Robert Chuckrow’s Youtube Taiji and Qigong Video Links

Robert Chuckrow’s Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dsfgnk4

The following videos (this page was updated on 4/15/25) are listed by subject in reverse chronological order:

Demonstrations of Forms

• Taiji-staff short form with Robert Chuckrow
• Taiji Broadsword Form with Robert Chuckrow
• Cheng Man-ch’ing’s Taiji sword form with Robert Chuckrow, c. 1991

Form Elements, Transitions, Principles, and Variations

• Coordinating Taiji-form movement with the cerebral-spinal flow
• “Centrifugal effect” again, swinging a teapot with water in it overhead
• “Centrifugal effect” in Taiji movement—its health and self-defense aspects
• Thoughts about fascia-engagement in Taiji
• Taiji principles applied to driving a car safely
• Han Xiong Ba Bei—why it is important in Taiji and how to achieve and test it
• Initiation of Taiji transitions as exemplified by that from “Press” to “Push”
• Shoulder tension: the problem, its cause, and its solution
• Cheng Man-ch’ing and further developing what we learned as beginners
• Cheng Man-ch’ing on doing the mirror image of the form—and others’ views
• Central equilibrium—its meaning and importance in Taiji movement
• Bending of elbows in those who do the Cheng Man-ch’ing style of Taiji
• A solution for elderly Taiji practitioners with limited leg-strength and mobility
• “Needle at Sea Bottom” and “Fan Through Back”—my thoughts
• Recognizing Taiji limits of strength and natural movement
• The energetics of the horizontal and vertical components of Taiji movement
• Placement of the forward foot in a 100% stance?
• A clarification of Cheng Man-ch’ing’s admonition, “Don’t twist”
• Adjusting Taiji stepping when space is insufficient
• The power of visualization: yin /yang of learning and refining Taiji
• The distinction between passive and active movement in Taiji.
• “Stepping like a cat” in Taiji movement
• A useful tool for learning and teaching Taiji movement
• Evolving from choreographed to natural Taiji movement
• Non-action in circular Taiji movement
• The turning of the head in Cheng Man-ch’ing’s Taiji Short Form
• Why drooping your elbows when doing Taiji movement is NOT advisable
• Knee, Ankle, Arch Alignment
• Finding the centers of your feet: important for stability and rooting
• Cheng Man-ch’ing’s and two other transitions from “Cloud Hands” to “Single Whip”
• Cheng Man-ch’ing on lifting the heel or toe when shifting forward or back in 70-30 stances
• Taiji stepping: heel first, toe first, ball first, or something else?
• Taiji stepping internals and externals: natural swing and optimal timing
• Macro and micro balancing of yin/yang in Cloud Hands stepping
• Learning Taiji in-person, on zoom, or from a video: comparisons of modalities
• Should Taiji practitioners do contractive exercises?
• Lapses in continuity of Taiji movement: reasons and remedy
• Cheng Man-ch’ing’s Taiji “Cloud Hands” stepping and other alternatives
• Cheng Man-ch’ing’s Taiji: “Four Corners” stepping
• Footwork in Cheng Man-ch’ing’s Taiji “Single Whip” (a foot is not a foot)
• An alternative transition from “Carry Tiger To Mountain” to “Roll Back and Press”
• Taiji images: their benefits and dangers
• Pelvis and sacrum—understanding and activating their independent movements
• Examining long-form transitions that Cheng Man-ch’ing simplified
• Cheng Man-ch’ing on not doing the mirror Image of the Taiji form. Not everyone agrees.
• A word that no Taiji practitioner should mispronounce
• Natural movement of punching arm in “Deflect Downward, Parry, and Punch”
• Taiji footwork modifications for those with limitations
• How to categorize Taiji movements for quicker learning and greater retention
• Importance of and demonstration of Yang Taiji “Beginning” movement
• Evolution of Wuji to Yin/Yang in the Taiji “Preparation” movement
• The most efficient way to learn from a video and why
• Maintaining balance, continuity, and non-action in Taiji stepping in Taiji.

