In Honor of Tao Style
In Celebration of 45 Years since the Founding of Tao Institute…
Some words to honor Tao Style: A method of Lightboxing (Internal Martial Arts)
On December 8, 1975, Sifu Paolillo established the Tao Institute’s first location in Rockland, MA. This became the official home to Sifu’s “System of The Eternal Tao” which was constantly evolving and changing over the years as Sifu gradually accrued all of the components that make up his system today. Through all of the years and evolutions, the one mainstay in Sifu’s training and instruction is his personal boxing style, which he calls the Tao Style: a form of effortless and natural movement that Sifu developed spontaneously from the earliest stages of his martial arts training.
Over the past 45 years, Tao Institute’s system has developed into a beautiful and deep system of Internal Kung Fu, seamlessly merging training methods from Chen Style Tai Chi Ch’uan, Dragon Style Baguazhang, Praying Mantis Kung Fu, Shantung Weaponry, as well as Tao style which incorporates aspects of all of these styles, as well its own advanced cultivation and training methods. Tao style practices and forms are used at all levels of the Tao Institute system — and Sifu is constantly adjusting and evolving the practices in real time as the years go by. He is extraordinarily focused on perfecting, and refining his system, for the betterment of student development — and his goal is a single-minded effort to lay the groundwork for students to perhaps, one day, achieve realization of the Tao.
Sifu has carefully constructed the Tao Institute system as a whole to contain traditional frameworks of the highest caliber. Even within those frameworks, he has worked tirelessly to translate the different languages of each style into a cohesive whole. A student who is learning experiences everything in the system as naturally connected, while also acquiring skills and understanding in a wide variety of Internal & External methods that are rarely presented under one umbrella.
As the system is structured today, Tao Style is the creative and natural transmission of boxing movement that all of the fundamental traditional frameworks lead up to. Tao style contains the principles and some stylistic components of these frameworks, and yet it also has its own distinct voice, language, and complexity. It is Sifu’s own free expression of his deep understanding and mastery of all he has learned, as well as that which is transmitted to him from a spiritual perspective. Tao style, in essence, is Sifu’s true legacy, and the work that everything in the system is built around.
It is quite difficult to explain Tao Style to anyone who hasn’t yet experienced it. In the martial arts world today, it is considered quite maverick to create your own style, and many who are aware of the more traditional side of martial arts and eastern spirituality approach such developments, particularly from Westerners, with dubiousness. This is understandable, especially in this world where many things are denigrated, restructured, and watered down to make them more palatable for Western approaches. As a practitioner who has experienced both traditional methods and Sifu’s methods for an extended period, I would implore any skeptics to please consider the possibility that, even in this age, true creative developments can emerge, and that such creations are a natural process of personal growth for a sincere heart and mind — as they were in the times of yore when many of the original styles were first transmitted.
The way that I like to think of Sifu’s creative work is similar to that of a great composer. There are countless gifted musicians and songwriters, who create beautiful music — but rare is the person whose work transcends the previous forms and genres, resulting in something unique, distinct, and timeless. In the martial arts world, I believe that Sifu Paolillo is this type of person. His constant study, practice, natural ability and strong, pure energy all culminate in an expression of movement and form that is exquisite, completely individual, and highly accomplished. The rare combination of extreme diligence, as well as love for the work and naturalness, are what make Sifu someone able to digest the training and spiritual work with deep understanding, as well as transmit a system whose forms present a perfect balance of martial application, freeform movement, and unique cultivation methods.
If I were to (try to) describe the signature of Tao Style, I would say it is freedom in embodiment. It teaches body & mind to be flexible, fluid, continuous, constantly rotating, surrounding, changing directions, and evading all while maintaining martial strength, grounding, and intention. Tao Style is extremely energetic, and the key to practicing it properly, and performing it well, is to have complete energetic and physical merging. The movements themselves follow a circular trajectory throughout the body at all times, so they are very natural for the energy body. The most difficult thing, of course, is freeing the physical body, building enough Qi, and connecting the Qi and the mind, which is the essence of all internal martial arts work. In Tao Style, it’s the key that unlocks deeper layers of freedom, mobility, and energetic acuity.
