Richard Northwood's Blog

Lessons Learned from Traditional Exercises

2011-09-03T03:22:00.000-07:00

I subscribe to a Facebook group for martial arts teachers. One of the most interesting exchanges started when I posted the following query:

"Injuries - in our profession, they are almost unavoidable. What injuries (if any) do you currently have, and how are you coping with them?"

The responses took me totally by surprise. Almost all the teachers replied with a long list of injuries, niggles and general physical complaints. From toes to necks, the cumulative list read more like an anatomy book.

Of course, as martial arts teachers, we are more likely to hammer our bodies. Injuries are inevitable. But it made me think more about the way martial arts are participated in China and how we can learn from this in the UK - not just as martial artists, but as a society.

In China, the young start off learning flexibility and balance.

As they reach puberty, the training changes to improve the strength and resistance to external force.

It is these external practices that are the quickest way of becoming proficient in martial arts. However, the nature of the training is that the body is stretched and damaged, so that when it heals it is stronger than before. What you are doing is making your body become increasingly resistant to damage.

As the body gets older, the rate that it can repair itself decreases. It takes you longer to recover from injuries. Once this is acknowledged, the Chinese martial arts practitioner transitions to a more internal form of training. Typically, this type of training is lower impact. The emphasis returns to flexibility, but the way these exercises are done has far more circular movements and less linear stretches.

So is it possible to derive a philosophy to apply to everyone?

When you are young and small, making yourself as flexible and balanced as possible is the foundation for future health and growth.
In your teens to early 30's, you can shape your body as you wish due to it's ability to repair itself.
When the body's ability to repair itself slows down, make sure you keep it flexible with regular exercise to avoid stiffness.
As the body ages, keep it stretched with regular exercise, but make these exercise movements more circular to reduce stress on joints and tendons.

Health authorities all over the world advocate physical activity to improve longevity and fight disease. What is important is that the activity you choose is appropriate to your age and your ability to recover from injury.

Another Open Weekend at PSR

2011-05-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

On the 7th and 8th of May, Parsonage Side Retreat once more opened it's doors and invited everyone over to share their knowledge and craft. PSR's second "Open Weekend" since inception promised to be broader in scope, bringing guests from far and wide (Estonia and Spain to name a few).

The breadth of skills on display was impressive, list of contributors - Rhonda Sexton (Bowen Technique), Beltran Melgar (Monroe Institute), Graham Nicholls (Out of Body Experiences), Kathleen Knecht (Bodytalk), Luciana Haill (EEG monitoring), Kimberley Lovell (Reiki Drumming), Ruth Brammal & Kath (Crystal Skulls), Tim Wheater (Healing Mantras), Angela Delglyn (Self maintenance for the physical body), Fran Bridle (Crystal Cave Meditation), Jenny Ann (Clairvoyance and Much More), Christoffer De Gralle (Moving Sound)... oh, and yours truly teaching Tai Chi and Evolution of Consciousness.

Despite the patchy weather, the field next door was packed with cars as PSR filled with people eager to broaden their knowledge and challenge their limitations. I managed to attend many of the lectures and practical demonstrations and was impressed with the professionalism and care that shone through. The first day drew to a close, and we were serenaded by "Second Nature", a quartet of musicians and sound healers (Look them up on Facebook - they are fantastic). I finally dragged myself - exhausted - to my bed after deep, deep conversations with Beltran, the Hemi-sync facilitator into the night.

I think I must have collected too much energy over the day, because I awoke very early in the morning, still fizzing. So I killed some time by practicing Tai Chi in the rear field. As the rest of the guests came out, there was more sharing and insights from the previous day's experiences, and we all became eager to discover what the new day would bring.

From what I saw, Sunday was more relaxed in focus, but the content was just as illuminating. I learned a great deal during my two days, and I found a common link with everyone I saw, and wove it into my lecture, talking about Tom Campbell's consciousness and reality model - MBT (My Big Theory On Everything).

I then had to get away soon after lunch, so I sadly missed the other lectures and the closing. Given the events I did witness throughout the weekend, PSR is well on the way to consolidating a bright future as one of England's premier consciousness centres.

Making starts

2011-04-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

All martial arts are about action. They are about crystallising sensory input, consciousness and physical dexterity.

All actions start with a thought. A single decision must be made before we can move. That decision is "it's time to move".

In 2008, the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig published their research into the relationship between thoughts and actions. Basically, they set up experiments where they could measure the brain activity of a person who was conducting physical activity. Their brain signals were monitored and timed.

In the study, published in Nature Neuroscience, participants could decide if they wanted to press a button with their left or right hand. They were free to make this decision whenever they wanted, but had to remember at which time they felt they had made up their mind. The aim of the experiment was to find out what happens to the brain in the period just before the person felt the decision was made.

What they discovered was quite amazing. It seems that before we make a "conscious" decision to do something, our unconscious mind is already preparing us for movement. Scientists have surmised that this would prevent our conscious minds being clogged with the many thousands of minor decisions that make up our day.

So what relevance does this have to martial arts? There are practitioners who seem to move like lightning, and with reflexes that are simply amazing. This is no accident, and does not come from building big muscles and heavy exercises. Sharpness comes through repetition. Even slow training like Tai Chi will eventually increase speed of reflexes, as the memory of the movement helps the unconscious mind to prepare for movement in detail.

From a philosophical standpoint, the Buddhist saying is "a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."

...Only we now know that even before we decided to take that single step, our unconscious mind had made that decision for us.

... Or perhaps, the single step is an unconscious thought that we have yet to perceive.

Either way, as we struggle to make the right decisions, perhaps the answers are there already. We just have to find a way listen to our unconscious mind.

Latency in Martial Arts

2010-12-27T14:18:00.000-08:00

Ever had an argument with someone and not come out of it well because it happened so fast that you could not express yourself correctly? It's terrible. You spend the next few days thinking about all the things you could have said. It can play on your mind for a long time.

One of the biggest deciding factors in any conflict (physical or verbal) is your personal latency.

The word Latency is used in many fields of industry. For the sake of this article, the engineering definition for latency is as follows:

Latency is a measure of time delay experienced in a system, the precise definition of which depends on the system and the time being measured.

My definition of latency for a martial artist is:

Latency is a measure of time delay experienced between the sensory observation of danger and the correct physical reaction.

My father told me a story of a soldier who came back from war. His family celebrated his safe return by throwing a party. During the party, his daughter surprised him by jumping on his back, and he swung around and smashed a glass in her face. Although this is a very sad and extreme example, the soldier interpreted his sensory input as danger, and as a result, did not deploy the correct physical reaction.

Whether it is a heated debate, or someone trying to mug you for your money, life forces you to make decisions quickly. If you do the wrong thing, it is probably because the parameters of your latency have been compromised. The price you pay can be high. So what can you do to improve your latency and enable you to make the correct decisions quicker? Let's take a look at some of the things that slow you down and how to make improvements:

Body weight: If you cannot handle your own body weight correctly, you cannot hope to physically react quickly - whether it is running away or just moving out of trouble, making yourself physically mobile is your highest priority.

Economy of effort: Learning to move correctly will not only reduce your day-to-day physical stress, but will improve your ability to move quickly. Any martial arts class will give you a way to do this.

Experience in physical contact: Self-defence classes and martial arts classes are very good at putting you into non-threatening physical contact with other people. They enable you to discover more about how the human body works.

No formal training: Violence is - by it's very nature - chaotic. Having a technique - a set way of defending yourself is very important. Having faith in that technique is even more important than you think.

Sensitivity: By this, I mean two things. The first is the ability to read situations and people's body language. If you are aware that you are angering someone, you can change your approach or walk away before the conflict becomes physical. The second is in a physical conflict, where you should be able to use all your senses to observe your opponent's state. This will give you the important information to end the conflict.

Fear, anger and other negative emotions: This is by far the largest barrier to your latency (remember this is about making the correct physical reaction). Fear roots your feet to the ground, turns your brain to mush or makes you over-react to situations. Anger makes you resort to violence where none was required. One of the biggest differences between modern martial arts that have evolved in the ring, and the more ritualistic, traditional arts is that the modern arts do not have any strategy for calming the mind.

The more ritualistic traditional arts have elevated their practice to a higher level than mere ring craft. They transcend physical conflict and in doing so, resolve many of the reasons for it. There is a taoist phrase that sums it up:

"There are two types of people. The warrior and the sage. The warrior is a powerful person who covers his own weaknesses and exposes the weaknesses of his enemies. The sage merely has no weaknesses. He gives himself up, and in doing so, gains everything."

Making room for things

2010-10-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

There's no getting away from it... My house is full. Two children, all their toys. It's bedlam here. Something has to change. But what? Do we have a throw-out of old toys and junk? Do we buy a new house? Do we get an extension on our present house? Do we re-organise furniture?

There are so many options.

When meditating on this problem a couple of weeks ago, I was struck by a realisation that our lives are like this. Sometimes we want to change, but we cannot because there is no room in our lives for change. It made me think about the bigger picture of how I was living my life.

I came to the realisation that there was a lot of emotional clutter caused by useless activities I was doing, simply because other people wanted me to do them. I decided to stop doing these things. Now let me be clear, there is a lot of things that people ask me to do, which are useful. These things, I continue to do. This is not a slackers mandate.

I started this two weeks ago, and although at times it has been challenging, I have space in my life again. But a strange thing has happened. New opportunities have started to present themselves to me. It seems that the meditation is correct - you cannot possibly get new things and change in your life until you make room for them.

As for the house - I guess a clear out is on the horizon. Now I just need to work out what we need and what we don't. As far as my stuff is concerned, it is easy. Somehow, I think my Wife and the children's stuff will be a more difficult issue.

Something new is coming

2010-08-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a social evening at a new consciousness centre in Somerset.

Nestled in the tiny hamlet of Otterhampton, the Parsonage Side Retreat is the brainchild of the Bexx family and the culmination of many years of hard work. They have taken an old set of buildings and created a nurturing space with accommodation for 17, and large rooms for hire and meditation spaces.

Those who are familiar with the Monroe Institute and their use of Binaural technology will feel right at home with PSR's state-of-the-art CHEC units. Nestled within these small rooms, advanced sounds are played to alter your state of consciousness and allow you to experience profound states of meditation, learning, focus or relaxation.

Other more conventional activities are already planned, with healing, meditations, chanting and consciousness workshops. Visit the website to find out their up and coming schedule.

As I sit and ponder this impressive facility that the Bexx family have created, my mind is drawn to one of my favourite quotes by Rumi:

‎"Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love."

To me, it is clear that they have been strongly drawn by love to create a space for exploration, contemplation, healing and discovery. It is evident in the very fabric of the building - a building that will be the foundation for positive change for many, many years to come.

Ten percent worry

2010-08-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

About two months ago, I was playing on the sofa with my 1 year old daughter. She grabbed my arm and I jumped through the roof in unexpected pain. On closer inspection, I found a sizeable lump under the skin. There was no discolouration of the skin or any pain - just when it was grabbed by a small child with sharp nails. It looked for the world like a cyst of some kind.

But it played on my mind, and later that evening, I searched my body and found two other lumps. One was about 4 inches from the original lump, and the other was under my other arm, near my armpit.

I scoured a couple of medical dictionaries, and made a self-diagnosis of Lipomas. Lipomas are benign cysts of fibrous material that appear in the layer of fat under the skin. There is no medical reason why they appear, they just do. I was 90% sure that these lumps were Lipomas. I rang the doctor's surgery several times to make appointments, and the administrators were so unhelpful, I decided to wait a couple of weeks until I had some time off work.

When I finally got an appointment, my doctor took one look and said they were probably Lipomas, but that I should go for an ultrasound scan to be 100% sure that they weren't malignant cancers.

I was very pleased that the doctor agreed with what I thought, and went along to the scan. The doctor who took me through the scan explained everything. We saw the first tumour, and we could see clearly that it was the correct colour and that there was no blood supply. He repeated the procedure with the other two lumps, and they all showed up as Lipomas.

It was at that moment that I realised that the 10% of doubt had been weighing me down for a month. I really don't like worrying about things going wrong until I am certain that things have gone wrong. But it goes to show that doubt can drag you down and lay you low.

So what have I learned about this?

Doctors' receptionists are a layer of unqualified triage. If you have a worry, be assertive and insist. I could have saved two weeks of worry if I had been more insistent. If my tumours had been malignant, I would have delayed vital treatment.
If you find a lump, get it checked out by qualified doctors and specialists as soon as possible. Not knowing is far worse than you think.

Ultimately, it has been a timely reminder of my mortality and that I should be living my life more. I'm not sure how this shall take form, but watch this space.....

The age of the phone?

2010-07-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

The last 3 years have seen an explosion in the popularity of smart phones. Whether you want one or not, unless you have lived under a stone, it's impossible to avoid seeing one in action.

These phones are like mini computers, allowing the user to not only make telephone calls, but also manage communication and information from a variety of sources, including SMS messaging, internet, email and wifi networks. They take and edit photographs, play music and films. The very latest ones now offer face-to-face video calls.

I believe that these communication devices were inevitable. As humans, we have an instinctive desire to keep in contact with the people we care about. As more and more of our lives is consumed by the demands for work, the smartphone allows us to keep reassuring each other without having to step away from our desks or shops. Conspiracy theorists would no doubt have a field day with this idea. However, it brings me to my first point..

Are we becoming too reliant on this technology for reassurance? Is it a crutch? Undoubtedly, many people will be using their phones as a means of emotional support. It is so reassuring to know that the emergency services, all your friends, and all of the information and all the services that the internet offers are there for you - instantly. You can get your friends social status and personal information at the touch of a button. A recent survey with teenagers said that they would rather go without anything else than their phones (perhaps this is no surprise to parents of teenagers!). Are we breeding a generation of phone junkies who fall apart when separated from their phones? Perhaps.....

But, I truly believe the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. There are so many areas of society who have benefitted from the smartphone. Many people fear information overload. I consider this as a challenge to our generations, but future ones will adapt. I see the increasing complexity of our technology as a sign of humanity's collective consciousness improving. The more connections we make, the more knowledge we share and the more issues we discuss will only serve to broaden our understanding of what it is to be human.

Love them or loathe them... smart phones are going to be with us for a while. The challenge will not be whether we can make new technologies, but whether we can resist using them for personal gain at the expense of others - like warfare, unethical selling and spying.

Modern Weapons

2010-07-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of learning traditional martial arts is that you get to train with some pretty interesting weapons. There are swords, knives, sabres, spears, whips and all manner of sticks. Personally, I love the Chinese Straight Sword (or Jian). I find it a quick, light, precise weapon that suits my body size and style. I love the movements and postures. The Chen sword form is one of my favourite forms.

But in the real world, how can I possibly carry my sword down the street without attracting lethal retribution from the local rapid response unit? In short - I can't. It is against the law for me to have a sword in public when I am not travelling to and from my place of practice. And what's more - swords are a relic from a bygone era. You are more likely to be confronted by an attacker with a concealed weapon like a knife or a gun. If an assailant has a gun, your sword is going to be pretty useless.

There are a whole plethora of small weapons that can be concealed. One of the most popular is a metal pen that can be used as a weapon:

But to be honest, any hard, blunt object can be jabbed into your assailant's tender spots - sharp handle to a brush - anything. Use your imagination.

Have you seen "The Men Who Stare At Goats"? It is a film about an American military group who were inspired by the new age movement. It is an interesting subtle film - well worth a look. But what has caught the imagination of modern martial artists has been this clip:

This is an actual weapon that was produced - and is still being used by the US troops in Iraq.

This seemingly innocent piece of plastic is used to exert pressure against the vulnerable parts of the body to cause pain. This pain can be used to neutralise an attack and then as an aid to make your assailant compliant.

Although the movie calls them "Predators", they are called "Defenders" in the shops. I have one of these weapons, and I have to say they are brilliant. Although they are ruthlessly efficacious, I don't believe they are a good weapon to carry, because they do not have an innocent use. Even a hand gun can be used to hunt for food (theoretically). There is no innocent use for the Defender. It is purely designed to inflict pain.

Traditional weapons like nunchucks, three-piece staffs and the 10 piece whips were all based on rice flails - things that were in everyday use during simpler times. So consider the applications that the Defender videos show, and try to find everyday things that are close to hand - like pens, keys, hairbrushes, coins, combs, torches (maglites) etc. They could become your best friend in an emergency.

Re-prioritising

2010-06-26T11:18:00.001-07:00

As the academic year comes to a close at East Cheshire Community Education, it is time to reflect upon an eventful year. The recession is starting to bite, and this has been reflected in the trials and tribulations faced by myself and many of my students. Three have had children, one has got married, two have changed their jobs and four have moved to another area.

