The Important Hidden Benefit of Tai Chi
It’s great to see new members flooding in this week, January always sees many new people join and start their tai chi journey with us. Remember that you can subscribe with 25% off annual subscriptions all the way through January. Just use the coupon code newyear2022 to claim your discount. …
Read More
Winter in Chinese Medicine
Winter is the most Yin time of year in Chinese medicine. The darker months are a time of looking inward, slowing down, resting, wrapping up, keeping warm, and eating nourishing foods. It is a time when looking after our kidneys is important. In Chinese medicine each season is associated …
Read More
Everyone Should Practice Qigong
I believe that everyone should do qigong. Young, old, and everyone in between. It’s the perfect activity and here I offer three all encompassing reasons why: Mind “You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realise this and you will find strength” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. Whilst social …
Read More
On Emptiness
Emptiness Emptiness is a core theme throughout the Tao Te Ching, it is the eternal and inexhaustible wellspring from which everything is derived. In Taoism, emptiness (Wuji) is represented by a circle. From Wuji the Taiji is derived and the polarities of Yin and Yang come into being. …
Read More
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 …
Read More
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 …
Read More
Release Tension & Heal Injuries
In Chinese astrology my sign is a dragon, which I have to say, is quite a relief. I’d be disappointed if the cosmic alignment had timed my birth in the time of a rooster or pig (no offence) – it’s a much better selling point for a martial arts instructor …
Read More
Staying Healthy at Work
I always remember as a child that at family parties, or other places where there were lots of adults around, that if I sneaked myself onto a chair, I’d soon have to give up my seat and retreat to the floor, so that the adults in the room could have …
Read More
Qi
Teacher: ‘Well done today everyone, great class! Does anyone have any questions?’ Student: ‘Yes, I was wondering, what is Qi?’ Teacher: ‘Good question. Have you seen Star Wars?’ Student: ‘Yes.’ Teacher: ‘It’s The Force.’ Being a man, and tai chi instructor, of a certain age there are two cultural …
Read More