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 …
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The 5 Elements
The previous two blog posts in this Taoism series have explained the concepts of Wuji, and Yin-Yang. Respectively the unseen, unfathomable void from which all existence springs (Wuji), and the duality of natural phenomena which gives it its definition (Yin-Yang). Our next step in our journey of understanding Chinese thought …
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Spring is here!
In terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) we are now heading into the Wood element and this changing of the season from winter to spring brings with it a renewing of energy, a rebirth and a new beginning. Spring always gives me (for want of a better word) a …
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Mindfulness of Breath – a meditation in four parts…
Following on from my blog post of yesterday, where I wrote about the importance of a good breathing practice – here is a very simple meditation that I learnt when I used to visit the Brighton Buddhist Centre on my lunch breaks. Working in technology and computing, these lunch breaks …
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Breathing for Life
Of all the things which sustain us, our breath is one of the most vital. We can go several days without food and water, yet the world record for absolute longest breath hold is 22 minutes. This is an almost unbelievable time (by a world champion free diver) – but …
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Tai Chi Cross Training
Whilst Tai Chi is a wonderful activity to integrate into your life, there are – apparently – other things that people enjoy doing – so I am told! 🙂 For many people, tai chi becomes their sole activity and for them this is enough to keep active, healthy, fit, …
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Balance and foot strength – the benefits for martial arts and everyday life.
When we think of strength in the West, we will often imagine broad shoulders, prominent chest muscles and thickly set arms. Undoubtedly, such physical attributes will often infer a degree of physical strength but looked at from an Eastern mindset, it will appear top heavy, disproportioned and unbalanced if such …
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Tai Chi Verse for World Book Day
Thursday March 1 is World Book Day, so I thought it a great opportunity to share some of my favourite writings on the art and philosophy of tai chi. While there are a plethora of tai chi related books out there to choose from, there is one that I come …
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The Rare White Crane Tai Chi Style
Most modern styles of tai chi trace their development to at least one of the five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu (Hao), Wu, and Sun. At White Crane Online, we teach a rare White Crane tai chi form, originating from the Fujian province in south east China. White Crane Tai …
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