The one thing that becomes clear is that many people have used the recession to take stock of their lives, work out what they truly want and re-prioritise accordingly. Although undeniably stressful, it is also a time where we let go of behaviours, beliefs and aspirations that hold us back.

One of the easiest ways of cutting back is to cancel that gym membership, give up your regular exercise or quit a hobby that costs you money. Be careful about doing this. It is easy to label activities that keep your health and sanity as being superfluous and wasteful. It is also tempting to work longer hours in the pursuit of money in case you may lose your job. Denying yourself your health and recreation is storing up problems that will prove more costly in the long term. Short term gains may result in long term burnout.

So when re-prioritising during a recession, stay clear of a mentality based on fear and protectionism. This is not a mandate to keep spending and ignoring the climate. It is about nurturing yourself and growing in a new direction.

Mental viruses

2010-06-26T03:39:00.000-07:00

The internet has proved a fantastic tool for the circulation of ideas and concepts. It unites groups of people with common interests and is the perfect forum for discussions and networking.

There is a down side. The internet is also a breeding ground for a phenomena that I call the Mental Virus. A mental virus is like a computer virus. It is a thought or belief that has no possible use to the owner other than the creation of fear and mistrust. It spreads from person to person and is almost impossible to get rid of. An older version of the mental virus is the urban myth.

Urban myths were rife before the internet. Whoever told you about them said that they happened to "a friend of a friend". Generally, there is no proof that they happened, and there is an element of possibility. Here are a few:

The old woman who dried her wet dog in the microwave and the dog exploded.
There are alligators in the sewer put there by people buying them as pets and flushing them down the toilet.
The young woman who stopped to help an old woman whose car had broken down. She offers to give the old woman a lift to a garage, and notices manly hairs on the back of her hand and drives off before the old woman can get in the car. It is only when she stops that she finds that the old lady's handbag contains a large knife or a small axe.

Mental viruses are just like urban myths, but are on a much grander scale. They start with an idea that snowballs into international conspiracies and life and death issues. People do enormous amounts of research that joins together unrelated facts to make a unified whole.

Some other mental viruses are as follows:

All modern inventions like computers and stealth aircraft are inspired by recovered flying saucers being reverse-engineered by the US government.
Princess Diana's death was ordered by the royal family.
Humanity is being secretly enslaved and ruled by seven foot blood-drinking lizards.
When NASA landed on the moon, they found alien bases and have been covering it up since.
NASA never landed on the moon. It was all a hoax.
The nazis landed on the moon during the second world war.

When you first look at the concepts, they appear pretty far-fetched. But the people who perpetuate mental viruses spend a great deal of time researching for phenomena and facts that support their ideas. They then place these facts into a logical order to build up a picture that points to their theory. They also conveniently ignore all evidence that points to a more logical conclusion. But when you de-construct their arguments, they don't bear well under scrutiny. Many of the conclusions are measured incorrectly - like trying to say that someone is 6 ft tall by weighing them.

More dangerous mental viruses can be perpetuated by religious cults and groups. In these cases, mental viruses are the start of extremist behaviour.

So when learning new concepts on the internet, please consider whether you are taking on a mental virus. Consider whether there is significant scientific backing for the facts and concepts. Also, consider how the ideas influence how you feel about yourself and others. Be rational, sceptical and challenge everything. Ask the right questions, and many of these theories fall down like a house of cards.

Making life simple

2010-05-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

I recently bought the new Apple iPad for my wife. She has never been a fan of computers. They are too logical and cold for her. Usually, when she writes an email, I have to stand at her shoulder and advise her. You can see the unease that creeps up every time she gets near a keyboard and mouse. I have a computer in our living room, and she won't sit near it.

Now I am guessing that there is a whole chunk of society who feel exactly the same as my wife. To them, computers are confusing, irrational and frightening. This fear is so bad that they make a thousand excuses why they should not use one. I've heard every little argument.

But something really interesting happened when I gave Claire her iPad. She ENJOYED using it. My self-confessed computer hating wife not only smiles when she uses it, but she is now asking me "Will it do this" or "will it do that". She WANTS to use it more. Possibly for the first time, she sees a computer's potential.

Everything wooshes around at the flick of a finger. The whole package is so slick and capable that using it is instinctive. There are no instruction manuals. You don't need one, because it's all common sense. When my four year old daughter was allowed to have a go, she picked it up straight away. My one year old daughter also understood the interface without any prompting.

This is the way computers should be.... clear and simple. Why make them complicated? Why do you need a million different configuration options? It keeps software engineers and computer companies in money, that's why. Most people don't want to be computer engineers. They just want to get on with their lives with the minimum fuss. Apple understand this more than anyone, and in the iPad, they have delivered a computer tool that understands how people work and delivers simple, effective services for them.

The teacher's teacher

2010-05-29T00:28:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks, Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei has been in the UK conducting seminars for a wide range of abilities. The class I attended was the advanced Laojia Yilu. In the picture opposite, he is demonstrating wrist locks to an eager group of students. Special thanks to Master Liming Yue for bringing Chen Zhenglei to our shores once more.

This time Chen Juan (CZL's eldest daughter) ably assisted in the classes and provided additional tuition and support to the students. It is good to see the Chen lineage coming through strongly in this excellent, spirited Tai Chi player.

While training is of paramount importance to me, these classes are also a great opportunity to catch up on old friends and make new contacts. After the first day, it was clear that the large majority (if not all) of the students in Master Chen's class were Tai Chi teachers in their own right.

This made me think about where do teachers go to continue learning about their art? It is important to keep your skills relevant and improving, so how do you know that you are learning with the correct teacher?

Many traditional martial arts place great importance on lineage. Lineage is the way you connect yourself to the inventor of your art and their direct inheritors. For example, my lineage is that I was taught by Master Liming Yue, who was in turn taught by Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei and up through the Chen Family history to Chen Wang Ting who invented Tai Chi. Your measurement of success is how few the degrees of separation between yourself and direct lineage (in this case, the Chen family). While lineage is one way of assessing a teacher's knowledge, it is not always a guarantee of quality.

There are other ways of proving worth. One way is through competitions. You can perform your movements and have them judged by a panel of officials. This kind of marking is subject to interpretation, and external appearance is no guarantee of martial skill. Cage fighting and Mixed Martial Arts tournaments are becoming more and more popular as a way of proving self defence skills. Other martial arts have simulated combat competitions (Judo, Tae Kwondo, Tai Chi push hands etc.) But many of the most effective traditional martial arts techniques are banned in modern tournaments. So while tournaments are a good barometer for isolated requirements, they are not necessarily a guarantee of a teacher's fighting skill. Also, they are not a guarantee that the teacher can teach. There have been many naturally gifted fighters who have surrounded themselves with students who have learned very little.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself after attending a martial arts class for the first time:

Did the lessons make sense?
Were things demonstrated slowly and clearly?
Are you happy with what you have learned?
Was your health and safety considered?
Did your skill and understanding of the martial art improve (or did you just learn how good at martial arts your teacher is)?

If you can answer yes to all these questions, you are in a good class. Finally, have a good look around at other students. How good are the more experienced students? This is a guide to your future.

At the end of the day, it is about trust. Who do you trust to correct your technique? I personally know I have made the right decision to learn from Master Liming Yue and Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei. The content of their classes is outstanding, they give clear instructions, they have everyone's safety in mind, and taking a look around their classes - I see so many other teachers there, so I know I have made the right decision.

Tai Chi and Meditation

2010-05-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

@KarlRichard (His website here) asked me the following question:

"Can you explain how meditation and Taiji work together as one? Not an easy task, no doubt... Coming from a Buddhist perspective!?"

Many Chinese martial arts (including Tai Chi) were influenced by the Shaolin monks' training, which was taught to them by Indian Buddhist monk - Bodhidharma. He was disturbed by the monks poor physical health, and showed them "tendon changing" exercises (Yi Jin Jing), which were later adapted into the self-defence forms and skills we recognise today as Shaolin Chuan (Shaolin Boxing).

Bodhidharma was responsible for introducing meditation techniques to the Shaolin and he is associated with the idea that spiritual, intellectual and physical excellence are an indivisible whole necessary for enlightenment. It is this ethos that has cascaded through to many of the modern Chinese martial arts today - including Taijiquan.

To delve a little deeper and understand Tai Chi as a meditation, we have to understand the concepts of Wuji and Taiji (Tai Chi).

Wuji is the fundamental principle of stillness. It is a quality that is - in essence - empty and non-polar.

Taiji is extreme opposites (or supremely polar) and represents the interplay between yin and yang. (incidentally, it is this concept that was mis-translated for many generations as "the Grand Ultimate", which fuelled the fires of mysticism and bad teaching that is being corrected by better modern understanding). It is dynamic and polar, and represents the substantial and yielding qualities that are required for self defence.

Now - to attain Taiji (dynamic, polar) gongfu (skill), you must first attain wuji (stillness and emptiness). Meditation is merely focused consciousness. When practicing Tai Chi, the consciousness, movement and breathing are co-ordinated and can be interpreted as a holistic meditation. There are also meditative postures like Zhan Zhuang.

For further reading on Tai Chi and consciousness, try here:

http://richardnorthwood.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-thoughts-on-martial-arts.html

http://richardnorthwood.blogspot.com/2009/12/importance-of-focus.html

Knowledge or skill?

2010-04-30T13:53:00.001-07:00

In our modern technological age, it can be argued that information is the new currency. Never has it been more important to be able to exchange information. It is something that as a society we have become addicted to. 24 hour media, internet, mobile phones, laptops, ipods - the world hammers us with information.

This is fantastic. I look at how quickly my daughter has picked up the internet and I predict that she will not know the meaning of "I don't know". Almost all the information in the world can now be obtained with a few mouse clicks. Everything is always on and always available. I remember when my parents had to use the local public telephone if they wanted to call someone.

There are some people who are wary of this technological revolution and fear information overload and social stagnation. I disagree. I really do believe that our increasing need for information will eventually drive the evolution of consciousness, which in turn will have a positive effect on our physiology.

But... (and there is a big but.) Knowledge is nothing without skill. Tell someone once, and as long as they are able to retain the fact in their head, they have acquired knowledge. Knowledge is easy to obtain.

But skill takes time. Unless you are a genius (and most people aren't), you have to do the same things over and over and over again. You have to make lots of mistakes - and every time you make a mistake, you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself down and either fix your error or learn how not to do it again. Is this tough? Yes. Can it be frustrating? Undoubtedly. But the rewards that skill brings to the practitioner are beyond description.

Gongfu (or kung fu) is literally translated as skill. So when you go to a martial arts class, be prepared - first and foremost - to acquire a skill. So have courage. Be prepared to make repetition your friend, boredom your enemy and skill your ultimate goal. Everything else will fall into place.

Sleep

2010-04-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

One of the most important and most overlooked aspects of modern health is the quality and quantity of sleep. In our always-on and plugged in society, poor quality sleep can make us angry, irritable, fatigued, sick and unable to concentrate or memorise anything.

I also believe that a lot of obesity is started by people not getting enough sleep. They eat because they feel fatigued and they think they need something to give them more energy - but what they really need is more sleep. If you feel you aren't getting enough sleep, check out the advice here:

You can't get off to sleep:

Kit your bedroom for sleep only - remove any computers, televisions, stereos, telephones, books or distractions.
Keep it dark. No lights on. Fit black-out blinds to your curtains if they let the light in.
No caffeine, drugs or alcohol. (Alcohol can help you to sleep, but your sleep will not be restorative).
No big meals late in the evening - the food will sit heavily on your stomach.
Practice meditation to calm you down before bed.
Avoid sugary snacks in the evening.
Check that your bed is comfortable. If it is not, fix it. There are some great products, like memory foam that are really comfortable. They are worth the investment.

You get to sleep OK, but you keep waking up in the middle of the night:

Don't switch the lights on - light resets you body clock, so try keep a tiny torch if you need to navigate to the bathroom.
Don't eat, unless hunger is keeping you awake.
If you are woken by ideas, keep a pen & paper to write them down. You should be able to sleep after that. Only make sure you don't switch on the lights - use your small torch.
Don't you dare touch a computer, book, phone, tv, radio, playstation, xbox or ANYTHING that will distract you.

Your circadian rhythm is your body's internal clock for sleeping and waking patterns. This clock can get knocked out by things like jet lag, changing work shift patterns, stress or lack of sleep. To get your body clock working again, get yourself a timetable for sleep and stick to it. Go to bed at the same time every night - even on nights when you are not working, like weekends and holidays. Also, get plenty of sunlight during the day. This will let your body clock know the difference between waking and sleeping times. Do some exercise during the day (like a martial art, swimming, jogging, walking etc.). Exercise will also tell your body clock that this is the time for waking, so the night is for sleep.

Finally, learn a guided method for progressive relaxation - in other words, think about each part of the body and imagine it relaxing. Go through all parts of the body until you are feeling totally relaxed. When you can do this on a comfortable bed in a dark, quiet room without any distractions, you will soon find yourself slipping gently off to sleep.

The dangers of LSD

2010-04-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine used to manage "up and coming" bands while he was in university. We were having a chat, when he pointed out a new band he was working with.

"See the guy in the denims?" he asked, "I'm looking for another singer. The rest of the band hate him. He's got a serious case of LSD."

I thought the guy looked stone cold sober and said so. I then discovered that in this case the acronym "LSD" stands for Lead Singer's Disease.

Lead Singer's Disease is the fevered ego of the frontman that gets inflated by the never-ending adulation of fans. People with LSD are a constant annoyance and embarrassment to the rest of the band, with their pompous diva antics. LSD (often fuelled by real drugs) is the main cause of perfectly decent bands splitting up at the height of their careers.

So what has this got to do with martial arts? I hear you cry. As teachers we are performing to groups of students very day. Not only that, we are constantly demonstrating how tough and clever we are with all these self defence techniques we have learned. It is easy for untrained students to become impressed, and we can find ourselves being raised onto a small, dojo-sized pedestal. That's the beginning of LSD. We may not be lead singers, but as soon as we start to believe the hype, the disease will strike.

When planning your class, if you are thinking "how can I impress them today?", then you are coming down with LSD, and you are on a slippery slope that may end up with you injuring yourself, one of your students or driving away your class. People aren't stupid. They can spot a teacher who is on an ego trip a mile off.

The best masters I have known all have one vital ingredient.... humility. Couple humility with tolerance and respect for others, and you will not get LSD. If you value an honest and mutually rewarding relationship with your students and peers, practice humility. You will be rewarded with genuine trust, respect and honour.

Thomas Campbell - Consciousness Explorer

2010-04-12T12:48:00.001-07:00

Thomas Campbell recently joined the Monroe Institute to deliver a lecture on the origins of scientific consciousness exploration with Bob Monroe:

Special thanks go to Martin Peniak for putting this video together.

Many a truth is said in jest

2010-04-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

I love jokes. They clear the air, they relieve tension and they reveal the truth in a more profound way than any earnest pleading can do.

But sometimes, jokes transcend comedy and elevate us beyond our limits. I would like to share with you one of the greatest comedy speeches I have ever heard. Parental guidance is required...

Are we at our limits?

2010-03-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

Scientists are constantly looking for new ways to measure things... The Hubble telescope, radio telescopes, electron microscopes, gas spectrometers etc, etc, etc. Why do you think that is?

Since Hans Lipperhey - a spectacle maker - first put lenses together to make a telescope, we have realised that our five senses are just not up to the job. They are good for interpreting our immediate surroundings for survival, but do we experience things as they really are? As we look for increasingly more accurate ways to measure our world, physicists are making even bigger leaps in how me must change the way we think

If we consider our evolved origins, our brains are fundamentally built to keep us alive. But as a result of that, we are not thinking about how things truly are... we are thinking.... fundamentally.... about consumption, reproduction and survival.

Our whole way of perceiving and understanding is based on evolved existence under a tiny strip of gas that surrounds a small rock spinning around a small star in the vastness of space.

Our challenge is to break away from our primitive origins of conflict and survival; and redefine ourselves, each other and evolve to greater more unified consciousness.

Rooting

2010-03-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Rooting is a term used in Tai Chi to describe the quality of the contact of the feet with the ground and the sinking down of the weight through the floor. For Tai Chi practitioners, rooting is everything. The video below is Master Liu Yong demonstrating his rooting (I trained with him for 6 months):

This is not parlour trickery. It is simple and effective body mechanics arising from correct posture and sinking the weight below the direction of force from the people pushing. All Tai Chi footwork is geared towards keeping the body rooted to the floor at all times. This is because Tai Chi is mainly concerned with getting into contact with your opponent and using your body as a fulcrum between your opponent's weight and momentum and the floor. Tai Chi also relies heavily on rooting to strike the opponent.

