Stand up in any posture naturally. You're comfortable, like you stand every day. You are standing in the posture very comfortably without using any effort.

This is the most economical way of standing in that particular posture. You are doing it at its best, so any unnecessary effort added to your posture is counter-productive.

(Fong Ha)  

 My immune system is more robust. The usual seasonal colds and flu's no longer affect me, an important consideration in these Covid times.

(Peter)

 Sitting or reclining while awake is associated with lower muscle strength, risk of falls and physical function, sometimes irrespective of the amount of moderate or vigorous intensity physical activity you do. People who sit for prolonged periods are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, higher waist circumference and obesity.

(Professor Dawn Skelton)

 Research shows that people’s ability to stand on one leg is an indicator of health and that getting better at standing on one leg can add to fitness and potentially lifespan.

(Professor Dawn Skelton)

Start of the Training Year meal 2021

 

The "feedback" I get from my body is more accurate, I discovered when I first started, how unreliable it was. I am more aware of how I use my body on a daily basis. The lessons from tai chi are becoming more integrated into my everyday life. I no longer bend awkwardly, putting strain on my lower back to pick things up from the floor or to empty the dishwasher I squat. I've discovered that my body actively enjoys squatting. I no longer pour water from the kettle with an unnatural, constricting shoulder lift, I roll the whole arm from shoulder blade to wrist to pour water into the teapot. I have rediscovered the pleasure young children get from just moving. The enjoyment of walking, especially in natural surroundings, is enhanced by a quiet sense of pleasure that comes from being aware of how my whole body is moving. When I first started at the school I didn't know I had a sacroiliac joint. Nor was I aware I had a psoas muscle, let alone where it was or how to relax and lengthen it.

 (Peter) 

  Four years ago I had this belief I was relaxed. I worked in an occupation that was permanently high up in the Top Ten most stressful jobs. Colleagues would ask "how do you stay so calm?".

I'd talk to them about the strategies I employed from C.B.T. (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) and N.L.P. (Neurolinguistic Programming) amongst other therapies and calmly give out advice.

Looking back now, I can smile at my naivety and my ability for self deception. As soon after I started studying with Newcastle Tai Chi School I quickly became aware of how tense I really was and how little I knew about the true nature of relaxation.

(Peter)

Biomechanical

The first thing you will explore is alignment. How far apart your feet are placed... What your skeleton is doing... How you stand... Whether or not you are taxing the joints...

It is important to discover how to work in a manner that is healthy and comfortable. That way, it will directly affect your everyday life, and improve your health more effectively.

 I think Sifu Waller knows more about functional biomechanics than all the orthopaedic surgeons I have met put together. 

(Dr David Cousins)

Results

Sifu Waller has been training since 1975, so is incredibly experienced. His classes tend to attract doctors and medical workers, as well as interest from hospitals. Why? Because we get results.

We aim to improve circulation, balance, coordination, ambidextrous body use, skeletal alignment and tension in the body, along with reducing anxiety by remaining rooted in the here and now.

This said, the classes aren't going to be medical or in any way 'heavy'. The exercises are moderate, accessible and can be easily performed by most adults.

Qi (magical energy)...

A lot of modern tai chi classes talk about qi... They give the impression that a magical energy is going to transform your health.

Our classes will never mention qi. We are not going to be talking about qi, auras or anything mystical. We are grounded in medically-sound, functional practice - in the physical world, not in the fantastical.

Qigong

Qigong involves very simple exercises designed to introduce the rounded, natural shapes employed in tai chi. Although qigong is quite straightforward, it does require good body awareness and patience if you are to become adept with the movements.

Some qigong exercises are static, and these are terrific for strength-building.

YES!

 Say YES to new experiences. Be willing to feel lost, awkward and confused.

It is good to be uncertain.

The journey to the self

Cultures with a rich spiritual tradition recognised that life is more than material wealth, self-importance, status, prestige.

Working, politics, family travails, gossip, the news, current affairs, sport, gadgets... all serve to distract you from the truth.

