Tai Chi is more than just gentle exercise and ‘Moving Meditation’.

If you look for Tai Chi or Taiji in a book, a magazine article or on the internet, you will often find a description of Tai Chi that says it is a relaxing and slow-moving form of ‘Moving Meditation’. That it is practiced by older people in parks and that it’s great for balance. But Tai Chi and Xing Yi (the other art I teach) are so much more... 

There are many reasons to practice these arts. For most classes I’d say it’s because people get older and they see it as a way to gently strengthen the body and improve balance. 

But these arts can do so much more.  

It can also increase the strength of the muscle, bone, tendon and facia. It can teach you how to combine all of the body together and move as a unified and powerful whole. It shows you how to calm the mind and soak it into all aspects of the body, how to sink and deepen the breath and more importantly, how to combine the mind, breath and body together as one. The mind leading the breath; the breath leads the body. 

Since I’ve been teaching, I have seen these arts completely change people's posture and alignment and significantly help with pain and immobility. I fixed my own lower back problem that was created by a slipped disc with a practice known as Wuji and gentle swings. This is no small thing. Every winter for three years my back would go once or twice and each time from the seemingly smallest of movements. Then when I started Wuji and gentle swings to open the lumber region, I found that it started to get stronger. That fourth winter there was a moment when my back tried to go, but I could feel that there was something holding it place. This happened a few more times but the same thing happened, my lower back held. Eventually it stopped happening all together, my back just got better.  

Looking back, I was working in the railway doing a lot of awkward lifting on uneven ground and I had created a back and body that was completely out of balance. Some areas were way to strong, others were far too weak. The Tai Chi helped me to weaken the areas that were too strong and strengthen the areas that were too weak. My back and the rest of my body became more balanced.  

Some people come to class because they have problems with Arthritis. With this I have found Tai Chi and Xing Yi can really help. I also teach a class for people with Parkinson’s and work with Parkinson’s UK. In this class we look at not only correct movement but also the cognitive aspect of bringing the mind into the body. I’m also in talks with the local MS group about starting a class early this year. 

These arts can be used to help with pain or for injury prevention. They also work very well with other arts. If you go to the gym and lift weights, if you practice Boxing or MMA, if you play Tennis or Golf, Yoga or Pilates or just enjoy getting out and stretching your legs, it can help because it teaches you how to move mindfully and powerfully in a harmonised and instinctive way. 

Tai Chi and Xing Yi can affect a profound and powerful change on the body, the mind and even our character. They go beyond normal one-dimensional fitness practice and seek to enhance and raise everything that makes us who we are. That sounds grand I know, but over the years and through studying with my teacher, I can see that it is true.  

In class we don’t focus a lot on doing forms (pretty patterns of movements that can have 120 or more movements in them). Instead, we look at the core training that builds and develops the bones, white tissue and muscle. We look at how to connect with the ground and how the mind and breath interact with the body. We do partner work and look at the applications of the movements and sometimes Spear training too. This is great for developing the body and teaching you how to move from the centre. 

If you’ve been practicing these arts for a few years, you should be comfortable in your body, have a low centre of balance and a good root. You should be able to move in a relaxed and powerful way that stems from full body movement. As the years progress, things go deeper and deeper and the changes become more profound. It doesn’t need to be just about moving gently and fluidly; it can have power and be dynamic and alive. 

Ultimatley these arts art not just about physical or mental health but are about being the very best version of ourselves, about fulfilling our true potential, they are about personal cultivation and dare I say, Spiritual Development. When become better, the world becomes a little lighter. 

I strongly advise anyone that reads this to give these arts a go. You don’t even need to train with me. If you know of a group practicing nearby, then poke your head in the door. Have a look at the teacher but importantly, have a look at their students. Are they healthy and strong, do they seem grounded and happy? Has the teacher got skill and are they able to pass that skill on? If it looks good, then give it a go, what have you got to lose? 

To find out more about what I do, go to my website. Contact me if you have any questions. 

To those who already train with me, thank you, I’m grateful to you all. And as always, keep training! 

www.threetreasures.co.uk