Other martial arts use rooting differently. Orthodox western Boxing relies on rooting to ensure a powerful strike against the opponent, just like Tai Chi. If you are not fully rooted when you punch, the effectiveness of the punch will be greatly diminished. However, the boxer must be more mobile to pursue and evade his/her opponent.

Mohammad Ali was a great innovator in Boxing. His "shuffle" was designed to hide the nature of his rooting, and thus mislead his opponent as to what kind of punch was coming next. It was very effective. Watching Ali, the most impressive aspect of his work (for me) was his ability to instantly switch between being on the toes and planting his feet for striking. This meant he was able to change from defensive to offensive techniques - and back - in the blink of an eye.

Other martial arts use rooting differently again:

It can be argued that styles like Tae Kwondo concentrate more heavily on kicking and mobility and less on rooting. Although they require rooting for basic blocking and punching, many of their kicking strategies rely on generating rotating power. When spinning the body around, the rooting becomes a hinderance, and many techniques can be effectively done with both feet off the ground. But the jump and spin have to be instigated by a push against the ground. At that point the feet must be effectively planted or else the necessary spin and height cannot be achieved.

So one of the ways we can measure gongfu (or skill) is the quality of rooting and the way it changes in accordance with posture, movement and practical applications. The quicker and smoother you can make your rooting changes while remaining mobile and balanced, the less likely it is that you will be caught off balance. This is the fundamental basis upon which to build any comprehensive system of self defence - regardless of style.

Martial ARTist

2010-03-05T23:44:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered that a colleague I work with has a very successful brother. His brother is a turner prize winning artist. Reading about his creative and challenging work made me think deeply about the concept of a martial artist.

The oxford english dictionary gives the following definitions:

A learned person or Master of Arts.
One who pursues a practical science, traditionally medicine, astrology, alchemy, chemistry (obsolete)
A follower of a pursuit in which skill comes by study or practice - the opposite of a theorist.
A follower of a manual art, such as a mechanic - partly obsolete
One who makes their craft a fine art.

Along with the artist comes the concept of aesthetics - or the rules that measure how good things look (beauty). From a martial perspective, we must consider a different set of aesthetics for each martial art separately. Our aesthetics must concern the quality of posture and movement within our individual frameworks. Movements should display balance, power, skill and also reflect the nature of our consciousness.

We must consider movement - not only as a way of defending ourselves - but also - being artists - as a form of entertainment, a display of skill and a deterrent to attackers.

A lot of art also carries important political and social messages. So consider what your martial art is saying about you socially and politically. Ask yourself if your art is still socially and politically relevant? Consider more importantly what you want it to say. It may a have considerable effect on your performance.

Motivation and Goals

2010-03-01T04:22:00.000-08:00

Motivation can be an elusive quality. You can be steaming along feeling great about things, practicing hard or getting on with your purpose in life. Then something happens and suddenly every action is too much effort and it's like wading though treacle.

So what is motivation? Basically, it is the activation of goal-oriented behaviour. It is the impetus that we feel to ensure our goals are reached. Without motivation, the drive goes from our lives and we lose the will to apply effort. Understanding why we lose motivation is a good way of finding out how to get it back.

Where motivation is concerned, discoveries change everything.

You can discover that your goals are not what they used to be. People's priorities change, and what you may have gladly spent plenty of your time on last year becomes a waste of time now. It is normal for this to happen, particularly when relationships change (Love, Marriage, Children, Divorce, Bereavement etc.). The people we spend our time with affect our goals far more than most of us admit to.

You can discover that your goal is unattainable, or that despite very hard work, you have actually moved away from your goal.

The worst goal to have is one that relies upon how other people think about you. "I want to be respected" or "I want everyone to look up to me". These kind of goals are the hardest to attain, because they are the most fragile. One wrong word from someone and your world comes crashing down. You may discover that people don't think as highly of you as you thought.

It is at times like these that you need to reassess your personal and professional goals. If you don't have your goals, how can you progress?

1. Write your goals down. Whether it is on a spreadsheet or a piece of paper, make sure you have a clear reference of them so you can keep reminding yourself.

2. Make sure they are specific and measurable. In other words, make sure they can be done and measured. "Get more money" or "Get fitter" are not specific goals. Try something like "Increase my net income by 20%" or "Increase my exercise recovery rate by 10%". These are all specific goals that can be measured.

3. Vary your timescales. You should have long-term, overarching goals that define your actions. You can then break them down into smaller, achievable , more short-term goals.

4. Make sure they are realistic.

5. Stay focused. Don't set too many goals. 5 - 10 non-conflicting goals are ok.

6. Always have at least one simple goal and one difficult goal at any given time.

7. Prioritise and be flexible. Decide which goals are the most important and set your deadlines accordingly. However, you should always be aware that some of your goals may move quicker than others and allow some flexibility in your schedule.

8. Balance: Don't have all your goals in one area of your life. Try to spread them about.

Technology and Violence

2010-02-27T23:55:00.000-08:00

It is so much easier to be violent now than it was before "civilisation". First we used our fists, sticks and stones. Then came knives and swords. You had to be face-to-face with your enemy and within their reach. Violence was a purely physical activity and risk was very high. So you had to be reasonably sure that you could win. This is the time when many martial arts were evolved.

The invention of the gun changed everything. It is so much more accurate and effective than previous weapons (bows arrows etc). Your enemy just needs to be in your direct line of sight. You do not have to invest any physical effort. The ancient act of murder that used to put you in equal risk to your opponent has now been effectively reduced to the squeeze of one finger against a trigger. With the invention of intercontinental nuclear missiles, it is now possible to destroy the city your enemy lives in from another country by the press of a single button.

This is old news. Guns have been with us for a couple of centuries, and nuclear technology since the 2nd World War. With technology comes power, and with this power comes the responsibility to use it wisely. So what has happened recently to change the rules of engagement?

With the rapid innovation of computers over the last 20 years, it can be argued that we live in a new age of information technology. Never before have communications and intelligence been so accessible and so easily disseminated to whoever you like. This is great news for the empowerment of the individual, but that also gives people more opportunity to exploit others. Espionage or spying is the covert acquisition of information for use against an individual or organisation. People can abuse or steal without coming anywhere near their victim. So what risks do people face from modern technological espionage and how can we protect ourselves?

Cyber-attack: The internet is rife with viruses that can damage the performance of our computers or trojans that steal personal information. I'm not going to make many friends here, but the main reason for the proliferation of viruses is that we have all chosen the same kind of operating system - microsoft windows. If you are really interested in ensuring your PC is virus free, don't use windows. Find another operating system . There are a lot out there - some of which are free! If more people used windows alternatives, viruses would not spread. If you cannot do without your windows operating system, more information can be found here.

Cyber bullying: Why stand in front of someone and insult them when you can do it from your home? So much more convenient... The main source is social network sites like facebook, bebo or via email or SMS on your mobile phone. The main thing to remember is that you should not answer back. Mainly because this means you can be implicated as being part of the problem. Remember, all their activities can be recorded. Save emails, take screen prints. Don't delete abusive texts. They are all evidence. When you have enough evidence, go to your school, local authority or police. It is abuse, and there are laws against it. More advice here.

Robbery: Firstly, don't publish your home address. Secondly, don't go on facebook and tell everyone you are going on holiday for a week. You might as well put a sign on your house saying 'rob me'. Avoid putting your smart-phone location on twitter or facebook for the same reason.

Identity theft: Another reason why you can't publish your personal details is that others can use your details to get loans from banks etc. Also, get a shredder and shred all the mail that goes into your bin. That way, people cannot steal your identity.

Bank account details: Don't put them on your computer or smart phone. Need I say any more?

Smart phone: Make sure it is password protected. If you have it stolen and you haven't locked it, you may lose more than the phone. Your address book contains all your details and all your friends' addresses. Nice list of places to be robbed or identites to steal.

Make sure you use these new technology and communication skills to your advantage.

Children - use your communication networks to warn each other where bullies are so you can all avoid them.
If you don't like walking through that tough neighbourhood, you can use your smartphone to order a safe taxi home.
Text ahead to let people know when to expect you.
Access national statistics to find out how crime is dealt with in your area. If it's not good enough, lobby your political representative.
Email police websites to report public disorder.

Let's all work together to ensure our communications are effective and safe.

Kung Fu Tricks

2010-02-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

The world of martial arts is full of rich tales and folklore. Ancient qigong masters were reputed to be able to transform the physical properties of objects and magically influence the weather. There are many people who claim to have powers that are almost supernatural:

But really - most of them are just smoke and mirrors or auto-suggestion at best. Most people

scoff at these parlour tricks as being far-removed from modern martial arts. And perhaps they are. For modern people cannot easily be fooled by such things. We have seen TV magicians doing these kind of things since we were children.

But consider simpler times, when such tricks could convince many that you had magical powers and were a force to be reckoned with. Would that not deter people from attacking you? Would it - at least - make people think twice about getting on the wrong side of you?

Consider this sword form.....

There is very little in the way of practical sword fighting going on here. Don't get me wrong, it is a great piece of balance, athleticism, power and sword control. But it is completely devoid of practical applications, and would be totally useless for sword fighting of any kind....

BUT...

It does make people think you are a force to be reckoned with. Wouldn't that not deter people from attacking you? Would it - at least - make people think twice about getting on the wrong side of you?

Deception, smoke and mirrors take many forms.

Binaural Beats - an introduction

2010-02-14T01:55:00.000-08:00

Binaural beats are delivered using stereo headphones. They work by playing differing frequencies into each ear. The brain tries to make sense of them as one sound, and by doing so, modifies it's own frequency. Binaurals can be used to change the state of arousal in the brain - from high energy focus, through deep relaxation to very deep delta sleep.

The internet is jam-packed full of people selling different products that incorporate binaural beats. Some companies make some pretty tall claims as to the efficacy of their products - they can turn you into a millionaire, they can make you live longer, they can help you cure disease etc...

Let's put these into perspective. Binaural beats change the frequencies of the brain. They can help you achieve a desired state of focus. They can help you enter a state of hypnotism, so suggestions for change can be fed to you. You get great sleep on them, and amazing deep states of meditation. They are not a panacea. If you are taking medication for something like depression or cancer, don't stop. If you suffer from strobe-induced epilepsy, consult your doctor before using them. What you do, is your trip entirely, and don't hold me responsible if you are sucked into any health "cures" or "instant wealth" scams using this technology.

Now we've done a little bit of expectation management, there are a lot of products on the market. There are two main approaches:

Passive: These products are generally suggestions that are fed to you - either verbally, visually or subliminally. They help you to make change. Some incorporate Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Hypnotism, Subliminal suggestions and combinations of those. They can be very effective in changing habits like giving up smoking, biting nails, healthy eating, public speaking or phobias. All you need to do is listen.

Active: These products offer a service that is more give and take. They are generally much more expensive, and follow a set curriculum. Typically, they can involve spiritual growth, shamanic journeying, out-of-body experiences or merely scientific self-exploration.

I have been more interested in the active products - choosing to use binaural beats to deepen my state of meditation. Let's start with the cheapest and work our way up......

SBAGen: This is an open-source command line program. If you are comfortable with computer languages and are interested in brainwave experimentation, this is really good. Once you get your head around how to write the programs and run them using the machine, it's great. What's more - it's free. Get it here. You can get it for all platforms.

iPhone Apps: there are a number of iPhone/iPod Touch apps that can generate binaural beats. one of the best - Mindwave 2 - costs £2.99 on itunes. There are many more. Just do a search.

BwGEN: This is a much more user-friendly program. It comes with lots of presets for different applications. You can download the shareware version here. The better service costs. It's $40 to register and get the full version.

The above are for people interested in producing their own patterns and listening to them while plugged into their computer. I like these, becuase I like to be in charge of every aspect of my experience. Let's now see the high-end products. They are typically put on CDs. The two main competitors in this field:

The Monroe Institute (Hemi-sync): The Monroe Institute was the first to experiment with binaural beats as a means of education via the exploration of consciousness. They offer single CDs and sets that have a wide range of applications. The CDs are binaural beats with verbal instructions only. You actively follow those instructions. You are also given exercises to do your own thing with that they call 'free-flow'. The only criticism is that if you buy a CD, there is little in the way of direct support from the Monroe Institute itself. You can ask questions on the website though, and they have a growing internet community. They also offer ambitious residential programs where you can experience profound states of meditation, shamanic journeying, out-of-body experiences and evolution of consciousness. They are not cheap, but the care that has been put into the programs is great. See the Monroe Institute here.

Centerpoint (Holosync): Centerpoint offer a program that is less ambitious in it's scope, but gives more support to the home user. You subscribe with them, and get regular support via emails and telephone. My personal opinion is that their awakening course can cause undesired feelings of anxiety and stress to leak into the normal day.. This is something that is encouraged, as they say these are feelings that need to be uncovered so they can be dealt with. The CD's themselves are binaurals with rain, subliminals and ringing bells. Depending on the way you choose to work, they are either boring, or zen-like. They also offer residential courses. See centerpoint here.

Whichever way you choose, binaurals are a fantastic tool for personal growth. Speaking for myself, I now get the best sleep and the most profound states of relaxation and meditation quickly and easily.

"If - thens".. are they wrecking your life?

2010-02-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

I was recently in a conversation with a colleague at work. It was always going to be a difficult subject to discuss, and when I asked the question, I received a comment (I am paraphrasing):

"If that means you want it to happen, then I will have to speak to your manager."

From that point on, the conversation quickly descended into a classical adversarial sparring match. Emotions spiralled higher and the real meaning of the meeting was lost.

Later on, I had a revelation - it is the "If - thens" that cause many of our problems. Very often, we do not take what people say by their face values. We attach different meanings and make inferences as to each other's true intentions. That's when the "if" part of the statement is made. Next we get to the "then" part - having pre-empted, we assign consequences to the action. In this case, he will speak to my manager. "If Thens" are classic fear-driven, consequence-threatening statements that raise the stakes of almost every conversation we have.

So what do we do? We guard against the "If Then" trap. Replace "If Then" statements with "I Can" statements.

Instead of saying:

"If you're going to take that stance, then I will have to report you."

Try:

"I think you may be taking an incorrect stance. Can we discuss this?"

Can you see how the threat and fear is taken out of - what is essentially the same message? Don't believe me? Go through your day and listen to your conversations. Find out how often you use "If Then" statements. You might be surprised at how often you use them. Learn to put aside "If Thens", and you will find people warming to you more as the fear and threat is taken from your vocabulary.

You know you've been doing tai chi too long when...

2010-02-09T13:56:00.000-08:00

All your shoes have extremely thin soles.
All of your casual trousers are loose-fitting "just in case".
You are afraid to open your car boot (trunk) at supermarkets, because you forgot to take your swords out after the last class.
When shaking hands with people you test their rooting.
When standing with people, you can't help lowering your centre of gravity below theirs.
People with one shoulder higher than the other really irritate you. And as for people with stoops..!
At the bus stop, you miss your bus because you were zoned out while attaining wuji.
Your significant other complains that if you rotate your lower dantien while watching a movie together one more time, it will be divorce!!!!
You go into a period of mourning when your favourite tai chi shoes are too worn to be useful.
All your clothes are black... or red .... or black and red..... or white.
Unlike everyone else, you really do know what your chinese symbol tattoos mean.
All your anecdotes start with "When I was in China...."
You have many silk kung fu suits... but the trousers are significantly more worn and faded than the jackets and no longer match.

Leaving a legacy

2010-02-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a tai chi teacher is the moment when an advanced student of yours starts to pass your lessons on to beginners. It is such a delight to see that they have taken on your training, and have managed to translate it into concepts and points of reference that they understand.

Watching this happen recently with one of my senior students has reaffirmed my belief that leaving a positive legacy is a valuable thing to try to do. The Ancient Romans new the power of a legacy. They believed that a person did not truly die until they were forgotten by those who they knew in life. So they had a paradigm that encouraged the leaving of a positive legacy. Conversely, many Taoists in China believe that the grieving process keeps the spirit attached to the griever. So they like to leave positive feelings with their relatives so that they will not grieve for long and allow their spirit to cross over.

