Power Yoga (e.g., Exercises #1, #2, #3, #4, and #18 of the Tao Tan Pai 31 Basic Meditations)—and familiarity with the overall sequence of TTP 31 Basic Meditations—as acquired through attendance of two 3-day TTP Qigong workshops at Eastover Estate over past 3 years, or 3 months of weekly community classes (12 classes).
Class Agenda:
1. Refinement of Moonbeam Splashes On Water2. Refinement of FP Long Form Standing Meditation
3. Lessons in advanced seated “Monk Serves Wine” FP Mediations
4. Advanced Flying Phoenix Qigong – 9 standing moving meditations
5. Tao Tan Pai Cane Form
6. Tao Tan Pai Monkey Form
7. Introduction to Preparatory Form of 8 Sections of Energy Combined
8. Introduction to “10,000 Buddhas Ascend To Heaven” Meditations
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