Tai chi developed as a martial art and most of the moves still have the potential to be used in combat if you know how to use them. Most teachers don’t but I’ve trained in the Chinese martial arts for 40 years so I know them well. None of the moves of tai chi are more obviously martial than parry and punch Parry and punch does exactly what it says […]
It has been said many times that the best way to practice tai chi is to select one movement and repeat it over and over again. Don’t do this mindlessly but focus on relaxing down, finding the connections between the parts of your body, focus on your balance, breathing and the movement of energy. Any movement will do but ideally it should involve a transfer of weight, a turn of […]
You are born full of life and energy but it is blocked inside you. So you grow old depleted of your vitality In the early morning and parks and woodland across China you will see people of all ages exercising. Many of them are doing the slow, rhythmic movements of tai chi but others don’t seem to be moving at all. They are as still as the trees around them. […]
Many people turn up to my classes worrying that they won’t be fit enough or flexible enough. Within a very short space of time they realise those things don’t really matter. The biggest problem they have, that everyone has, is with coordination. Coordination means getting your arms and legs to do what you want them to do. Almost every movement I teach is a whole body movement. That means you […]
While performing the form there are many elements you can focus on. Each one will bring new insights into how to perform it in the most effective ways. There are many other elements you could focus on which you’ll learn as you progress. Just focus on one or two at a time. To view this post in full you’ll need a Basic Level membership. This will give you access to […]
There is no fixed way of doing any movement in tai chi. Different schools teach different variations of them and this move is a good example. In many schools that teach this form the move we call sink weight is known as shoulder barge or shoulder strike. The body is twisted to the left and there is a strike with the right shoulder. This is equally valid but I find […]
Squeeze and pull down is a surprisingly challenging move. This is because all your weight needs to be on your back leg throughout. From a defensive perspective it is most commonly used to seize your opponent’s arms and pull them down onto your unweighted right knee. .From an energy perspective you are compressing energy in and sinking it down your weighted leg into the earth. How to do it Throughout […]
Now you understand the concept of yin and yang better you’ll realise that in tai chi we aim to create movement and energy by making different parts of the body yin or yang. Yin and yang arms mostly refers to the position of your elbow. A yin elbow is sunk down, It feels heavy and this pulls your shoulder down and helps root you more firmly onto the earth. It […]
Sting once sung ‘Every breath you take, every move you make’. I love that song and it reminds me of 4 qualities that will make our breathing and movement effortless and powerful in so many ways. Soft, Slow, Smooth, Sink These are the four golden rules of breathing and movement. Make each breath and every move soft, slow, and smooth and sink it down. This requires focus. This turns the […]
Although it is possible to use either your nose or your mouth for breathing the nose should always be your first choice. The air that we breathe is full of pollutants which can be very damaging. Your nose has small hairs which filter the air before it reaches your lungs. When you breathe through your mouth the polluted air goes directly into your soft and vulnerable lungs and the pollutants […]
This is a lovely exercise for gently restoring mobility to most of your joints. I do this several times a day. Particularly if I’ve been sitting down for a while or am feeling tired and stressed this exercise can restore balance and vitality in under a minute. Exhaustion is almost always accompanied by greatly increase muscle tension. You’re tired because every muscle in your body is tight and are fighting […]
In kung fu and tai chi you learn to direct the force of your body through the centre. This is your waist and hip area. Yet it is often full of tension. Most people spend a lot of the lives sitting down and when they walk their walking habits are unbalanced and lack grace and aliveness. All of this creates tension in the muscles surrounding the hips. This exercise is […]