So why is a positive legacy so important if you are not going to live to benefit from it? Having a clear view about how people will think about you after your death extends your paradigm beyond the present. By doing this, you broaden your outlook beyond the temporary needs of body and other material considerations. This wider view will also put any present problems you have into a lesser context.

So what kind of legacy do you want to leave? What kind of person do you want people to say you were?

Awakening (Author unknown)

2010-02-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

A time comes in your life when you finally get . . . when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out . . . ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling to hold on. Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize it’s time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon.

You realize that in the real world there aren’t always fairy tale endings, and that any guarantee of “happily ever after” must begin with you . . . and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are . . . and that’s OK. They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself . . . and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval.

Your stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you – or didn’t do for you – and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and everything isn’t always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself . . . and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties . . . and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.

You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you’ve outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with.

You learn that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a “consumer” looking for you next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don’t know everything, it’s not you job to save the world and that you can’t teach a pig to sing. You learn the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You learn that alone does not mean lonely.

You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.

You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drinking more water, and take more time to exercise.

You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And, just food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you deserve, and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You learn that no one can do it all alone, and that it’s OK to risk asking for help.

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms.

You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn’t always fair, you don’t always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people . . . and you lean not to always take it personally.

You learn that nobody’s punishing you and everything isn’t always somebody’s fault. It’s just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.

You lean that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

Then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than your heart’s desire.

You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind.

Finally, with courage in you heart, you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

(Author unknown)

I lifted this from the Monroe Institute website.

Building resilience

2010-01-30T10:45:00.000-08:00

I think it is a chinese curse - 'May you live in interesting times.' These are certainly interesting times. Although the international financial recession is officially over in many countries, the knock-on effects are going to be felt for some time. That means lots of change to industries and the way we live our lives.

Throughout all this there have been a plethora of self-help articles talking about how bad it is to have stress..... how much stress everyone is under.... all the business hours lost due to stress.... how many peoples suffer medical conditions due to stress stress stress.

I think there is something missing from many modern people's personal arsenal... resilience.

Resilience in psychology is the positive capacity of people to cope with change, stress and catastrophe. Martial arts are a great way to develop resilience. One can argue that resilience is the biggest attribute that martial arts offers. Here are some practical tips on how to improve your resilience:

Learn to accept change as inevitable, random and non-personal.
Get a can-do attitude. All problems can be solved if you break them down into small, easy tasks.
Learn to observe your mental dialogue, paying particular attention where you limit yourself.
Be adaptable. If something doesn't work, merely modify your approach and try again.
Take action - do something. Any action is better than doing nothing. You may be wrong to start with, but you can modify your approach.
Work hard to discover your purpose in life.
Broaden your outlook. Try to think about the biggest picture possible. The bigger you think, the smaller your problems will seem.
Work on a positive self-image.
Look after your health - exercise well, eat right and get plenty of sleep.
Emotionally, be gentle with yourself and forgive. Nobody's perfect.
Approach problems as an opportunity to learn and grow. Take a spiritual approach to your development (Please note, I am not talking about any beliefs, religion or dogma.)

Resilience is the antithesis to the victim mentality. Take up resilience and throw yourself into it. The bumps in the road will still be there, but your shock absorbers will make it feel smoother than it is.

No on-line teachings?

2010-01-29T23:58:00.000-08:00

A received a very interesting note from a friend asking me why I didn't put many technical articles about how to do Tai Chi. The reasons are legion, but I can condense into a few paragraphs:

No feedback: Showing you is great, and you can go away and practice, but how do you know you are getting it right?

It's very subtle: However I describe Tai Chi techniques, will not be enough to convey what is required. I have tried - and by my own standards - have failed. The best way of learning is like I did - by going to a teacher who is prepared to place their hands on you and move you correctly. I have not known many teachers who actually do this.

Tai Chi should be differentiated for every student: Everyone finds different things easy and others difficult. When given feedback, each student should be assessed and the advice given to them should be prioritised and the most important lessons given first. When practicing on your own, it is easy to become obsessed by a particular aspect of the discipline and neglect what is really important.

If it looks good - doesn't mean it is: External impression can be very different from internal sense - Some of the most impressive fighters I have competed with have had forms that gave absolutely no hint of their skill. In fact some of them appeared to be very crude indeed. Although we all give clues, you only truly know how good someone is when you fight them.

The information age is fuelling a generation of armchair martial artists - people who have read the technical manuals, but have not done the work. Just pick a well-watched martial arts video on youtube, and you can read hundreds of small-minded comments from people who talk the talk and can't walk the walk. I have no wish to provide ammunition for these people.

If you really want to learn, come to my classes. Details are at http://www.richtaiji.co.uk

Are your rituals helping you?

2010-01-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

This is a continuation from my previous post - Rituals.

As martial artists, we all have inherited rituals that have been passed down by the oral tradition from Teacher to Student. Some are around how we treat each other, how we maintain our floors and equipment. They can prepare us for conflict by focusing our minds and intimidating our opponents. Our forms or katas are also rituals. You may have verses or special words to say; You may salute your teachers and class mates. All of these are rituals.

If rituals have not been taught to beginners correctly, how can they benefit from them? Even seasoned martial artists can become disconnected from their rituals. Over a period of time, these activities can become so deeply ingrained that they are done automatically without any thought whatsoever, and their mental significance is lost. So how do you re-connect with your rituals? Like every other scientific theory - you subject them to scrutiny.

Firstly, you must get your history books and study the history and culture of the area where your art originated from. What were the popular beliefs - political, social and religious? What were the seasons like, and the lie of the land? What was the social status of the people who developed the art? What was the understanding of biology, chemistry and physics like? What were the common dangers that people faced? What were the popular weapons of choice? What assumptions were made about fighting?

Put all these together and you start to get a picture of the paradigm that shaped your martial art. Now compare that paradigm with modern day. What are the differences in popular beliefs? Do you hold the same beliefs as they used to? If not, can you interpret these differences, or do they grate with you?

Now, take an honest look at the rituals that you undertake. Understand what they are doing, and consider that they may be trying to influence others, including your teacher, friends, foes and family. They may have supernatural and metaphysical intentions underpinning them. If you do not believe these, can you find a modern way of justifying them?

Now you understand the origins of your rituals, practice them again. They may have an added level of significance once you know more about them. Finally test the outcomes of your rituals against yourself. Are they working? Do you feel different after doing them? Do they influence your opponents like they should? Be honest, scientific, open-minded and at the same time sceptical.

At this point, there may be some rituals that you want to discard. But the ones that you keep will be the ones that work for you, and through your research and greater understanding will have a resonance that can only add to the richness of your experience.

Rituals

2010-01-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

Many martial arts are full of rituals:

From merely bowing when you enter the room, to the elabourate pre-match sumo display, many traditional warrior creeds and martial arts are steeped in ritual. From the layman's perspective, these can appear - at best a little strange, and at worse intimidating. But if you look past the ancient beliefs, these rituals all have a vital purpose.

When looking at the fundamental reason why we do any ritual, there is no variation. All rituals are physical activities that help people prepare their minds. Bowing in martial arts is all about teaching you respect for your teacher, opponents and friends. Forms and dances teach you to focus your mind for combat. Meditation teaches you to still your mind.

Modern sports psychiatrists and doctors would say that there is little place for rituals today. They utilise neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) or hypnotism to instil the correct attitude in the modern athlete. There are new breeds of martial arts designed purely for success in the ring. They argue that ritual is a superfluous activity and a waste of a fighter's strength. Perhaps.......

But perhaps in the future, there may be an even better way of training our attitudes. We will look upon NLP and hypnotism as being rituals (which - in a way - they are).

Perhaps, it is not the rituals that are the problems, but the beliefs that need to change. For where would we be without some of our rituals? What would we do if we couldn't show friendship by shaking hands? How would we show our team how happy we are if we can't clap and cheer? How would we secure our future with our wives/husbands?

For better or worse, ritual is with us to stay. We must look with "open-minded scepticism" at our rituals and ask are they serving us well, or are they a crutch that we can do without?

I'm going to leave you with one of the greatest exponent of the pre-match ritual. Enjoy:

The importance of focus - part 2

2010-01-17T01:25:00.000-08:00

I received a few emails about my article entitled The Importance of Focus. People wanted to know more about consciousness. From a martial arts perspective, first view my article "My thoughts on martial arts". Done that? Good.

Your consciousness is the information you have obtained from your senses. When we absorb an experience, it is compared with previous memories of experience. When two or more experiences match, they form a belief. Also, if a single experience is of serious significance, it can also create or change beliefs. We have very little conscious control over this process, and the beliefs we learn can seriously prevent us from moving forward in our lives.

When our beliefs are at odds with our environment, we experience fear, anger, hate, jealousy etc. It is possible to unplug yourself from this by reducing the input from your senses, memory and imagination.

This altered state of consciousness is called Meditation. When done correctly, you attain a deep sense of peace and relaxation. However, it is when you plug back into your senses and memories that you start to observe your reactions. You start to realise that it is not the outside world that upsets you - it is you who upsets yourself. From that realisation comes the foundation upon which to build profound and lasting change.

Control

2010-01-10T06:36:00.000-08:00

There has been an alarming trend amongst news services in the UK to grab headlines by announcing things like "The murderer met his victim on FACEBOOK!", or "Chilling final message left by the terrorists on THE INTERNET!" or how about the killer "Children groomed by Pedophiles in CHAT ROOMS!"

So before the internet came along were there headlines like - "Terrorists used TELEPHONES to talk to each other!" or "Terrorist left letter with his GRANNY!"? Or "Pedophiles groom children in PARK!"

Why is the media sensationalising stories about the internet?

The billionaire media magnate, Rupert Murdoch is exactly right (interesting that he talks about choice for the individual, rather than opportunity, control or ownership). The internet is changing the way we do things. Now you know why television & newspapers want to demonise the internet.... The internet is undermining their control. Like it or not, the consolidation of power is moving away from the media giants, and towards the individual.

Do you think this is new? Governments all over the world are seeking the legal backing and the technology to monitor all internet communications. They want to get back the control that they had over the regular communications channels.

Oh this is so disgusting, I hear you say. How can they act like this? We all have rights to freedom and privacy! There is a more fundamental human nature driving such repression. It is the fear of chaos and the need for control. Unless we are unwell or disturbed, we all like things to be organised and calm. Unfortunately, we cannot agree on the definitions of organisation or the correct way to organise everything. So even with the most benevolent intentions, if we exert our control over others, they will resent it.

A martial artist can be seen as an expression of this need for control. Violence is - by it's nature - a chaotic activity. Martial arts give people the ability to anticipate, neutralise and control people who are violent. With this training comes a fundamental easing of the fight-or-flight instinct that brings tension to every daily activity we undertake.

But as martial artists, we must continue to examine our beliefs - to recognise the need for control as an affliction, and to accept that - fundamentally - all control is an illusion.

Down in one

2010-01-03T03:41:00.000-08:00

You've trained for years. You are so confident in your skills. All your friends tell you how cool and tough you are. But the truth is.....

It only takes one well-placed punch or kick to leave your reputation in tatters and everyone laughing. Training with your friends and teacher in your martial arts club is a world away from the ring, and even further from the street. You may have a fierce reputation amongst your friends, but life has no respect for reputation or dignity and it has a funny way of teaching you the hardest lessons.

The importance of focus

2009-12-29T23:51:00.000-08:00

The two main reasons for practicing Tajijquan are health and self-defense. It cannot be stressed highly enough the importance of focusing your thoughts on your desired outcomes when practicing the form. Practicing martial arts is the cultivation of a state of mind, as well as a desired fitness. Many people refer to this as Evolution of Consciousness.

So what is consciousness? Thomas Campbell defines, it as the information that your brain holds. This should not be confused with the physical brain - even though the brain is important, we are concerned with the information it holds - or your consciousness. Why do we have a consciousness? A consciousness is required if you are to experience reality. The better your consciousness, the better you can deal with life in general.

Take the example of a car battery. When is it fully charged, all the molecules have their poles in line with each other and it is able to discharge power. Physicists call this a Low Entropy state. As the charge is released by the battery, the molecules become more and more disorganised, until the battery can no longer send out any more electricity (or High Entropy state). In this case, entropy is a measure of the organisation of the component parts within a greater system.

Martial arts are a practical way of lowering the entropy of your consciousness, with specific emphasis on the body-mind connection.

To lower the entropy of your consciousness in line with your goals is then quite simple. If you wish to focus on health benefits, concentrate on correct movement and the flow of the force and energy going through the body. For those who wish to concentrate on self defence, start with the above and then move on to focusing on the practical applications (striking etc).

All Tai Chi forms are designed to be a moving meditation to lower the entropy of your consciousness and unify the mind-body connection. So consider your train of thought while you practice. Do not play taijiquan form while under the influence of negative thoughts. If you are angry and want to practice, calm yourself first or your movements become a meditation on anger. Anger is a disorganised mental state, so if you practice the form whilst being angry the entropy of your consciousness will be raised, and your ability to objectively deal with reality will diminish.

High entropy states to avoid: Anger, Fear, Jealousy, Hatred, Need, Infatuation, Control, Power, Addiction, Selfishness, Ego, Arrogance.

The lowest entropy state is love. When in a state of love, the body is nurtured and moves correctly; the mind is calm and all is good in the world. For both health or self-defense, love is a valuable state to focus on. If you think that love is a bit too wishy-washy-touchy-feely for a tough martial artist like yourself, start with philanthropy....

... and work your way up.

Are your knees trying to tell you something?

2009-12-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

After many years of teaching, the most common physical complaint by far is aching knees. It's not a sharp pain, but more reminiscent of dull toothache. Practice seems to exacerbate the problem until you are forced to rest for a few days. The pain stops for a while, so you resume practice only for it to return as though it never went away.

There can be a number of reasons why you may be feeling pain:

Arthritis:

This generally affects people over 50, however, if you have had a history of high impact exercises you may have torn your meniscus or suffered ligament damage. Such damage can also bring on early arthritis in the knees. There also appears to be a genetic predisposition towards arthritis of the knee, so check your family history. Ask your doctor for a diagnosis.

Incorrect usage:

Very often people who practice tai chi do not have their knees correctly aligned. Start by checking that your knees are pointing the same direction as your feet in your postures. If that is ok, check that you are not bending them too much. The yang knee should NEVER extend beyond the tip of the toe (i.e. if you draw a vertical line upwards from the toe, the knee should not cross that line). If that is OK, check your movements. Are you over-twisting the knees, by not letting your ankles relax. Thoroughly warm up the ankle before starting. Another common problem is caused by not being supple at the hips. This causes the knees to over-compensate.

Treatments should go in this order:

1. Consult your doctor. Make sure you do not have arthritis or any other injury. A doctor will be able to recommend surgery or injection etc that will definitely help. You may not need any of these, but it is good to rule out the big problems first.

2. Study your form and find out which movements give you pain, then ask your tai chi teacher. They should be able to correct you.

3. Take supplements. Glucosomine and Cod liver oil are great helps to get the joints moving.

4. An acupuncture specialist will be very effective at helping you to reduce pain. Seriously, it works.

However, there is a more profound way of reducing knee pain, arthritis and general stress on the body. It has a greater impact than most eastern and western treatments. It requires no specialist equipment, and can be done in the privacy of your own home with just a little bit of self control. However, in this modern age of political correctness, recommending it is a little controversial. It has lost me more students than I care to mention by saying it. But I'm trusting you to be strong and not take it personally.......

.....lose weight.....

No really........ lose some weight.

There I said it. We're all still alive and no harm has been done. Not so bad, was it? Not only will it increase your energy, lower your cholesterol, improve mobility, improve sleep pattern, prevent angina, reduce risk of heart disease & stroke, but it will also reduce the stress on your knees.

So are your knees (or ankles or hips) trying to tell you something?

Surviving Christmas

2009-12-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

The festive season will soon be upon us all. For many Christians it is a time of contemplation and worship. For most of us, there is a lot of peer pressure towards partying and excess. It just takes a little too much indulgence to tip a perfectly good Christmas over into a downward spiral.

Alcohol: Remember, one unit of alcohol takes (on average) one hour to be filtered out of the body. If you really have to drink, take the following precautions.

1. Get a good night's sleep before your party. Tiredness exacerbates the effects of alcohol.

2. Eat well before you drink. Food absorbs some of the alcohol and acts as a buffer to stop you getting drunk too quickly.

