Mindful Qigong Movement

You can find this movement called Wise Owl Gazes Backwards within the popular qigong set, The Eight Strands of Brocade (Baduanjin). 

This movement, along with others, have their origins in an ancient Chinese health and wellness culture called Yangsheng or 'nourish life'. Archaeological evidence from the Mawangdui Tomb in Hunan Province, China, can date this culture of 'physical therapy' coupled with quiet breath awareness to 168 BC. 

Before starting these movements we can practice using our simple breathing exercise to slow down and pay attention to what’s going on around us.

Once we feel comfortable with these simple movements, we can use them delve a little deeper into what’s happening within. In Tai Chi, we have the word (Yi) for mental intention. There are many different types of intention we can bring to our practice. 

But before we add any other intentions we may want to discover what our default intention is.

In our day to day life, we can be goal-driven even if we are not striving to be the next Elon Musk, we probably have a strong intention to do things quickly, to find a parking space as quickly as possible, find the smallest queue in the supermarket, get where we are going as quickly as we can, possibly without knowing why.  Sometimes we do have a time limit but sometimes it’s just become a habit. 

Using simple Tai Chi movements we have a chance to explore a different intention for just a few minutes a day. We can explore the intention to deliberately slow down, maybe to observe a bit more maybe even take time to smell the roses?

As we bring our intention to focus more regularly it can help us develop mindfulness and be more aware of what intentions are driving us and what else we could be observing. This can help us become aware of some pleasant or neutral feelings such as clothing on the skin or the feeling the ground beneath the feet. We may become aware of the intention to rush or complete the movement and even enjoy letting it go.

It is fascinating to think that we can connect ourselves to women and men over 2000 years ago who felt the need to slow down and enjoy the very same physical and mindful movements we enjoy today. 

Breathing Space - A Meditation

As more and more businesses begin to re-open and schools are set to restart our lives may be changing again or even be speeding up. Is this something that we want to do?

This may be a good opportunity to check our internal speedometer and decide what speed we would like to be travelling at.  How do we control the speed? How do we slow down if we want to?

Phil's teacher used to say, 'If you give yourself time then you have all the time in the world.'

How do we give ourselves time in between all the other tasks of the day or just find time in between all the thoughts that may be rushing around our heads? 

 

In Tai Chi, we use a simple breathing exercise to practise pausing and slowing down. We can enjoy this exercise anytime, anywhere. We can do it this seated or standing or even lying down if we are at home.

Ideally, step outdoors to really reap the benefits of this exercise that has its roots in meditations practised over 2000 years ago in ancient China.  It could be a favourite place in your garden for instance, or a park, or any open space that resonates with you. 

You may like to begin by observing trees, clouds, plants and listen to the birds for a couple of moments. Just watching and enjoying the sights and sounds. Being in green spaces can help reduce high blood pressure. Observing nature moving more slowly can help us find a different pace from rushing traffic and computers. 

Following the traditional instructions in tai chi regarding the breath, let your breathing feel smooth, refined and continuous. A saying suggests our breath feels like drawing a single thread of silk from a cocoon.

Then we take time to observe the breath and any sensations that may come up. We follow the natural changes that occur as the breath comes in and goes out. We may feel like closing our eyes for a while to really feel the coming and going. 

"This creates a new spaciousness in the mind enabling us to think and see more clearly so that we are better able to focus on the things that really matter."

Dr Tamara Russell, 2015. Mindfulness In Motion. Watkins Media, London.

Why not try it just before settling down to sleep as part of your calming bedtime routine.

Once you get into a routine with this simple exercise you won't even need to use your hands as cues. You can visualise those touchpoints in your mind's eye and follow your natural breath cycle. 

If we can find just one minute to slow down, hit the pause button, and find breathing space, we give ourselves time and then we have all the time in the world.

Music: I Need To Start Writing Things Down by Chris Zabriskie

Tai Chi and Qigong Class Silsden

New Tai Chi and Qigong Class Silsden Town Hall

We look forward to starting our newest Tai Chi and Qigong class on 22nd August 2019 at Silsden Town Hall.

