Fixed vs Growth Mindset What kind of Tai Chi student are you? If you were to divide the population down into two types of learning styles, you could use the fixed vs growth mindset approach. Read through the characteristics of each, which mindset do you feel you are most like? In reality, it is not…
John Blue Snake and Turtle Qigong Instructor John Blue from SnakeAndTurtle.com has a new youtube channel and Patreon page dedicated to sharing healing qigong movements and meditation teachings. He is an experienced qigong instructor with a Master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is a lineage holder in Taiji Quan, Qigong and meditation. He lives in…
The Art of Pacing What does pacing mean and how can it benefit you as a life philosophy? Pacing is generally the opposite of how we have been conditioned and brought up. We live in an ever increasing fast paced and demanding world. It’s no wonder stress is one of the most silent and untreated…
Qigong Wall Squatting The Qigong wall squat is a dynamic whole body movement. An ultimate squat that develops leg strength, power, balance and body awareness. The stretching and relaxing wave like motion in the spine gives circulation a boost, helps the body detox and massages your internal organs to aid their functioning. As a beginner…
Types of Meditation There are thousands of types of meditation and mindfulness practices, varying from stillness to movement. You can be seated, standing, lying down, walking, dancing or doing. When starting out with meditation, practice a very simple method like pausing or focusing on the breath, daily or every other day if possible for small…
Online Tai Chi Testimonial Learning Chen Tai Chi via Zoom Dated January 2022 This online Tai Chi testimonial is written by one of my Chen Tai Chi students, who studies privately with me via Zoom. He came to my classes during lockdown after searching for a Chen style teacher that would teach online. “Nicola is…
Learn a variety of breathing practices that aid health, relaxation, focus and grounding. In ancient Eastern cultures breathing is seen as fundamental to life-long health. Oxygen is vital to a healthy mind and body. Learn how to bring more oxygen into all body systems, how to switch on your natural relaxation response and how to improve toxin removal from your body. It’s all in the breath!
Learn to Breathe Well for Life In ancient Eastern cultures breathing is seen as fundamental to life-long health. This has become lost in the modern world, leaning more on pharmaceutical companies to provide us with ‘better health’. Learning to breathe more effectively can have a profound effect on how the systems in your body function….
For students wishing to purely study from the Tai Chi, Qigong and Taoist meditation video course and audio resources in our school library. The Mountain Patreon subscription tier gives access to our video and audio resource library. Watch via video on demand anytime on any device. Livestream recordings are in 1080p HD.
Slowing Down in a Fast World If you consider your daily routine, what tasks and activities do you do at speed? I don’t mean sports where you deliberately train fast for aerobic exercise and strength and conditioning training. I mean everything from chores to work, to speaking and movement. If you observe your pace, you…
Deception Training Body Language and the Mind Body Connection This article looks at deception training and the relationship between how you hold yourself, the stress and relaxation state, and how Tai Chi and Qigong movements can help. The Stress Response What does the fear, stress, anxiety, scared, afraid, discomfort or nervous response look like in…
I found this poet on social media, and the poem had such an impact on me that I wanted to share John’s words with you. The relationship between his poem and our Tai Chi and Qigong training is quite profound, not much renders me speechless these days, and this poem did. I hope you enjoy…
Tai Chi Does Not Heal The ‘ask the teacher’ question this month is from an email I received which said that Tai Chi: “healed my childhood knee problems and bad tendonitis in my arm, neither to return again, despite not continuing Tai Chi” “Can it repair and strengthen ligaments that were injured or are weak…
Fang Song in Tai Chi One of the most important Tai Chi principles is fang song = applied relaxation. To use the least amount of muscular contraction to perform a movement. Which means to release inappropriate muscle contraction, to loosen the joints and to reduce physical tension. I describe it to my students as the…
Tai Chi Hurt My Knees There are many barriers to starting something new, whether a hobby, new job or leisure activity. We are our worst enemy sometimes and our minds will throw up all sorts of reasons why not to do something. When we start something new, our minds will also try and dissuade us…