3. When partying, drink a glass of water between each alcoholic drink.

4. Don't drive. Book a taxi, stay in a hotel, anything. Just don't drive.

5. Before you go to bed, get a large drink of water.

6. Get plenty of sleep afterwards to recover.

7. Do not party two nights in a row. Give your body time to recover.

Martial Artists: Be extra careful about getting drunk in bars and public places. You have been trusted with important skills that are not to be wasted on drunken fools. Many of the great Chinese masters liked a drink. But more often than not, they drank at home behind closed doors with close friends. Don't disgrace your Sifu/Sensei.

Exercise: I lose more tai chi students over Christmas than at any other time. It is such an all consuming activity that we often forget to exercise. The longer you stop, the more difficult it is to start again. So make sure that you stick to your regular exercises - whatever they are. They will also help you to digest your.......

FOOD..... peer pressure is very powerful at this time of year. "Oh go on, have another mince pie." If you don't want something, say no and mean it. Real friends will understand and respect your wishes. Whatever they may say, people do not judge you by the capacity of your stomach. Stick to your guns.

So plan carefully, pick your parties wisely and have a great festive season.

Chen Zhenglei Seminar

2009-11-21T08:12:00.000-08:00

Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei is the 19th generation inheritor of the Chen Family, and the 11th generation direct-line successor of Chen Style Taijiquan. He has been officially recognised as one of China's top ten martial artists.

He started competing in 1974 and by the end of 1987, had won more than 10 gold medals in the Henan province & National China Martial Arts competitions.

I was fortunate to catch up with him for an advanced workshop in his family form of taijiquan. Master Liming Yue is a senior student of Grandmaster Chen, and has enjoyed a long association, bringing him over to the UK to conduct lessons.

I first met him in 1999 when he came to the UK for seminars in Manchester, and have learned from him in China, and in England many times since then. He as always delivered an outstanding class.

I think it was Barbara Raskin who said "When love & skill work together, expect a masterpiece." You can say the same about Grandmaster Chen's skill as a tai chi player and teacher. Every nuance of taijiquan is conveyed with a simplicity and power that eclipses men half his age. The energy in the room was astonishing, with everyone taking away valuable lessons in the art.

If you practice your tai chi seriously, I highly recommend a lesson from Grandmaster Chen. it also goes without saying that Master Liming Yue must be applauded for bringing him to our shores and providing translation. Long may it continue.

Culture Shock! - Tales from China

2009-11-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

The first time I went to China (1999), I went with Master Liming Yue and a group of his senior students. (Incidentally, if you ever get a chance to go to China, GO! You will not regret it.) Many of us were students from different classes, so we did not meet until the airport.

One chap was a proper northern lad called Keith. He was a larger-than-life character, who had done a lot of martial arts and was discovering tai chi. Keith was a tough guy. He did not do breakfast. He liked to get up early and go for a run. Generally, we did not see him until after breakfast.

After staying in Beijing and Jiang Jia Jie forest park, we met up with Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei in Handan. We were to undergo a week of training in a hotel there.

None of the hotel staff spoke a word of English. Most of us did not know Chinese. Generally, we got through the language barrier well, until one morning. We were having our breakfast in the hotel restaurant, minding our own business, when there was a loud commotion in the entrance hall. The next thing we saw will stay with me for the rest of my days.

Keith was being comically dragged into the restaurant by five small chinese waitresses. The noise was quite amazing. keith was shouting: "Tell them.... will someone tell them I don't do breakfast..... I just want to go for a jog".

They just didn't understand. They were only worried that he was going to miss his breakfast. Liming hastily explained to them. They finally let Keith go.

I laughed so hard, my ribs ached for the rest of the morning.

First Steps

2009-11-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

Let me take you back to the middle-to-late 1970's. The Bionic Man, Scalextric and Evel Knievel were the number one boys toys. My first "best friend" was Paul. He was a whole year older than me and lived around the corner from my house. I attended the local state primary school and he went to the catholic school. We spent many good times getting into scrapes.

When I found out that he went to karate classes, I was intrigued. He used to show me his moves while I kept nagging my parents to allow me to go "Karate? What do you want to do karate for?". Finally, after weeks of begging, my father relented, and gave me the £1 for my first class.

The Roe Street Mission was a dark, dusty place. We would wait outside for our sensei, Brian, to arrive and open up. Once inside, the warm-ups would begin. But when his back was turned, we used to take it in turns to spin each other around by the ankles and let them go sliding on our backs along the polished wooden floor. Fantastic fun!

Then the classes would start. I don't think I was the best student Brian had ever seen. But I worked hard - press-ups on the knuckles, sit-ups, crunches, stretches - it didn't matter. I was so small and light, they were all easy. The sparring used to frighten me, but I gradually got used to it.

But good things don't last. Firstly, Paul's family moved across town, which may as well have been across the world for a seven year-old. Then we moved further away still. My peers changed for the worse, and my life changed completely. I looked at local judo and karate classes, but they did not have the spirit or character of Brian's class. I gave up martial arts completely.

A lot of water has flown under the bridge since my first Karate classes. The Roe Street Mission is now a fully-renovated, beautiful silk museum with a posh cafe and shop. It took twenty years to discover the richness of Chinese martial arts and taijiquan. I am now a taijiquan teacher and a father of two.

If there is anything that I have learned about martial arts from this meandering journey... there are a lot of things that make up a good class. It can be great friends to train with like Paul or charismatic teachers like Brian. But for a martial art to really catch you, to inspire you to improve, it has to be the content of what is being taught. It took me along time to find the right content, so don't be disheartened if you don't find what works for you immediately. There is a martial art for everyone. Just keep searching.

To those who have found it, you know how it feels. This article is in response to another teacher in London who has obviously found his content. You can view it Here. Thanks Neil for sparking off the memories.

My Tai Chi Experiences by Natalie Weiner

2009-11-06T14:56:00.000-08:00

I am your archetypal ‘rubbish at all sports’ kind of person. I hated PE at school (yes, I was the one who always got picked last!), and have never enjoyed going to the gym or going to fitness classes. But I reached the point where I thought I ought to make some kind of effort at getting fit, and Tai Chi seemed to be a gentle way in. I think it appealed to my slightly lazier side, I thought it looked easy, gentle and effortless, and I reckoned that with my lack of coordination I wouldn’t last very long anyway!

I was so wrong.

Although it looks gentle, Tai Chi is still a martial art, and not only does it require physical exertion but mental focus too. As a result of going to classes for so many years now that I don’t even remember how long it’s been, I’ve realised that Tai Chi has slowly started to infiltrate my daily life. My posture has improved hugely. It seems that my coordination isn’t as bad as I thought. And the breathing exercises which help focus the mind have been invaluable - on my wedding day, in order to stay calm, I encouraged my chief bridesmaid to join me in some ‘Tai Chi breathing’, despite the fact we were both in our dresses, fully made up, carrying flowers and about to go down to the ceremony! I dread to think how it looked but it definitely helped me!

One of the key points for me about Tai Chi has been that you are never perfect, and that’s not a bad thing. You can learn for years, and still spend time refining your posture here and there, working on it all the time. It’s given me a huge sense of achievement to be able to say that I can do the first 11 moves, plus a chunk of the sword form (on a good day!). But it’s a work in progress, and an enjoyable one which allows me to switch off from the daily grind whilst also keeping fit. If only they’d taught this at school!!

By Natalie Weiner

Balance

2009-10-24T01:09:00.000-07:00

It's time to talk about balance fundamentals. One of the reasons why Taijiquan is practiced slowly is so that you have time to feel your balance. To describe balance, Tai Chi teachers use the scale of yin and yang, with the emphasis on yang (substantial).

So with reference to your feet, if you are standing, and your right foot is 0% yang, then no weight is on it. If your left foot is 100% yang, then all your weight is on it. Got it?

Great!

When doing the form, beginners and even some intermediate students often have problems stepping. Their feet don't come down gently on the floor. They tend to move too quickly onto their new foot. They often wobble while they are picking up the trailing foot. The reason why this happens is because they are not correctly balanced.

When people walk normally, they are almost permanently off balance. Walking is about falling over, but stopping yourself by stepping forward. Tai Chi aims to improve the balance by reducing the need to overbalance when stepping.

Although correct posture plays a part in balance, the fundamental reason why people don't step comfortably is that they are not distributing the weight between the feet in a correct manner.

The solution is simple. We are going to walk two steps. If you are stepping out with your left foot, make sure that your right foot is 100% yang before you move. You can then place your left foot exactly where it is meant to go. Place the heel down first, then the toe. Once your left foot is appropriately placed, you can slowly shift your weight onto it until the left foot is 100% yang. Here is the important bit. DO NOT RAISE THE RIGHT FOOT UNTIL THE LEFT FOOT IS 100% YANG. If you do, you will most certainly overbalance.

How do you know that the left foot is 100% yang? Because you will not be able to feel any weight on the right foot (0% yang). Now the right foot is raised, pause a little bit to check that your balance is good, then step out with the right foot. Now transfer the weight to the right foot. Remember, don't raise the left foot until you feel that there is no weight left on it.

Repeat a few times until you get the hang of it......

Now do it again without looking at your feet.

If your posture is poor, your balance may also be affected. As well as Tai Chi, you could also try Alexander Technique exercises to supplement your training.

Challenges

2009-10-17T04:39:00.000-07:00

Challenges happen all the time. Life throws all kinds of obstacles at you. But the kind of challenges that I'm referring to in this article are the martial kind. Someone wants to fight. They want a fight with you. No-one else will do. They make it entirely personal and they won't take no for an answer.

Every serious martial artist must consider that if they achieve a good reputation, they may be challenged. The challenge could happen at any time - in a bar, at your place of work or where you practice. It could come from anyone - even your buddies that you train with.

Being a Tai Chi teacher means that I get very few challenges. The kind of students who go to Tai Chi classes are rarely into fighting. However, I do occasionally get someone turning up and wanting to test me. Let's examine the probable motives for someone wanting to challenge you. (I will refer to them as 'he' - just for speed)

1. He wants to test his own martial skill.

2. He wants to elevate his status at your cost.

3. He wishes to prove that his chosen discipline (usually different than yours) is better.

4. He is another teacher who wants to take your students.

5. He has a severe inferiority complex, and only pummelling you will relieve it.

6. You may have done or said something that offended him.

7. He wants a free lesson.

There may be no single reason, but a combination of the above. Never rule out number 6. By advocating your own techniques, people will become insulted because they believe you are rejecting theirs.

If you choose to accept the challenge there are many risks to consider. If they have no skill you may do them severe damage. If they have different rules of engagement you risk being attacked while you are going through any ritual preparations you may have. An unknown fighter without scruples may not quit when others with more sense would stop. The video below is disturbing, but illustrates what some people will do for the sake of their own egos:

As you can see, if you choose to make or accept challenges, you run the risk of escalating violence to the point of severe repercussions. You tube is full of people getting hurt in fights over which martial art is best. They are all missing a fundamental dichotomy within the martial arts contest.

All official martial arts contests are artificial in nature due to the imposition of rules designed to protect everyone involved. Contrarily, the very nature of martial arts is for defence only. Ergo if two true martial arts masters were to walk into a ring together, they would wait for each other to strike first, hence a stalemate and they would both walk out without striking a blow.

Respect for the diversity across the different martial arts will go a long way to reducing the friction between disciplines. Manners and respect for all go a long way to reducing friction between individuals. While you cannot always dissuade challenges completely, walking away from them will not injure anyone in the long run.

Tom Campbell - A new perspective on consciousness

2009-10-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

Tom Campbell was one of the original explorers to work with the late consciousness pioneer - Robert Monroe. He was one of the original scientists to use binaural technology to explore altered states of consciousness. His work with Robert Monroe turned from exploratory to educational, with the foundation of the Monroe Institute.

A Physicist by trade, Tom has now moved forward with an expansive 3 volumes of work, mapping out his Big Theory of Everything. The trilogy is called "My Big TOE", and is available on amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Toe-Philosophy-Metaphysics-Awakening/dp/0972509461/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255632262&sr=8-1

On October 10 & 11th, Tom was in London to give two lectures on his theories. It was with a little trepidation that I attended. Very often people who set themselves up as gurus get caught up in their own self-importance, leave yawning gaps in their logic and surround their methods in pointless ritual. I was prepared for a let-down.

As Tom went through his theories it was evident by his anecdotes, he had done a lot of personal exploration. Many of his stories deeply resonated with my own experiences. For two whole days, he clearly and precisely took us all through philosophy, advanced quantum physics, metaphysics, consciousness, existence, healing, remote viewing, clairvoyance and out-of-body experiences. He explained the rationale behind the fundamentals of existence and shot down one or two long-held myths.

And what about his "Theory of Everything". Is it true? Only time will tell. I personally think that we as individuals will discover the truth way before mankind ever turns the scrutinising eye of science in that direction. Tom's wish is that people don't follow his theories blindly, and that the only way to be sure is for everyone to discover for themselves and make their own "T.O.E.".... or as Chinese Taoism put it:

"Do not follow the great masters..... seek what they sought."

The energy in the room was outstanding. From my personal perspective, the workshop rekindled my desire to explore the greater consciousness and continue to learn more about myself and how I fit into this universe. Not bad for a weekend in Camden.

Spiritual Crisis

2009-10-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

It has become increasingly evident that many people are experiencing episodes of extra ordinary states of consciousness. These episodes are usually accompanied by emotional stress, anxiety or hyper - aroused states of being.

Spiritual or transpersonal crises, can occur spontaneously. They can be triggered by emotional stress, physical exertion and disease, accidents, intense sexual experiences, childbirth, or exposure to psychedelic drugs. However, in many instances the catalysing factor is meditative practices, which are specifically designed to activate spiritual energies. As spiritual disciplines are gaining in popularity in the West, an increasing number of people are experiencing transpersonal crises that can be traced to their practice of Yoga, Zen, Taoism, Tai Chi, Qigong, Pranayama, Kundalini Awakenings, Tibetan Buddhist psycho-energetic exercises, and other forms of intense and focused self-exploration.

Never was this more apparent than at a funeral I attended this week. It was a friend who succumbed to cancer at a very young age. When advised of her imminent death, she was forced into spiritual crisis. Following advice, meditation and prayer with her chosen faith, she was able to transcend her fear and pain and rose to a higher state of being. At her death many friends testified to her state of grace. During her funeral, it was also evident that many people were also in spiritual crisis as a result of their anxiety and loss. Their beliefs were being severely challenged and they (understandably) were functioning with some difficulty.

Traditional psychiatry would recognise many people's spiritual behaviours as being 'psychotic'. This is because it does not distinguish between mystical and psychotic experience. As a result, it labels spiritual crises as 'wrong' and seeks to suppress them with chemical therapies - and also does not accept the transformational and beneficial effects.

However, not all unusual states of consciousness can be categorised as spiritual. It takes input from doctors and clinical psychologists to ensure that there are no underlying malfunctions of the body and brain. Not everyone is neurologically typical (NT), and there are many psychiatric disorders that can produce similar experiences. The difference with these non-NT cases is that they are not transformative, and severely inhibit normal social activity.

On a broader scale, modern tension and anxiety within society can catalyse into mass spiritual crises. Recent events like Princess Diana's death, the World Trade Centre and the Boxing Day Tsunami place many thousands of people into states of altered consciousness as they seek for meaning to tragic news. The majority of these experiences are shared amongst the neurologically typical with no long-lasting effects, and in many cases, people learn and grow and become higher functioning people as a result.

Is the ground letting you down?

2009-09-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

A sports surface's performance can be described in a number of measures:

Rolling resistance: How it stops a ball rolling. (i.e. a bowling alley versus a soccer pitch.)

Rebound resilience: How much it cushions to a blow (i.e. a concrete screed versus a crash mat.)

Grip: How rough the surface is so you can grip it (i.e. an ice rink versus astroturf)

The best martial arts flooring has good grip to prevent slips. It also should have moderate rebound resilience to reduce hammer on joints.

But no matter how good your flooring, if it is not kept clean, it will become slippery and dangerous. The Japanese know this very well, and keep their wooden floor dojos spotless.

If you go to China, the majority of their martial arts halls are carpeted so that they do not become slippery when dusty. I have lost count of the amount of times a good class has been undermined because the students can't keep their grip on the floor.

Fellow martial artists, join with me and insist that the floors we use are clean and safe. Don't give in to the excuses of your centre manager and ensure they are aware of the risks of classes on slippery floors.

Don't Limit Tai Chi

2009-09-02T00:59:00.000-07:00

I have read dozens of articles from tai chi instructors; all claiming that they are reclaiming tai chi by focusing primarily on the self-defense aspects. They all expound the virtues of their own personal systems, saying that they are the only shining beacon of martial intent in a sea of retired, wimpy, tree-hugging, lentil-eating hippies.

