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…
Tai Chi Boosts Immune System In 2007, UCLA and the University of California, San Diego carried out medical research on adults over a 25 week period. The findings at the end showed that those participants who practiced Tai Chi three times per week had double the immune system response than the others. Science Daily published…
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…
What does Qi Gong mean? WHAT IS QI / CHI? There are many types of Qi within Taoist philosophy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qigong, Tai Chi, Feng Shui, astrology etc. Qi does not have a direct translation from Chinese to English where the concept makes sense with our culture or heritage. Qi is not a noun,…
Tai Chi for Better Health A method of slow movement that uses aligned body mechanics, applied relaxation and body awareness to help the functions of the body to work better. There are many health and wellbeing benefits that come with regular Tai Chi and Qigong practice. Collated here are a number of resources I have…
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 Seniors How Tai Chi and Qigong practice can improve quality of life for senior citizens. Tai Chi and Qigong are physical health exercises suited to any age, young or old. There are many health and wellbeing benefits that can help our seniors and the elderly. This article explores why it is appropriate 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….