Upon retirement, people relished the opportunity to start getting to know themselves.

"I'm busier now than when I worked"

Many retired people say this. Who is it pitched at? Younger people? Other retirees? It sounds somewhat implausible doesn't it? Consider what is being said. Retiring is to cease work.

By contrast, a younger person must work to financially support a mortgage/rent, pay for children's education/upbringing, a car etc. They have no choice but to work.

The retiree usually does have a choice. And they have chosen to fill they days with activities. Pretending to be at the mercy of fate is simply a transparent ploy intended to convey significance.

Exercising when older

One avenue that many retirees pursue is exercise. This can be great if done is moderation. You may feel like you are 40 but your body is not invulnerable to injury. Just be careful.

A marathon may sound great in conversation but lying on the tarmac having a heart attack is nobody's idea of fun...

 How we move conveys energy and youth – not how buff we are.

(Anne Elliott)

Retiring in the UK

When people retire in the UK they are often encouraged to remain active. A common habit is to become embroiled in ceaseless activity. This can take many forms.

 There is no greater disaster than greed.

(Lao Tzu)

You are not your fat

A defensive person see the excess fat as being part of who they are. An outer manifestation of an inner self. In a way they are correct, however, the fat is not who you are. It is what you have allowed.

Who you are is one thing. Excess body fat is something else entirely.

"Like me for who I am"

People in modern culture are very defensive. They take exception to everything and over-react without realising it. Emotions are attached to the most trivial of things. People are very quick to anger.

Fat or obese?

Heart disease, diabetes and other life threatening conditions can arise when you ignore your body fat.

It is quite scary and sad to think that the Western world is becoming fatter and fatter, whilst many so-called 'developing' countries still struggle to maintain a basic standard of living.
A fat person has eaten more than they need to. They have exceeded their body's requirement. Considering shedding this surplus and changing how you eat.

Fat is unhealthy

It represents stored food and is a redundancy that adversely affects your health. Do not be concerned about media representations of a healthy body. They are an illusion.

A skinny person is not necessarily a healthy one. They may be anorexic or metabolically fast. Use your own judgement, but do not lie. Are you flabby? Do your have pouches of fat?
Be honest with yourself.

Youth passes

Clinging to the illusion that beauty can only be found in youth is one folly of modern society. People pay for plastic surgery and expensive cosmetic products in the hope of looking younger.

Yet, youth is just part of the aging process. Once it has gone, do not chase it. Instead of pining for what has been, enjoy what is happening now.

False body image

Many people who are notably fat genuinely do not realise quite how fat they really are. How come?

• People tend to become fat gradually
• Getting fatter is seen as a natural outcome of aging
• It is impossible to look at your own body objectively
• There are many fat people in society these days, so being fat is not unusual
• If you admit how fat you are, you may feel compelled to address the problem

 There is a time for putting together.

And another time for taking apart.
He who understands this course of events
Takes each new state in its proper time
With neither sorrow nor joy.
The Ancients said: "The hanged man cannot cut himself down."

(Chuang Tzu)

 

Right idea, wrong method?

As people age, they pine for the freedom and fitness of youth. Often, they pursue 'solutions' that are far from ideal:

1. Exercise methods that brutally punish the body

2. Aesthetic changes

These approaches fail to address the underlying issues and seldom result in a long-term positive change. The main concerns need to be: mind, body, attitude and lifestyle.

Shedding bad habits

Change requires us to stop doing what we are used to doing, and do something unfamiliar instead. This sounds easy enough.

In reality, people are reluctant to let-go of habits. There is much comfort to be found in the familiar. In order to respond spontaneously to what is occurring, we must shed certain habits.
The first step is to simply become aware of their existence.

 

Will tai chi help me to lose weight?

Weight loss usually involves balancing out food intake and activity. Undertaking a daily qigong and tai chi regime will most certainly help your body exercise.

This must be paired with a diet that best suits the individual.

