Meditation in motion

Kim is a highly experienced practitioner and teacher of  Chen Tai Chi and Chi Gung. He has perfected his art for nearly 4 decades and has a warm, inclusive style that students find engaging and encouraging. Starting with Yang style Tai Chi, Kim progressed to the Chen style under Grand Master Chen Xiaowang, both in England and China, and, over the years, has successfully helped improve the health of both individual and corporate clients across the nation.

http://www.chenxiaowang.com.

Taijiquan or Tai Chi Chuan (Yin Yang boxing, sometimes translated as Great Ultimate boxing) it is the best-known style of the Internal Martial Arts.
The most famous part of Taijiquan is the moving exercises, known as the Taiji Form, which is a series of slow, continuous and flowing movements with unhurried breathing.  All movements are done with calm concentration, which is why it is often called meditation in motion. When done correctly, the practitioner's body can develop as a whole without any parts being ignored or exhausted - in other words:, the prctice of Taijiquan reaches parts other exercises do not get.

The essence of Taijiquan and Chi Gong is to integrate the mind, body, and spirit, with none having preference over the others. With continued practice of Tai Chi, one's health inevitably improves.  

All internal martial arts rely on internal power—the power cultivated by the alignment and coordination of the whole body and will. Essentially martial in nature, these arts are practised by most people for their health-giving properties rather than just for self-defence. Ultimately, each of us has our own path in life, and the practice of Internal Martial Arts can help us find this path and give us the ability and health to travel it to its fullest.

Our Tai Chi and Chi Gong classes will enable you to experience the energy and vitality of Tai Chi firsthand. 

Chen Style is the original style of Taijiquan from which the Yang style and all the other styles developed. While the other Taijiquan styles enjoyed ever-increasing popularity as the inevitable shift away from the martial side took hold, the Chen style was practised in relative obscurity in Chen village and thus retained more of its original flavour. It contains a wide range of movements—from the slow and graceful to the explosively fast. The martial aspects of this form are more recognisable, and it contains many techniques and moves not found in other styles. 

Qigong or Chi Gong is a system of exercises for the cultivation of Qi. Qi can be translated into energy, and Gong as practice. A common thread in all these practices is the emphasis on using the mind. Most exercises are done with a great deal of (relaxed) concentration and tiny physical movement. But movement is present all the time - even when the practitioner seems perfectly still. In Chen Style Tai Chi, we concentrate on the silk reeling Chi Gong, with its fine, smooth movements, a gentle yet powerful set, and its meditative and healing results.

Standing meditation

Standing meditation, or 'Zhan zhuang' (pronounced Jam Jong), increases vitality, internal strength, fitness, and overall body power. Developed in China by masters of meditation and acupuncture, Zhan zhuang is a form of medical meditation. This form of meditation also increases physical strength and power.

Tai Chi health benefits

Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese wellness practice suitable for all ages and fitness levels, and it complements modern mindfulness philosophies to benefit all participants. The essence of Tai Chi is to harmoniously integrate the mind, body and spirit to improve holistic health through continued, gentle movement.  

Students report feeling physically stronger, enhanced alertness and being more able to relax. Medical observations often include improved blood pressure, reduced chronic pain (such as arthritis), and increased flexibility. 

Tai Chi itself consists of slow-flowing, meditative movements with poetic names that evoke the natural world. These movements, which are easy and fun to do, create focus in the mind, body and breath, encouraging the flow of 'Qi', the balance of energy in the body, which is thought to activate the body's natural self-healing systems.