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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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…
Forwards Clock
This is another good exercise for restoring mobility. I often do this after doing the sideways clock. This exercise focuses on opening the front and back of the body. Here are the teaching points for this sideways clock exercise. Notes…
Push
Push is a movement that looks easy but can take years to get right. It is used several times in the tai chi form but is also essential study for kung fu practitioners. The principles of push can be applied to a wide range of other techniques. Push is actually…
Single Whip
Single whip is one of the best known moves in tai chi I have seen single whip performed in many different ways. I use a variety of ways myself. Any of the four main arm circles can be used in single whip. The way I teach it here uses your…
Shake Out Your Tension
One of my main goals in this blog is to help your release the tension that is imprisoning your body and poisoning your mind. There are several different ways of doing so. One of these is to shake out your tension. In these posts you will learn to change the…
Tai Chi – Finding the combat function in the forms
Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art that has often been adapted to improve the health and balance of its many practitioners. Tai chi is best known around the world for its forms. These slow, beautiful, graceful, flowing movements are associated with calmness of mind and physical control. They are…
Possibly the most important move in Tai Chi – Raising and lowering arms
Raising and lowering your arms Every day we raise and lower our arms hundreds of times. Whether we’re picking thingsup, drinking a cup of tea, using a computer or driving a lot of our activities involve ourarms. Changing the way we raise and lower our arms can save us a…
Gain leg strength
As anyone who comes to my classes will know I talk a lot about leg strength. Basically, without strong legs you have no real support so your upper body will be full of tension to keep your weight off your weak legs. Strengthen your legs and your upper body can…
Principle Two – Move from the centre
In kung fu and tai chi, we always aim to make our movements balanced, efficient and powerful. A balanced movement is one where the forces involved are balanced throughout the body. At no point is the individual out of balance and vulnerable to counter-attacks. An efficient movement is one which…
Relax Deeper with Progressive Muscle Expansion
As mentioned in my book ‘Stress Proof Your Body’, one of the most popular relaxation exercises is called progressive muscle relaxation. A more efficient and powerful way to achieve the same level of relaxation, is not to tense then relax the muscles but to send a message from the brain for…
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…
Twisting power in tai chi and kung fu
There are only two main movements you can make that involve the entire body. These movements are the only ones that generate any real power. So every move in tai chi and kung fu that requires power uses one of these. The first is transferring your weight from one leg…
Wuji – The basic stance
The basic stance is a way of standing that keeps your body aligned with gravity, improves your posture and promotes relaxation. For most people, the way they stand is unbalanced. Tension in the muscles pulls their body in different directions 24 hours a day. Relearning how to stand has so…
The Cat Stance
The cat stance is one of the most used stances in both tai chi and kung fu. Yet when you first start to use it you may find it unstable and unbalanced – unlike a cat! Simply put the cat stance involves having all your body weight on one foot…
Transferring weight – one of the most crucial skills
In kung fu and tai chi there are only two movements we can do that have any real power. One is transferring your weight from one leg to the other. The other one is twisting your body at the waist and hips. Transferring weight simply involves moving your weight from…