Laughing Monk Tai Chi

05/06/2026

I’m not a professional Taiji practitioner, I do have a day life, including ‘full time’ grandpa one day a week. So when it gets to time for a nap? That doesn’t include me. Now I can practice with my imaginary sword.

03/06/2026

In the last couple of years I’ve become a grandfather, got married (second time) and moved house. Scope then (you’d think) for plenty of stress and anxiety. Not wrong there! And at times, as we all know, anxiety can become overwhelming.

Recently I’d lost my focus due to a particular issue. And it wasn’t one that was going to fix itself quickly. I felt the need to practice my Taiji. It wasn’t going to fix my problem but I needed a break from my ‘monkey mind’.

Fortunately I know the Yang long form, which takes me around 20 minutes. I know that Taiji requires discipline and mental focus. I know that Taiji binds the body and mind.

All I can say is that after three rotations of the form my worries hadn’t gone and were no less challenging, but I’d found my balance. I couldn’t escape the idea that Taiji had reordered my mind and settled my perspective.

01/06/2026

Selecting a specific move and working on it. Thinking through how all parts of the body move, synchronising, and never forgetting to ‘lift the crown’, ‘relax the shoulders’ and ‘release the tension’.

30/05/2026

Refine your practice by building a repeating training routine. Being in that space allows you to work on each part of the body until everything becomes instinct.

27/05/2026

Even though you think you are practicing slowly, take your time to be in the moment of each step. No matter how slow you step it is control that maters, shifting your weight and balance at the right moment. Never forget, it may only be the one step, but there’s an awful lot going on in that step. So take the time to get it right!!

qigong

26/05/2026

25/05/2026

In my mind I always try to imagine that my momentum, whilst soft and gentle, will push aside any object in its path.

24/05/2026

Taiji can be ‘likened’ to a dance, though there is so much more happening under the surface.

23/05/2026

Lifting the crown of your head, relaxing the shoulders and releasing any tension especially from your shoulders and glutes.