For most people the last couple of years have been some of the toughest they have ever been through. In 2020, The Year of the Rat quickly turned to one of survival and existence, with fear around every corner. We then welcomed in the Year of the Ox (2021) with great optimism, but what it ended up teaching us was acceptance, how to ground ourselves and work within a new reality. Perhaps both years have taught us more than we ...  read more

“The search for meaning is not always about the answer. It is the process of seeking that also enlightens.” – Demerzel in “Foundation – The Television Series” based on the books by Isaac AsimovFor most people, their Tai Chi or Qigong journey commences because of a desire to improve their physical and/or mental health. At this stage they know little more other than the raft of health benefits, or they saw an ad for classes and thought it might be ...  read more

Qigong has its origins amidst the creation of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Taoist thought and philosophy. Most will have heard mention of Yin Yang in relation to our Qigong and Taijiquan, and if not, at least in relation to the Chinese culture.The Yin Yang dates back more than 500 BCE in ancient China, but a lesser-known concept, which had its origin around this time, was the Five Elements, now referred to as The Five Elements Theory. Yin Yang Theory is ...  read more

As part of the preparation, potential athletes, their coaches and support staff spent the day at the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia in Melbourne where they were inoculated, measured for uniforms, photographed for ID’s, lectured on the use of marketing and social media, briefed on the layout of the Winter Olympic event arenas as well as learning about Chinese culture and language.JinLi was extremely honoured to be asked to teach our potential athletes a bit more about Chinese culture through ...  read more

As a healthcare practitioner for over 26 years, I am well placed to observe clients/patients breathing patterns. One thing has become obvious over that time and it is the fact that most people now seem to have a baseline of chronic stress that has become normalized. I observe this in their; demeanour, muscle tension, speed of speech, symptoms reported and most importantly, by how rapid and shallow their breathing has become. This breathing pattern has become their set point i.e., ...  read more

In your first class at JinLi-Wushu Tai Chi you will hear the word “Qigong”. A brief explanation usually follows. The word “Qigong” has two parts to it; firstly ‘Qi’ which is briefly described as vital energy or sometimes life force (and the topic of our discussion); secondly the word ‘gong’ meaning work, skill, labour, cultivation, or effort. So loosely translated, Qigong means energy work/skill. More specifically Qigong (pronounced “chee-gung” and sometimes spelt ‘chi-kung’), is translated from Chinese to mean “Energy ...  read more

Many people come to class and ask the question, “What is the difference between Taijiquan (Tai Chi) and Qigong?” This usually after first asking, what is ‘quee gong’ (qigong)? And the former is a great question.Many schools, like ours, teach Qigong as an integral part of Taijiquan training. Both are body-mind-breath exercises. Both involve gentle movement, good posture and integrating the breath with movements. But only one has a martial arts application. Both practices cultivate gentle and present mind focus. ...  read more

Well, the end of the Rat Year is in sight. Most people will be overjoyed to see the beginning of a new Lunar New Year, although we should all take a moment to reflect on the lessons 2020 has taught us. We’ve become more resilient, more adaptable, more resourceful and more compassionate. They have been hard won but each of these qualities will continue to benefit us for the rest of our lives, no more so than in our Tai ...  read more

There have been numerous studies done over the last few decades on the therapeutic benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi. If you perform a search on PubMed for Tai Chi you will generate 2,028 abstracts on the therapeutic benefits in just the last decade. Looking across all these studies it becomes obvious there are several factors that contribute to the therapeutic outcome. The most obvious is physical movement, however there are many more that add depth and better health outcomes ...  read more

It is surprising to find out just how many Yang Style Taijiquan practitioners have never heard of "The 10 Important Points of Practice", and even more surprising to find that they don't embody any of the concepts in their practice. Hopefully, the following will provide some insight into what the Points of Practice are and how to use them. What are they? The 10 Important Points of Practice are credited to Yang Chengfu (1883 – 1936), Yang Lu Chan’s (the ...  read more