Tai Chi Ball Workout Guide

When Pedro Martinez returned to Fenway in 2006 as a pitcher for the Mets, Boston honored him with a video tribute at the beginning of the game series, even though he was on the opposing team. The next day Pedro was the starting pitcher for the Mets, but he only lasted three innings, giving up several runs in quick succession.

My friend and student, Larry Lucchino, told me afterward that Boston had "killed Pedro with love." Too many emotions and memories had flooded Pedro's mind, and he was unable to perform.

I also struggled for a long time to take the forces of life that were coming at me and work with them, rather than fight them. When you fight the energy of the moment, you underperform. It is so important to learn how to utilize the energy coming at you, and direct it into something constructive.

That is what practice with the Tai Chi Ball is all about. The ball represents the energetic force of the world around you. The goal is to be like water, yielding, and then forceful. The ball is the energy being absorbed, and then used against itself.

As you go deeper into this practice, you see that this energy you are absorbing and returning can also be something life difficulties in life, or troubling emotions. You take the energy of these problems, and you turn it on the problems to help solve them.

Easier said than done, but here are the motions to practice:

"Grind": Move the ball in a circular motion in front of you, always keeping it roughly level with your navel, as if you were grinding it into a table. Begin with 15 circles in each direction.

Ahn Circles: Move he ball in a circular motion in front of you, always keeping it in-line with your spine, as if you were spinning it around on a big bicycle wheel. Begin with 15 circles both toward you, and away from you.

Advanced Motion, One Arm: This motion includes two circles, one under your armpit, and another above your head. Watch the video to see exactly how it is done. Begin with 15 circles, in forward, and then reverse. Then switch arms and repeat.

If you want to experience this yielding and utilizing forces exercise even more, also practice Centering with a partner, which deals with exactly the same principles.

Happy Stretching!

Advanced Tai Chi Ball Motion

To complete the series on techniques using a Tai Chi Ball, here is the advanced single-arm motion. Do it on both sides with a weight that you can handle, and good luck!

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Ahn Circles with Tai Chi Ball

Part 2 of our Tai Chi Ball Exercises incorporates the Ahn motion into the workout. Picture a wave in the ocean, crashing on the beach, and then lifting a boat out at sea. Then reverse it for the next set. These circles are considered the "intermediate level" of Tai Chi Ball exercise.

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Happy Stretching!

"Grind" with a Tai Chi Ball

This will be the first in a three video series for building strength and flexibility using a Tai Chi Ball. If you don't have a tai chi ball around, you can use a medicine ball, or even a toy ball or basketball. What is important is that you have something to help you visualize your lower energy center, and focus on your breathing.

Na - Sensitivity Training - Listening with the Skin

When doing Na, or sensitivity training, you want to go slow and try not to compete but to be a good partner. Close your eyes and learn to sense with the skin on your hands. Go slow and start with one hand at a time and over time move to two hands simultaneously. Once you are comfortable with the physical movements then try visualizing your lower energy center while practicing Na. After that, work on the visualization of the 4 gates breathing while practicing Na; you can start with two gates, the upper ones, and over time add the lower ones as well. When you advance even further, you can do Na training on two wooden blocks (still visualizing the lower energy center, of course!).

Taoist Bubble Visualization + Posters

The more intense the meditation and visualization, the more helpful these posters can be. For instance, the Taoist Bubble Visualization and Meditation is pretty complex. You don't only visualize a bubble of energy around your body, but also the flow of impurities out of the body, the absorption of healing energies into the body, and the blocking of negative energies from entering. This complexity is why I often have the energy bubble as the last part of a longer meditation routine.

A great way to make things simpler, and easier to remember, are these posters! There is a lot to visualize while you meditate in this form, so a poster on the wall or the floor that reminds you of the steps and the parts of the visualization can certainly be a big help.

This poster has more text, and reminds you of everything you need to know about the visualization. The other poster has fewer words, and may help you concentrate once you have the meditation memorized.

Good luck, and Happy Stretching!