Student Resources

Deception Training

Byadmin 25/09/202125/10/2021

Deception Training Body Language and the Mind Body Connection The relationship between Tai Chi, Qigong and meditation practice and how you hold yourself in stillness and movement. The Stress Response What does the fear, stress, anxiety, scared, afraid, discomfort or nervous response look like in your posture and movement? Posture: Hands are hidden or closed,…

Chen Style Tai Chi | Health | Qi Gong | Tai Chi Form | Traditional Chinese Medicine

Tai Chi Does Not Heal

Byadmin 12/08/202113/08/2021

Tai Chi Does Not Heal The ‘ask the teacher’ question this month is from an email I received which advised how Tai Chi: “healed my childhood knee problems and bad tendonitis in my arm, neither to return again, despite not continuing Tai Chi” and “Can it repair and strengthen ligaments that were injured or are…

Tai Chi Hurt My Knees

Byadmin 08/06/202116/10/2021

Tai Chi Hurt My Knees There are many barriers to starting something new, whether a hobby, new job or leisure activity. We are our worst enemy sometimes and our minds will throw up all sorts of reasons why not to do something. When we start something new, our minds will also try and dissuade us…

Summer Qi for the Heart

Byadmin 31/05/202114/08/2021

Summer Qi for the Heart Summer is an expansive time of year that is governed by the fire element and the heart in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Here are my suggestions for strengthening your heart in the summer months. The Heart in TCM The heart is a yin organ, paired with the small intestines, a…

Meditation Myths

Byadmin 28/03/202128/03/2021

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…

Spring Qi for the Liver

Byadmin 14/03/202114/08/2021

Spring Qi for the Liver Spring is a time of re-birth and new growth. A time for outward expression, like the first signs of plant life that burst out of the earth. A time for new beginnings and waking up. Spring is governed by the wood element and the liver organ in Traditional Chinese Medicine…

Healthy Breathing | Inner Smile Meditation | Meditation | Qi Gong | Traditional Chinese Medicine

Autumn Qi for the Lungs

Byadmin 09/10/202014/08/2021

Autumn Qi for the Lungs Autumn is a mellowing and contracting time of year that is governed by the metal element and the lungs in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Here are my suggestions for strengthening your lungs as the weather turns cooler. Lungs and Large Intestines in TCM The lung is known as a yin…

Posts

The Anti Guru

Byadmin 07/02/202025/07/2021

The Anti Guru I describe myself as the anti-guru. My role as a Tai Chi and Qigong instructor is not to elevate myself onto a pedestal, and to ensure that you as a student don’t elevate me either. I’m the average person, living the same complex life, experiencing through the same highs and lows as…

Posts

How Do You Do What You Do?

Byadmin 30/09/201925/07/2021

How Do You Do What You Do? This questions was posed to me by one of my students who lives with chronic health. She was aware of my health baseline, and asked how I do what I do as a Tai Chi and Qigong instructor. This is a great question. Delving deeper into her question,…

Chen Style Tai Chi | Qi Gong | Qi Gong Women | Taoism

Ask the Teacher

Byadmin 03/09/201922/04/2021

Ask the Teacher I’ve recently received a number of similar questions into my email inbox which I’ll be answering in next month’s newsletter. I thought this would make a great opportunity for you lovely folk to get involved. If you have any pressing questions about your Tai Chi training, or need some advice about your…

Chen Style Tai Chi | Chen Taiji Silk Reeling | Posts | Tai Chi Form

Tai Chi for Over Thinkers

Byadmin 19/06/201923/07/2021

Tai Chi for Over Thinkers For people that tend to over-think, the slow moving practices of Tai Chi and Qigong can be a great way to calm the mind, restore grounding and connection to our physical bodies. The Buddhists practice ‘nowness’, is what we call ‘mindfulness’ today, a single point of focus. Our Tai Chi…

Health

Health Baselines

Byadmin 31/03/201925/07/2021

Health Baselines Learning to Take Care of Yourself In my classes I often talk about exercising and training gracefully to your own physical baseline. This phrase comes from my teacher Casey Kochmer, from Personal Tao. Read his article on baselines here. We all have a unique health baseline, that changes with the ebb and flow…

Chen Style Tai Chi | Posts | Qi Gong | Tai Chi Form

Challenges in Tai Chi Training

Byadmin 20/12/201826/07/2021

Challenges in your Tai Chi Training As student, you can expect many challenges to come up during your training in a group class and your practice at home. Try to hold a positive approach, seeing challenge as opportunity. Tai Chi and Qigong are life-long practices, there will be times you are enthusiastic and highly motivated…

Chen Style Tai Chi | Posts | Tai Chi Form

Motivation in your Tai Chi Practice

Byadmin 20/12/201804/07/2021

Motivation in your Tai Chi Practice First let’s look at the difference between intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic Motivation This is when the urge to do something comes from within, for personal reward and personal joy without a goal in mind. You do it for the enjoyment and satisfaction of the activity. The source of…

Chen Taiji Silk Reeling | Qi Gong | Zhan Zhuang

Secret Tai Chi Training

Byadmin 13/02/201722/04/2021

Secret Tai Chi Training A lot of Tai Chi and Qigong students practice secretly out in the wild. What is this secret training and how can you add it to your practice? It’s being outside of your training space or studio, it could be somewhere in public or somewhere non Tai Chi related, in everyday…