I'm going to make a bold admission here. When I started teaching Tai Chi, I made similar claims to my students. These claims were largely based on the fact that I only saw my own teachers training methods. When I saw other styles, they were at competitions, where I could only observe the external sense of peoples forms. Combat was only within the severe restrictions of pushing hands competitions.

But as my experience of teaching grew, I began to comprehend other systems and styles. I began to recognise a core set of principles that they all adhered to. I had to swallow my pride and realise that there are quite a lot of good teachers - all patiently teaching valid systems.

Even within the same style, teachers repeat the same traditional practices - just calling them by different names. Take Silk Reeling (the traditional family name for fixed step Chen style movement training)- I have heard it called "Silk Winding", "Winding", "Reeling", "Powering in Circles", "Spiral Training" and "Silk Twining". There seem to be minor variations on elbow position, based on different practical applications, but the exercises are all the same.

There are many forms of tai chi that concentrate on the medical and spiritual aspects of tai chi quan. To reject these practices is to completely discount an important part of the martial journey. By all means, split the disciplines into different exercises, but don't reject them. A martial arts teacher should be able to enable their students to look after themselves martially, physically, mentally and spiritually. It is worth remembering that all Chinese martial arts came from the establishment of Zen buddhist and yogic practices in China.

As well as tai chi, my teacher taught me aspects of first aid, diet, cooking, meditation, business, etiquette, Buddhism, Chinese culture and history.

I understand that all professional Tai Chi teachers need to establish a unique selling prospect - or "marketing". But to do this at the expense of other valid lineages or by rejecting spiritual practices is at best a lack of understanding of how other systems work - and at worst, betrays a severe inferiority complex.

Women in Martial Arts

2009-08-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

For many generations, the Chen family produced highly adept female martial artists. For it is commonly known that Kung Fu is about skill, rather than brute strength. Women - like men can be equally skillful at anything. But one incident was to shape Chen family history for many generations:

Chen Ziaoniu had two older brothers, and trained along side them diligently, until she became better at the Chen family form of Taijiquan than they were. When she became old enough to marry, the son of a wealthy family made advances towards her. Ziaoniu's parents rejected him in favour of an honest young man called Zhao.

The spurned wealthy young man possessed considerable martial skill, and proceeded to persecute and harrass the Zhao family, damaging crops and attacking individual members. Before she married, Ziaoniu had made a promise to her father that she would not show her martial ability to her new family - and she stuck to this promise for a good number of months. But a person can only bear so much torment, and finally, she drew her sword and dealt with this bully and his entourage with considerable ease.

Now, if Ziaoniu's husband had any self-respect, he would have thanked her for helping his family out, and cherished her as a valuable asset. But instead, he blamed her for causing the trouble and waited until his father died before sending Ziaoniu back to the Chen family - disgraced. It is hard to believe in these modern times, but back then, this was the ultimate dishonour to be brought onto any woman.

Vowing to never practice Chen Taijiquan, Ziaoniu broke her sword in two. She was inconsolable, and after an extensive period of mourning, hung herself. She was buried with her broken sword. Following this horrible incident, Chen Xunru decreed that Chenjiagou Taijiquan would not be taught to women.

There are many things wrong with the way women are treated around the world - but looking at this tale reminds me that we have moved on a great deal.

London olympics will now hold women's boxing - for the first time. I am overjoyed. Up until now, the given reason why women weren't allowed to box in the olympics was "Women are unstable and cannot control themselves."

Perhaps we haven't moved far enough - yet.

Feet and Shoes!

2009-07-31T12:11:00.001-07:00

One of the first tweets I made on twitter was as follows:

"Once you start Tai Chi, you begin a lifelong search for the perfect pair of shoes."

The post received a great deal of replies from the tai chi community - and rightly so. The feet are fundamental in the Tai Chi dynamic of rooting to the floor, and are pushed against the ground to create a "rebounding" force that travels up the body for release of energy for martial purposes.

Your toes should slightly grip the ground, and the heels should be in contact with the floor. This makes the foot substantial at the front and back, but hollow in the middle. The arch works as a spring, so it should not be pushed to the floor. This is achieved by keeping the foot relaxed, and not straightened.

Your foot should also remain upright, and should not roll, rock or twist. So before practicing, ensure your ankles are loose and warmed up.

To support the unique Tai Chi requirements, making sure you have the perfect pair of tai chi shoes is really important. They should:

Support the foot, without constriction or padding the arch too much.
Allow you to feel the ground.
Improve the grip on your chosen practice ground.
Cushion the sole without losing feeling of the ground.

So pay attention to your feet when you train. Take time to find the perfect pair of shoes. They really do make a difference.

Youthful Tai Chi

2009-07-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

Tai Chi is concerned with nurturing pre-natal chi. This is the original life energy that we all receive from our parents at conception. As we get older, this pre-natal chi gets depleted or replaced by other, less vital forms, and the body decays as a result.

Now, this may seem far-fetched. You can choose to believe in the concept of chi energy or not. However, the concept of Chi is based on real measurable, experiential phenomena that were observed by traditional Chinese doctors over many generations. one things you cannot argue with, is the outcome.

I mean, how many octogenarians in the UK can do this?

Be happy.

Tai Chi Breathing

2009-06-27T02:38:00.000-07:00

One of my tai chi teacher friends had a student who was very diligent in his practice (let's call him 'Bob'). When asked whether he was happy with the move he had learned, Bob would say the same thing...

"It's ok, but I will get it right when I learn the breathing."

He went to a seminar with Chen Xiaowang and asked "How can I breathe correctly?"

Master Chen said "Breathe in."

Bob breathed in.

Then Master Chen asked him to breathe out. Bob breathed out earnestly.

"Breathe in," Master Chen said.

Certain that he was on the verge of some great discovery, Bob breathed in again.

"Breathe out," said Master Chen.

As Bob exhaled, a smiling Master Chen said "You've got it." and returned to the rest of the lesson.

Some FAQ's about breathing

How to breathe?

Breathe from the stomach, like singers do. If your chest is being expanded and contracted, you are breathing wrong. As you breathe in, your stomach should expand, and as you breathe out, the stomach should return. There should be no excessive effort to the breathing, and there should be no point where the breath is held.

When to breathe

If you are practicing your form, you should breathe out when you are releasing energy - even if your movements are slow. Inhaling should be done when you gather energy for a strike. The speed of breath should indicate the speed of the movement. So an understanding of the self defense aspects of your movements is key to getting the breathing right. As most moves have more than one practical application, you can choose which point to exhale and inhale.

What if I forget where I am with breathing?

Believe it or not, this is a very common mistake amongst beginners - especially when they are concentrating hard. My advice is... If in doubt, breathe out.

What about reverse breathing?

This is not something I can teach you without one-to-one direct tuition. My advice is to seek out someone who can train you properly. Also, understand that reverse breathing, while excellent for training, can cause damage if you keep doing it outside the training room.

What is Hsingyiquan?

2009-06-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hsing yi is a compact, effective internal martial art developed by Song dynasty General Yue Fei. It is a dynamic system involving moving forward and occupying the space of your opponent.

To strike, the practitioner pushes forward with his/her trailing leg and strikes before the leading foot hits the ground. This ensures that the landing of the front leg does not cushion the force of the strike.

Hsingyiquan forms are characterised by their linear movements and direct stepping. However, this 'direct' style disguises the 'soft' internal power that is the cornerstone of all internal styles (taijiquan, qigong, baguazhang and hsingyiquan).

The 5 elements of Hsingyiquan are as follows:

Splitting	劈	Pī	Metal	Like an axe chopping up and over.
Pounding	炮	Pào	Fire	Exploding outward like a cannon while blocking.
Drilling	鑽	Zuān	Water	Drilling forward horizontally like a geyser.
Crossing	橫	Héng	Earth	Crossing across the line of attack while turning over.
Crushing	崩	Bēng	Wood	Arrows constantly exploding forward.

Nature of Conflict

2009-06-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

One of my twitter friends @Trevoke (follow him... interesting, thoughtful, mindful posts) asked me about the nature of conflict.

From an anthropological viewpoint, conflict is how nature selects the strongest, most successful attributes for survival. Conflict - at it's most basic is the struggle for life against the forces of nature and competition for procreation and scarce resources. It is driven by the need to survive and tempered with a fear of death. It is commonly known as the survival instinct.

Sometimes, we forget how things are. We perceive our environment to be more dangerous than it is. Our eyes and ears were designed to detect immediate threats. But with an international media industry, mobile phones and computers we are informed of every mishap around the world. As we become more knowledgeable, the more threats we will perceive. The more threats we perceive, the more our survival instincts will be triggered.

In a modern society, our survival instincts are expanded by technology and intelligence. This is a great source of inner and outer conflict. But your survival instinct can also be distorted. Consider money. Can you eat it? Can it protect you from the elements? No. Yet every day, people kill each other, fighting over money. Their survival instincts have been distorted by modern values.

Taoists have a name for distorted or expanded survival instincts. They call it "failure to see things as they are". Another Taoist teaching is to "put aside comparisons". For the more we compare one things to another, the more we risk being disappointed, angry and depressed.

In the basic natural struggle to survive between competing species, there is no absolute morality. However, we live in an organised society where are actions can provoke the survival instincts of others, which cause repercussions. One single action can send ripples that extend well beyond our immediate field of view.

Reflect on conflict for any period of time, and the enlightened mind has to acknowledge that as everything is connected, the cycle of violence, suffering and retribution has been rolling on since before recorded history. As we have become more analytical in our thinking, we have sought to exert ever more control over our environment and also each other. The resultant conflict has been inevitable.

Teacher - why do I have to stand like this for ages?

2009-06-20T02:05:00.000-07:00

During most of my taijiquan classes, I will have a section where we practice form until we reach a posture, then stop like statues. Then I go through the class adjusting everyone's posture. It is probably the least popular activity amongst my students. I regularly get questions as to why we do this.

Posture practice does not only teach you to stand in an anatomically correct position. It allows you to recognise where unnecessary tension is, and relax into the posture. This may seem boring to practice, but your balance and rooting will improve dramatically as a result.

When I was in China, I became good friends with a stocky guy called Feng. As we practiced, I could not help noticing that his form was 'unorthodox' to say the least. A less polite remark would be 'rubbish'. His head weaved, his body leaned like a galleon in a hurricane and his shoulders were all over the place.

When the training moved to pushing hands and san shou, we teamed up. I expected he would be a pushover, but as the lessons continued, he swatted me around like a rag doll. My 'superior' technique was nothing against his rooting and power.

Later I asked Liming Yue if he knew Feng, and what his training methods were. Liming said that Feng did not do much form or pushing hands work, but he would stand in Zhang Zhuang and other postures for at least 2 hours every day!

Two hours - sheesh!

Standing in postures requires only standing room and zero equipment. Your rooting and power will go through the roof. So, next time you practice your form, stop a while, breathe deeply, relax all unnecessary muscles and pay attention to your posture. Standing postures can also be used as a meditation, therefore instrumental in the calming of the nervous system.

Using NLP to Manage Anger

2009-06-18T16:51:00.000-07:00

Most people have a problem with anger these days. Maybe it's because there are so many demands on us and our mind gets pulled in many directions on a daily basis making it difficult to keep a peaceful mind.

So what practical steps can we do to help us remain more in control of our mind and maintain more peace? Here are ten time-tested techniques for effective anger management provided by NLP Toolbox:

1. Reverse the Feelings

This is a very interesting method that was discovered by Dr. Richard Bandler. It works on the fact that to experience feelings such as anger you will feel feelings moving in your body somewhere: Feelings are never static or stationary.

Begin by thinking of an occasion where you experienced
anger.

A. Become aware of where those feelings are in your body.
Where does the feeling start and where does it go?

B. Now take the feeling and push it out a couple of feet in
front of you. (I know this sounds weird. Just act as if you
can do it, because you can.)

C. Turn it inside out and spin it the other way and bring it
back inside. If it helps, pretend you can do it and so it
is!

D. Keep it spinning fast whilst imagining doing the thing
that used to make you feel anger.

2. 'Micky Mouse' those Critical, Angry Voices!

A. Think of that internal voice you sometimes get that is
overly critical of yourself and others. You know the one!

B. Listen to it go on and on as you change it into a cartoon
voice. How does your reaction to it change by hearing it in
the voice of Porky Pig? Silvester The Cat? Daffy Duck?

C. Try speeding the voice up or slowing it down.

D. Have fun with this.

Imagine several future situations that this critical voice
may arise and imagine 'Micky Mouse-ing' the voice in that
situation.

3. Positive intention?

A. Think of an occasion where you got angry.

B. Ask yourself, "What was the positive intention behind the
anger?" And then ask, "and what was important about that?"
Keep asking the question until you discover a genuine
positive intention.

C. "In the future how can I express this intention in a
better way?"

4. Disassociation

A. Remember an experience where you got a bit irritated.

B. Now disassociate so you can see yourself in the
experience.

C. Push the picture further off into the distance. So you
literally "get some distance from it," and have a new
perspective!

D. Notice how you can now look at the experience more
objectively and gain new understanding and insights. And
what happens if you were to ask yourself, "What was the
positive intention of myself and the other people involved?"

5. Double Disassociation

This is the same as the above technique with another added
disassociation:

You imagine watching yourself watching that you in the
situation.

You got to give this a go, it's really amazing, you can even
reduce that most retched of emotions, jealousy, with this
simple visualisation!

6. Patience for the Future

Just think any time we get angry it's due to a trigger or
stimulus. There is a gap between the stimulus and our
response. It's in this gap that we choose our response.
Often though it happens quickly. Automatically.

We can 're-train' our minds to have a more appropriate
response that will enable us to be more resourceful.

A. What's it like when you experience a feeling of patience?
Remember a time that you patiently accepted what ever was
happening. What did you see, what did you hear and how did
that feel?

Notice how the feelings move.

B. Think of 3 future situations where it would be likely
that you would experience annoyance or irritation.

C. What is it that you see or hear just before you know when
to feel the agitation?

D. OK shake that feeling off and now remember the feeling of
patience from step A

E. Now imagine taking this feeling of patience into those
future situations.

How's that feel?

7. Reframing a Picture Literally

A. Remember an occasion where you got angry.

B. Disassociate: See your self in the picture.

C. Now put a frame around the picture.

How does your response to the situation change when you put
a wooden frame around it? What about a metal frame? A multi-
coloured frame. An oval frame? How about a colourful frame
with balloons hanging from it?

8. Perceptual positions

It's always useful to gain other perspectives on things.
More often than not, when we're angry we are stuck in one
perceptual position.

A. Remember an experience where you were angry with someone.

B. Notice what you saw and heard and felt.

C. Now step into there shoes: Pretend to see through there
eyes, hear through there ears and feel the feelings. Notice
that you in front of you. What else can you discover and
learn from this perspective?

D. Imagine stepping into a 'neutral observer.' So you can
simply observe that you and the other person over there.
What can you learn from this position?

E. Step back into 'you' again and notice what new learnings
and insights you now have. Chances are good that you now
have more understanding and empathy with the other person.

9. Collapsing Anchors

A. Select an angry feeling you want to change. As you feel
it squeeze your finger and thumb on your left hand to anchor
this state.

B. On an intensity scale of 0 to 10, where is this feeling?

C. Break state. Now think about what you would like to feel
instead. What would make you remain in a more resourceful
state? Relaxation? Humour? Etc.

D. Now choose one of the resourceful states you have come up
with and remember a time you felt that resource strongly.
What does this resourceful state feel like?

E. Remembering that resourceful state, anchor it to your
right hand by squeezing your finger and thumb together. (If
you want you can stack resources together by going to step 4
again and anchoring a different resource state.)

F. On an intensity scale of 0 to 10, where is this feeling?
Important: Make sure that this resourceful feeling is more
intense than the angry feeling.

G. Break state. Now squeeze your left hand finger and thumb
anchor, hold it, at the same time as you squeeze the right
hand finger and thumb anchor. Keep both anchors on for a few
seconds, say 7 seconds. (Note: Many people get a sense when
the anchors have 'collapsed' or integrated, often by a
noticeable shift in breathing.)

H. Release the left hand anchor and just hold the right hand
anchor for a couple of seconds.

I. Break state. Now think of the original fear you selected
in step 1 and become aware of how it's changed!

10. Circus/Cartoon Movie Music

A. Think of a memory or a future situation where you want to
lighten the mood.

B. Look at it like a movie so you can see yourself whilst
hearing loud circus (or cartoon) music in the background.

C. Run the movie backwards, from the end, with the music
playing loudly.

D. Now notice how your mood has lightened about the
situation you choose in Step 1.

Why not do this on several memories and/or future events?

