Tuesday

Classes resume 4th January

Welcome to our school

Have fun in a calm, vibrant, training environment; free from bullying, cliques and politics. The atmosphere is friendly and stimulating.
Individual progress is important to us.

Thursday

Taijiquan

'Tai chi' can also refer to the kung fu method of taijiquan (supreme ultimate fist).
Taijiquan is an exciting martial art involving weaponry and unarmed combat.
It cultivates whole-body strength, whole-body movement and whole-body power.
Students employ the yin/yang principle in order to attain both victory and harmony.

Tuesday

What is tai chi?

When most people say 'tai chithey mean tai chi for health: the peaceful slow motion exercise.
Tai chi for health is gently challenging and assumes no existing level of fitness.
Adults of all ages can join in.

Reasonable force

No matter whether you train a martial art or a fighting art, it is usually possible for a skilled exponent to incapacitate an opponent.
However, in real life we must exercise restraint and employ 'reasonable force'.
Do only what you need to do.
Nobody wants to receive a broken arm or be put in hospital. Show compassion.

Even the most serious martial arts are seldom practiced with the traditional goals in mind.
Nowadays, people can learn how to incapacitate without causing undue harm.

Tuesday

Chores invite meditation

Apparent chores such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, gardening and ironing can be tremendously rewarding for the stressed individual.

What is so satisfying about washing dishes?
You begin with a mess. 
You deal with the immensity of the task one piece at a time.
There is a tangible starting point, a process and a completion point.
When the task has been finished, you can step back and appreciate the work.
The value can be found in the doing part of the endeavour.
If you want to build a ship,
don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work,
but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.


(
Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

Feedback

Sifu and Mrs. Waller,

I'm an admirer of your work, living in New York City. I was sad to see that you've suspended the large website, but I understand your reasons and sympathize. It's been a number of years since I've read your work, but there was a time when I eagerly consumed it, sometimes for hours every day. I searched for your material today on a whim -- it has left a lasting impression on my way of thinking, and you're often on my mind -- and when I learned of the suspension of the large website, I felt a need to write.

I wanted finally to express my gratitude, since your website led me almost directly to my present circumstances, which are fortunate. In 2009, I accidentally found your articles on neigong, which were so captivating to me that I spent the entire afternoon clicking through your labyrinth of hotlinks. I must've read 50 pages that day. It is an immensely exciting website.

The most exciting part of your work, to me, was the syllabus. Your approach is highly professional, with a view of tai chi as an entire field of study worthy of a lifetime's work, not just some exercise regime. I knew that I had to train at your school. Inconveniently enough, I'm American, so my original fantasy of moving to Newcastle-upon-Tyne gave way to a more realistic, long-term approach. If I couldn't train with you directly, I would study other fundamental issues as a preliminary practice. Meditation, body work, etc. You mentioned Alexander technique in your site, so I enrolled in a seminar.

The seminar was so interesting that I continued lessons, and eventually enrolled in a training course. I was happy for a time, but your work kept reminding me about basic quality issues in a school. I was earnestly practicing, but not learning. I looked around at other students, and they weren't learning. I felt more and more like I was rudely interrogating my teachers, and finding that they couldn't answer my questions. Your work was like a gold standard for me. It helped me weigh the substance of a school. I continued searching.

When I found my present teacher, I knew immediately that he was of the same gold standard as Newcastle Tai Chi. Your criteria for a good school were in my mind as I evaluated his program. The quality of his program, the clarity of understanding it represents, and the passion with which he approaches the work so far surpass other Alexander training programs that he may as well be from a different dimension of reality. The past two years has seemed like no time at all. I'm learning every day, slowly gaining insight and the skills I need to help others, and look forward to a lifetime's work. My life has been immeasurably enriched.

I would not have found this aspect of my life's work if it weren't for you. I can't thank you enough. You have been teachers to me, and I hope someday to meet the two of you, and to be able to take the time to learn some of your art directly from you.

Sincerely,
James, NYC

Saturday

Strengthening & flexibility

The effectiveness of tai chi as a physical exercise can be overlooked.
It is easy to dismiss the seemingly mild training as being ineffectual.
However, tai chi provides a very effective workout.

It moves the body in a safe, therapeutic, healthy manner and has no known side-effects.
There is a substantial amount of evidence to support tai chi's medical and health claims.

Thursday

Do less as standard

Tai chi seeks moderation
Not too much and not too little. Neither passive nor overly-active. 
'Doing less' and 'letting-go' are big themes in the training.

Tuesday

Not forcing

Students are taught how to allow things to gradually unfold, rather than forcing a result.
Forcing promotes resistance whilst allowing leads to release.
Gentleness is cultivated.
The body is treated with care and respect.

Saturday

Mind-body

Mind-body unity is a major theme in tai chi, particularly for students of the martial art.
The cultivation of jing is entirely contingent upon the ability to visualise and then physically generate very specific types of force using the coordinated actions of the body.

Friday

Most people come to our classes because they are seeking to learn tai chi properly and recognise that this is by far the best tai chi in the North East. (Patricia)

Thursday

Play

Instead of practicing in a forced, uncomfortable way, the tai chi student is encouraged to be playful and open-minded. To have fun. 
This leads to greater progress and deeper physical relaxation.

Wednesday

Poise

One famous aspect of tai chi practice is the onus upon optimal use of the body.
A student seeks to gain a physical sense of good alignment.

Rather than stressing, straining and punishing the body, they move in a deliberate, powerful way.

Tuesday

Intention

The metaphorical images featured in the tai chi forms and The Tai Chi Classics e.g. 'Stork spreads wings' evoke images, movements and feelings designed to resonate in the practitioner.
This imagery (and associated visualisation) encourages a cognitive element that contributes significantly to the health benefits of the art.
Every movement in tai chi begins with intention.

