Instructional and practice Seijaku videotape produced of Justin Stone

Seijaku made easier!

By Guy Kent

Seijaku is based on T’ai Chi Chih so it should be easy to learn, right? But where was the resistance on the first variation of Pulling Taffy – on the forward step, on the sideways pull, both? What were the preliminary movements and what was the sequence? Several times I found myself at a review class realizing I had forgotten portions of the movements – no matter how detailed I tried making my notes.

Abandon Hope! That is what I did a long time ago when learning Seijaku was an oral tradition – no book, no video – just an introductory class and then, if lucky enough, an accreditation for T’ai Chi Chih teachers. How could I ever get Seijaku down given limited opportunities for review and several false starts with my personal practice?

Hallelujah! Through much negotiation between Justin and Carmen (she can be persuasive) Seijaku has been captured on video and will be available through Good Karma Publishing! It is very exciting to now have an example to reference when questioning techniques about how best to practice. I found myself viewing the video with the same awe and excitement I remember when seeing Justin for the first time on the original T’ai Chi Chih video. It is great to see Justin practice and in this video he enthusiastically shares himself through teaching.

Justin’s cues and subtle reminders are a great aid in recalling and practicing Seijaku. Justin takes the viewer through complete instruction in Seijaku – what movements to include, where the resistance begins and ends and then finishes with a quick one repetition review. Hearing “Remember to sit down on the back leg” or “Soft, hard, soft” never grows old when needing reminders and visual cues. Justin is in his element as a teacher!

This video is not just for T’ai Chi Chih teachers. An advanced T’ai Chi Chih student can learn the “mechanics” of Seijaku from the video and probably get a good idea of what Seijaku holds. While it is always preferable to learn directly from an accredited instructor, the student in a remote location or a teacher needing a refresher will find this video indispensable. I highly recommend any serious student of T’ai Chi Chih order this video for their reference library. It is a priceless record of the tip of the iceberg Justin has made available to the world. As an added bonus Justin concludes with instruction in the Jing. If you haven’t learned the Jing or have forgotten it – here it is!

Making this video available involved a number of people. My thanks and gratitude to Justin for allowing Seijaku to be captured on video. As a community of T’ai Chi Chih students we need to thank Carmen Brocklehurst for her persuasiveness in convincing Justin to record Seijaku and her husband Brock for helping in the professional production of the video. (It was produced at the same studio that created the T’ai Chi Chih series on PBS). Finally, many thanks to the board of Good Karma Publishing for deciding to make this Seijaku video available to serious students. You can express your gratitude by ordering your copy today!