qi gong Archives

Boredom is great

Oct

21

2018

Are you always on the go? Do you feel the need to be productive or to be doing something… anything? Are you trying to find the bottom of Facebook and Instagram? Do you whip out your phone when you’re on a train or bus? Do you walk around with your phone in your hand? Well, ...

I find it difficult to learn movements – will I still benefit from Mindful Motion?

Apr

1

2018

In short, absolutely! The key thing about Mindful Motion is the simplicity of a class or workshop. It is not about learning complicated moves, trying to commit everything to memory and studying the details of each technique (although for students who are interested, this is a possible avenue); instead it is about just copying the ...

3 simple ways to beat stress

Mar

25

2018

Here are three simple ideas for dealing with stress. They’re not long term solutions but they will probably help to varying degrees. Go for a walk: if you can, go for a walk in the park, surround yourself with nature, but if all you have is city streets then that is better than nothing! Meditate: ...

Why tai chi is a great, practical mindfulness tool

Nov

13

2015

Mindfulness is becoming very popular now, the art of being in the moment. One of the problems with mindfulness is that many people find it difficult to just sit still with their eyes closed and concentrate on themselves. One way of getting round this and still applying mindfulness techniques is by learning tai chi. The simple ...

Why anyone can learn tai chi

Aug

4

2015

From a recent Lumosity newsletter: How the brain learns: 2 key research insights Can brain research help us become better learners? Here are 2 key research insights to keep in mind next time you learn something new. 1. Learning means new connections in the brain Your brain works like an electrical circuit. Every time you learn ...

Why everyone should do tai chi – and it’s not just for the reasons you think!

May

27

2015

Intrigued? Well, let’s just cover the reasons that you think you should do tai chi: helps you to relax and de-stress improves your health improves your balance keeps you moving, particularly if you’re in your senior years improves your sense of wellbeing There are loads of other reasons why people do tai chi but these are ...

Great music for tai chi and yoga

Dec

26

2014

As a tai chi teacher, I always play music when I am running a class because: it helps to set the right mood it can hide any background noises such as things going on outside the room. For these reasons, I would also recommend that if you practice tai chi, yoga or meditation, then you, ...

Beginner’s guide to abdominal breathing

Oct

2

2013

Abdominal breathing is a type of breathing whereby you breathe into the abdomen and appear to fill it with air. What actually happens is that instead of breathing so that your lungs force your shoulders upwards, you push your abdominal area outwards as your diaphragm moves downwards. To perform this type of breathing, you can ...

10 tips for chi kung and tai chi

Aug

22

2013

There are a lot of things to consider when practising tai chi and chi kung. The numerous rules added to the movements and breathing can be quite overwhelming. Here are my ten tips for beginners practising chi kung, tai chi and meditation in general: breathe through the nose – the tip of your tongue should ...

Can meditation really re-wire your brain?

Jun

17

2013

Yes, according to the latest scientific research! One of the many emails that drop randomly into my inbox mentioned a recent article by Dr. Marsha Lucas, an American psychologist and neuropsychologist describing how meditation can rewire the brain. The article is particularly concerned with how the brain handles relationships but reading between the lines (which ...