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…
Meditation Myths There is a lot of misinformation about what meditation and mindfulness are, mixed in with unnecessary stereotypes and superiority. For many this puts the stillness practices out of reach. When I teach meditation and mindfulness, I strip away preconception, expectation and myths. Simplicity is the key. On a basic level mindfulness and meditation…
Building Resilience in 2021 Do not worry, this is not a blog post with a humble brag about how I wrote a novel during the 2020 restrictions or learned how to perfect the art of the soufflé. Nope, I’m the average Joe, and have been on a roller coaster. Like many other community teachers, the…
Tai Chi for Anxiety and Depression I am often asked will Tai Chi and Qigong cure anxiety and depression? Simply no. They are not a replacement for professional psychology, psychotherapy or talking therapy. If you live with anxiety or depression, it is advised to seek professional advice. Tai Chi, Qigong and Taoist mediation can help…
What makes Tai Chi an Amazing Exercise? Qigong and Tai Chi as Superior Forms of Exercise Instructor John Blue has a great youtube channel, with a friendly and informal style of teaching. His videos “explore some of the aspects of qigong & Taiji Quan that makes them incredibly superior forms of physical exercise”. As John describes:…
Tai Chi for Serotonin, Dopamine, Endorphins Serotonin is a naturally occurring substance (chemical neurotransmitter) within the human body. It helps to control our mood, emotions, thought patterns, learning and sleep by carrying signals in between the nerve cells (neurons). It is located in the intestines, within the central nervous system, the brain and in blood…
Compassionate Tai Chi Can Tai Chi and Qigong help you become more compassionate with yourself and others? Regular practice of the Classical Chinese arts helps bring about a positive change in personal health, happiness and longevity. The slow-moving exercises and stillness practices slow down the mind, reduce internal chatter and allow us to focus on the…
Struggle is Opportunity I would like to share this article ‘Struggle for Smarts’ written by Alix Spiegel with you all. The content of this article relates well to how we learn Tai Chi and Qigong. The main focus is that in the modern Western world, we tend to see struggle in the learning process as…
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 the organs, cultivate Qi and balance positive/negative emotions….
Recommending Homeopathy Healing Introducing Eileen Scullion As an advocate for natural health, I would like to share with you my experience and recommendation of Dublin based Homeopath, Eileen Scullion of Homeopathy Healing. Eileen also provides online/SKYPE consultations that are available globally. Find her youtube channel here. Eileen helped me combat and manage the symptoms or…
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…
Tai Chi for Better Health Tai chi itself does not heal, it’s 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…