If you have applied some of the techniques, above, you will
have re-programmed some of your 'bad habits' and can look
forward to a more peaceful, anger managed future! And the
great thing about many of these tools is that you can use
them right away and experience effective results within
minutes.

Letting go of conflict and difficult emotions

2009-06-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

Following my recent blog entry about conflict, I mentioned how difficult it is to let go of it. Your mind turns it over again and again as you try to come to terms with what went wrong.

As a result of conflict, your survival instinct becomes amplified. You perceive threats everywhere. You lash out with the minimum of provocation, and when people avoid you or fight back, it justifies your distorted viewpoint.

Meditation can really help you to find your centre. The following exercise developed by my friends in the Monroe Institute helps you let go of negative emotions: CLICK HERE for a link

And be happy.

The Monroe Institute - Start of Something Special

2009-06-15T05:23:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, I contacted The Monroe Institute, giving them my details and asking how I could support them. I had been buying and using their tools from the hemisync website for a long time, and was looking for a way to engage at a more personal level. Imagine my surprise and delight when I was asked to attend their retreat on the creation of a network of "Chapters" throughout the world.

When meeting the rest of the group, it was very clear that I was in the company of some truly exceptional and grounded people. After a brief introduction, we got right down to business. We discussed ideas and issues. Then we would adjourn for solo hemisync exercises to focus our energies and consciousness. Upon our return, the energy of the whole group dynamic would change, and we kept moving forward like this at an astonishing pace for the whole weekend.

It is my opinion that if the business community adopted the relaxed, creative, focused way of working that the hemisync process engendered, then ego would be put aside and people would work quickly and efficiently to build relationships, resolve problems and manifest the best for their customers. Time after time, I witnessed levels of physical, emotional and spiritual synergy that have surpassed any other environment I have experienced.

All I can say is.... when can I come back?

Visit their site to find out more - http://www.monroeinstitute.org

Hard and Soft Qigong

2009-05-29T13:32:00.001-07:00

There are many different styles of qigong. However, they can usually be placed into one of two distinct categories - "Hard" and "Soft".

Hard qigong is the cultivation of chi energy and utilising it to reinforce the body to resist physical punishment. Typical training involves deep breathing, high tension movements and repeated striking of the body; gradually building up the force over a long period of time, until the body becomes hardened. Here is an example of hard qigong by the famous Shaolin monks.

Hard qigong should generally be practiced while you are young. It places great stress upon the body, and over a long period of time can cause damage. Many martial artists who practice hard qigong while young, move naturally over to soft qigong.

Soft qigong is more familiar in the west as the slow movements and deep breathing exercises practiced by the older generation in parks across China. It is the cultivation of vital pre-natal chi, that is said to reduce illness and extend life.

Chen Tai Chi Practical Applications

2009-05-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

If there needs to be any more proof about the efficacy of Taijiquan as a self defense system, see the following:

Master Chen Yu

Master Liming Yue

Martial Arts - A Journey of Discovery

2009-05-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

I want to tell you a story about astronomy. Famous astronomers (Lovell and Pickering) had noticed that there was something that was affecting the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. They knew something was there, but on-one could find it. It became known as "Planet X".

Clyde Tombaugh was a research assistant working at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona US. His job was to look for planet x. He had no formal degrees, yet through hard work and perseverance, he discovered the planet "Pluto".

You can argue that he did not really discover anything. It was common knowledge that 'something' was affecting the movements of Uranus and Neptune. He merely uncovered what many knew was there.

If someone was to tell you that you have great hidden qualities, would you believe them? Would you believe them if they told you that you could be so much more than you are, and that all you needed to do is look in the right place?

This is the journey a martial artist undertakes - to uncover what - in the end - was always there to begin with.

Martial Virtue

2009-05-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

All traditional martial arts have a code of conduct. When people are taught how to fight, it is extremely important that they are able to keep out of trouble. For a person who is trained to fight can easily resort to violence unless they are disciplined. The Chen family are no exception, and they have twenty disciplines:

1. Do not bully others.

2. Do not oppress the weak.

3. Do not be a coward; help those in peril.

4. Do not engage in unlawful acts.

5. Do not use skill for immoral acts.

6. Do not be arrogant.

7. Do not sell/exhibit skill indiscriminately.

8. Do not join illicit gangs.

9. Do not waste time in idleness.

10. Do not be conceited and boastful.

11. Do not compete with the arrogant.

12. Do not argue with the ignorant.

13. Do not be influenced by worldly possessions.

14. Do not seek undeserved wealth.

15. Do not indulge in alcohol and lust.

16. Do not be in public or personal debt.

17. Do not obstruct public or personal efforts.

18. Do not hunger for power and position.

19. Do not be a traitor.

20. Do not neglect your training or waste your skill.

So when you start a martial art, ask if they have a code of conduct. Does it make sense? If there are no rules for conduct, consider that you may be putting yourself in danger.

And be happy.

Letting go of conflict

2009-05-17T03:51:00.000-07:00

Spending a good deal of my 30's in a deprived, violent inner city - I have seen more than my fair share of conflict.

I have been attacked in the street - by a gang of teenagers because I would not buy booze for them. I have thrown violent drunks out of the pub I was working in. People have tried to mug me - once with a knife - the other unarmed. I have been shot at and I've seen someone shot to death point-blank with a machine gun. Gentle reader, I have seen too much.

When I started learning martial arts, it was to defend myself. I started with Karate as a youngster, then moved to Tai Chi because I feared physical assault and wanted to protect myself. As by first teacher, Brian used to say....

"Karate is a pain trade-off. A regular small amount of pain over a long period of time to stop a huge amount of pain in a short time."

I remember laughing and agreeing. It was a great slogun that kept me training and pushing myself.

By the time of my first conflict, I was embarrassed at how easy it was to defend myself - he had no training, and as he tried to take my wallet, he certainly did not expect anything from a skinny guy like me. It was too easy. I don't think I even broke sweat.

Yet as I walked away, casually feigning nonchalance, my mind was racing. What if he was armed? Why didn't I try to arrest him? He would now probably pick himself up and find someone else. Over the following weeks, I could not get it out of my mind.

It has been the same with all conflicts that I have experienced - the physical challenge is nothing compared to the mental turbulence that is created by violence. There are many martial arts that teach you how to destroy the assault and repel the attacker. But do they teach you how to calm yourself, and focus? Do they teach you to let go of the negative emotions that can plague you for weeks, months and sometimes years after the event?

There is pleasure when you scratch an itchy rash... but it's better still - to have no rash. It is the same with fear. Your martial arts teacher should not only teach you how to defend yourself physically, but also mentally.

I will soon be publishing how to detach from negative emotions and heal yourself to your core. Watch this space....

....and be happy.

Wu Wei in Society

2009-05-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Following my last post on Wu Wei, C Maggi (visit his website - http://www.camaggi.com/) asked me about how it could be applied to the society in a broader context. It brought to mind the Taoist phrase:

"Ruling a country is like cooking a small fish."

Okay... stay with me here.... It doesn't mean we need a high temperature and lots of oil !!!! (Oil has got us into enough trouble as it is!) The analogy of cooking a small fish is that if you turn it over too often, it will break up into smaller pieces. So if you make too many laws, dictate and meddle too much, the country will become confused and fall apart under the weight of legislature. Never has this been more evident than in the UK, with our present government. They really are trying too hard. They do not know wu wei. Our current government is obsessed with measurement, targets and prescriptive procedure. Our present situation with MP's expenses is a prime example, with the excuses that the "system needs changing."

No matter what system is in place, if people want to cheat it, they will. Changing the rules will not stop people from stealing. You have to change the people. In America, they have the ultimate punishment for murder - the death penalty. Yet people still kill each other. Why?

... because they don't value their own lives. We must teach each other to value ourselves - not by our wealth or fame, but by our intrinsic individuality. Education is the key, and we are getting it SO WRONG.

Education has been designed to prepare our children for work. Nothing more. It has sought to make our children acquire the next set of skills demanded by industry. Since the late 1800's we have been exploiting the minds of our children, cramming perfectly natural circular pegs into symmetrical, uniform, square holes. The result is a society that lives for sex, mindless celebrity and souless consumption. There is no time for a child to discover who they are. They are measured, categorised, told what they want and forced into into jobs where they continue to be measured and categorised. The average worker lives in mortal fear of mistakes and redundancy - and those who don't have jobs are made to feel like they have failed - because life has no other options other than crime.

So what's to be done? When children go to school, ASK them what they want to learn about - and teach them accordingly. A curious child will learn far faster than a bullied child. Let them use their wu wei to discover their path for themselves and shape their own education. When a child grows up doing what they instinctively know is right, they live happily with a natural goodness.

Religion - should only deal with what happens after death. All religions should move away from prescriptive laws and rules governing the living. Once again, fear of death is a great driver for pain, anguish, and crime. This is where religion serves a useful purpose. When you remove people's fears, you allow them to revert to their natural goodness.

Sensitivity to the environment - a fundamental requirement of wu wei is only just being discovered by our scientists. We are starting to understand the affect we are having on this planet. But this sensitivity is not yet being taught properly to our children, so the ecological change that is required will probably not happen in my lifetime.

I will leave you with a final thought.... A successful country may have weapons of war, but they ought to lie rusting in fields - unused.

What is Wu Wei

2009-05-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

Pronounced "Woo Way", this is the concept of how things can be done. The literal translation is "Action without action" or "effortless doing".

This is not a slackers mandate - far from it . Underpinning wu wei is the fundamental principle that there is a natural order and flow to everything. To be aware of this flow, we all need to be as sensitive as possible, or else any action that is not wu wei will either have the wrong outcome or not work at all.

So we need to be sensitive and receptive, and act spontaneously in a non-interfering way. When we listen to our inner voice and allow ourselves to learn and grow naturally, our actions become effective with the minimum of effort. The modern saying is "go with the flow". The Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu called it "Purposeless Wandering."

To let go of our relentless clinging on to controls and measures can be terrifying. It goes against everything our modern society and many of the most basic assumptions of life. But allowing the natural flow of things to take care of themselves, and acting fearlessly in accordance with your physical and mental instincts produces breathtaking synchronicity and greatly reduces the level of stress.

If you want a safe go at it, hide all the clocks and watches in your house, and spend the day without a plan. You'll be surprised what gets done - and what doesn't get done.... and also how un-stressed you are at the end.

Be happy.

Control - Do you need it?

2009-05-12T04:52:00.001-07:00

I was on Twitter the other day, and I put out a tweet that went something like this:

Finish this sentence... "The world would be a better place without...."

I had a big response. All of the usual suspects were there - politicians, tax inspectors, traffic wardens etc. Some were quite entertaining and a little too colourful to put in this blog.

However, there was a chord running through all of the replies - all of the people named had jobs or characteristics that were in some way controlling. It seems that we don't resent people having money or fame, but we hate being controlled.

As students, we start our martial arts for the first time, and quickly realise that we do not have complete control over our bodies. This can be a disconcerting time, because as a result, if we can't control our bodies, how can we have a hope of being able to control other things around us, like our finances, friends, family, work etc?

To put aside the illusion of control is a major spiritual step for any human being. Letting go is the most empowering thing you can do. This is called "Wu Wei", and I will explore it in greater detail in future posts.

Crimes to Tai Chi

2009-05-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

There has been a trend of advertisements using Tai Chi as a 'hook' upon which to give the impression of a healthy lifestyle. Pictures like this....

....which really annoy me. Because instead of finding someone who actually can do Tai Chi, they wheel in some airbrushed model who does "Tae Bo" (boxercise) at best.

So when I get a bunch of students who want to look like her, they are going to be pretty disappointed, because Tai Chi is not about attaining an aesthetic. It is about quality of movement, posture and rooting. (none of which are exhibited above.)

All physiques are welcome, and no-one is asked to change.

10 tips to improve any martial art

2009-05-03T00:57:00.000-07:00

1. Practice.

2. Practice more.

3. Practice when you feel like it.

4. Practice when you don't feel like it.

5. When the weather's good, practice outside.

6. When the weather's bad, practice indoors.

7. If you are on your own, practice alone.

8. If you are with friends, practice with them.

9. If your friends don't know your martial art, show them.

10. When you're tired, sleep.

Programming fear for profit

2009-05-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

"People are being kept in a state of fear and consumption" - Marilyn Manson

There is always a buck to be made out of fear. Whether it is the sensationalist newspaper articles about how much danger your children are in or the insidious little comments about personal hygiene or social status of the cosmetics industry.... We are constantly manipulated by our fears. Those who wish to be voted into power or make money from us (or both) know this well enough.

Why do we hate being afraid? Quite simply, it is how we have survived. Fear is our instinct for survival. It is the natural impetus that drives us away from pain and suffering.

Every marketer knows that to completely move our desires towards a product, it is not enough to tell us how much of a benefit it will be. They must also make sure we are moving away from pain - either real or imaginary. Take this is a quote from a recent deodorant advertisement. I desensitised it to avoid lawsuits.

"If you worry about personal hygiene, [product name] with it's unique formula [description of formula and how it works]...... [product name]... reach out with confidence all day long."

Words written in Red are designed to instigate fear. Words in Blue instigate positive attachment to the product. Usually these controlling words are said with emphasis, within a larger sentence that softens the message. These language patterns are cleverly placed to control feelings and desires.

Language patterns are common knowledge among neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioners and the advertising industry, but the general public are unaware that it is happening most of the time. Another person who uses language patterns is Barrack Obama. His speeches are literally full of very carefully placed leading statements, interweaved into sentences to soften or completely disguise their meaning.

So how do you avoid your emotions and survival instincts from being manipulated? Television is the primary delivery device of NLP. Reduce your consumption of this insidious media. You will find yourself becoming more calm and relaxed as a result. The less exposure you have to NLP, the more aware you become when it does happen.

How do you know you are being manipulated? As marketing is about "raising the stakes" around the purchase of a product, it gives you extra stress. Do you ever feel undue stress and worry when in a supermarket? You are being made to think that all those rows of product on the shelves are far more IMPORTANT than they actually are. You have been programmed. There's no use castigating yourself about it. Marketing is inevitable in our modern society. But you can do something:

1. Switch off the television.

2. Switch off the radio.

3. Be careful what you read. Become aware of political and commercial influences in everything.

4. Meditate.

Why is meditation so important? It allows you to rediscover yourself. To find yourself again after being repeatedly told what you "need" is this product and that product... you owe it to yourself to cut out all the NLP and find out what you truly want.

Don't call me Master

2009-04-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

The title Shifu is often translated in English as Master. In China, it actually has two meanings. In martial terms, it conveys a person of exceptional skill. However, it has more common usage in China as a professional person or a learned scholar or teacher.

If you ask any of the top tai chi masters in China for a translation of Shifu, they will say 'teacher not master'. It is this humbleness that conveys their true skill.

However, it is hard not to notice in youtube and other forums, a form of 'master worship' in conversations. It is characterised by people arguing about how their master could beat another master (or anyone else for that matter). Such hiding behind your teachers skill is unrealistic, deeply vulgar and embarrassing for your teacher.

I have seen classes where students literally elbow each other out of the way, so they can practice next to their 'master'. While someone may receive personal validation from such behaviour, the real damage comes in their lack of skill. For when it comes to sparring and pushing hands, their selfish competitiveness is likely to result in them getting less-than-honest feedback from their fellow students. I have seen this kind of behaviour literally drive classes apart and destroy a professional teachers earnings.

So before you announce your master's greatness to the world, think for a while. Are you saying this because they are invincible, ................or is it just because you want other people to say it about you?

Don't call me master - I am merely an instructor.

Richard

Why all the quotations?

2009-04-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has been to my classes knows that they are sensible, pragmatic and practical. There is very little in the way of psycho babble, and we all get on with it. However, I occasionally use quotes where appropriate. On twitter (follow me - my id is @taijirich), I have been using more and more quotes. So I guess you all deserve an explanation.

We all have a fight or flight mechanism that is constantly looking for danger. However, as we all know, the more dangers we focus on, the more trouble we will find ourselves in. One of the main aims of all martial arts is to dispel fear. You learn how to defend yourself and you condition your body for combat. These attributes give you a certain calm and ease in situations where untrained people would panic.

Some of the external martial arts have rites of passage. People who practice Karate and Taekwondo break wooden boards; Shaolin monks break sticks over their backs and lie on beds of nails. This is all great, but to quote Bruce Lee, "Boards don't hit back." And he is right. Breaking an inanimate object is not about winning fights. These are all achievable feats of strength and skill that are designed to give you a certain level of courage and confidence.

