The Dragon's Head Blog
Personal practice in France
Personal practice during the quarantine I have been practicing Taoist Tai Chi for almost three years. I won’t list the myriad benefits it has given me, in terms of both physical and mental health and the changes in my life, as it would take too long to list them all. During confinement, I continued to […]
Chanting messages
I would like to say a big “thank you” for the Chanting sessions on Zoom. My Tai Chi journey started in October 2018 when I went along to my first beginners class. I found it challenging to maintain my practice since the classes were paused. I have had the time to be able to reflect […]
Finding direction in different ways
When you practice by yourself, there’s no-one else to rely on – you have to be your own instructor! My lovely instructors both said ‘Find a move or something to improve, and make it your Tai Chi Lockdown Challenge’! I decided that mine would be to learn the entire set! Although I have been practicing for […]
Practicing Together, Apart – Taoist Tai Chi® arts
Prioritizing health and safety during the time of Covid-19, participants practicing “together apart” find strength and joy.
My Tai Chi – a little every day
The first time I practiced Tai Chi I overwhelmed my instructors with questions: why you do it like this, why you do it like that? It took some time for me to understand that perfection of and in the movement is not the goal. I have been patiently taught to imitate, listen, trust, make mistakes, […]
Letting go…more
As I practice during this lockdown I’ve learnt some amazing things. First, to let go, something I thought I had already achieved! Being told to self-isolate after returning home from Brazil, and then going into lockdown made me so very cross, as I had already been doing tai chi on my own for some time […]
“At Home” retreat from 1-5 June 2020 – Retraite “At Home” du 1er au 5 juin 2020
After a difficult time at the beginning of the lockdown, despite practicing every day, I was washed over by stress and fear. I hung on dan yus, tor yus and our instructors’ encouragement. Over the weeks and keeping practicing, I realized with the lockdown how retreats, intensives and classes make Taoist Tai ChiTM arts a […]
The joy of self-discovery
The first 5 weeks of the dan yu challenge were particularly testing as I had sustained injuries to my left knee and left shoulder (unrelated to tai chi practice). I persevered with dan yus whilst trying to listen and feel what was happening. During week 6, whilst doing a Tai Chi set at home, I […]
Every-day discovery
I have always known that Tai Chi works miracles on my health, but during this lockdown I have rediscovered its benefits in a more in-depth way, thanks to the perseverance in practising almost every day. After two months, I feel that my physical and mental health has enormously benefited from it! Initially, I could not […]
Pain relief in isolation
Taoist Tai Chi® arts – my saviour Being introduced to Tai Chi by a friend was the beginning of a very positive chapter of my life. Needing two hip replacements did not make it easy to exercise. However, with Tai Chi I found both a physical and mental improvement. The slow and intense movement helped me focus […]
Personal Practice – USA
This is a thank you for giving us such rich guidance during this time of self cultivation. The chanting sessions on Sat. mornings are such an opportunity for coming together with common purpose and the discussions have opened up much more about taoism than I had ever imagined. This in turn has been very helpful in […]
Opportunity in Crisis
During the early days of “Stay home, protect the NHS, Save lives” my feelings of concern, uncertainty and worry were quite strong (due to being categorized in a vulnerable group). However, I was very soon directed to the invitation to “do 50 dan yus a day for 50 days” which helped shift my focus and […]
Making the most of the isolation
I usually go in the garden and try to find a flat spot amidst the tussocks. I’m very careful to start in a good position, remembering how to stand and very important to be relaxed, body first and then quieting my mind. Sometimes I just stand and at others I do some foundations, again taking […]
Lions Restored at the International Center Florida
Steve Spathelf, Dunedin’s famous orange artist, returns to the International Center Florida to undertake the restoration of the resident lions. These lions started their life as guardians at the entrance of the International Centre at Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, but after many severe winters they were relocated to sunny Florida. Now they await the opportunity to greet […]
Making room for practice
I use the different rooms in the house for my tai chi practice – The loft room… holding on the bannister I do snakes. Standing in front of large mirror in the bedroom… I can check on what I’m actually doing with the Tor Yus and the foundation exercises, interspersed with Dan Yus. The […]
You’ll never walk alone
The first couple of months of 2020 had brought a number of difficult issues for close friends and family, all of whom looked to me for physical and emotional support. Each one needed totally different skills and all together were a difficult mix. But, having discovered Taoist Tai Chi a couple of years ago, […]
Putting health first
Since ‘chanting for the world’ on Saturday, I’ve been thinking about the new challenge of engaging consistently with my practice. I am lucky that I have space both inside and out, but I am limited by time. I definitely want to do some tai chi before the working day starts, but it keeps getting dropped. I […]
A Three Day Retreat in Isolation
Cultivating self-discipline with Taoist Tai ChiTM arts Lockdown does not suit me, and after a few weeks of only leaving the house for a bit of exercise and shopping, I was beginning to feel like a caged tiger. Each day I was doing a Tai Chi set, the foundations, and the Dan Yu challenge, but […]
A Sense of Wellbeing, Gratitude and Calm
For me, on an uneven lawn I laboured to keep balance and to utilise the area available but persisted because I felt I HAD to do it each day. Then for health reasons it was decided for me to let go and rest up a while. Then recently one afternoon I found the porch area […]
Staying Strong in Great Britain – stories of individual practise, part 5
“I have just done what felt like one of the softest, quietest most beautiful sets ever, stepping softly, feeling an opening and relaxation in the whole body and moving from inside, quietly. Amazing! I feel that the focus on the quality of quietness and letting go in the chest and shoulders in this lockdown is […]
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