Eight Pieces of Brocade Qigong
One of the oldest and most famous of all qigong sequences is ‘Ba Duan Jin’, or ‘Eight Pieces of Brocade’, also known as ‘Eight Treasures’. Visit parks across China in the mornings and you’ll see individuals or groups practicing a variation of the form which has been passed down and …
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Routine, Reflection, and Readiness
As we slide into week two of isolation and / or social distancing it is beginning to feel like a new kind of normal and I am sure that I am not the only one who has slipped into a new routine that is making my ‘normal’ day to day …
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Time for a Rethink?
Yesterday I had kind of a surreal experience. My Mandarin teacher is also fluent in Spanish and has recently volunteered to translate between the hospital in Wuhan at the centre of the outbreak and hospitals in Spain, now so badly affected by the virus. During our lesson I spoke to …
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One Week In
It is a week since we had our first online lesson and my physical contact with the outside reduced significantly. I thought I would share how my week has been and where my thoughts are now. We seem to be heading towards the peak of the virus in the UK …
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Change, Adapt, Grow
We get so used to doing things a certain way and caught up in our routines or comfort zones that testing times such as the one that we are experiencing can be harder to get through collectively than they need to be. Witness those who cannot cope without life’s so …
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The Subtle Power of Qigong
It’s easier than tai chi and less physically strenuous than yoga. It builds a subtle strength and flexibility throughout the whole body and you feel great afterwards. Entrenched in Chinese medicine and having stood the test of time (5000 years by some accounts), Qigong might just be the perfect activity …
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The Best Anti-Anxiety Medication
It’s day three of what seems to be the new – temporary – lifestyle that we are all getting accustomed to. Actually I’m spending my days teaching, training, working on my laptop, walking the dog, eating, chatting with family and friends – pretty much the same as normal. Except …
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Kung Fu Beats Coronavirus
As a martial artist we spend a great proportion of our lives putting our bodies as well as our minds into uncomfortable situations and positions. Take my favourite exercise for example, the low horse stance (those who know me will not be surprised!). It’s the perfect example of physical …
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Jack Kerouac, Toilet Paper, and Finding Your Purpose
I haven’t written a series of blog posts for a while, the last time was whilst I was in China last summer. I was expecting to do something a little similar this summer coming but you know what they say about the best laid plans. So here we are, …
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Tick Tock Tick Tock
I really don’t like the sound of a ticking clock, I find it incredibly irritating and (as happened in my kitchen this morning as I had previously been enjoying a coffee) my conscious thoughts and the tick tock tick tock became synchronised and I swear it became louder with each …
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