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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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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When things don’t go to plan…
I know of quite a few people going through a hard time at the moment – personally, and/or professionally – and life’s crueler events often seems to happen at this time of year, when in my part of the world at least, it’s grey, damp, and generally a bit miserable …
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Benefits of Martial Arts Weapons Training
There comes a point in the training life of every traditional martial artist when the shiny glint of a blade catches their eye and lures them into the temptation of training with traditional weapons. For me, it began with the ‘jian’, more commonly known on these shores as a Chinese …
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