Clear Vision and Moving Forward

Do you notice when it rains people become chaotic? On roads, other drivers act insanely - overtaking absurdly, cutting you off, people out at the shops are on edge. 

Why is that?  People seem to be panicked because their vision is blocked or blurred. For most people, it's only when their glasses fog up or they've had an eye injury or procedure done that they feel uncomfortable, out of focus There is another type of vision - peripheral vision. That’s what we use in tai chi.  With tai chi you must always move with your chin up, head straight, eyes looking ahead. This keeps your spine and head aligned and locks your gaze on what’s approaching in front of you as well as  where you are going to move next. In martial arts, this is also a way of  watching your opponent to anticipate their next move.

Don't panic, look at the horizon while being aware of your what's happening around you

"Looking ahead" is also a useful practice for everyday life. It’s not that I am expecting someone is going to attack me at any moment, but I am more mindful of the space I am moving into. Also, as I step I know, or rather my mind knows, where my foot is stepping rather than not thinking and basically plodding along. When I do tai chi, my body is more aware of each limb, foot and hand so it becomes part of my movement in daily life. Older friends  (in their seventies) have said, there are times when they've thought they were going to have a bad fall but to their surprise they've caught themselves and come out of it unscathed. They've attributed that to doing tai chi regularly.

To be honest, I did have a tumble a couple of years ago. I wasn't concentrating when checking the letterbox and was standing at an odd angle. My house is built on a slope so, you guessed it, I turned quickly without thinking and went head over heels. To my surprise, I didn't tense up in fear but relaxed and fell softly onto my bottom. I sat there not quite sure how that happened. I think my body automatically adjusted itself as I didn't have time to calculate what was going on and I'm not a gymnast. I think when you do tai chi your body and senses become sensitised to variations in balance so it's like a personal protection system.

Looking ahead: head and spine in alignment

Moving with awareness, moving with balance is ingrained when you do tai chi. It is so automatic you don’t even know this awareness is there. Amazingly, I once saw a tai chi master from Wudang Mountain do a tai chi demonstration with his eyes closed the entire time (guessing maybe 15 - 20 minutes). Moving and weaving around the room, calm and sightless was so incredible. It made me acknowledge seeing in a completely different way.

Be aware of the direction you are going and stay straight. (Master Chen Shiyu and students.)

So keep your eyes on the horizon and keep practising.

Tai Chi Around the World

Tai Chi can be enjoyed anywhere in the world. Even if you're travelling you can join in tai chi and qigong (chi kung) activities. Imagine practising while on holidays on a private beach in the Caribbean.

Tai Chi at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort Aruba

Or take a sojourn to Wudang Mountain and train with Taoist masters where you'll be immersed in a traditional Chinese lifestyle. The masters are experts in kung fu, tai chi and qigong, play musical instruments and paint exquisite calligraphy. Students young and old are given opportunities to learn about the Taoist approach to life. Here is a video link to Master Chen Shiyu playing xiao (bamboo flute) with Wudang tai chi being performed in the background. If you've marvelled at Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon this will be right up your alley.

Beautiful Wudang music and flowing, serene tai chi

Closer to home, this is one date you can't miss...


World Tai Chi & Qigong Day - April 28th 2018

One world, one breath.

This Saturday on April 28th, tai chi lovers in 80 countries around the world will take part in World Tai Chi & Qigong Day. As the sun rises in different time zones, tai chi practitioners will join a global wave of goodwill taking place in various cities and towns.

If you're interested in trying tai chi and qigong or joining in one of the many events and get togethers on World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, jump onto the website and find a location near you. If it's not listed, then why not call one of the tai chi or kung fu centres in your city/town and enquire. Here are a few snaps from World Tai Chi Day 2017 featuring my friend, Bob Ivett, and his students from U3A and the Coolangatta Senior Citizens Centre enjoying fan and broad sword practice after completing Yang 24 form. Graceful, calm movements on the park green accompanied by smiles and heaps of laughter.

As you can see tai chi offers many avenues everybody can explore, even just sitting back and watching a tai chi video is calming and inspiring.

Tea Time - Green Tea and Chrysanthemum Tea

Qi and the Seasons

Whether you practice tai chi or not each one of us need to consider the condition of our body in relation to the changing seasons. For all of us adjusting our lifestyles to suit the weather is not just a matter of changing clothes we should also alter what we drink and eat.

Autumn is officially here in Australia. Generally Autumn is a time of harvest and storing food in preparation for Winter. To maintain our health we also have to make changes, the heat of Summer has passed and we should build up our qi or chi - the life energy within our bodies - to cope with the colder weather that's coming. My Mum would say it’s time to change any water you're drinking over to warm water or slightly cooled boiled water. Cold water will only chill rather than warm the body. 

Japanese tea time is fun - tea canisters, tea pots and my favourite nasu (eggplant) cup

Whenever it gets even remotely colder outside it’s time to pull out the tea pots!Having a freshly made cup of tea is always a comfort and helps clear the mind. I own several Chinese, Japanese and Western teapots and was given some beautiful teacups from my family and friends. These days you can easily find information about tea brewing techniques but I only learned when living in Japan that different teas are to be brewed at certain temperatures. For instance, green teas are best brewed at  70° Celsius otherwise they will have a bitter taste. Also, they are best made in a clay teapot not a ceramic one as they are milder than black teas.

Chinese tea time on the run

Tea Etiquette

Tea etiquette is a serious art in Asian countries, so it's essential to consider your guest when drinking tea with another person. When living in Sendai I was taught that if pouring from the same teapot, you should pour a third (⅓) into your guest's cup, then a third ( ⅓) into your cup initially. Then repeat this, alternating pouring of the tea until the pot is empty. This allows both people to enjoy the same strength tea in their cups. I think we all know that it's not very pleasant having a very strong or weak cup of tea is it?

Japanese sencha (green tea) for two

Chrysanthemum Tea - "It's good for you."

Herbal teas are always stocked up in my pantry cupboard. Harking back to younger days, whenever I was unwell and tucked up in bed, my mum would come into the room with a fresh cup of chrysanthemum tea and say, "Drink this, it's good for you..." and it was. I always felt refreshed and my tummy warmed by the soothing golden beverage.

You can buy dried chrysanthemum flowers in any Asian supermarket. Simple to make, just boil water and use your favourite jug or teapot. How many flowers your brew will depend on the size of the 'pot'. My daughter has been sick with the flu and it was only days later I remembered this remedy. So I just made up a glass jug full of tea. It cools faster this way which is great for the patient. Any remaining tea can be put in the fridge and either served cold or warmed up.

Down here in Australia, I'll be drinking it through Autumn and Winter but you can also drink it chilled in Summer and Spring. I sweeten it with honey but you could use sugar or anything else you fancy.

Powdered tea (left) and dried flowers (right)

In my house, chrysanthemum tea is a great all rounder as it has NO caffeine in addition to many other benefits. You can also buy it in powdered form which has sugar added. This is great if you live in humid areas and need a quick energy boost. The powdered tea comes in sachets as well which is handy for storage and convenient if travelling. My mum usually dissolved the tea in hot water but a friend of mine just mixed it with chilled water.


Here are some links I found about Chrysanthemum tea.
Holistic Health for Life  outlines benefits  of Chyrsanthemum tea and how to brew it.
Organic Facts details chrysanthemum characteristics in more detail.

More tea time later...happy brewing all!!!