Sunday

Classes

We have a detailed syllabus in place in order to optimise the learning experience.
Our instructors specialise in teaching:

• Qigong   • Tai chi for health
• Tai chi chuan/taijiquan (martial art)

Saturday

Welcome

Have fun in a calm, vibrant, training environment; free from bullying, cliques and politics. The atmosphere is friendly and stimulating.
Personal safety and individual progress are important to us.

Thursday

Active relaxation

The problem with most modern activities is tension.
Driving the car, watching TV, using the computer or speaking on the phone can promote habits of adverse muscular 
tension and stress.

When people undertake mainstream exercise/sport they typically end up exerting. The muscles never relax and the joints become inflexible. 

Wednesday

Clarity


Adjusting, attuning yourself to what is actually taking place requires an acute presence of being.
clearer state of mind means better decision-making and more effective action.

Sunday

Balancing

Heightened physical, emotional and psychological awareness are all hallmarks of long-term tai chi training.
The student possesses the ability to sustain attention, avoid over-thinking, evaluating and judging.
They learn to attune to the flow of what is taking place; to find harmony and balance.

Friday

Tuesday

Awareness

Tai chi involves the cultivation of moment-by-moment awareness, paying attention to what is taking place as it is taking place.
Unlike mainstream meditation, this does not involve sitting.
It is an active process, involving your body as well as your mind.

The physicality of tai chi enables you to take the skills immediately and directly into everyday life.

Saturday

The perfect exercise?

Tai chi offers a balanced approach to the cultivation of healthvitality and wellbeing
There is no sweating, straining or panting for breath. There is gain without pain.
The benefits of tai chi are significant and long-lasting.

Long held to be an excellent anti-aging regime,
 tai chi may indeed be the perfect exercise (Harvard Medical School).

Tuesday

Boot camp provides an excellent opportunity to work through and understand the benefits of a whole body and mind workout. Working with Sifu Waller for a longer period time meant I received more help and tips to improve my tai chi practice. I thoroughly enjoyed the workout, the delicious food provided and the extended amount of time I got to spend with my tai chi friends.

 (Paula)

Rain swords





Help your brain

There are many ways in which you can help your brain remember things:
  1. Take notes
  2. Summarise your notes later
  3. Make bullet points
  4. Re-read your notes in the future
  5. Re-evaluate your insights in light of newer training developments
  6. Write down quotes or passages that are meaningful for you
  7. Keep a journal
  8. Create a blog and document your journey 
  9. Practice daily
  10. Eat nutritious, varied, healthy food
  11. Drink plenty of water

Sunday

THE RAIN-WASHED hills were sparkling in the morning sun and the sky behind them was very blue. The valley, full of trees and streams, was high up among the hills; not too many people lived there, and it had a purity of solitude. There were a number of white buildings with thatched roofs, and many goats and cattle; but it was out of the way, and you wouldn't ordinarily come upon it unless you knew or had been told of its existence. At its entrance a dustless road went by, and as a rule no one came into this valley without some definite purpose. It was unspoiled, secluded and far away, but that morning it seemed especially pure in its solitude, and the rain had washed away the dust of many days. The rocks on the hills themselves seemed to be watching, waiting. These hills extended from east to west, and the sun rose and set among them. There was one which rose against the blue sky like a temple sculptured out of a living rock, square and splendid. A path wound its way from one end of the valley to the other, and at a certain point along this path the sculptured hill could be seen. Set further back than the other hills, it was darker, heavier, endued with great strength. By the side of the path was stream gently whispered, moving eastward towards the sun, and the wide wells were full of water which held hope for the summer and beyond. Innumerable frogs were making a loud noise all along the quiet stream, and a large snake crossed the path. It was in no hurry and moved lazily, leaving a trail in the soft damp earth. Becoming aware of the human presence, it stopped, its black, forked tongue darting in and out of its pointed mouth. Presently it resumed its journey in search of food, and disappeared among the bushes and the tall, waving grass. It was a lovely morning, and pleasant under a big mango tree which stood by an open well. The fragrance of fresh washed leaves was in the air, and the smell of the mango. The sun didn't come through the heavy leaves, and you could set there for a long time on a slab of rock which was still damp.
The valley was in solitude and so was the tree. These hills were some of the oldest on earth, and so they knew what it is to be alone and far away. Loneliness is sad with the creeping desire to be related, not to be cut off; but this sense of solitude, this aloneness was related to everything, part of all things. You were not aware that you were alone, for there was the trees, the rocks, the murmuring water. You are only aware of your loneliness, not of your solitude; and when you are aware of your solitude, you have become lonely. The hills, the streams, that man passing by, were all part of this solitude whose purity held all impurity within itself, and was not soiled by it. But impurity could not share this solitude. It is impurity that knows loneliness, that is burdened with sorrow and pain of existence. Sitting there under the tree, with large ants crossing your leg, in that measureless solitude there was the movement of timeless age. It wasn't a space-covering movement, but a movement within itself, a flame within the flame, a light within the emptiness of light. It was a movement that would never stop, for it had no beginning and no cause to end. It was a movement that had no direction, and so it covered space. There under that tree time stood still, like the hills, and this movement covered it and went beyond it; so time could never overtake this movement. The mind could never touch the hem of it; but the mind was this movement. The watcher could not race with it, for he was able only to follow his own shadow and the words that clothed it. But under that tree, in that aloneness, the watcher and his shadow were not.
The wells were full, the hills were still watching and waiting, and the birds were still flying in and out among the leaves.

5:30 AM boot camp – limited to 6 places