A recent T’ai Chi practice spot Happy New Year! In November 2022 I began writing a Substack about Tao, the embodied life and art where earth matters. You can read it here. My Grandmaster John Kells wrote hundreds of pieces for his students about the practice and spirit of what he taught. Returning to readingContinue reading “Writings”
Tag Archives: Tao
Softness
There is a line that comes to me at least once every week. Like so many things that have made a deep impression on me, and changed the way I go about my daily life, they were first spoken by my late T’ai Chi grandmaster John Kells. He said, ‘Softness is when our physicality noContinue reading “Softness”
A place to practice
It’s been a while since I posted. There was a huge fire where I lived and I lost my studio, half of all my possessions, my community, place in nature and the river, which had been my home for 8 years. But I am well, no one was hurt and life has changed in soContinue reading “A place to practice”
Practice
Sincerity, simplicity and practice.
Two sides of the mountain
Yin and yang are always in transformation.
T’ai Chi and working with nature
The correct touch in T’ai Chi and working with the natural world are essentially the same.
Energy
Energy lives in the present moment.
Raising the spirit
Some birthday thoughts from me from exactly two years ago, appropriate now, too. Here we are, a few weeks later than I’d hoped, some notes from a wonderful conversation with everyone around the table last Aberdeenshire teaching trip, and also the bones of what I taught, beyond the physical T’ai Chi, last time. This isContinue reading “Raising the spirit”
Some lock-down thoughts
Winter brings a little clarity
Taichi, what’s in a name?
The name of our martial art, ‘T’ai Chi Ch’uan’ (or taiji quan in Pinyin) literally translates as ‘supreme ultimate fist’ or ‘great polarity boxing’, but in reality cannot simply be transformed into anything meaningful in English without a bit of backstory. Luckily etymology is one of my favourite diversions… Ch’uan or quan translates as ‘fist’,Continue reading “Taichi, what’s in a name?”
Great River 