The Inspired Teacher

Thursday, November 6, 2025

MMTCA November Newsletter 2025

Prof. Zheng Manqing, showing the perfect foot and navel alignment for Golden Rooster.

“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.”

~Richard Bach

November is upon us, the days grow short and nights are getting longer, and darker. A good time for reading, meditation, and going deep inside yourself with your practice. You are a seed, deep in the Earth…

Thank you to my subs during my Delaware Seminar, I always get good reports back on your teaching, and I’m grateful. Thank you, Margo, Julie, and Fred.

Thursday Hybrid classes start November 6^th. Here is the link and you will find the links regularly on my Patreon Page. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82282055017?pwd=La4FMOBq15lNbKJurldJNKFTUh7JbW.1

It is with a heavy heart and a grateful spirit that I inform you of the passing of my classmate, brother, friend, and medicine man/shaman, Robert “Bob” Klanderud. Bob used to drive me to St Cloud for class with Master Liang in the early 80’s. Bob was generous in sharing his knowledge about Native American healing and spirituality. I’ll see you on the other side Hoka Hey!

No classes on Thanksgiving, Nov 27^th , but there will be classes Saturday, Nov 29^th.

People have been asking me about astrology and getting their charts read. I recommend Karen Barton, my astrologer for many years. Call Karen and make an appointment to have your chart read, get a deeper understanding of astrology, and find out some amazing things about…YOU!

Karen Barton 612-819-8943

Paul Brennan translation= The Study of Xingyi Quan by Sun Lutang

https://brennantranslation.wordpress.com/2015/05/01/the-xingyi-manual-of-sun-lutang/

I don’t usually share videos of clips in the newsletter, but this one is pure gold! It gets to the difference between pushing and punching, something we’ll be exploring in Willow #4.This is from Joe Lewis, the pioneer of full contact karate and kick boxing, and a teacher par excellence. Grandmaster Joe Lewis founded American Karate and catalogued his extensive career as a professional fighter in a system that is being taught today, years after his passing. Learn and enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eYK7wtGi2wQ

Book suggestion= I’ve recommended this book many times. If you don’t own it, you are in for a treat! If you already have it, take it out and give it another read, you’ll be surprised! My suggestion is,

Tai-Chi Chuan and Meditation by Da Liu

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31353852039&dest=usa&ref_=ps_ggl_18382194370&cm_mmc=ggl-_-US_Shopp_Trade0to10-_-product_id=COM9780805240115USED-_-keyword=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17190383930&gbraid=0AAAAAD3Y6gvl-V55XTS72D_-SBNTc5BKL&gclid=Cj0KCQiAq7HIBhDoARIsAOATDxATLcSPmYGSnyOWpgNy3i6HNcw67fN7hxgdlB0bRzgV41C22xW2W2waAnP8EALw_wcB

The monthly Pushing Hands Zoom class begins Monday , November 24^th. I’ll send out an invite closer to the date. If you haven’t been receiving an invite, and want to be included, email or text me.

Niu Chunming, right, student of both Yang Jianhou and Yang Chengfu.

Thank you all for journeying with me on the inward path to relaxation, awareness, and self-discovery, otherwise known as Taiji.

-Sifu Ray

“Help us to be ever faithful gardeners of the spirit, who know that without darkness nothing comes to birth, and without light nothing flowers.”

~ May Sarton

Contact info

my phone- 1-218-341-9894

email= skrayhayward@gmail.com

my Patreon page= patreon.com/rayhayward

blog= rayhayward.com

website= mindfulmotiontaichi.com

Facebook= Mindful Motion Tai-Chi Academy

Ray Hayward Enterprises

YouTube= Ray Hayward, the Inspired Teacher

Mindful Motion Tai-Chi Academy

my books at Lulu= lulu.com/spotlight/Ray_Hayward

Instagram= Ray Hayward, or, ataoistsufitemplardruidviking

School shirts- https://www.zazzle.com/single_whip_chakra_tee-235016484610969225

My address,

5140 W. 102^nd St

#307

Bloomington, MN

55437

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Grandmaster Wang Ziping teaching his grand daughter the sword.

Friday, October 10, 2025

Another question and answer for # 8 of Master Liang's "musts."

Hi Sifu,

I'm curious about the explanation for number 8, "You must invest in loss".

I only have a vague sense for what this refers to. It feels broadly related to the concept of yielding and not focusing on/expecting immediate benefits. Is this the right line of thought? Is there a way to apply this "must" in the context of practicing the solo form for instance?

Thank you,

Peter

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your question. At first look I was going to give the simple answer of yes, Master Liang was referring to Pushing Hands and all that we gain from our losses and failures. He always said in the beginning, it was better to lose and stay relaxed, than win and be tense. My upcoming book on Pushing Hands goes into great depth on this concept. Now, your addition was most profound and unlocked insight into a deluge of losses in my Solo Form!

