Rachel's reading pile:

Sifu Waller's reading pile:

One should have no intention to harm others, but should not lack the awareness to avoid being harmed by others.

 (Huanchu Daoren)

I found the pushing hands workshop really useful last night - it went a long way into exploring how many subtleties and intricacies there are to an exercise that appears so simple when watching. I also enjoyed the in-depth discussion and practice around four ounces of pressure, with such simple applications! Connection particularly made a lot more sense to me after the workshop, with useful physical feedback from partner work!

 (Ben)

Sifu Waller is one of these men that you respect as soon as you meet him just by his behaviour. I remember the first time I entered his school I had been in the UK for 2 days, Rachel was very comprehensive and I felt very-well welcomed. Sifu is very invested in his art and knows what he is talking about. Going to this school is one of the most enriching experience I had so far. Many thanks to Rachel and Sifu.

(Cédric)

Intelligent exercise

In the longevity book The Blue Zones, Dr Robert Kane emphasised the fact that many forms of exercise - especially sport - often have adverse side effects that impede long-term practice. 
By contrast, as a milder form of exercise, tai chi can be practiced throughout your entire lifespan, making it a safer, sustainable choice. Tai chi is a fun, balanced way to exercise. 

Isn't tai chi just slow motion exercise?

No. Some of the training methods are slow, and some are not. As the student gains greater skill, their movements become fluid and dynamic. They move at whatever speed the situation demands.
Slow motion movement, chilled out exercise or dance cannot be considered tai chi. Tai chi is more than this. It adheres to certain parameters, guidelines and rules of practice.

When you watch somebody perform Sifu Waller's taijiquan it looks like nothing special is happening, but the power being produced is incredible. Surprising and very exciting. The biomechanics are remarkable; you learn so much about how to use your body in a healthier, more dynamic way.

(Dr Adriana Chilińska)

What is tai chi?

When most people say 'tai chi' they mean tai chi for health. Tai chi for health is a simplified, movement-based exercise adapted from taijiquan (a Chinese martial art). 

Tai chi is intended to improve health and wellbeing through frequent, regular practice using low effort. 

SILENCE IS NOT to be cultivated, it is not to be deliberately brought about; it is not to be sought out, thought of, or meditated upon. The deliberate cultivation of silence is as the enjoyment of some longed for pleasure; the desire to silence the mind is but the pursuit of sensation. Such silence is only a form of resistance, an isolation which leads to decay. Silence that is bought is a thing of the market in which there is the noise of activity. Silence comes with the absence of desire. Desire is swift, cunning and deep. Remembrance shuts off the sweep of silence, and a mind that is caught in experience cannot be silent. Time, the movement of yesterday flowing into today and tomorrow, is not silence. With the cessation of this movement there is silence, and only then can that which is unnameable come into being.
Opinion is not truth; we must put aside opinions to find truth. There are innumerable opinions, but truth is not of this or of that group. For the understanding of truth, all ideas, conclusions, opinions, must drop away as the withered leaves fall from a tree. Truth is not to be found in books, in knowledge, in experience. If you are seeking opinions, you will find none here.

(Krishnamurti)

Ability is everything in taijiquan

Remember this - martial arts are a meritocracy. Ability is everything. Not knowledge. Not time served. Ability. If you can do it, then you can advance.

Physical skill

Physical skills cannot be acquired without physical training. Solo training is essential.

Partnered training also; which is why we offer workshops and boot camp.

The ideal situation is to make friends with other students and practice together outside of class.

Chinese New Year meal 2019

Happy Chinese New Year!

Ed Parker says, "The only reason men fight is because they are insecure; one man needs to prove that he is better or stronger than another. The man who is secure within himself has no need to prove anything with force, so he can walk away from a fight with dignity and pride. He is the true martial artist - a man so strong inside that he has no need to demonstrate his power."

The Chinese word for this kind of confidence is 'sai', which can be defined as 'presence'.

(Joe Hyams)

You must concentrate upon and consecrate yourself wholly to each day, as though a fire were raging in your hair.
(Zen mondo)

'Spiritual'

The spiritual component of martial arts training encompasses the same goal as meditation. In order to deal with combat skilfully we must take ourselves out of the equation.
Our self-consciousness is a hindrance. We must focus our mind on what is happening right now, rather than on our anxieties, extrapolations or ego. 

"But we want to be rightly educated, sir. What shall we do?"

First of all, see very clearly one simple fact: that neither the government, nor your present teachers, nor your parents, care to educate you rightly; if they did, the world would be entirely different, and there would be no wars. So if you want to be rightly educated, you have to set about it yourself; and when you are grown up, you will then see to it that your own children are rightly educated.

"But how can we rightly educate ourselves? We need someone to teach us."

You have teachers to instruct you in mathematics, in literature, and so on; but education is something deeper and wider than the mere gathering of information. Education is the cultivation of the mind so that action is not self-centred; it is learning throughout life to break down the walls which the mind builds in order to be secure, and from which arises fear with all its complexities. To be rightly educated, you have to study hard and not be lazy. Be good at games, not to beat another, but to amuse yourself. Eat the right food, and keep physically fit. Let the mind be alert and capable of dealing with the problems of life, not as a Hindu, a Communist, or a Christian, but as a human being. To be rightly educated, you have to understand yourself; you have to keep on learning about yourself. When you stop learning, life becomes ugly and sorrowful. Without goodness and love, you are not rightly educated.

(Krishnamurti)