Tag: Tai Chi

ArticlesLeave a comment

Points Of Inevitability

Steve Rowe

Inevitable points in life. There’s birth and death, but what are the others? When I look back there are points of inevitably. It seems that whatever roads I took in life they would bring me to the same points and people. It’s like I have choice, but I’m here for a purpose so whatever choices I make, certain things have to happen, otherwise there’d be no meaning and purpose to life. My choices determined whether I learned the hard way or the easy way and sometimes what appeared to be the hard way was in fact the easy way. If … Continue reading Points Of Inevitability

ArticlesLeave a comment

Drawing Lines From Insight

Steve Rowe

Whilst meditating this morning my mind was connecting the chi to the breath. As I breathed in it moved it from the lower dantien through the coccyx, up the back, over the head where it collected between the in and out breath and as I breathed out I sank the chest to drain it down from the tongue back down to the lower dantien. I found myself naturally drawing the line with my hands in front of the body and that drew a mental image of the shape of Daruma meditating in the cave. (I wish I could draw, AI … Continue reading Drawing Lines From Insight

ArticlesLeave a comment

Everyone Has A Story

Steve Rowe

As the government turns on people with disabilities, removing independence payments and most importantly social help of all kinds, no one can understand the full import of what becoming disabled means. We all have a different story and I’m lucky that I’m still able to work and support myself, with a lot of family, friends and students around me to help. Others are not so lucky. Having been an independent, fit, strong career martial artist for most of my life, becoming disabled and losing my leg meant that I lost 95% of my life. If asked if I would rather … Continue reading Everyone Has A Story

Articles, PoemsLeave a comment

Open A Portal

Steve Rowe

Our life is chasing one thing but always empowering its opposite.We can’t have one without the other.This is the way of the universe.We call it karma, action creates reaction.We chase happiness and in doing so empower sadness.The more happiness we chase, the more sadness is always on its back.We only know happiness exists because we have sadness to compare it to.Otherwise how would we know we were happy?We can only be rich by making others poor.We only know one by knowing the other.We don’t really want happiness, it’s a drug.We want peace.How do we get peace?Through balance.Recognise the effect one … Continue reading Open A Portal

ArticlesLeave a comment

It’s A Matter Of Perpective

Steve Rowe

Was giving a private lesson to Kieran Evans yesterday and we were discussing perspective. I asked him if he was the centre of the universe or just a part of it. We often talk about how we are like a wave on the sea, we arise from the source, are separate but still made from it and when our body dies we return to it. The Tao Te Ching states ‘the space between heaven and earth is like a bellows, the shape changes but not the form”. But what if we turn that on its head? What if we are … Continue reading It’s A Matter Of Perpective

ArticlesLeave a comment

Legacy In Martial Arts

Steve Rowe

As they age I think most martial art teachers wonder what will happen to their club and teachings when they pass. Legacy has changed as martial arts have moved from east to west and integrated. No longer do we have a style passed through family or club as the idea of ‘family’ and ‘secrets’ has largely been shown to be false and not work. It’s rare that sons and daughters carry the talent of an originator and even if they do, for it to go down through more generations is almost impossible. There are no secrets, as the formula for … Continue reading Legacy In Martial Arts

ArticlesLeave a comment

Moving Chi

Steve Rowe

‘There is stillness in movement and movement in stillness’ – Yang Chen Fu This skill can be used in ALL martial arts, adding the internal to the external. Neigong (inner work)In stillness, (meditation and standing postures) we learn to open our body, opening the joints, fascia, lungs and empty spaces filling them with chi energy. We attach and harmonise our mind to our energy and breath (Sanchin, Saamchin) using our attention and intention to ‘follow our breath’ we stimulate and move the energy around the body. In the standing postures we learn to use intelligent and alchemised emotion to colour … Continue reading Moving Chi

ArticlesLeave a comment

The Magic Jian

Steve Rowe

We study the names of the jian (Chinese double edge sword) techniques in great depth. The jian is the ‘magical’ sword in Chinese culture (a bit like King Arthur’s Excalibur) and the names carry the mythology and cultural stories that go along with it, and most importantly, tell us the ‘spirit’ and mindset that the techniques are done with. They are poetic, they include real and mythological creatures, they are shamanistic as we take on the spirits of various types of dragons, gods, swallows, cats, wasps, phoenix, wild horses, lions, tigers, rhinos, apes, celestial beings and observe and copy everyday … Continue reading The Magic Jian

ArticlesLeave a comment

Professional Help

Steve Rowe

When you need professional help. When we want to learn martial arts, if we are clever enough we do our due diligence and find a good coach. We check history, who they’ve successfully coached, qualifications and what kind of person they are. It’s a serious and can be a life altering decision. When we finally become a coach, running a club means we have to be able to deal with grading and training programmes, coaching qualifications, tournament programmes, property management, accounts, recruitment, managing others, student welfare, social media, AI, our own professional development, governing bodies, health and safety and so … Continue reading Professional Help

ArticlesLeave a comment

Your Belly Button Is Important!

Steve Rowe

Your belly button is important! Twisting the waist against the hips and releasing it is the biggest power source we have in the martial arts, but far too few practitioners are able to use it. When twisting the waist most practitioners turn either the hips or shoulders instead, either collapsing the knees and/or leaving the waist motionless. Kata like Naihanchi and exercises like Chan Si Jing in Tai Chi are structured to learn this skill. If you adopt an internally rotated stance like Naihanchi Dachi in Karate or Ma Bu in Tai Chi fixing the hips to face forward and … Continue reading Your Belly Button Is Important!