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New Smyrna Beach Tai Chi Associate Wayne H. from Austin TX – Working on Proper Head Position during Qigong Practice

wayne and richard qigong breathing
A recent training with Wayne H. working on proper head position by using a single finger to assist the head straight back an inch or two, so that the neck rubs the collar. The ear, shoulders, hips and balance point on the feet are all in a vertical line, follow gravity down the body from the head to the feet. Imagine you’re standing on a mirror, your mind goes down into the earth as far as your imagination will allow.

Calligraphy Workshop a Success!

Ashley Liu and Jack Fox Calligraphy Teachers at JRRMAS
This Saturday, Ashley Liu and Jack Fox taught an intro to calligraphy class in Greenfield at the studio. Ashley Liu is visiting from China, where she works as an art teacher. She likes to teach foreign students calligraphy and other forms of Chinese art, so was excited for this opportunity to work with J.R. Roy Martial Arts Studio. The studio community showed strong support in turn to get this chance to learn calligraphy in Greenfield.
Calligraphy Workshop Students JRRMAS
The 13 students that attended this workshop learned the basic strokes, how to write 空手道 (Karate), and their names in Chinese. As expected of JRRMAS students, everyone put great effort and concentration into this ancient form of art and communication.

Like martial arts, calligraphy takes years of dedicated practice to master. However, as this was most students’ first time with a calligraphy brush, they got off to a good start! Ashley and Jack were duly impressed. Stay tuned for news about more classes this summer!

American Karate System rank evaluation Saturday May 9, 2015

Excellent rank evaluation in the American Karate System this past Saturday. 
Congratulations to all involved.
Black Belt Board (standing l-r):
Mr. Perham, Sensei Chaisson, Sifu Roy, Sensei Milcarek, Sensei Kratz, Sensei Reid 
Students promoted (kneeling l-r):
Mike – Purple Belt w/ honorable mention in sparring
Seth – Green Belt w/ honorable mention overall (basics, kata, self- defense and sparring)
Doug – Blue Belt w/ honorable mention in sparring
Malia – Blue Belt
Cheri – Purple Belt w/ honorable mention in kata
Tristen – Green Belt

From Harvard Health Publication:

“We need careful planning of our movements, decision making, reaction time, and attention,” says Brad Manor, PhD, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Mobility and Falls Program at the Harvard-affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston. “Staying mentally active is very important to avoiding falls.”
We depend on several body systems to keep us upright. The inner ear, which senses head motions, has an important role. So does the body’s somatosensory system, which relays the feeling of the ground beneath your feet. And, of course, vision tips you off to obstacles around you. The brain takes in all this information, plans out movement, and carries it out. “Balance is a complex system,” Manor says. “Especially as we get older, cognition becomes a big part of it.”
Manor and his fellow researchers are conducting studies to evaluate the balance benefits of tai chi, a form of exercise that involves moving gently through a series of poses. Tai chi improves balance because it works with both the mind and body.
You could also perform daily “standing balance” exercises. These include repeated moves that involve standing on one leg while gently lifting the other. A personal trainer can also help you learn a balance-improving routine.  
Maintaining mental fitness, remaining physically active, and practicing tai chi, qigong, yoga, or some other mind-body exercise can help you keep your balance and avoid stumbling. But if you do lose your balance, recovering requires muscle power. Power is the ability to exert force quickly — the kind of conditioning an experienced ballroom dancer uses to “push off” during quick steps and returns. Rapid, forceful exercises like hopping and side stepping help to build power. For beginners, classes or trainers are valuable to learn how to exercise for power safely.