Classes will run every Thursday 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Your first class is half price and then £6 per week on a pay as you go basis with no need to book.

We offer a warm welcome to everyone, especially those just starting. No special clothing or equipment needed. Just wear comfortable clothing, flat-soled shoes and a smile! Please bring a drink in warm weather.

Silsden Town Hall offers a fantastic accessible venue with a large ground floor room with lots of natural light. It has easily accessible toilets and the Community Library in the room next door. You will find a car park across the road which is only 60p an hour.

Why Try Tai Chi and Qigong?

Our regular participants tell us how they feel at the end of our classes. They say they have better balance and feel stronger, meaning they can do jobs in the garden more easily, enjoy walks with family and friends, and feel more independent.

Tai Chi and Qigong offer people an ideal exercise that goes easy on joints while strengthening muscles and improving balance. Many of our participants tell us how much better they sleep after a class and how it has helped reduce blood pressure.

As an accessible exercise for everyone tai chi and qigong has featured in research (including a recent feature in the BBC TV series, Trust Me I’m a Doctor) demonstrating its benefits for improved health and wellbeing.

If you have a serious health condition you may wish to contact your G.P or specialist first to check if you are ready to start an exercise class.

If you think a family member, friend or colleague would like to know more about us and our classes please do share this blog page with them.

Helen and Philip look forward to seeing you.

For more details phone 07528 959091, or

Message us on Facebook at: m.me/Huntun.taichi

Daoyin - Meditation in Movement

We're very pleased to announce we've partnered with EnergyBodi Sensation based in Rossendale, Lancashire, to offer a unique series of Daoyin - Meditation in Movement Workshops. You can find more details at our Facebook Page.

Daoyin - Meditation in Movement Workshop Poster

What is Daoyin?

Daoyin (Qigong) - Daoyin means to guide and pull. Daoyin originates from ancient China. Daoyin sequences move with a elegant and balanced flow of the whole body in tune with our natural breath pattern. Rather than stretching we move within a comfortable range of movement to avoid putting unnecessary strain on any particular joint or muscle group.

With regular practise we build strength and suppleness while calming the mind. Coordinating the mindful movements with a natural breathing cycle creates a deep sense of relaxation and wellbeing.

Daoyin Tu - Copy housed at the Wellcome Trust, London

Daoyin goes back a long way. Archaeological evidence excavated from the Mawangdui Tomb 3 (sealed in 168BC) in the former kingdom of Changsha, shows a 'Guiding and Pulling Chart' with ladies and gentlemen enjoying various Daoyin exercises. You'll find the original chart housed in the Hunan Provincial Museum, Changsha, China. You can find a copy of the original at the Wellcome Trust, London.

Dates for Your Diaries 

All workshops fall on a Sunday - 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

• 28th October 2018
• 16th December 2018
• 3rd March 2019
• 28th April 2019
• 23rd June 2019

£20 per workshop

We look forward to seeing you as we explore these unique exercises with their emphasis on BodyMind integration.

To find out more please do get in touch:
0759 800 4645

Philip & Helen

Tai Chi for Health - Stay Strong, Improve Your Balance

Regular practice of any of the Tai Chi for Health programmes helps people to build and maintain body strength. The slow movements found in Tai Chi for Health offer a low impact way of building muscle tone without putting the joints or muscles under too much repetitive strain.

And why is it so important to maintain all round body strength? Well as we age and or experience long term illness, or if you find yourself in recovery from a significant surgical procedure you'll know just how quickly we can lose muscle strength. You'll remember just how long it can take to get full strength back to the level you enjoyed before.

This article in the New Scientist magazine suggests just how important maintaining muscle strength can be to our long term health and wellbeing. The Tai Chi for Health programmes you learn in our classes emphasise the progressive building of strength for this very reason.

Elderly Lady Enjoys Her Tai Chi Practice

 Image by Tom Thai - licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

The UK's four Chief Medical Officers recognise the important role Tai Chi has to play in building strength and maintaining balance. It is your relative muscle strength that affects how well you can maintain your balance. One of the prime reasons for people participating in our classes is to improve their balance. We see more and more people with a recommendation from their GP or physiotherapist for this very reason.

