Stages of Awareness Beginner Chen Tai Chi Students When starting out as a beginner Tai Chi student, as you learn the movements and copy the instructor you begin to develop different levels of awareness. This article looks at common progression to expect when learning Tai Chi. The duration of time spent in one stage is…
Self Managing Chronic Illness Your Guide to Self Care “I’m not interested in competing with anyone. I hope we all make it.” By Erica Cook. This article looks at the impact of chronic health conditions on every day life and offers suggestions for ways to self manage alongside or outside of Western medical treatment. I…
Qi Gong Principles What Are The Key Concepts in Training Qi Gong is a term from the 1960s, historically known as Dao Yin, and is an ancient Chinese health preservation system dated 4-6000 years ago. Active Qi Gong is the widely known physical exercise system that is typically performed standing up or seated. Passive Qi…
Awareness in Taiji Qigong The fundamental aspects of training Tai Chi and Qigong are posture, awareness and breath. Awareness is important to train as you need to be present in your movements to be able to perform. Awareness is an expression of mindfulness as you maintain a point of focus for a sustained period of…
Cross Lateral Movements Connecting Left and Right Brain Hemispheres The Power of Natural Movements For fully functioning physical movements and motor control the whole brain must work in a co-ordinated way. There are 6 patterns of total body connectivity; breathing, core, spine, upper & lower body, body half and cross lateral. This article looks at…
Attending Group Tai Chi Classes Blending to Green One of my teachers passed on this method to me in my earlier days of teaching group Tai Chi and Qigong classes. This message is so important when working in any group environment, to consider and become aware of how you hold yourself. One aspect of Tai…
Emotions and Body Awareness For over-thinking, cyclical thinking and catastrophising when you get into a certain mindset it can be difficult to stop the mind getting carried away with itself. The mind will latch on to memories and stories from the past or it will make stories up about the future. Try this simple exercise to…
The Hips in Tai Chi The importance of aligning the pelvis and hips in your Tai Chi practice, to improve the quality of your Tai Chi movements and your ability to absorb and generate martial power. In turn, this aids your postural health, how well your organs function and your ability to breathe deeply. Aligning…