Dong/Dang (move/swing)

• Dong/dang in transition into Cheng Man-ch’ing’s Taiji 37 “Close-Up”
• Hidden dòng/dàng in Taiji sword-handling explained and demonstrated
• Subtle (small-frame) dòng/dàng helping left-wrist rotation in transition to “Ward Off Right”
• Cheng Man-ch’ing on dòng/dàng (move/swing) in “Roll Back”
• Dòng/dàng in “Ward Off Left”—analysis, demonstration, and break-down of elements
• Dòng/dàng in “Single Whip”-analysis, demonstration, and break-down of elements
• Dòng/dàng (Move and Swing) for Achieving Non-Action in Taiji Movement
• Dòng/dàng (move and swing) of a pivoted rod in slow motion
• Exercises for recognizing optimal timing of shifting and turning (dòng/dàng).
• Dòng/dàng (move/swing) in stepping into “Brush Knee”
• “Withdraw and Push” dòng/dàng (move/swing) timing
• Dòng/dàng (move/swing) in stepping into “Punch”
• Augmenting dong/dang through an understanding of potential energy and kinetic energy

Nei Jin (expansive strength)

• “Expand and condense” in Taiji—explanation and demonstration
• Recognizing nei jin in Taiji
• Song and nei jin in Taij—their intertwined, paradoxical, yin/yang relationship
• Getting the most out of dòng/dàng—energetics of circular Taiji movement of arms.
• How to maintain internal strength (nei jin) in arms in Taiji movement
• What’s with “holding a ball” in Taiji?
• The song/neijin paradox and its resolution

Explanations of Sayings (Some From the Taiji Classics)

• Yang Cheng-fu: “In Taijiquan, the arms are very heavy in weight.”
• “In Taiji, the wrist is the second waist”
• Exploring the Taiji Classics saying, “When moving, there is no part that doesn't move.“
• “When there is up there is down…”
• The head is suspended from above; a weight pulls the tailbone down
• “In Taiji, the mind moves the qi, and the qi moves the body”
• Cheng Man-ch’ing: “In Taiji, a hand is not a hand”

Qigong, Neigong, Healing, Kinetic Awareness®, and Self-Massage

• Is it possible to “Breathe into an injury,” and if so. what might that mean?
• Nei jin—importance of attaining it, barriers to doing so, and exercises for achieving it
• Natural movement versus bullying the body
• Internal-Alchemy Qigong
• Jīng Wàn Húng, a Chinese medicine that every household should have
• Diẽ Dǎ Jiŭ, a Chinese medicine that I always have with me
• Ch’i Kung (Qigong) Basics.
• Robert Chuckrow's Meditative Stretching Routine
• Hanging Qigong—one of my favorites
• Cheng Man-ch’ing’s therapeutic knee Qigong
• Cheng Man-ch’ing’s vision-improvement Qigong
• Head self-massage • Head Qigong/massage: forehead, jaw, eyes, ears, scalp, teeth, and neck
• Jade-Belt Qigong-how I practice it and explain its benefits
• Standing dòng/dàng—A Qigong for health and martial benefits
• Self-healing—a unique view of how it works and how to do it
• Cheng Man-ch’ing’s Qigong for the meridians and acupuncture points of the hands
• My spine Nei Gong routine for better posture and balance and less pain
• Neck Nei Gong for extending and opening the seven cervical vertebrae
• Hidden tracing, stretching, and inner-washing of qi in Taiji movements
• Opening the chest, spine, and shoulder girdle using nei jin

Breathing

• Is it possible to “Breathe into an injury,” and if so. what might that mean?
• Natural vs reverse breathing-what I experience and explain physiologically
• Fat-Skinny Breathing as taught by Elaine Summers and Moshe Feldenkrais
• Some thoughts on breathing in doing Taiji
• Master TT Liang’s gift to me concerning breathing

Miscellaneous

• Being in the moment—not just in doing Taiji but when eating
• A Buddhist method for resolving negative emotional interactions
• Is a cane a feasible self-protection tool for seniors?
• Practicing or “doing” Taiji form
• Some ways of assessing one’s progress in Taiji
• Anxiety and depression: some causes and natural remedies
• How to moderate emotions that supersede their roles and thwart self-development
• Will sinking your Qi to your dantian protect you in any self-defense situation?
• Being in the moment in daily life—recognizing and cultivating it
• Being in the moment—its importance and how to achieve it
• Soft and hard vision—their differences and appropriate usage
• Is Taiji becoming too diluted?

Martial Applications

• Lesser-shown applications of “Rollback” and “Deflect Downward, Parry, and Punch”

Podcast Interviews

• James Chan Podcast Managing Emotions & Making Decisions: An Interview With Chuckrow
• Somatic Primer Podcast Robert Chuckrow: Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments
• Transformations, Episode 23 Dr. Robert Chuckrow | The Physics of Qi, Tai Chi, Neijin, Expansive Force
• James Chan Podcast Robert Chuckrow on Nei Jin and Dong Dang in Tai Chi
• James Chan Podcast Robert Chuckrow on Cheng Man-ch'ing and Tai Chi in the early 1970s
• James Chan Podcast Chuckrow on Song in Tai Chi
• Safest Family on the Block Balance for Longevity and Elder Care w/ Dr. Robert Chuckrow

Articles on and Information About T’ai Chi

Articles on Nutrition and Health

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