Why anyone can learn tai chi

Why anyone can learn tai chi
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!

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

Great music for tai chi and yoga
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

Beginner's guide to abdominal breathing
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

10 tips for chi kung and tai chi
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?

Can meditation really re-wire your brain?
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 ...

The gentle art of weight loss

The gentle art of weight loss
Whenever people want to lose weight, they immediately think about doing some very intense exercise such as running, cycling or aerobics. However, just thinking about leaping around the room or pounding the pavement mile upon mile is enough to make you tired! And while these are very efficient ways of burning fat and something fitness ...

Beating stress with chi kung

Beating stress with chi kung
Problems arise when we are constantly under pressure. Big problems! Our chi stays up, our adrenaline levels stay high, our bodies overwork themselves and exhaustion sets in. Our nervous systems become tired and worn down and cease to function properly. Our energy becomes depleted and our immune systems are no longer able to function as they should so we become prone to ...

Warm up and stretching for Tai Chi

My warm up and stretching routine for tai chi. I also use it before strength training, rock climbing and general fitness and exercise. Do this for 10 minutes every day and enjoy better flexibility, improved balance and better mobility. Part 1 focuses on warming up the joints – neck, shoulders, spine, hips, knees, ankles, elbows, ...

Chi Kung meditation

Chi Kung meditation
Achieve inner calm and good health, learn to still the mind and achieve a greater sense of well-being. Using various techniques including affirmations, visualisation and energy control, Chi Kung is an effective way of achieving wellness. If you are always suffering from the same illnesses, Chi Kung can be a great way of freeing the ...