So without breaking boards, how can you empower yourself?

That's where the quotes come in. By telling stories and quoting famous people, your teacher can undermine any limiting beliefs, motivate the class and build up self esteem.

Just another reason why you should find a martial arts class and get stuck in. You don't need to be built like Arnie Schwartzenegger. As Henry Van Dyke said :

".. the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best."

See what I did there? ;-)

Rich

Tai Chi is more than waving hands in pyjamas and hugging trees

2009-04-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

Check this out. It is Pao chui, which in English means "Cannon Fist". The New Frame is a style of Chen Tai Chi, and there are two sets

1. Xinjia Yi Lu (New Frame first set)

2. Xinjia Er-Lu (New Frame second set)

This was filmed at Chenjiagou - the birth place of Taijiquan.

What is Qigong?

2009-04-13T00:49:00.000-07:00

Qigong is pronounced "chee gung", and is the cultivation of chi energy throughout the body. Chi is the energy that all life is dependent on. It is even more fundamental than oxygen. To have a demonstration of what chi is, have a look at the following video:

I was fortunate enough to meet a true qigong master in Zhiang Zhia Zhie national forest park in the 1990's. Master Li was just as elusive and careful with what he showed. I was cured of a recurring hip problem that I had sustained in my late teens.

Education - Is it right?

2009-04-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

The present education system was developed in the late 1800's and has changed little since. It has been designed to do two things:

1. Create workforces to the demands of industry.

2. Create a self-perpetuating reward system around academic attainment and achievement.

Watch this vid. It's 20 minutes, but worth it.

Are you scared?

2009-04-10T01:22:00.000-07:00

The maternity ward where they were keeping my new daughter Mia and my Wife on was particularly dark and stuffy. We decided to give Claire a rest, and I carried Mia across the ward to where the sun was shining through the windows. Mia had a touch of jaundice, and the sunlight would do wonders in taking the slight yellow pallor out of her face. We were enjoying the view of the sunny day from the window, when I was confronted by a nurse.

She was very 'concerned' that I was carrying my baby. Babies weren't to be carried, as it was a health and safety risk. I could possibly fall and injure myself or the baby.

This kind of fear was motivated, not out of any genuine care for the patients, rather that they might be found negligent and liable for compensation.

These fears are counter-productive. They actually end up doing worse. If parents can't practice carrying their babies in a safe environment, they are more likely to drop their babies at home, where care is likely to be delayed. Without advice, they might carry their babies incorrectly and inadvertently hurt them. But no... the hospitals tell you to wheel them everywhere.. and you remain incompetent.

We are a terrified society, full of reactionary overkill that is driving a wedge between us all. Don't rise to it. Whether it is an advert for deodorant ("Worried about body odour???") or a defense minister after a budget increase for his department, there is always money in keeping people scared or worried.

So, what fears are holding you back? Are they rational? What are they preventing you doing? What advantages can you see to resolving this fear?

And be happy.

Rich

What is Tai Chi? Free Video Demonstration

2009-04-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

Tai Chi is undoubtedly one of the greatest gifts that Chinese culture can bring to the world. Not only is it an effective self-defense system, but it brings unique levels of fitness, flexibility, strength, posture and relaxation to the practitioner.

Enjoy the video. I'll see you at the class!

Rich

New Arrival

2009-04-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

On 3rd April at 10:17pm, my daughter, Mia April Northwood was born. She is beautiful.

To say I am happy is the understatement of the century.

Normal service will be resumed. I am also on twitter, so follow the link below:

http://twitter.com/Taijirich

Be happy,

Rich

Sorry!

2009-03-28T05:15:00.000-07:00

Sincere apologies for not adding posts.

Will catch up with you all as soon as the baby is born.

Thanks for being so patient. :-)

What handicap?

2009-01-28T14:42:00.000-08:00

This is what happens if you just seize the moment, and accept what is given.....

There are opportunities everywhere. But we rarely accept them. We can get to thinking that we are not worthy and that good things happen to other people.

Let me tell you.... Contrary to every self-help and marketing guru on the planet.... you have a right to be who you are. You are enough. You can choose to recognise and accept the gifts life presents to you every day.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-25T12:35:00.000-08:00

Yes, happy Chinese New Year. It's the year of the ox.

What's important

2009-01-22T11:21:00.000-08:00

With the news full of the credit crunch, it really goes to show how little our media know about people. Money, money, money...... hmmmm!

Is that really all we think about? Is that all we ought to be thinking about?

Why is the media is so down? Perhaps because the media is a soulless enterprise, dealing in commercial tittle-tattle and mindless celebrity. The poor fools who buy into the media lifestyle are down because they can no longer take solace in buying crap to fill the void in their lives.

Perhaps this is a time to discover what's important.....

Plasma screen televisions?
Four-by-four bling cars?
Smart phones?
Must-have houses?
Granite kitchen work tops?

Or is it something else?

This credit crunch could be the best thing that has ever happened to us - if we let it. We can use this as a reason to stop living like mindless consumers. We can finally lay the shopping and sh@gging mentality to rest and search for what is truly important.

Elephants and twigs

2009-01-10T04:05:00.000-08:00

In India (before the bulldozer or the crane were invented) elephants were trained to do heavy lifting for their trainers. A trainer will either purchase or capture a baby elephant. For the first few weeks, they tie the elephant to the biggest, heaviest objects they can find. The baby struggles and struggles, until it finally accepts that wherever it is tied, it can not escape.

Because of their good memories, this lesson is remembered. The trainer is able to tie a fully-grown elephant to a tiny twig stuck in the ground.

As small children, we learn similar limiting lessons. However, some of us realise that the bonds holding us back are not as strong as we thought. These are the people who break away from damaging relationships, or make massive changes to improve their lives.

Martial Arts - Capture the Spirit

2009-01-03T13:10:00.001-08:00

If there is one film you should have seen in 2008, forget "The Dark Knight" and "Mama Mia". If you're into martial arts, "Kung Fu Panda" was the best by far.

Don't be fooled by the fact it is a cartoon. This simple film has some fantastic touches, and has prompted a great deal of soul-searching among the Chinese as to why they did not do anything like this before.

If you are interested in Chinese martial arts, and want to learn about the martial spirit, this is a great place to start.

World weary?

2008-12-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

Is the relentless cycle of bad news getting you down? Are you despairing about the state of the world? Is it hard to see how things can improve?

You are not alone. Check out the following quote:

"The Earth is degenerating these days. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer mind their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching."

This was discovered on an Assyrian stone tablet, that was carved approximately 4,800 years ago.

As you can see, the world has not ended yet.

Team Northwood - News

2008-12-21T18:20:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am expecting my second child.

The due date has been put back to March the 30th, and the 21 week scan showed that we are going to have another girl.

As usual, I will keep you all posted of further developments.

In the moment

2008-12-15T23:42:00.000-08:00

When I first travelled to China, I was with a group of 24 english tai chi practitioners who were eager to learn from Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei.

I recently met up with one of the people who I travelled with. As we shared our memories of the trip - immediately, he brought out a thick photo library and thumbed through the pages eagerly. He had obviously taken a lot of pictures, and we enthusiastically went through the pictures of the Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Great Wall.... all the sights.

But when I asked him about what he learned in training, his conversation slowed. I asked him how he felt about some of the things that were said, he could not remember. It reminded me of the Chinese proverb:

"You can't stand in the same river twice."

The moments of our lives are truly precious. Once they are gone, we can never get them back. Yet - as with my friend - if we try too hard to record these moments, we will corrupt our experience of them.

So with the oncoming festive season, think about that camera in your hand. While you hold that, you're not hugging your family and friends.

Books

2008-12-15T11:19:00.000-08:00

"Seek truth in meditation, not in moldy books.

Look to the sky to find the moon, not in the pond"

Persian proverb

A Smile for Christmas :-)

2008-12-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

Sleep

2008-11-30T01:56:00.000-08:00

You're angry and irritable - or even depressed and you can't work out why? It just can't be your sleep, because you get 8 hours every night..... can it?

How do you know you are getting the right quality of sleep? Deep, restful and refreshing sleep is one thing that genuinely eludes many people. For a start, try to avoid the following things:

1. Caffeinated beverages (tea, coffee, energy drinks).

2. Sugary drinks late in the evenings.

3. Heavy evening meals.

4. Alcohol (yes it can help you get to sleep, but it's a depressant and messes with your chemical balance).

5. Stressful situations.

Deep breathing exercises before you go to bed can really help. Also, the Monroe Institute has developed sound techniques to help you sleep. Click here to see a product that can really help you get 8 good hours every night.

Be happy

Tai Chi - Yield to Force

2008-11-02T12:41:00.000-08:00

There is a fundamental principle of Tai Chi. This principle is to yield to your attacker's force, rather than oppose it.

However, the yielding is important - but to be able to yield and retain balance, you must be sensitive. Sensitivity is the basis of all Tai Chi self defense, and is cultivated by pushing hands. This composite training teaches you to be sensitive to your opponent's movement and balance.

There is another fundamental principle that underpins sensitivity - stillness. But it is stillness of the mind, rather than the body. For if the mind is cluttered with wild emotions and intentions, you cannot hope to be able to detect subtle changes in balance and power. The best way to still the mind is regular meditation sessions.

So, the meditation practice that is regularly ridiculed by western culture, is to cultivate stillnes - which provides the basis for sensitivity, which enables you to defend yourself.

Credit Crunch - My theory

2008-10-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

I have stayed quiet on this issue for some time, because the media has been screaming like a headless chicken for months, and I did not want to add to it. Now the world governments are doing something about getting liquidity moving, I feel it is time to add my two-penneth.

The financial industry (and pretty much every other industry) has had corporate bonus packages based on single-year metrics. These measures are pretty crude - New Business Volume, Payment Income (£) and New Business Profit. In one year, all the exec needs to do is any of these 3 things:

1. Sell more products.

2. Reduce costs.

3. Charge more for services.

Any other (more sustainable) methods of business improvement - like customer engagement, retention strategies and risk mitigation are difficult to measure, costly to implement and the benefits may not be realised over a single year.

So it is the blinkered obsession with new business acquisition and increasing market share that has led financial institutions in America to overlook the customers ability to pay back their credit (conditions of the market).

However, before we steam in on the bankers of the world for their lack of sustainability, just take a look at how our society generates energy. In fact, look at every area of society, and you will find a distinct lack of restraint. When we do something, we want to do it more and more until everything is used up, and we don't seem to be able to see it coming in time.

This is nothing new. The pre-historic population of Easter Island wiped themselves out by cutting down all the trees - and therefore removing all their food and energy source.

It is the present curse of mankind that we are unable to gauge growth, sustainability and balance with our environment. What concerns me now is that people will use this recession as an excuse to cut back on our progress towards cutting carbon emissions.

I'm sure I will get emails on this.

It was bound to happen

2008-10-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

These 'quick fix' motivational posters have been annoying people for years now. It's nice to see someone striking back.

People have been making obscene amounts of money putting together this kind of bilge. When all people really want is to be listened to, respected and valued.

;-)

Introduction to the Monroe Institute

2008-10-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

If you could go anywhere in time and space (and beyond), where would you go? Who would you like to see? What questions would you like to have answered?

The Monroe Institute was founded by Robert Monroe - a sound engineer who started to have involuntary Out of Body Experiences (OBE's), following experiments in sound.

He later mapped and categorised many altered states of consciousness, and developed tools to access these states. He conducted courses in how to access these states, and founded the Monroe Institute - a nonprofit educational research organisation dedicated to the exploration of human consciousness.

To this day, TMI offers courses in many different aspects of human development. TMI is not a cult, or a religious organisation. They merely provide to tools for you to explore your consciousness, and as a result, live your life more fully.

TMI embody the very best that the west has to offer in spiritual growth and personal discovery. Check them out.

Power - what is it?

2008-10-12T08:08:00.001-07:00

There was a stone mason. He watched an army charge past, and said to himself.."It would be so great to be a powerful soldier - charging through the land."

Buddha (it's a buddhist story), heard his cry and suddenly the stonemason was astride a horse. It was fun for a while, then he soon became disillusioned. As he lined up for an inspection, he noticed the Emperor. And he found himself thinking "it's not good being a soldier. You have to take orders all the time. It would be much better if I was the Emperor. He has absolute power over all the kingdom."

Buddha heard the prayer, and suddenly the stonemason was the Emperor. And for a while, he was happy. Then one day, a great storm swept through the city, smashing everything in it's path, and once again, our stonemason was envious... "Oh how great it would be to be the wind - able to smash anything in it's path. No one can stop you."

And suddenly he was the wind. He had a great time, overturning carriages, uprooting trees. Until he ran into a mountain. No matter how hard he blew, he could not move the mountain. And before he could even say it, he became the mountain.

"Finally, I am powerful," The mountain thought, "Nothing can move me. Not even the Emperor or the strongest winds".....

Suddenly he heard a noise. He followed the tap, tap, tapping down to a small stonemason, who was busy cutting away at foot of the mountain.

Watch this vid:

One of the most powerful media magnates in the world (not a US citizen) wants the people of America to vote for a man. And through actions like this, we can all see that he is frightened that the elections are not going his way.

No matter how big a mountain you become, there will always be stonemasons able to cut you to size. This is a time for stonemasons (common voting people) everywhere to do the right thing.

People of America, please use your vote wisely. The rest of the world is watching.

5 ways to cheer you up

2008-10-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

We all need a little pick up. Here are a couple of little tricks that work for me:

1. Wear your favourite clothes

It always cheers me up if I put on my favourite jumper. It feels comfortable and warm. Sometimes all you need to do is dress the part. It's like putting on a costume. If you dress happy, you will feel happier.

2. Cook something nice

In our modern microwave society, everything is super speed. Take your time to bake something nice like cookies, cakes or flapjacks. The whole house permeates with the scent of baking, which always makes things seem more cosy and welcoming. And don't forget to eat them. invite friends to your house, or give them away.

3. De-clutter and tidy up

Sometimes we can feel the weight of all our accumulated junk. Getting rid of all the superfluous stuff like catalogues, paid bills, marketing literature and magazines can really take some weight off your shoulders. Another good place to de-clutter is your car and your wallet or purse.

4. Move your furniture around

I know this sounds crazy, but changing the layout of your rooms, moving the furniture can really feel like a fresh start.

5. Sing or whistle

One of the funny things about going to China was the amount of spontaneous singing that went on. It was great. And it was a habit that I'm glad to bring back with me to England. Sing something great, something funny (monty python songs are excellent for this!!).

Be happy,

Rich

Final word on Acupuncture

2008-10-04T14:44:00.000-07:00

I have just finished my 4th acupuncture session, and the doctor had trouble discerning my damaged knee from the healthy one. All the swelling is gone. Full movement has been restored.

Earlier this week I ran up and down 8 flights of stairs at full sprint (I left my wallet in the office), and did not even notice. A few weeks ago, such activity would produce pain after the second flight of stairs.

The doctor informs me I will only need 3 more sessions. This should hopefully close the door on two years of insistent and aggravating pain in my right knee. Yes, it has cost me quite a lot of money. But if I had done this on the NHS, I would still be waiting for a scan or physiotherapist, and in the meantime, my GP would have told me to stop teaching taijiquan.

I can not say any more than for me Traditional Chinese medicine works. It may not be for everyone, and it may not cure everything. But in this instance, I have been delighted with the results.

Acupuncture - Update

2008-09-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a week since my session, and the difference is quite significant. My knee has got more and more easy throughout the week, and nearly all pain is gone. On both Monday and Tuesday, I did two hours of teaching and an hour of practice on my own.

Before I had the acupuncture, such exercise would make my knee really sore, and difficult to straighten. However, there is just minor pain when I do something that really jarrs the knee. It feels looser and I am running spontaneously without wondering if it will hurt.

Frankly, I'm astonished. I wasn't expecting such quick results. I'm not completely recovered, so will continue with the treatment.

I have booked another appointment on Saturday. Will keep you all posted.

Acupuncture - Does it work?

2008-09-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

I have been having occasional problems with pain in my knee when I practice tai chi hard. It can last up to a couple of days after, so I decided to try acupuncture.

I had my first session yesterday. After an initial consultation, the doctor booked me in for an acupunture session with massage/acupressure. After the treatment, my knee felt very different. It was definitely more eased, and when I walked, it felt more stable. However, that could have been due to the massage, which was very thorough.

Like all things, I will need a course of treatment to really improve things. Will keep you all informed about any progress.