Why should you think about balance as important to your overall health and quality of life? In the UK 30% of people aged 65 and over will experience a fall at least once a year. For people aged 80 and over it rises to over 50 per cent (NICE, 2013). Falls become the number one reason older people get taken to the emergency department in hospitals across the country. Most falls don’t cause serious injury but they can leave you distressed and begin to lose confidence. NHS Choices recommends regular practice of Tai Chi in its guidance on falls prevention.

Make sure you choose a reputable Tai Chi for Health Instructor rather than a tai chi teacher who expects you to learn the martial arts or expects you to perform strenuous movements by yourself or with a partner. Recommendations from the Tai Chi for Health Institute on what to look for when choosing an instructor include:

“All Board certified instructors have attended the workshop, completed prior preparation and fullfilled requirements to be a safe and effective teacher of the respective program, and registered with The Tai Chi for Health Institute. Our training is comprehensive and specific for our programs. All instructors are required to be updated every two years to maintain the certification.”

If you would like to find out more or think a family member or friend might like to read this post please do share.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch. We'd love to see you in one of our classes covering Baildon, Bingley, Keighley, Saltaire, Shipley and Skipton.

All the best, Philip and Helen.

Tai Chi, Nature, and Health

“We seem to know that time spent in green space is just what the doctor ordered.”

I wrote the above quote as part of a guest blog for the support organisation AfterTrauma. In that blog I talk about how natural spaces can help us cope with the ups and downs of life and the growing evidence from science that supports our intuition. And what has this got to do with your practise of tai chi chuan.

Well, if you delve a little deeper into the roots of tai chi you soon find out that those roots spring from the rich cultural and philosophical ground of Taoism (sometimes written Daoism). This short, beautiful film below gives a good primer on Taoism and how it relates in particular to the martial arts of China, the same roots from which our tai chi for health programme stem:



I often encourage people who come to our classes and workshops to see if they can find a little private space, a garden if they have one, or a quiet corner in a park for instance, where they can practise their tai chi form outside.

People don't hesitate to say how their practice of the tai chi form takes on a new sense of meaning when they do so. Some of the sequence names found in the various styles of tai chi that we learn, such as wave hands in clouds and gather celestial energy, suddenly make perfect sense when performed outdoors.

I hope this short blog and the links within it encourage you to get outdoors. You don't have to practise the tai chi form outdoors to get the benefit, taking a short stroll, or taking a seat in a green space will reward and reinvigourate you. You'll find yourself slip effortlessly into that mindful state that eases our sense of wellbeing in the world.

Forest Bathing or Shinrin-yoku

In Japan you will find people go to specially designated forest trails to ‘bathe’ in the healing balm of the trees. They literally call it forest bathing or Shinrin-yoku, and researchers have found that regular strolls in these lush spaces can offer profound health benefits for people living with many different long term physical and mental health conditions.

As I wrote in the guest blog for AfterTrauma, time taken to relax in green spaces proved especially important for my recovery from the significant trauma I experienced when I had my accident. It continues to remain an important part of my ongoing health and wellbeing today. So, if you can, get outdoors, relax and enjoy.

If you enjoyed reading this you may like to visit my other blog/website where you will find more pieces that touch on the arts, medicine, poetry, and more.

Do have a family member, friend or colleague who you think would like to read this blog? Please do share it with them.

Please do get in touch to let me know your thoughts.

All the best

Philip

Tai Chi Damps Down Inflammation Genes

Tai Chi as a moving mindful meditation appears to have a marked positive impact on dampening down inflammation in our bodies. This research study shows how our bodies inflammatory response effects both our physical health and mental wellbeing.

 

Tai Chi – Mindful Meditation

 

Two links well worth a read:

 

The first, an easy to read article from New Scientist that summarises the amazing implications of this study.

 

The second, the full research paper published on Frontiers In Immunology which the article above summarises.

 

A little tai chi practise each day will help. If you think a family member, friend or colleague would be interested in this post please do share it.

 

We look forward to seeing in you in one of our classes, one to ones or workshops.

Thank you

Helen and Philip :)

What Is Tai Chi?

