Tag: martial arts

PoemsLeave a comment

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

ArticlesLeave a comment

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

Articles1 Comment

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

PoemsLeave a comment

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

ArticlesLeave a comment

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

ArticlesLeave a comment

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

ArticlesLeave a comment

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

ArticlesLeave a comment

Soft Front, Strong Back Reviews

Steve Rowe

3 BOOK REVIEWS- When we published this book I bought 300 to do as signed copies and have a few spare as gifts etc but surprisingly, nearly all have gone, so if you are in the U.K. and want one of the remaining copies, order it here on this link https://py.pl/1m5JAm Here are a couple of reviews you might find interesting….. Francis Briers – I got my copy of my long time teacher, Steve Rowe’s book and have started to read it today. What strikes me is how vulnerable Steve has been in writing honestly about himself and his life. … Continue reading Soft Front, Strong Back Reviews

ArticlesLeave a comment

Sharing Is Caring

Steve Rowe

In the 80’s I was an Operations Manager in a security company with around 500 staff in all manner of contracts. Often at night I’d drive around the sites to visit our guards who were on minimum pay and 12hr shifts on various duties, many were Indian and Pakistani. They would always insist on sharing their meagre rations that they’d bought in to last the shift and would be very offended if I refused. In the beginning I felt embarrassed and tried to refuse but soon realised how important it was to them to share. Food is the staff of … Continue reading Sharing Is Caring

ArticlesLeave a comment

Use Your Calendar

Steve Rowe

In my 50 years of training I always put the years training and seminar dates in my calendar first and then worked everything else around them where possible. Every year in June I do my following year’s calendar and give the dates out to all my students well in advance so they can do the same. Anyone that trains with me knows that every seminar will contain a lot of information that will never be given again. I view my calendar a month in advance, then each week and each day to remind me of what I’m doing and teaching. … Continue reading Use Your Calendar