Tai Chi for SAD SAD stands for seasonal affective disorder. Commonly talked about as the winter blues, SAD is a serious condition that affects many people over the winter months. Linked with the lack in our bodies of Vitamin D from natural sunlight, this condition can be hard to diagnose as the symptoms are similar…
Tai Chi for Cancer Over my years of teaching, I have had the honour of teaching many students who have cancer or are in recovery from cancer. Whether through private tuition in their own home, in my public community classes, teaching as a volunteer within cancer support groups, to teaching care-givers. Some of my students…
Tai Chi and Hypermobility Joint Syndrome As a Tai Chi Instructor I live with hypermobility. The good news is that Tai Chi, Qi Gong and Meditation are all recommended ways to help manage the symptoms of this connective tissue disorder. I changed career in 2010 to become a Tai Chi and Qigong instructor when my…
Why Smile to our Organs How much attention do you pay your face, hair and body each day? How many times do you look in a mirror a day? Do you know where your organs are in your body or what they look like? In a Western world obsessed with looks, appearance and the exterior…
Tai Chi Standing Zhan Zhuang – Standing Still for Powerful Health Zhan Zhuang is a powerful internal practice where a fixed posture is held for a period of time. It is the foundation of Tai Chi and Qi Gong training, and is rooted in traditional Taoist practice. By holding a posture in stillness you can…
Tai Chi for Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia is a non curable medical condition/syndrome that causes chronic musculoskeletal pain and fatigue in the muscles, tendons and ligaments. It is often misunderstood by the health service here in the UK, and effective treatment outside of long term pain relief medication is lacking. There is a natural approach to try,…
Tai Chi Trigrams How Taoist philosophy & the I Ching relate to Tai Chi Chuan practice. In Taoist philosophy, the 8 Trigrams are symbols of change found within the Book of Changes, known as the I Ching. Each trigram represents a unique set of characteristics; tai chi application, qi gong movement, natural identity, cardinal directions,…
Tai Chi for Chronic Pain Learn how exercise & meditation can ease the symptoms of living with pain. Chronic pain is continuous and can range from low-level aches to constant unmanageable pain. The source of pain can come from injury, illness, disease or disharmony. Pain is a signal that tells us there is a problem…
Tai Chi for Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) An auto-immune disease causing inflammation of the spine, vertebrae, sacrum and can also affect other major joints. The connective tissues; tendons and ligaments harden (ankylosing) where they attach to the bone.  At the later stages of progression, the spine can fuse together. Ankylosing Spondylitis Symptoms & Effects Fatigue Joint…
Tai Chi for Pregnancy Tai Chi and Qi Gong combine a well aligned posture with graceful powerful movement and deep breathing. Often referred to as meditation in motion, Tai Chi and Qi Gong can be practiced by everyone no matter age, fitness level or physical condition. Everyone can benefit from regular practice including mums to…
Help Reduce Stress Do you have a spare 5, 10 or 15 minutes today? What are you doing whilst the kettle is boiling? Can you grab 15 minutes of privacy? Whilst the dinner is in the oven can you take 10 minutes ‘me time’? You don’t always have to dedicate 1 hour to your daily…
Parasympathetic System and Tai Chi Learn how to activate the relaxation response and the vagus nerve with deep breathing, slow connected whole body movements and applied relaxation. First let’s look at the mechanics of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Together they are known as the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Stress = activation of the…
Tai Chi Stillness Principles Physical body alignment. FIXED STEP & STANDING POST TRAINING. As beginners Tai Chi can be seen as simple, yet aligning the correct posture whilst relaxing the body and breathing deeply can be quite difficult. As soon as you concentrate on dropping your shoulders, your lower back closes. Ok, try again…. as…
Doing One Thing Correctly Applying the Principles in Chen Tai Chi Practice Tai Chi Drills & Form Training. When learning the Tai Chi form and training drills, it is important to have a single point of focus, to do one thing correctly. This is active mindfulness. There are many principles and layers of learning, and…
Tai Chi for Arthritis Aiding Symptoms of Chronic Illness For people living with arthritis, Tai Chi and Qigong can be a great way to keep moving without impact whilst exercising the body in a gentle yet powerful way. The symptoms of arthritis can be debilitating, which makes approaching any form of exercise difficult to manage….