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

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

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

Taijiquan Training in Beijing 2019 – 13 People, One Wheelchair, One Walker, and at least a dozen physical, mental and emotional challenges to overcome. What brought this disparate group together was an unashamed passion, verging on obsession, for Tai Chi. Why mention the wheelchair and the walker? Because the “2 W’s” not only defined us, they taught us so much about ourselves, reinforced what we were learning in our Tai Chi training each day, gave us time to reflect on ...  read more

Can’t Sleep? You aren’t alone. Research by the Sleep Health Foundation, “Asleep on the Job: Counting the cost of poor sleep”, 2017 highlights that poor sleep is affecting 39% of Australian adults that are regularly struggling with their sleep. The 2017 study found that the number of sleep problems among Australians are 5-10% higher than when the Foundation published its first survey on sleep health in 2010. Sleep disorders contribute to diseases and injuries such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, ...  read more

This is our final chapter of “WǔDé – The Definition of a Truly Great Martial Arts Practitioner”. We have spent time reflecting on the 5 Actions or Deeds that we should be seeing in others and cultivating in ourselves: Humility, Loyalty, Respect, Morality and Trust, and will now complete the list of Thoughts or Mental Attitudes with “Will”. The other 4 being Courage, Patience, Endurance and Perseverance. Will (志 – Zhì) Without the will to do something, you will do ...  read more

In our Ninth instalment of “WǔDé – The Definition of a Truly Great Martial Arts Practitioner” we will look at “Perseverance”. Perseverance is already being displayed by those of you who have continued to read all the articles in this series. Now let’s look at why that’s so important. Perseverance (毅 – Yì) Perseverance is the ability to continue on with effort and diligence despite all obstacles. When we consider the five thoughts associated with WǔDé, perseverance is the cornerstone ...  read more