Rooting in Tai Chi One of the main principles in Chen Tai Chi training is rooting / grounding / sinking / balancing. This principle combines three concepts: Chen (pronounced chuen) which means rooting and sinking Qi to Dantian Zhongding which means central equilibrium, stable and balanced. Song which means applied relaxation. Without a root there…
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…
Not a Quick Fix Is Tai Chi or Qi Gong what you think? Lots of new students come into a class saying “I’ve always wanted to do Tai Chi, it looks so soft and gentle, with the wavy hands in the air.” People are drawn to the Classical Chinese practices for many reasons, and often…
Chen Style Warm Ups Joint Loosening Exercises Sharing with you a number of online resources for Chen style Tai Chi warm ups. There are a variety of joint and soft tissue loosening exercises that we start all of our classes with, warming up every major joint in the body prior to practicing Tai Chi and…
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…
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 Standing Zhan Zhuang – Standing Still for Powerful Health Zhan Zhuang is a powerful internal practice where a fixed posture is held for a period of time. It is the foundation of Tai Chi and Qi Gong training, and is rooted in traditional Taoist practice. By holding a posture in stillness you can…
Tai Chi Trigrams How Taoist philosophy & the I Ching relate to Tai Chi Chuan practice. In Taoist philosophy, the 8 Trigrams are symbols of change found within the Book of Changes, known as the I Ching. Each trigram represents a unique set of characteristics; tai chi application, qi gong movement, natural identity, cardinal directions,…
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…