The Dragon's Head Blog
Great Britain
More lockdown discoveries…
I took part in the danyu challenge and did over 2,500. I really enjoyed doing it and all my aches and pains vanished. One night just after I had completed the challenge I tripped over my big labrador dog and fell flat on my face. I am 65. I lay a minute waiting to see […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Staying Strong in Great Britain – stories of individual practise, part 4
The comments and recounted experiences keep rolling in. It’s wonderful to know how many people are making the very most of their isolation, practising with dedication and heart and finding so much treasure for themselves. Thank you everyone for sharing and inspiring us all to stay motivated, and keep practising to be strong(er). “I’ve increased […]
Staying Strong in Great Britain – stories of individual practise, part 3
Rather like going to class at a regular time, I have set a schedule for my Tai Chi practice during the ‘shut-down’. So, at 10.30 every morning I am ready to start. This helps… Otherwise I might decide to stay in bed! I do practice at home on a regular basis but always a […]
Staying Strong in Great Britain – stories of individual practise, part 2
”We see each other at the Monday morning class, and decided to still have a chat on Monday mornings, to try and keep ourselves motivated. Well, my instructor motivated me to open the windows, do some foundations and a few Dan Yus, and it really helped, and of course great to keep in touch.” Maureen […]
Staying Strong in Great Britain – stories of individual practise, part 1
In Great Britain we have been appreciating how fortunate we are to have Taoist Tai ChiTM Arts to keep us strong and still during this difficult time. We are enjoying a dan yu challenge; 50 dan yus for 50 days to celebrate 50 years. Instructors have been receiving many positive messages from participants who are […]
First European Retreat of the 50th Anniversary Year
Over a hundred participants came together for the International Retreat in Colchester, UK, the first such event in Europe in this year of celebrating 50 years since Master Moy Lin Shin began teaching us Taoist Tai ChiTM arts. Working from the spine, everyone took the time to engage the coiling, the expansion, and the contraction. […]
What are we doing now that’s different?
120 people from 8 countries gathered in Colchester for a 3-day programme. What are we doing now that’s different from what we did in beginners class? We’re still doing Brush Knee, Wave Hands as Clouds, Partition of Wild Horse’s Mane, Fair Lady Works Shuttles, and so on; but we’re not focused on the 108 moves. […]
Taoist training is about Change
It was a very relaxed October program in Colchester, where over 100 participants from 14 countries came together to play tai chi and become more familiar with the themes from this year’s CIT week in May. Taking our time to really be conscious and pay attention to what we were doing helped us make changes. […]
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