How to come naturally to the experience of meditation. Meditation is the process of conscious, controlled focus of the mind which may take place when the thinking processes, both in pictures and in words, have quietened down. It is not a trance state, a sleep state, nor a state of nothingness but [...]
To enjoy life, you need to practise! Developed according to theory, thought, philosophy, science, mathematics and the laws of nature, the joy of practising t’ai chi is being able to suddenly unlock a secret. I feel extremely privileged to have a beautiful garden. On an early spring day, I stand there ready to [...]
It is like painting a canvas of oneself: if one practises on becoming healthy, one will become healthy; if one practises on letting go of tension and being relaxed, one will become softer; if one practises on letting go of negative thoughts and habits, one will become optimistic and constructive. At the same time, one [...]
Many conditions that would be restricted in most exercises can actually be improved by practising t’ai chi. Health is much more than the absence of illness. It is a positive, harmonious state of vitality, a state of integration, a wholeness of oneself and in the whole world around. T’ai chi can teach to take health [...]
Often, the beginner will first feel a sensation, an internal energy, in the hands and fingers. The hands are the expression of our qi in The Form, acting similarly to a barometer. For the correct expression the hands must be relaxed, soft, full, subtle and comfortable but not limp. The three basic positions in the [...]
The art of t’ai chi is often described as a flowing river; the fluidity, power, adaptability and softness in water are all qualities we try to emulate when practising t’ai chi. Flow is continuity without interruption from one move to another, as if reeling silk from a cocoon, there are no obvious endings or beginnings. [...]
Before we can engage with the world around us, we first need to know that it is there. Most of us are aware that our senses filter, interpret and censor our experience, boiling it down to something limited and familiar enough for us to deal with but we do not fully realise how little of [...]
T’ai chi is represented by the ubiquitous symbol, a circle divided into two curved shapes of equal size, one being yin, the shadowed dark part (Earth), the other yang, the light part (Heaven), and together they form the Whole, outside of which nothing exists. The fall and rise of the graceful wave-line [...]
The internal inspiration and insight of t’ai chi are found in the spiritual practices of Taoism that has been integral to the philosophy and culture of China for thousands of years. According to this perspective, living simply, being quiet and observant and willing to move with the flow of things promotes harmonious life, living the [...]
The I Ching (‘I’ signifying change or clarity, and ‘Ching’ a book written by a sage) or The Book of Change, the principle text of Taoism,[1] may be the oldest book on earth which “holds the time-tested value of responding to the needs of mankind”.[2] Through a collection of commentaries on 64 [...]
