The Magic Tortoise Taijiquan School
100
Day Program
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ANNUAL 100-DAY PROGRAM |
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Follow through on your New Year’s resolutions! There is a tradition in internal arts that even seemingly unattainable goals become possible in 100 days of concentrated training. Our 100-day program, open to all, is an exercise in individual discipline with community support. Program participants set a small number of goals, and devote the traditional 100 days to their fulfillment. There are only two meetings: the organizational meeting held on a weekend near the start of Chinese New Year, and a final wrap-up celebration near the 100th day; both meetings are optional-- remote participation via email is fine. At the first meeting, all participants are arranged in a "circle of tortoises" according to similarity of goals or other criteria. Once the circle is set is set no further registrations are permitted, so reserve your place in the circle early by sending the $25 commitment fee to “Magic Tortoise,” c/o Dr. Jay Dunbar, 15 Timberlyne Road, Chapel Hill NC 27514, or bring it to the first meeting. Contact Dr. Jay at drjay@magictortoise.com for specific dates, etc., in the current year. |
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Inspiration. There are numerous references to 100-days, for example, in the Tai Yi Jin Hua Zong Zhi (“The Secret of the Golden Flower”), a book on meditation and life attributed to Lü Dong-bin, writing in the 9th century: “Only after a hundred days of concentrated work is the light real; only then is it the fire of spirit.” (tr. Cleary, p. 17) “If you practice in this way for two or three months, the realized ones in Heaven will surely come to attest to your experience.;” (p. 37) “On the whole, to set up the foundation requires a hundred days...” (p. 49) “A hundred days is [a lifetime, and] also a single breath.” (p. 50) “The hundred days is just a matter of empowerment: gain power in the daytime, and you use it at night; gain power in the night, and you use it in the daytime.” (p. 50) “The hundred days setting up the foundation is a precious teaching...” (p. 50) Features and Purpose of the Program. The program consists of a meeting at the start of the 100 days, a gathering at the conclusion for assessment and celebration, emails from the team coach, a “power-of-three network” for mutual support, some options for group meetings and practice, payment of a personal commitment fee, and personal practice. Our aims are:
Meetings. Players who wish to participate but cannot make the first meeting must call or email Dr. Jay before the first meeting and send in their commitment fee. At the first meeting we discuss the program in detail, participate in goal-setting, and establish the “Power-Of-Three Network.” A final assessment meeting will be held on a weekend close to Day 100. At this meeting, we will share our experiences of the training and witness the accomplishment of team and personal goals. Team Goals. Two team goals have been selected by the team coach as representative of the training required for gongfu : superior achievement which is the result of effort expended over time. 1. Chin To Toe: from an upright position with one leg bent at the knee, fold at the hips, and touch the chin to the toes of the other straight, outstretched leg (the "hundred day stretch").
2. Dantian Toss: lying supine, toss a penny one vertical foot off the abdomen. These goals may seem difficult, but they are not impossible. The process of practice on any of them may produce unanticipated gains in other areas of life. Individuals probably should select one team goal to concentrate on exclusively. Personal Goals. Participants must file a statement of personal goals with the team coach at the start of the 100 days. However, personal goals are just that. Individual team members may formulate their own goals based on their own vision, needs, and desires. It is better to pick only one or two personal goals so that the effect of the 100-day focus may be more strongly felt. They may be intangible (“begin a meditation practice,” or “eat less sugar”), or they may be operationally defined; that is, their accomplishment is verifiable by objective, measurable criteria. “Lose 30 pounds,” for example, may be easily verified by weight checks at the start and conclusion of the 100 days. Any participant in the program can witness and attest another participant's accomplishment of a personal goal. Some personal goals from the 25 participants in the first 100-Day Taiji Program were:
There is plenty of room for creativity. The 100-day program is a blueprint for personal discipline. To paraphrase Stephen Mitchell's Tao te Ching, “Let it be present within you. You can use it any way you wish!” The “Power-of-Three Network”. A “buddy system” for mutual support and inspiration is integral to the cohesiveness and success of Team 100. This system will not utilize the standard pairing of couples, but will rely on groupings of three: a “power-of-three network.” TEAM GOAL 1: CHIN-TO-TOE, THE "HUNDRED DAY STRETCH" Chin-to-toe is a well-known but rarely achieved stretch in Chinese wushu circles. It has been the especial legacy of Guang Ping Yang Taijiquan, which was brought to America by Grandmaster Kuo Lien Ying in 1965. Master Henry Look, a senior student of Kuo, tells the following story of Yang Ban-Hou, son of the founder of Yang style, Yang Lu-Chan: One day, Ban-Hou, on his way to the Imperial Court [where he taught a modified form of his Taijiquan to the Manchus] walking past the Royal Horse Stable, observed a young stable boy practicing the same Tai Chi forms he was teaching nightly in the Royal Garden. He confronted the boy as to how he could know this style of Tai Chi so well. The stable boy, named Wang Jiao-Yu, confessed that he had learned the forms by spying on his teaching nightly. Grandmaster Kuo Lien-Ying required this accomplishment for teachers in his lineage. Another account of this stretch from the Guang Ping lineage: Today, Dr. Y.C. Chiang in El Cerrito CA is the recognized leader of the fifth generation of masters of Guang Ping Yang Taijiquan. Before he was accepted as a student, he was required to achieve Chin-To-Toe in 100 days. Before meeting Grandmaster Jou, Tsung-Hwa, Dr. Jay Dunbar studied Guang Ping for three years, travelling to San Francisco in 1976 to study with Grandmaster Kuo Lien-Ying, who introduced the Guang Ping style to America in 1965. Most people who hear of this stretch do not believe it to be possible. “The legs are longer than the torso!” they exclaim. But with the proper method, it is possible. (Master Shi Zheng-Zhong, executive coach of the Taipei Kuoshu team, visited one of our classes and demonstrated this stretch. He was in the Triangle area as a guest of Henry Lai.) How do we go about achieving the 100-day stretch? When asked if he gave any special instructions for the stretch, Master Henry Look said, “I just say what Grandmaster Kuo said: 'If you can touch your chin to your toe in 100 days, I'll teach you something special.'” For some, apparently, this was sufficient motivation: all five students to whom he issued this challenge achieved it in 100 days or a little over. Shifu Nick Gracenin, of Sharon PA, who was at one time able to demonstrate chin-to-toe and can still demonstrate forehead to toe, gives the following advice: Stretch various parts: dorsal flexion of the ankle for example, and the three parts of the hamstring by stretching with the foot turned in, straight, and turned out. Shifu Gracenin also suggests three things are required in making a little progress every day:
Here is some advice on point one, above: “correct method”:
TEAM GOAL 2: DANTIAN PENNY TOSS
SUGGESTIONS TO REINFORCE DAILY PRACTICE
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