Qigong workshop in Liverpool

Qigong masters from the Chinese Health Qigong Association will be giving a workshop in Liverpool on Thursday 8th November from 6pm to 9pm on the Yi Jin Jing Muscle and Tendon Stretching Exercises. For more information and to book, contact Angela's Tai Chi School.

Nurturing life

I had a great day at the workshop on sword and fan techniques in Oldham, and learnt a new Mandarin phrase. Yang sheng (not sure about the spelling) means "nurturing life" and is about doing the right things at the right time, in season.

New class starting soon...

View Larger Map
I will be starting a new class in September at Lostock Parish Centre in Lostock on Wednesdays at 7pm. It will be aimed at beginners and we will start with the 8-step form.

Zhan Zhuang

As we were talking about zhan zhuang in class yesterday here is a link to an article on it from the tai chi union website.

Tai chi in the Festival Gardens

The Festival Gardens in Liverpool are finally reopening on Saturday 23 June with activities and events including a picnic in the park, tai chi display, treasure hunt and more. Here's hoping the weather improves by then!

San shou (two person form)

This is for Dawn, and anyone else interested in seeing the two-person form. It's performed by my teachers, Tary Yip and Faye Li Yip.

88-step workshops

The first of the workshops on the 88-step form is less than 3 weeks away on Sunday 13 May, so if you haven't booked already, now is the time!

My weekend

I had a great time at the qigong festival in Surrey. We did get a few drops of rain as we started the demonstration, but as Tary said our qi sent the rain clouds away! I don't have confirmation yet, but I'm pretty sure we set the European record for mass display of qigong and mass display of tai chi.

Update on 88-step workshops

I've just realised that I put the wrong date on the website for the first seminar! It should be Sunday 13 May, not Sunday 13 June. The date in my previous blog post was correct, it is just the website listing that was wrong. I've updated it now and put the price in the website listing which was also missing before. Apologies for any confusion.

Ba Duan Jin

Here is a new YouTube video of my teacher, Master Faye Li Yip, demonstrating the ba duan jin health qigong which we did in class last week.

88-step Yang-style tai chi workshops

View Larger Map

I have finally got the full information for the 88-step workshops I've been telling you about. My teacher, Master Tary Yip, has kindly agreed to come to Leigh to give two workshops on the 88-step form. This long form is one of the most popular traditional routines practised by millions of people throughout China and worldwide. The routine was structured by Grandmaster Li Tian ji based on the oldest Yang-style form, the 81 step. This routine will give enthusiasts of Yang-style tai chi detailed insight into the inner essence and philosophy of the most widely practised style of tai chi in the world. Master Tary Yip is one of the highest authorities on the form in the UK and Europe. As well as focusing on teaching the correct postures, we will be looking at some of the practical martial applications in the movements. It is suitable for enthusiasts of all levels.

The workshops will take place at Leigh South Community Centre, Hope Carr Road, Leigh, Lancashire WN7 3ET. The first one is Sunday 13 May and the second one is Saturday 16 June. It will cost £40 per person for each workshop. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided, but bring your own lunch.

You can book here.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Qigong record attempt

The British Health Qigong Association brings over qigong masters from China once a year to share their expertise. As well as the ba duan jin seminar in Oldham on 15 April that I mentioned in my last post - and I'm sure other events yet to be announced - there will be a Health Qigong and Tai Chi Festival near London on Saturday 21 April. This is to celebrate the Olympics moving from Beijing to London for 2012. As well as qigong taster sessions, and tai chi, qigong and martial arts demonstrations, there will be an attempt to set a European record for mass display of qigong.

You are all invited to take part for the very reasonable price of £10 and if you book before 20 March and take part in the mass display you get a free silk tai chi suit as well! There is also an option to do further qigong training with the Chinese masters on the Sunday.

Qigong is a Chinese health exercise often done along with tai chi. There are many different types of qigong and you should be able to see a number of them at the festival. You can book places at the festival here.

Update on Oldham

I thought I had better do an update as the handout I gave out in Broadgreen and the Deyin Taijiquan Institute website both have the wrong phone number on. It is best to call Phil directly on his mobile on 07790 826841.

The workshop on the 18th March will be purely on the 24-step form and they will be saving the ba duan jin for a workshop on 15 April when the qigong masters come over from China.

24-step video

For my Broadgreen and Lowton classes, here is Master Tary Yip demonstrating the 24-step form.

More exciting tai chi events in 2012!

As well as the tai chi open day to celebrate Chinese New Year in Wolverhampton on Sunday 29th January, there are many more exciting events coming up.

On Sunday 18 March Master Faye Li Yip will be giving a seminar on the 24-step form and health qigong in Denshaw, Oldham.

On Sunday 13 May, Master Tary Yip will be giving a seminar on the first half of the 88-step form in the Northwest. This will be followed on Saturday 16 June by a seminar on the second half. I will give you more details about these workshops later, but I am giving you the dates now so you can put them in your diaries.

And on Saturday 30 June and Sunday 1 July is the Deyin Taijiquan Institute Annual Summer Camp, with a choice of Sun-style sword form or 24-step form on the Saturday and Daoyin Yangsheng Health Qiqong or the second part of San Shou on the Sunday.

Chinese New Year

Now that Christmas and New Year are over, Chinese New Year and the year of the dragon are almost upon us. The Deyin Taijiquan Institute will be celebrating with an open day on Sunday 29 January at 1pm to 4pm at Colton Hills School, Wolverhampton, WV4 5DG. The event is free and there will be tai chi fan and sword and other kung fu demonstrations as well as the traditional lion dance, Chinese art and craft, lantern making, Chinese calligraphy, dragon puppet making and reiki taster treatments. The open day will be followed by a meal at the Wing Wah Restaurant, 499 Stafford Road, Wolverhampton, WV10 6RR at 6pm. You can book a place for workshops at the open day and the evening meal here.

British Weather!

After having definitely decided to cancel the outdoor tai chi because of the rain, I wake up this morning to beautiful sunshine! However, I think it is still a no-go. The grass will be much too boggy to do tai chi on and the other spot I considered was at the edge of the car park by the lake. Because it is the first sunny day after a lot of rain as well as a bank holiday, I think there will be too many people there feeding the ducks, and I always had doubts about doing it right next to the car park anyway. Perhaps we can do it another time - maybe in the summer.