Tag: martial arts

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Monkey Mind

Steve Rowe

Our body’s ego and physical, mental and emotional needs can be tricky bastards. It’s like being an alcoholic or drug addict, when we’re not being mindful we revert to type. With mindfulness training we can gain insight into our faults and indoctrinations, identify them and change our behaviour to become a wiser person, but we need to be permanently vigilant or we regress. It’s like swimming upstream, if we stop swimming, we go backwards. The Buddha said that once we’ve built a house it’s important to keep the roof in good repair. The ego is a very powerful narcotic. I’ve … Continue reading Monkey Mind

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Think For Yourself

Steve Rowe

It’s too easy to take on the views of others instead of working things out for yourself. You only have to look at your feed here on social media to see martial artists continually repeating the same old tropes that you know didn’t originate from their own critical thinking. It’s lazy, gutless and weak to only repeat the view of others so you don’t stand out from the crowd and attract criticism. Ask yourself WHY you train/study in martial arts. Ignore what everyone else has said and go deep inside of yourself to find the true reasons, is it for: … Continue reading Think For Yourself

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There Were No Kicks Or Punches in Karate Or Tai Chi

Steve Rowe

Let’s use language to give an insight and some depth to our martial arts. There was originally no kicks or punches in either karate or tai chi. The problem with ‘kicks’ and ‘punches’ is that it limits our understanding of the arts. In traditional karate and tai chi before they were ‘sportified’ they were used for health and self defence, self defence started when we reached grappling distance therefore leg and arm techniques were manipulations of the opponents body and usually all limbs were being employed at the same time. We had ‘husband and wife hands, one destroying the opponents … Continue reading There Were No Kicks Or Punches in Karate Or Tai Chi

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Life Is A Prison Cell

Steve Rowe

Life is a prisonStuck in this meat vehicleWe die into itSufferAnd are born out of it Like a prisonerWe have to learn how to serve our timeDon’t look forwardDon’t look backServe our timeDay by dayHour by hourBreath by breath Don’t expect anythingAccept what we haveAccept where we areDon’t suffer about our sufferingServe our sentencePay our duesUntil we’re released It sounds like it’s a bad viewBut it’s actually notIt’s truthSeek happiness and you’ll never find itBe miserable and you’ll suffer moreAccept the truth Don’t wantDon’t not wantAs your body rots around youBe happy that you’re nearing releaseSleep on the floorAnd you’ll … Continue reading Life Is A Prison Cell

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The Magic Speed Of Tai Chi

Steve Rowe

The magic speed of Tai Chi… Tai Chi forms are working vehicles and therefore constructed to be practiced in a multitude of different ways and speeds. But there is one speed and way that changes everything to bring you into a magical state of mindfulness making the mind aware, focused, sensitive and intense also changing the body energetically. Imagine you are completely immersed in water and you have to practice the form so carefully that you don’t disturb the water in any way. This forces you to be completely ‘in the moment’, extremely mindful and feel the pressure of the … Continue reading The Magic Speed Of Tai Chi

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Manipulating The Chakras With Tai Chi

Steve Rowe

Manipulating The Chakras With Tai Chi What do the chakras do? Root Chakra – is life and death, a very powerful primal energy driving sex and mortal fear. Sacral Chakra – is instincts, that ‘gut feeling’ you need to learn to rely on. Solar Plexus Chakra – is normal fear, anxiety and anger. Heart Chakra – is patience, kindness, tolerance and compassion. Throat Chakra – is expression, the ability to influence your environment. Brow Chakra – the ‘third eye’ is insight and visionary. Crown Chakra – is wisdom and spirituality. They each have their own emotional colouring and vibration of … Continue reading Manipulating The Chakras With Tai Chi

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Tai Chi’s A Funny Game

Steve Rowe

Tai Chi people can be funnyThere are people with exclusive magicWho look down on the hoi poloiAs pitiable acolyte’sConfusing everyone with terminologyThere are those that leanOn impeccable lineageWith flowery handsAnd embroidered feetSome have silk suitsThat ripple in the breezeThere are hippiesThat heal with ancestral energyThere are formsSo many formsPrayers to the ancestorsCombining meditation and energy workInto fighting techniquesPush hands to testStructural integrityAnd stop practitionersFrom just playing with themselvesBeneath all these facesLies the best structuredMost powerfulMethod of developingMental focusEmotional intelligenceGood health and vitalityAnd self defenceThat I’ve ever encountered Never judge a book by its cover. Continue reading Tai Chi’s A Funny Game

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The Perfect Workout

Steve Rowe

I don’t do short forms in Tai Chi. The Yang Chen Fu 108 for me along with the family neigong and qigong is the perfect morning ‘monk style’ workout that can be explored in a multitude of ways and the afternoon ‘warrior’ workout of the weaponry, Long Boxing and Sanshou set is perfect. Repeated techniques cover moving on the spot (grasp sparrow’s tail) with the 4 major jins (ward off, roll back, press, push), and rolling arms moving forward (brush knee), backward (repulse monkey) and sideways (waving hands like clouds). Other techniques cover the other jins and angles in a … Continue reading The Perfect Workout

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Releasing Energy

Steve Rowe

Understand how the body naturally builds up and releases energy and you understand how to use it in qigong and Tai Chi. This also applies to the internal energy in all martial art technique. Your morning stretch is different to your exercise stretches. This is because you build up your energy in your stretch and then release it to wake up. Notice the feeling that goes with the release. You do the same when you sneeze, yawn, when you go to the loo, when you ejaculate and even when dealing with emotion and pain. Understand this and you go a … Continue reading Releasing Energy

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Keys To Success

Steve Rowe

Keys to success in training: Work out what you genuinely want to achieve from your study and periodically review it.Don’t take on aims and objectives that others give you.Plan your training schedule for the optimum way to achieve those aims.Don’t waste time training in anything that doesn’t take you in the right direction.Never over or under train.Train every day. Sounds easy but you will inevitably have to fight against pressure from others who want you to do what they want, both at home and in the Dojo. You will also have to deal with your enemies of laziness, distraction and … Continue reading Keys To Success