Ding in Tai Chi How to align your spine correctly in your Tai Chi practice. The principle Ding in Chen Tai Chi means maintaining a well aligned upright spine. It is sometimes described as: Imagine a piece of string is pulling you up from the crown on the top of your head. Elevate the crown…
Peng Jin in Tai Chi Peng jin is the primary principle in learning Chen Tai Chi. It is a whole body quality that times time, effort and patience to develop within your structure. Once established, it should always be present. When beginner students notice that their movements and structure looks different from their teacher, on…
Qigong for Parkinsons Disease Parkinson’s disease is a nervous system disorder where the nerve cells found within the brain that produce the chemical called dopamine start to die off. This leads to the many symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Main Symptoms Tremors Slowness of movement Rigid body / rigid movement Bladder and bowel problems Swallowing and…
I Forgot the Moves “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” – Bruce Lee Beginner students often get hung up on memorising the movements. This can make Tai Chi and Qi Gong a stressful and frustrating experience. Students often report…
Tai Chi for Heart Failure What is Heart Failure Heart failure is a chronic condition. When the heart muscle becomes damaged it is unable to heal itself, this results in blood/oxygen not pumping around the body as well as it could do. This creates stress on the body as it cannot function normally. Possible Damage…
Method Not Mimic Your Tai Chi Journey As a beginner when learning the internal martial art of Tai Chi or Qi Gong, it is important to learn how to move rather than just mimicking the instructor. Without guided and personal instruction, the movements become mere choreography. If you simply watch and follow your Tai Chi…
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…
Benefits of Smiling A smile is simple, effective and free. In Taoist philosophy the smile is seen as the gateway to health, happiness and longevity. The foundation practice of the inner smile draws on the simplicity of smiling into the internal body as a way to cleanse and balance the body. Read more about the…
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. This article explores Tai Chi and hypermobility joint syndrome and the health benefits of using…
Psoas Muscle in Tai Chi The psoas (pronounced so-az) muscle isn’t well known and yet plays a huge role in our bodies. It is the deepest muscle in the body and unlike most other muscles it lays buried. This muscle is vital for appropriate alignment/structure, full muscular range of motion and correct joint rotation. Location…
The Absence of Resistance The meaning of relaxation Through practice, effort and patience you can learn to release physical and mental tension. This helps to reduce pain and fatigue and increases the ability to cope. We are not designed to live in a tight body, it’s a nasty by product of modern life. What if…
Qi Gong Women Brighton Join us in May 2012 for Earth Qi Gong for Women workshops in Brighton with Sifu Tina Zhang Qi Gong for Women is a Qi Gong programme for Women’s health. It is based on the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine and classic Qi Gong (Chi Kung) to feed the needs of…
Living Well With Chronic Fatigue As a Tai Chi and Qigong instructor living with pain and fatigue, I cannot now remember a day without either. It is a difficult road to walk and one I wouldn’t wish on anyone. It’s an invisible condition that is often not recognised, validated or understood by society, doctors, employers,…
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…
