Seem: T'ai Chi terminology for "I might be wrong." When you see this word it means 'guessing' why it's this way. It 'seems' the obvious reason. Nobody knows it all, you just do your best. Also used when name dropping.
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Hours: Often you will find T'ai Chi Students / Instructors talk in terms of how many years they have practised. How many hours you practise is a more realistic measure. You meet somebody who has practised the form for an hour a week for ten years they have practised for 520 hours. Somebody who does the form every day for half an hour will do that in three years. It's not unusual for enthusiasts to do an hour or two a day. Either way, it's what you enjoy doing that counts. Ten minutes a day is a reasonable period for most people to aim at.
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Root: This is gained over a period of time and can't be rushed. You imagine yourself lowering your centre of gravity. What you imagine eventually becomes what you feel and believe.
Stances: The form established by Yang Cheng Fu is 'Large Frame' though it can be performed in a high, medium, or low stance. The large frame postures are open and extended, simple and direct with body alignment maintained in movement. The movements are gentle, flowing and performed at an even speed. All of these characteristics make it the representative standard form for Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan.
Some talk of Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan being done in 'Small' and 'Medium' frame. Here's a qoute from Yang Jun on that question in 2004:
Question: "At the open house you mentioned small, medium, and large frame tai chi forms.
What can you tell me about these? For example, small frame 'brush knee' differs in what way from large or medium frame 'brush knee'?"
Yang Jun: "About your question, first I'm following Yang Chengfu Large Form. I have never practiced other forms. In Yang family after about 1930 has no one practiced small form even small form creator’s. Later generations they don’t practice it, they all learn Large Form. So I can't give you any more information about other forms."
They've Changed it: No. The longer view is here. They've Changed It.
How Come There Are So Many Versions Of Yang? Usually called Yang Style, anybody can create a T'ai Chi form, but it is all rooted in the Yang Family. The longer view is here. Yang Family.
Dan Tien (Also Tan Tien)
Lower Dan Tien (1) From a practical point of view, the centre point of gravity within the middle of your body. (If you had an imaginary thread running through your head and torso to that spot the idea seems you would be perfectly balanced if hanging by the same thread).
(2) A vast topic intrinsic to Chinese medicine and the location where it is believed the body's chi or vital energy is stored and distributed throughout the body.
There are said to be three Dan Tiens in the body.
The upper in the brain just behind a point directly between the eyebrows and corresponds to the Third eye. In Qi-Gong one is encouraged to concentrate the mind here and the Qi in the LoweR Dan Tien.
The middle in the heart.
The lower is described as being located 1.3 inches below the navel in the imagined centre point of the body.
The Yin Yang Symbol
Devised by the Ancient Chinese observing and measuring the shadow cast by an eight foot pole at right angles to the Sun. They found the length of a year was 365.25 days and divided the circle into twenty-four segments (not shown) and six concentric circles. These divisions represent the various seasons, Equinoxs and Solstices. After dimming the summer part from Winter Solstice the Sun chart looks like this (without showing the 24 segments). The two addded small circles represent a little Yin in Yang and vise versa.
