Recent Posts

Tai Chi / Video Clips

The Truth Behind Traditional Chinese Kung Fu | China Uncensored

I am reposting this video from China Uncensored’s YouTube Channel, “The Truth Behind Traditional Chinese Kung Fu”, not because I particularly subscribe to their philosophy and outlook but because the documentary is actually very good. I am often surprised at how many documentaries I see on the subject that suffer […]

roots of mindfulness
Meditation

The roots of mindfulness meditation

Everyone seems to be talking about mindfulness meditation these days. Every few days there is another article doing the rounds and the research labs across the world seem to be occupied with nothing but research into this amazingly new method for achieving a healthy life. The American Psychological Association (APA) […]

Practicing Chen style Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan at Long Tou Shan Tai Chi School in Yangshuo, China.
Tai Chi / Yangshuo

Practicing Chen style Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan at Long Tou Shan Tai Chi School in Yangshuo, China.

Taiji (tai chi) as a practice, meaning “grand ultimate” or “grand extreme”, first appeared in Yi Jing (Scripture of Changes); quan, meaning “fist”, is a word used as a suffix in the Chinese language to denote a certain martial art system. Traditional Chen Taijiquan is widely acknowledged as the oldest […]

Understanding the complex History of Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art and healing practice.
Daoism / Tai Chi

Understanding the complex History of Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art and healing practice.

One of the best web pages I have seen that discusses the complex “History of Tai Chi Chuan” is that provided by Tai Chi Wizard which you can read in full here. Of course much of the early origins is shrouded in mystery and much of the story is guess […]

What is Tai Chi? The myths of its origins.
Tai Chi

What is Tai Chi? The myths of its origins.

Tai chi has many myths about its origins. One of those myths says that one day the Taoist monk Chang San-feng was disturbed by the sounds of a snake and a crane fighting in his courtyard. Each time the crane’s rapierlike beak stabbed, the flexible snake twisted out of reach. […]