What comes to mind when you first think about T‘ai Chi? You may think of Chinese people rising early in the morning to take part in slow, meditative movements to ease themselves into the day. T‘ai chi, often written tai chi, as we know it today has come on a long journey from its origins. Despite a number of theories to tai chi's origins no one theory has yet managed to pin down this elusive art.

 Outdoor Tai Chi Practise in Beijing's Temple of Heaven.

Image by Craig Nagy, Vancouver, Canada. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
Written in full we ought to say T‘ai Chi Ch‘uan which loosely translated into English means Supreme Ultimate Boxing or Source Fist. This meaning offers us a clue to tai chi's origins within the self-defense and martial arts of China. We would more commonly describe those fighting arts as Kung-Fu in the west.

Nowadays we can best describe tai chi as an art and an exercise. It appears from a growing body of research that regular practise of tai chi offers people some important health benefits. In particular, improved balance, flexibility, fitness, strength, lowering blood pressure, general heart health, mental health and symptoms associated with stroke, fibromyalgia, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Tai chi emphasises the integration of mind with body. This integration marks tai chi as a unique form of exercise along with another associated exercise practice from China referred to as Qigong (chee gung), older still, known as Daoyin, meaning to guide and pull. To get a feel for this integration you practise tai chi movements, or forms, slowly as one smooth flowing movement with a deliberate focus on those movements.

Daoyin tu - chart for leading and guiding people in exercise.

This image from Wellcome Images, a website operated by Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom. Refer to Wellcome blog post (archive). Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

‘This is a reconstruction of a 'Guiding and Pulling Chart' excavated from the Mawangdui Tomb 3 (sealed in 168BC) in the former kingdom of Changsha. The original is in the Hunan Provincial Museum, Changsha, China.’

Tai chi truly represents a whole body form of exercise as you coordinate your hands and arms with the controlled transfer of your weight from one stance to another. In other words to perform tai chi well from start to finish you must engage all parts of the body. The hands, arms, legs and feet all move in circular and spiral patterns with turns of the torso via the waist, neck and head. 

A saying associated with the practise of tai chi – 

“ When the wind blows the whole tree moves

.

Regular practise of a tai chi form can strengthen and mobilize the joints and muscles, improve physical fitness and induce a deep sense of mental relaxation. The slow and low-impact nature of tai chi make it ideal for people recovering from illness or injury and those living with chronic health conditions.

Not that people who live with long term health conditions should only practise tai chi for health. In China, fit and healthy people practise tai chi to cultivate and sustain their health. Anyone can benefit from a little tai chi practise each day.

People performing Tai Chi Chuan at the Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing, China.

Image by © BrokenSphere / Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Our tai chi programmes differs from the traditional approach to learning tai chi where you had learn and perfect many complicated sequences of movements over many years. Some tai chi forms go on for well over a hundred moves with complex and difficult movements to perform. We encourage participants to enjoy the tai chi movements within a safe and pain free range of mobility. Participants can take a seat for some or even all of the session. A key message in our classes goes – If it hurts, stop doing it.

The Harvard Medical School's Osher Center for Integrative Medicine has found that people can enjoy all the health benefits of tai chi from very simple movement sequences derived from the traditional long form tai chi styles. For example the first part of our Tai Chi Foundations programme takes no longer than three to four minutes to complete.

So, there you go, a snap shot description of tai chi. Tai chi has much more to offer though. Through regular practise you begin to realise the depth of meaning within the principles that underpin tai chi. The movements truly do embody a cultural and philosophical way. 

If that has peaked your interest then please do get in touch. If you think someone you know, a member of your family or a close friend might benefit from tai chi please do share this page.

We look forward to seeing you.

Helen & Phil

Tai Chi For An Active Lifestyle

Tai Chi gets a recommendation from the UK's four Chief Medical Officers as an activity that offers tremendous benefits to adults.

Physical Activity for Adults

As a non-jarring exercise, tai chi can prove a super way to enjoying an active lifestyle, making friends and learning new skills.

You can view the accompanying factsheet for adults and for older adults to find out more interesting information on keeping active. You may also like to view a very useful longer form document called Start Active, Stay Active, for more detailed information.