 

September 13th induction course

Newcastle Tai Chi August induction course has commenced, and is going very well.

We will be running the September course in just over a month's time.

September may be our last induction course for 2021. It depends on capacity issues and hall space.

Waiting list

Newcastle Tai Chi is a highly-rated school with a limited number of places available. Unfortunately, we have a waiting list.

If you want your name adding to the list, please send us an e-mail and we will contact you when the next induction course is scheduled.

 Adrenalin fueled, high energy activities and some bad habits had been the way I lived my life. This has left me with a damaged knee and hands as well as increasing joint aches with reducing mobility and strength. Fully expecting at least one knee replacement and further reducing mobility could only see myself placing more responsibility for my health onto the NHS.

Until I saw the light and reconsidered my approach to everything. Regarding health and well being Tai Chi always stood out to be the optimal activity. But with so many places offering Tai Chi where do I go? Following some diligent research on-line and in the library I identified the handful of most highly qualified teachers in the country. Then was amazed to find one such teacher was right here in Newcastle. I contacted Newcastle Tai Chi and what a good move that has turned out to be.

Having attended the school for a number of months now what is happening for me is nothing short of incredible. The strength and stability developing around my knees has put thoughts of joint replacements out of mind altogether. I've increased strength and muscle tone similar to when I attended a gym for years. But, without one drop of sweat! My energy level has also dramatically increased and sense of well being. As well as improved flexibility and movement , which I had expected. All this with only the right attitude and regular practice, no fancy equipment required.

What is required however is the right teaching. The quality and standard of the teaching at my school, and their whole approach to health and well being, is done with a level of integrity I would only have expected to find in the best schools in China it's self. Not just teaching the movements but also the understanding behind the movements, which is necessary to properly benefit from Tai Chi. Their relaxed and friendly environment are helping with learning and practicing what can be a challenging skill to master.

I must be driving passed at least a dozen schools teaching Tai Chi on the way to my school every Monday. But would consider myself mad to even contemplate practicing Tai Chi anywhere else. Tai Chi, the open secret. All schools maybe open, the secret is the right school.

(Tony Jackman)

Does tai chi involve physical contact?

Yes it does. Newcastle Tai Chi aims to provide an authentic tai chi experience.

Pushing hands (and other forms of partner work) requires you to touch other students.

 I have been a member of Newcastle Tai Chi for just over four years now. Prior to that I had spent a few years as a dedicated gym bunny with an assortment of personal trainers, but had started to find the whole endeavour a bit mindless and unnecessarily grueling. Having spent several years practising other martial arts in the past, I decided to look around for an alternative and, after some judicious Googling, spent several weeks revisiting Sifu's frankly encyclopaedic website. This sounded ideal.

I came along to my first class and got a warm welcome and a thorough induction from Rachel. None of the customary strutting or posturing from the more senior students either: everyone I met was friendly, approachable and obviously enthused by what they were learning regardless of their level of skill. Given my past experience and my aspiration to start the martial syllabus, I have to admit to feeling a bit bemused at times during those first few weeks. Why was I being asked to hold an apparently untaxing posture for ten minutes? How could such slow, soft movements possibly be of any benefit in defending myself? I persevered. As I gradually learned more of the sequence of movements called the Long Yang form and had more and more opportunities to see Sifu demonstrate the devastating significance behind even the most subtle of these movements, things began to make sense. Though I feel as though I have come a long way in my own journey with taijiquan, I realise I have scarcely taken the first step towards understanding the art and all that Sifu has to teach. The syllabus he has developed is comprehensive and staggering in its scale, but also tangible and achievable for anyone willing to shed their preconceptions and pursue it. Sifu's teaching is predicated entirely on biomechanics and efficiency of movement. It is also refreshingly devoid of the horses**t and hokum that so regrettably accompanies most supposed tai chi classes these days. Countless times I have found myself confounded by a particular application and convinced it couldn't possibly work, only to find myself exerting strength I couldn't have imagined thanks to one tiny adjustment or subtle shift of perspective from Sifu. I have no doubt that even those students who have only been able to attend the class for a relatively short period of time have emerged with a renewed understanding of their body and its potential.

