Below is our ever-growing collection of articles on Tai Chi, Qigong and health related subjects.
Many other articles are being prepared and will be available here in due course. These will include the full 37 step tai chi form, qigong practices, meditation skills, health advice and more.
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Finding your diaphragm
The single most important thing you do every second of every minute of every day is breathe. Your breath powers every cell in your body. It is intimately tied in to your emotional states and energy levels. The health of every single part of your body is utterly dependant on…
Find balance and be yourself
The world is full of competing forces – work pressures, family life, desires to conform yet stand out – yins and yangs that pull us this way and that. These create energy, and often turmoil in our lives. Taoists have spent many centuries exploring the interplay of forces, the yin and…
Increase your stamina quickly and naturally
Train hard, breathe easy I teach several kung fu classes per week. At the beginning of each is a warm-up and series of conditioning exercises which I lead. The students then follow me and listen to my instructions. Therefore it’s essential that I am not only able to perform these…
Stretch Daily
Stretching is an important part of conditioning to be fitter and healthier. Do you really need more reasons than that to stretch regularly? If the answer is yes, consider this. Imagine if you could have a bath in WD40. It would seep into all your joints, restoring them to their…
Expand Outwards
Whenever you feel any kind of fear, stress, anxiety or anything of the kind your body instinctively contracts inwards. This is a natural reaction that tenses your muscles ready for fight or flight. It’s like a tortoise withdrawing into its shell at the first hint of danger. The trouble is…
Nose Breathing
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…
Side to Sides
This is a my favourite exercise for dropping tension out of your shoulders and neck. It’s simple to do. Just remember to do it slowly and smoothly and let gravity do the work. Side to Sides Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width apart with legs straight and raise…
The key to vibrant health – The Rising Sun
The Rising Sun is the first of the true breathing exercises I teach to students. It is the first and most important of the ancient ‘5 Breaths of Tao’ Qigong set. The Rising Sun exercise can be done in many different ways. Each method trains something different inside you. The…
Empty Your Mind The Easy Way – Guided Meditation
I think pretty much everybody is aware of the huge benefits of meditation. It can leave you feeling so calm, relaxed and focused and has been shown to be as effective as taking a nap but takes just a fraction of the time. However, it’s also something that although most…
What Is Tai Chi? – A great exercise for all ages
Tai chi, or to give it the full name tai chi chuan (also spelled taijiquan) is not an easy art to quickly define. So what is tai chi? The Chinese term tai chi (taiji) refers to the universal balance of the forces of yin and yang. This is seen as…
Qigong – How to boost your health and longevity the Chinese way
Qigong (pronounced chee-gong) is a key element of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It has been practiced for thousands of years albeit under different names. The word literally means exercises that boost your natural energy. Qi – life giving energy and gong literally mean work or exercise. Qigong consists of various…
Descending Single Whip to Bend the Bow, Shoot the Tiger
These are the as yet undescribed movements of the final section of the form. Some of the pics below also feature the great master Professor Cheng Man Ching who developed this form and is widely recognised as one of the greatest tai chi masters of the twentieth century From single…
Fair Lady Weaves at the Shuttle – 4 diagonals
This is the longest single movement in the tai chi form and takes up most of the fifth section. The practitioner steps out to all 4 diagonals, blocks up and pushes outwards then draws his energy back in. The arms The arms are fairly easy to understand. From a ‘holding…
Brush Knee Left and Right and Low Punch
We already looked at the brush knee in Module 4. In this section it comes up again but includes a step forward and doing it on the other side. It’s followed by a low punch and then we go straight into Ward Off East and carry on as we did…
Snake Creeps Down
Snake creeps down (also known as descending single whip) is a move that develops leg strength, co-ordination, relaxation and awareness of your body weight. Your leading hand is the snake that retracts then slivers down the leg before turning upside down and extending forward. In the meantime your body moves…