An Introduction to Yang Style Tai Chi
Yang Style Tai Chi like Chen Style is also beautiful to do, and to watch when performed well, although it is more subtle than Chen and doesn't usually exhibit the same dramatic releases of power.
Yang Lu Chan, the founder, spent much of his later life in Beijing, teaching around the Emperor's court, and his Tai Chi form evolved there, perhaps influenced by his friendship with the Baguazhang founder, Dong Haichuan who was also resident at court. This external softening of the form was continued further by his grandson, Yang Chen Fu.
It's beauty is in the basic quality and simplicity of its movements which are easier to learn and perform than Chen, especially for beginners, allowing the practitioner to focus more on his or her meditative 'fang sung' and internal energy flow. And it's more benefical as a health practice.
Yang Style movements at first glance often appear more linear than Chen.
They are in fact totally circular when performed well, forming a series of spirals that flow through the whole form. This is Tai Chi. The goal is not to break the Qi and instead allow it to build throughout the form. Hence the preference for longer forms like Yang 85 (108), with its repetitions of movement, creating strong resonances of energy.
The Yang Style stance can be high, medium or low. The pace remains fairly slow, even and gentle. The 'dan tian' moves less physically than Chen; its turning is performed on an energetic level (mind level) by high level practitioners.
Every movement should come directly from the 'dan tian', abdominal region, with the whole body moving naturally as one unit, one Qi, around it, all without using physical effort.
The origins of Yang Tai Chi are as a martial art just like Chen Style, but from the beginning there was more of an awareness of the deeper health and spiritual aspects as well, and it feels closer to Taoism than Chen.
The various members of the Yang Family and their students have emphasized different aspects over time and so there is now quite a diversity within Yang Tai Chi today.
Yang Style Tai Chi is easily adapted for people of weaker constitution and is accessible for the majority of people and as such, it is ideal as a practice for the recovery and maintainance of good health.
It is taught all over China in the parks, especially the '24 Form', but it is important to find a teacher who can teach the movement with internal Qi otherwise it becomes simply a form of dance, which provides benefit in itself but not to the full extent that true Tai Chi can provide.
The Traditional Form of Tai Chi taught is usually Yang Chen Fu's 85 (108) Long Form. 37 is a shorter version of this without the repetitions.
Modern forms of Yang have also been created in the last century. Simplified Yang 8, 16, 24, 40 and 88 are based purely on Yang Style, 24 being by far the most common.
Mixed Tai Chi forms have also be made: 32, 42 and 48, combining movements from all of the Tai Chi styles - 42 being the most common one used for Competitions.
Outside China, Chen Man Ching and his senior students also created many shorter forms to make Tai Chi more accessible for beginners.
The Long Form though, despite the difficulty in learning, is so beautiful to practice once you have achieved a reasonable level with it, that I really feel to encourage others to make the effort.
I say this as someone who has practiced the shorter modern versions, 24 & 42 for over ten years. They are useful vehicles for the beginning of the journey and for many people will provide fantastic health, relaxation and mind benefits and be sufficient for their lives, but for those with the ability, the Long Form is a road worth taking...
Yang Tai Chi Lineage
Yang Lu Chan was the famous founder of this line. His family home is in Guangfu, near Handan and so today Handan is still full of people practising high level Yang Style Tai Chi.
Yang Lu Chan's sons were Yang Banhou and Yang Jianhou. Yang Banhou was famous for his hard martial Yang style
Yang Chen Fu and Yang Shao Hou were Yang Jianhou's sons and they were both famous for their Tai Chi, although in the end Yang Chen Fu's contribution was more widespread.
Yang Jianhou's Tai Chi was strongly on the martial side, influenced by his uncle perhaps, big movements and fast FahJing releases of energy and he was known for trying them out on his students.
His style of Tai Chi might seem unfamiliar to most people learning Yang Style in the West today, but it is valid Yang Style Tai Chi and his disciples still teach in Handan and no doubt elsewhere.
Yang Chen Fu's contribution however was much greater. A true master of his art, it became more and more refined throughout his life and its outer appearance became softer and more gentle, creating what is now widely recognised as Yang Style Tai Chi.
He created what is now called Traditional Yang Long Form 85 or 108, depending on the numbering system used. Shortened versions of this have been created such as 37.
Yang Chen Fu taught very widely within China and so there are many good lineages of Yang Tai Chi in existance today both inside and outside China.