Author: Steve Rowe

Martial artist, philosopher, author, writer,
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Morning Harmony

Steve Rowe

This morning’s Tai Chi session –It was exactly halt light and half dark, a magical time.Burning quality oud incense.Facing Quanyin, the goddess of mercy and compassion.Playing ‘Solar Eclipse’ by Mei-Lan.Meditation – unifying mind, breath, energy and body.Qigong to warm the energy making it more fluid and loosen joints until it flows easily, rippling through the body.Yang Cheng Fu 108 moving the body and energy in harmony, pulsing, rising and falling, opening and closing, twisting and turning, swirling and reeling silk throughout the body.Finishing with silence and stillness until the energy has settled in peace, healing mind, emotions, spirit and body.A … Continue reading Morning Harmony

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Through The Looking Glass

Steve Rowe

Through The Looking Glass….After the seminar todayWhen I was in the Dojo on my ownIn my wheelchairI saw myself in the mirrorOld, crippledIt wasn’t meNot who I amIt was like I was deadOut of my bodyMy reflection was like a photographOf me when I was aliveMy family sayingThat was my dad, granddadI could see my fatherMy grandfatherMy family line back to the beginningI was the one with no war medalsBut still had all the scarsAnd the missing limbI sat frozenMesmerisedLike looking into the futureThrough the looking glassA life full of a different kind of warsEating me upBit by bitPhysicallyEmotionallyMentallySpirituallySurviving them … Continue reading Through The Looking Glass

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Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo

Steve Rowe

Students have been asking more questions about why I use this chant. It means “I bow to the Creative Wisdom, I bow to the Divine Teacher within” it’s a great reminder to me of the universal consciousness, its power inside of me and the importance for them to stay connected. The vibration of OM is at the front of the mouth and palette and down the front of the body (conception vessel) and ONG is at the back of the roof of the mouth and with the right pitch stimulates the vagus nerve and the entire neurological system. I know … Continue reading Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo

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The Forgotten Generation

Steve Rowe

Growing Old… You walk through the doorThe place is emptyNo human to greet youNo tail wagging dogsNo purring catAll goneOnly you leftWaiting for god. Body that would fail an MOTMind that can’t remember what you had for dinnerA legal pharmacy an addict would envyCold seeps into your bonesPIP scrutiny worse than the SSA derisible pensionA society that thinks pensioners are richEndless NHS vaccination textsBut impossible to find an empathic GPYou get 10 mins and only 1 problemTalked over and a prescription Everyone’s busyYou can only watch the world go byWhilst being invisibleYour past is a backstoryYour present is emptyThere is … Continue reading The Forgotten Generation

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In Stillness There’s Movement

Steve Rowe

In stillness there’s movement. When we’re sitting or standing in good posture in Tai Chi there’s a lot going on internally.We’re connecting the mind, energy, body and breath.On the ‘in’ breath, opening and stretching the body without stiffening.On the ‘out’ breath, softening, connecting, closing and compressing without collapsing.Releasing the compression and stretch to create a vacuum for the energy to travel in.Following the connected breath and energy with the mind.With this breathing observing the body calming down, then the emotions and finally the mind into a state of mindfulness.Learning the wordless language of the body, energy and instincts and communicating … Continue reading In Stillness There’s Movement

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Words Have Power

Steve Rowe

Words have power. I refuse to call my Dojo a ‘business’ because a Dojo is a ‘place of learning the way’, it’s community of mutual support and like minded people. Part of the Buddhist 8 fold path is ‘right livelihood’ to earn a living by supporting the community and causing no harm. Of course the bills have to be paid and all payments need to explained, up front and mutually agreed by all parties. Red flags to me are words like ‘upgrade’, ‘pro shop’, ‘contract’, ‘client’ and ‘punter’. These words alone don’t mean that the club is a scam but … Continue reading Words Have Power

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It’s Not What You Do

Steve Rowe

It’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it. We have to look beyond technique. The principles, ideas and intent that are the foundation, and pervade any movement we do, tell how much we really know. The aura, the animation, the eyes, and spirit of the practitioner tell us what we need to know. The ease of the movement, the contrast and power on/off switch, when the power is ‘resting’, when it is ‘storing’, and when it it ‘discharging’ are evident to experienced eyes. For this we need personal alchemy, internal study, and this is why a … Continue reading It’s Not What You Do

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Dealing With Grief

Steve Rowe

Dealing with grief.At some point we all lose someone or even a pet close to us so learning about grief is important. I often talk about the Buddha’s 2 arrows, the suffering that is inevitable in life that you have to accept is the first arrow and when you suffer about your suffering is the second arrow that you can avoid. Grief is natural and you have to let that out because to repress it is to make it worse. That’s the first arrow. Accept it and let it out. Every time you think it’s lessened it will be triggered … Continue reading Dealing With Grief

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Float Is A Concept

Steve Rowe

‘Float’ is an important part of ‘sink, swallow float and spit’ in the martial arts. The concept goes far deeper than most people realise. Sink and swallow to create ‘float’ is a pump. The 4 pumps of chi (ki) in the body are the arches of the feet, the lower back, in between the shoulder blades and the occipital point. The chest is sunk to open the lower back, then the hips, knees and ankles press down into the arches of the feet and release to create float. This is in the qigong exercises in Tai Chi and Sanchin kata … Continue reading Float Is A Concept

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Soften To Fold

Steve Rowe

Words have power. One of the reasons I use carefully chosen keywords as door labels in our memory palace. To carry on my earlier post on the Taoist term ‘unfolding’… When I was learning in HK one phrase that really got me to do with the joints was ‘soften to fold’. When we ‘bend’ joints we tend to hold too much tension but to ‘soften’ and then ‘fold’ released excess tension and really changed my perspective giving my form a better ‘Tai Chi feel’. This why I choose my coaching vocabulary very carefully, as it can make all the difference … Continue reading Soften To Fold