As of this writing, Tao Style’s curriculum currently contains several empty hand long forms, unique short qigong forms, 4 major weapons training, foundation qigong practices as well as several short “bridge” forms that assist students towards learning the fundamentals of the traditional styles in the system. Tao Style’s primary hand technique is Dragon Palm, Snake and Praying Mantis, while the footwork is drawn from Baguazhang and the principles of Tai Chi Ch’uan.
A large part of the Tao Style work in present day is focused on energetic application through martial technique, as well as utilizing soft, open hand movement to learn to project energy effortlessly through the body. Several forms within the style work interchangeably as interactive sets utilizing posts or the wooden dummy to train power and connection or working completely empty hand in a smooth and free manner. In my experience, Tao Style seems to emphasize a refined energetic intention and sense of flexibility — it’s as if it is designed to train a type of movement where the physical body is no object, from a realm where mind directs everything. As much as we students tend to lumber through everything with heavy, overloaded minds — there are glimpses of this effortless continuousness, and its resulting mysterious power.
In the heading of this post, I referred to Tao Style as “A Method of Lightboxing” — What exactly do I mean by this? The phrase “Lightboxing” came to me as the perfect description for what this work really is: A martial art that trains its practitioners to cultivate and utilize light itself.
“Light” in this definition, is our pure, refined spiritual energy and the “Boxing” is its direction through the clarified mind, and intention that is united with all aspects of the body, mind, and spirit. This is a type of boxing that is of the invisible dimensions, and also has the capacity to develop practitioners to heighten their senses of forces both seen and unseen. When I observe Sifu in brief moments of demonstration, this aspect of “light” can appear quite tangible to me. I would describe the Qi as condensed and bright — and its projection like lightning, which he directs effortlessly through his mind’s will.
Sifu’s transmission and expression of Tao Style, in this way, seems to me like a technology that pushes dimensional barriers, and shows the potentiality of humanity’s capacity to harness, and re-remember our ancient energetic abilities. Much like its historical predecessors in both the martial arts and world of Taoism, it is a perfect mirror to the spiritual circumstances of this time. How can we integrate? How can we become more embodied? How do we return?
Taoists have long been great scientists of consciousness. They are the protectors of the wisdom of Taoist Cosmology (Universal Law) and have continued to pass on their knowledge and new discoveries through time in unbroken lineages. Chinese Kung Fu, both in and out of temple settings, has also remarkably survived and evolved through incredible transformation through thousands of years. Without this great effort to keep lit an ancient flame, through the ages, we would be missing so much. This science of consciousness, of the invisible, and the creations that come of it, are essential to the next stages of our human evolution. They are like seeds that finally have a chance to sprout, after millennia in barren soil.
By this writing, I wish to sincerely honor this work that Sifu has done to carry on the flame, in his own way, from the East to the West, with a sincere heart. I truly believe it benefits everyone who receives it, and if I weren’t here, perhaps there would be no one to spend hours trying to find the way to describe it. To me, it would be a shame if Tao Style went unsung, or was swallowed by the sea of change. What Sifu has created with it, is, to me, a true gem in the canon of martial arts. And it would delight me to see his work better understood, and celebrated.
I expect that there will be much to share regarding Tao Style in the coming years. And I have hopes that it will continue to touch people’s lives — to help us remember what is possible, and to travel freely in this realm.
To conclude this article, Sifu wanted to express deep gratitude to his teachers, especially Grandmaster Chan Pui, who encouraged his creative work, and guided him extensively in the great world of Kung Fu, connecting him to many of the masters he had the good fortune of learning from in the Internal Martial Arts. Without them, he would not have been able to do what he has done, and he bows in respect and appreciation every single day for their kindness in sharing their knowledge with him.
Thank you, Sifu Paolillo. And Happy 45th Anniversary of the founding of Tao Institute.