Tag: neigong

ArticlesLeave a comment

Nebulous Principles, Ideas &Strategues

Steve Rowe

Student: Is it like this or this? Me: Yes. Student: how can it be both? Me: because it’s not what you do but how you do it that counts. If you are following the ideas and principles, depending on the situation, a technique can be done in a variety of ways. People want ‘easy’ and ‘simple’, they want rules. If you advertise ’easy to learn’, ‘simple steps’ and lay down a simple framework to follow, people will buy into it. The essential underlying principles, ideas and philosophy to a good martial art can be quite nebulous and require considerable study … Continue reading Nebulous Principles, Ideas &Strategues

ArticlesLeave a comment

How Deep Can You Go?

Steve Rowe

How deep can you train your body? How well can you manipulate the spine and myofascial core that moves it along with the vagus nerve? This, along with plumbing beyond thought and emotions to finding the deepest parts of yourself that connect you to nature are what give you a health and inner peace beyond what any modern ‘health guru’ can. Good Tai Chi, layered from meditation to neigong (inner work) to qigong (energy work) to form, push hands and weapons carefully layers these skills, training body, emotions and mind at depths that I don’t see anywhere else. It was … Continue reading How Deep Can You Go?

ArticlesLeave a comment

Were The Ancients That Good?

Steve Rowe

Were the ancients that good? No internet, travel was really difficult, most couldn’t read or write, what little video is available was made when they were old and most didn’t move that well. Of course we respect them as they were the founders of what we practise today and some obviously were really good, but how many? The lineage carriers were often bloodline and to be honest that doesn’t mean the talent of the originator was passed down, often, non family students were better. I’ve often heard people say that the masters ‘hide’ techniques from students but in my experience … Continue reading Were The Ancients That Good?

ArticlesLeave a comment

Closing All The Windows

Steve Rowe

Closing All The Windows The computer was designed by and is like the human mind. When you close all the active windows, what’s left? It appears to be nothing, a blank screen, but it’s actually the potential to do anything the computer or its programmer can do. When we sit still, breathe deep and close all the activity of our mind, the mind appears to be inactive but is in fact in a state of readiness to accept the insight and wisdom that our ‘windows’ (thinking mind) has been blocking that has always been there in the background. Closing the … Continue reading Closing All The Windows

ArticlesLeave a comment

I Am Beautiful

Steve Rowe

I am beautiful. That’s not a ‘guru’ style bogus affirmation, at 74, with a barrel rather than a 6 pack, riddled with arthritis, a missing leg, more wrinkles than a crumpled crisp packet and more scars than a Russian gangster my body is my best friend and a record of an exciting life. I am beautiful. Because despite its battering my body is suffused with chi (life energy), alchemised and educated into geng (warrior energy) and then shen (spiritual energy) by trained emotions and a mind that has trained and meditated twice a day for over 50 years. I am … Continue reading I Am Beautiful

ArticlesLeave a comment

2026 Shi Kon Tai Chi Coaching Programme

Steve Rowe

No Previous Experience Necessary.This one day a month for 10 months programme will be taught personally by Steve Rowe 9th Dan and his team of assistants, Steve is an internationally renowned Tai Chi teacher, Chairman and founder of Shi Kon Martial Arts International.  The programme has been running for 9 years and has qualified over a 100 coaches, it is designed to certificate and give Tai Chi Students the ability to teach Tai Chi and run and administer a club to a basic level standard. Participants will be registered with Shi Kon Martial Arts International Association and the British Council … Continue reading 2026 Shi Kon Tai Chi Coaching Programme

ArticlesLeave a comment

Emptying Hearts & Stuffing Bellies

Steve Rowe

Lao Tsu talks about a wise leader ‘emptying the hearts and stuffing the bellies of the nation’, and this has many levels of understanding. The word ‘karate’ often translated as ‘empty hand’ Funakoshi explained the ‘Kara’ part ‘empty’ as empty of (violent) intention and ‘te’ (hand) is generally understood as a term for martial art. Therefore an art of peace. Draining the chi (ki) from the heart to the belly calms the body, emotions and mind. Filling the belly is to retain and store power instead of losing it. This gives an absence of negative energies like fear and anger … Continue reading Emptying Hearts & Stuffing Bellies

Tao Te Ching ExplainedLeave a comment

Good Men Don’t Argue

Steve Rowe

Explanation Of The Tao Te Ching Part Eighty One  “Truthful words are not beautiful. Beautiful words are not truthful. Good men do not argue. Those who argue are not good. Those who know are not learned. The learned do not know.  The sage never tries to store things up. The more he does for others, the more he has. The more he gives to others, the greater his abundance. The Tao of heaven is pointed but does no harm. The Tao of the sage is work without effort.” This could be good advice for social media. As the Chinese would say, ‘don’t put legs on a snake’. Tell the … Continue reading Good Men Don’t Argue

Tao Te Ching ExplainedLeave a comment

A Small Country

Steve Rowe

Explanation Of The Tao Te Ching Part Eighty “A small country has fewer people. Though there are machines that can work ten to a hundred times faster than man, they are not needed. The people take death seriously and do not travel far. Though they have boats and carriages, no one uses them. Though they have armor and weapons, no one displays them. Men return to the knotting of rope in place of writing. Their food is plain and good, their clothes fine but simple, their homes secure; They are happy in their ways. Though they live within sight of their neighbors, And crowing cocks and barking dogs are … Continue reading A Small Country

Tao Te Ching ExplainedLeave a comment

A Bitter Quarrel

Steve Rowe

Explanation Of The Tao Te Ching Part Seventy Nine  “After a bitter quarrel, some resentment must remain. What can one do about it? Therefore the sage keeps his half of the bargain But does not exact his due. A man of Virtue performs his part, But a man without Virtue requires others to fulfill their obligations. The Tao of heaven is impartial. It stays with good men all the time.” This is about learning to be the better person. The Buddha said that holding on to anger is ‘like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die’. Fulfilling our part of a resolution is important but … Continue reading A Bitter Quarrel