How many times have I lost my place? Forgot where I was in the Form sequence, or transitioned to a different/wrong section or part?

When and where have I lost my balance? When was my step heavy and uncontrolled, or I had to ground my foot without fully kicking? When did tension rise up quickly, cause me to gasp, and make me "fall up?"

Where did I lose my breath, or hold my breath, or interrupt my breath? When did I override my wise breathing center to force an exhale when my body wanted to inhale? At what point did I let my breathing become short, shallow, uneven, and in my chest?

What made me lose my flow, my smooth movement, my reeling silk? When did I stop, splice, or disconnect, forgetting to use my whole body?

When did I lose my meditation, my focus, my intuitive movement? What made me “wake up” and say, where am I?

Here’s one that really threw me, which forms, practices, techniques, training methods, and even styles, have I lost? I used to know the required 10 Hand Forms of Northern Shaolin. Now they are gone…

So, with all this loss, what’s my investment? When I lose my place, I try to find out what made me lose focus, or shift from meditation and intuition to conscious thought? I see if I lose my place at the same part of the Form, or what external distractions call me from my meditative state.

Losing balance, I can check to see if my alignment was off, or if I hurried before I was ready.

Using breath as a gauge or meter, I can see when my movement is harmonious and my breath becomes automatic and perfect, or if my postures are disjointed, jerky, and bothering my breathing.

The times I’m not smooth, flowing, or effortless, I can learn from them and see what is off in my balance, mechanics, concentration, etc. and make corrections and refinements.

I have now learned what meditation, focus, and intuition FEEL like, through those times I lost it in my Solo Form. I noticed how my sight changed from when I was in a meditative state and then came out to my rational, analytical mind. When I stopped looking inward, lightly gazing at my surroundings, to when I switched to actively seeing, identifying, and naming what was outside me.

As far as the forms, techniques, and skills I used to possess, I know they are deep inside and still inform my body, mind, and spirit in some way. I just might not be able to show or explain as clearly as I can my main practices and skills.

Thank you again for your question, feel free for a follow up!

Thursday, October 2, 2025

MMTCA October Newsletter 2025

"Low stance strengthens the muscles and bones, high stance shakes the enemy's soul."

~ Unknown

Glorious and luscious October, Rocktober! It's been such a great outdoor class and practice season, I hate to see it go! We are officially indoors starting in October, not because of the temperature, but because of the fading light. I will practice outside until hypothermia drives me inside...

We'll be starting both the Hybrid Thursday Night class, and the monthly Pushing Hands Zoom class, in November.

For our Taiji curriculum, starting in October I'll be covering some basics for the Solo Form, like alignment, relaxation, breathing, mindfulness, and unity. It's lung season so we'll review Taiji Qigong, and learn how to add the two sounds of Hun and Hah to the set.

Door Guard, Hah, with abdomen expanded.

Door Guard, Hun, with abdomen contracted.

Pushing Hands we'll do a review of Willows 1,2,and 3, and then dive into Willow 4. This is where we'll explore the free-style attacking for pushing, and the striking and self defense aspects of Taiji as a martial art. I'll teach this in a safe and friendly manner. Bring your notebook! We'll start the Wudang two person fencing form, continue with Double Saber drills, and press forward in our pursuit of the Sanshou sequence.

Xingyi will continue with the Five Fists and Spear, and introduce two partner forms. Bagua will continue with Basics and Qinna, complete the right side of the sword, and begin the Swimming Dragon Form.

Grandmaster Wai-lun Choi, Wild Goose Leaves the Flock, Swimming Dragon Bagua Zhang.

Dues and tuition will be changing in November. I'm redoing the "tiers" and will let you know about updates. Most of you will not be affected, but double check to make sure you are at the correct tuition for your attendance.

In class we were talking about the feeling, as opposed to the thought, of being in meditation. How do we know if we are meditating while doing the Solo Form? Do we think we are meditating, or are we feeling it? We also talked about seeing while in meditation, because we usually have our eyes open when we do Taiji. I have some charts to help you with the sight of meditation, how you see when you are in a meditative state. Look at the images. Is the picture moving or not? If it's moving, you are in your rational, conscious mind. If you can make it still, you are in your meditative, intuitive mind i.e. meditating. Try doing your Standing Meditation and Solo Form with this relaxed, gentle, inward gaze, and you'll feel your meditation deepen and your mind become still.

http://brainden.com/eye-illusions.htm

Book suggestion- Lone Sword Against the Cold Cold Sky by Adam Hsu

https://www.plumpub.com/Lone/LS_sale.htm

Thank you all for those wonderful classes at the river and the church. The eagles, a coyote, hawks, and Canadian geese were all welcome visitors as we moved gracefully, silently, intentionally, and rootedly through our forms and movements. Same again next year?