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Stimulate Store & Release Qi In Taiji

Steve Rowe

In Tai Chi we often talk about the 3 bows, the arms legs and spine (some separate them and call them the 5 bows), it’s good terminology as bows store and release energy. The more you study you realise that there are actually hundreds of bows throughout the body, every joint acts as a bow from fingers, toes, palms, arches, shoulders, hips chest and so on. As we connect and coordinate all these bows, we need to develop the ability to release all excessive tension so they can function effectively. We then stimulate the energy using the mind and emotions, … Continue reading Stimulate Store & Release Qi In Taiji

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Emotional Alchemy

Steve Rowe

REALLY IMPORTANT if you work with qi/chi/ki in your technique is to understand how the energy is coloured by areas of the body and how this affects areas of your life. The ‘alchemy’ is the study and journey of how your emotions affect you and therefore to be able to understand them and develop emotional intelligence. I’ve stripped away any ‘spiritual’ dogma to show how useful they are to practical martial artists. I’ve used my keywords for each chakra here to help you see how practical this study is to help you become a more balanced martial artist. Root Chakra … Continue reading Emotional Alchemy

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Feedback From Aaron

Steve Rowe

I often get asked why I started learning Tai Chi”. The truth is, there were many reasons, but primarily it was the opportunity to train under Sensei Steve Rowe and the allure of a deeper, more spiritual path to martial mastery than I’d found in other styles. What I discovered far exceeded my expectations. Tai Chi has transformed me in countless ways. It taught me meditation, breathing techniques, and a profound understanding of the body. It revealed the intricacies of energy manipulation, both defensively and offensively. I delved into the philosophies of Yi and Chi, cultivating emotional intelligence, and mastering … Continue reading Feedback From Aaron

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My Security Work

Steve Rowe

I was laying in bed last night trying to remember all the security work I’d done and couldn’t do dates or even in order but this is what I could remember after I left the Fire Brigade in ‘71: Group 4 had just arrived in the U.K. and I went from ‘beat officer’ to staff sergeant in charge of all Cash In Transit at the time also getting my HGV to drive the big ‘dustcart’ type wagons and had some near misses as ‘blagging’ cash vans was very common at the time. Woolworths doing plainclothes and undercover fraud work also … Continue reading My Security Work

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The Dying Monk

Steve Rowe

Sometimes poems just arise, this was after a meditation – I like the cave It’s high and the air is thin It’s cold, I can see my breath The stone I’m sitting on is cold The robe is rough on my skin Aching from hunger holds my mind fast I can see the monastery from here Far enough to not trouble me The problem with monks Is that they all escaping from life They seek peace from others But confined by monastery rules And religious dogma It can exacerbate problems They don’t like me I don’t need them Having a … Continue reading The Dying Monk

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Using Both Sides Of The Brain To Learn

Steve Rowe

We spent a lot of time yesterday ‘learning how to learn’, understanding how differently the left and right brain learns and how both are useful. Learning in words, in a linear logical method is essential and the most useful way of starting, once the sequence is internalised the mind can easily become distracted or lazy, at this point we need to go deeper, increasing our awareness, focus, sensitivity and intensity until we are eventually studying micro moments and connections. We also need to learn by ‘direct transmission’ and this depends on the relationship between teacher and student, it’s wordless and … Continue reading Using Both Sides Of The Brain To Learn

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Knowing Yourself

Steve Rowe

I’ve never been comfortable with titles, grades, certificates and awards. Nothing against them, they’re just not for me. I haven’t turned grades down from people I respect but have upset and subsequently fallen out with people that run awards ceremonies because I wouldn’t associate with them or accept their awards. I know who and what I am so don’t need recognition from others, I know what I’m both good and bad at and that sometimes I’m a twat with an awful sense of humour. I don’t like to put anything between myself and those I teach so I’m not a … Continue reading Knowing Yourself

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What Happened?

Steve Rowe

What Happened?When I was a child and teenager in the 50’s and 60’s,The public owned it’s own services,Trains, buses, electric, gas, water and mail,And the profit helped pay for community services. Prescriptions and university education were free,Legal and union representation gave job security,Council housing and rent control meant everyone was housed,Equality was becoming a reality. With free education, social mobility truly happened,We had 2 Prime ministers from grammar school education,Anyone from anywhere could become anything,At last society was moving forwards and there was hope. Computers and machinery were designed to ease the burden,We were told soon we would be working … Continue reading What Happened?