Tag: steve rowe

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From Earth To Heaven

Steve Rowe

Nature’s incredible urge to bring life and to survive is the most powerful energy there is, to alchemise it into ‘heavenly energy’ is the gift to humanity. It’s still in its incipient stages as most people are subject to to the survival urge and can only react with fear, anxiety and addiction, sometimes the addiction is to ‘happiness’ that can only trap despair as its comparison. Understanding the need to survive, listening to our instincts, objectively viewing the anger, anxiety and addiction, understanding what they are, developing patient kindness, empathy and compassion, spreading it out into our life and environment, … Continue reading From Earth To Heaven

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Never Say “It Can’t Get Any Worse”….

Steve Rowe

Never say “it can’t get any worse than this”… After my knee replacements I had continuous infections and had to have 25 surgeries with 3 life threatening sepsis attacks. It thought it couldn’t get worse. It did. My leg had to be amputated. Surely it couldn’t get worse? It did. I got cancer. That had to be the bottom, it couldn’t get worse than that. The bottom fell out. My wife of 43 years died suddenly. Every time I thought it can’t get any worse than this….. it did. Each time it left me empty, hollow, when everything had been … Continue reading Never Say “It Can’t Get Any Worse”….

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The Best Way To Start Tai Chi

Steve Rowe

The best way to start in any martial art and particularly Tai Chi is with posture and breathing exercises. Good posture gets rid of excess tension and allows for deep breathing, balance and mobility. Deep breathing calms the body, emotions and mind. When the mind follows the breath, the energy moves with it. This brings about a state of mindfulness and the ability to manipulate energy. In my Tai Chi this is then the foundation for qigong exercises, forms and push hands, done ‘monk style’ for self healing, and then taken into applications and weapons ‘warrior style’ for further health, … Continue reading The Best Way To Start Tai Chi

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How I Became Vegetarian

Steve Rowe

It was the 70’s.I’d been dragged up on a South London council estate, gone to the worst school in London, left school with no qualifications and drifted from job to job falling into the security world. From boxing, kickboxing to karate and spit and sawdust gyms doing bodybuilding to bulk up for the violence incurred at work. I thought respect, friendship and love, were all based on other people’s fear of me…. Until Tai Chi led me into the Taoist, Zen and Buddhist practice of mindfulness. I found dependent origination and the practice of patient kindness – that led me … Continue reading How I Became Vegetarian

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The Kung Fu of Tai Chi

Steve Rowe

10 hours of intensive private lessons over 2 days for 2 of my best Tai Chi students from the Czech Republic that I’ve known and taught for around 35 years. These kind of relationships are worth their weight in gold for both me and them. People often talk about the ‘secrets’ of Tai Chi and how the deeper teachings are ‘held back’ but the truth is that the students can only understand at a level that their study and training has taken them. All the ‘secrets’ are taught right at the beginning, but it takes decades for the student to … Continue reading The Kung Fu of Tai Chi

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A New Age

Steve Rowe

Traditionally men were the hunters and providers for the family.They were the warriors and protectors. Women were the homemakers and brought up the children.They were the healers and nourishers . This balance worked for the majority but didn’t cater for anyone outside those traditional roles. They were demonised. The 60’s started the change, many men became more effeminate and many women more masculine. This trend continued through the decades until gender and its infinite variations ceased to have any meaning and anyone could play any role, but most didn’t realise we still had a patriarchal society under the guise of … Continue reading A New Age

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Pay Attention

Steve Rowe

To all you overthinkers…. I asked a student how long he meditated each day and he said “20 minutes”. I then asked him what he did while meditating and he replied ”I think about my breathing.” He wasn’t meditating, he was spending 20 minutes a day thinking…. He couldn’t differentiate between thinking and paying attention. Paying attention is mindfulness. And not for 20 minutes a day, but all day in everything we do. We think with the self, we pay attention with our consciousness. From paying attention and being mindful thinking slows down and insight and wisdom arise. “Mindfulness is … Continue reading Pay Attention

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Shamanism & The Tiger…

Steve Rowe

This sits on the chest of drawers next to my bed. I was born in 1950 the year of the tiger, and it’s my 76th birthday next week. I also have a tiger tattoo on my upper arm and a painting of one in the Dojo. Tigers represent resolve, determination, strength, power, fluidity and ferocity, they are very special to me and an important Tai Chi animal, present along with the snake and crane in every technique. My kung fu is shamanistic and I take on the heart and spirit of these animals when I train. I see through the … Continue reading Shamanism & The Tiger…

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Stop Saying Yes…

Steve Rowe

It’s too easy to say yes to everyone. Being a self employed martial art instructor you start by saying yes to everyone.Everyone that wants you teach classesEveryone that wants a private lessonEveryone that wants you to attend or teach at an eventEveryone that wants to feature you on a podcast or in a magazineEveryone that wants to ‘network’ or visit you You’re subject to their flattery. You feel vulnerable. You feel inadequate. You’re prey to the business advisors who fill you with FOMO. Gradually you hone your skills in all areas and have to take control of your time and … Continue reading Stop Saying Yes…

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Own Your Mind

Steve Rowe

It’s important to take time and spaceTo be still and silentNo TVNo radioNo musicAnd no peopleStop filling your mind with crapEveryone else wants a piece of itIt’s too easy to give it awayMindlesslyBe stillBe silentTurn your senses inwardAnd find yourselfDiscover your powerOwn your own mindAnd don’t let anything or anyone inWithout filtering itDevelop your own locus of power. Continue reading Own Your Mind