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Blog – Writings on Tai Chi, Qigong & Fitness

Promising News for Parkinson's Disease and Tai Chi

There is increasing evidence to suggest that tai chi can have a positive impact on many symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Which symptoms? Read on to find out.

Learning and Remembering Forms

Learning a tai chi or qigong form takes conscious effort. A weekly class is great, but you still need to put in some homework if you want to actively learn the forms.

Falls-Prevention Footwork – For Tai Chi and Life

Poor balance is a common complaint amongst my tai chi students. We all know that tai chi will help improve balance, but how long does that take? Too long!

On Learning Standardised Tai Chi Forms and being a 'Collector'

There are great benefits to learning standardised forms and I have stumbled on to the best of them.

Research into Tai Chi and Qigong

A collection of articles written for the WTQA Newsletter on Research into Tai Chi and Qigong:

Research into the Ba Duan Jin
Participation Levels in Martial Arts

13 Fundamental Techniques of Tai Chi

The 13 Fundamental Movements of Tai Chi Chuan include 8 hand forms and 5 foot forms – whole body movements really.

Together

What a joy it is to return to class and reconnect with our tai chi buddies. We’ve spent a large part of 2020 with very little human connection, and where there was connection, it was over Zoom or Skype.

Relax, Don’t Collapse

We can relax when we're supported by our skeleton, supported by the appropriate muscles working efficiently, & supported by good technique.

The Delightful Daoyin 12-Movement Qigong

The Daoyin 12-Movement Health Qigong is an absolutely delightful form to practise. I’ve re-recorded it and in doing so really delved into the theory of the form much more than I did when I first taught and recorded the form.

Rah! Pounce! Flap!

The Five Animals Qigong, Wu Qin Xi, is the perfect form for Covid-19 isolation and lockdown. We can prance and lumber around our lounge rooms without anyone else seeing! Add to that the wonderful benefits of the movements and the focus required and you have a wonderful antidote to spending too much time alone on the couch.

Tao Yin Qigong – Celestial Version

The Tao Yin was probably the second qigong form I learnt after the Shibashi back in the 90s. I love it, but then I think I say that about most forms. But there’s something special about the forms you’ve been practising for a very long time.

Yi Jin Jing Qigong

It’s hard to put into words why I love the Yi Jin Jing. I think the main reason is that I feel quite different after doing it. It’s not just feeling stretched, or relaxed or more focussed, it’s deeper than that. I just feel wholly different, and in a very good way.

Ba Duan Jin Qigong

I first learnt a couple of versions of Ba Duan Jin a very long time ago. Since the form was created somewhere around the Song Dynasty (960–1279), there have of course been subtle and not so subtle changes as it has been taught over the centuries

From the Archives: Mario Cianci

This is Mario, and this is one of my favourite photos. We were at the Ashburton Community Festival in 2012 and had a half-hour block of time on stage to entertain the crown with the wonders of tai chi.

Why Warm Up?

You might wonder if you really need to do a warm up before practising tai chi. It’s slow and gentle and easy… there’s no great exertion needed so you’ll be fine to hop right in there, right? Wrong.

Blog – Writings on Tai Chi, Qigong & Fitness

Promising News for Parkinson's Disease and Tai Chi

Learning and Remembering Forms

Falls-Prevention Footwork – For Tai Chi and Life

On Learning Standardised Tai Chi Forms and being a 'Collector'

Research into Tai Chi and Qigong

13 Fundamental Techniques of Tai Chi

Together

Relax, Don’t Collapse

The Delightful Daoyin 12-Movement Qigong

Rah! Pounce! Flap!

Tao Yin Qigong – Celestial Version

Yi Jin Jing Qigong

Ba Duan Jin Qigong

From the Archives: Mario Cianci

Why Warm Up?

Fun Stuff

Online Learning

Posters Shop