Add to all this the variety of what's on offer (from girls' nights to tea clubs, workshops to weapons) and we are really very privileged to have such an exceptional class based in the North East.

If you are considering coming along for the first time, don't hesitate. We look forward to meeting you. (Paul Reynolds)

 This class is a rare opportunity to learn genuine Tai Chi from an experienced, professional teacher. I find the class to be friendly and enjoyable whilst still being disciplined, structured and safe. I would urge anyone interested in Tai Chi to give this class a try as the martial aspects of the teaching add a real focus to the training. The training itself is very different to anything I have seen before, so come with an open mind! All levels are catered for, from 'health only' to serious martial artist and the teaching is very professional and well organised. (Martin Isherwood)

Waiting list

Newcastle Tai Chi is a highly-rated school with a limited number of places available. Unfortunately, we have a waiting list.

If you want your name adding to the list, please send us an e-mail and we will contact you when the next induction course is scheduled.

Meditation in tai chi

An article from The Journal of Asian Martial Arts was talking about 'Learning how to learn'. This was most interesting.

It spoke of how students come to tai chi classes in the hope of improving balance, health, lowering stress etc, and usually desire to move with grace and power. The student is quickly faced with their own limitations: stiffness, poor attention span, coordination, etc and must come to terms with the actually reality of themselves. And most people don't like this, and so they quit.

Only a few people are prepared to acknowledge that they need to improve their minds, emotions and their bodies, and that tai chi offers a terrific vehicle to accomplish this goal.
 
The author said that tai chi's meditation lies in this process of growing self-awareness, of seeing what is really there, and learning to work with the body - rather than remain locked in the mind, engulfed by unhelpful thoughts.

The sheer physicality of tai chi grounds the individual in the here and now. There is no pretending to be something or someone that you are not, since everything is revealed in how you move and how your body operates.

  Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental, social, and spiritual wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity. 

(World Health Organisation)

What is commonly being taught in a tai chi class

According to The Journal of Asian Martial Arts, most tai chi classes in the world offer solo form (a sequence of moves), and a bit of qigong. Not many classes actually do pushing hands.

Some do sword form. Occasionally, teachers speak of self defence applications. Things like 'san sau' are very, very rare, and rarer still are classes that teach anything approaching an actual martial art. 

Does tai chi involve physical contact?

Yes it does. Newcastle Tai Chi aims to provide an authentic tai chi experience.

Pushing hands (and other forms of partner work) requires you to touch other students.

 Metabolism slows down 90 percent after 30 minutes of sitting. The enzymes that move the bad fat from your arteries to your muscles, where it can get burned off, slow down. The muscles in your lower body are turned off.
And after two hours, good cholesterol drops 20 percent. Just getting up for five minutes is going to get things going again.

These things are so simple they’re almost stupid.

(Gavin Bradley)

 One of my first teachers told me something that I didn't really understand until I got a little older - that there's a human need to have contact with with other humans. It's a human bonding type of thing. Guys like to box around with each other, kids like to wrestle around - you don't get that with a lot of other activities. Even if you found something that was mentally challenging and physically challenging, would it involve another person, or contact with another person? Even if you played tennis there's not that physical contact. A lot of people, boys especially, like contact sports. It's a primal urge. Martial arts give you an outlet where you get that kind of contact without actually having to hurt anybody.

I've heard thousands of people say this over the years. They come to work out, they train hard and they spar and even if they've been banged up a little bit, when they leave they always say, "I feel better than I did when I came in." Whereas a person who didn't understand that would go, "You just got your ass kicked, what do mean you feel better?" You've gotten that contact and it's a good outlet. Martial arts always has that.

(Tim Cartmell)

Re-opening meal

 

Nervous system

Taijiquan refines your sense of touch considerably. You become acutely sensitive to pressure, warmth, vibration and texture. This helps to attune your nervous system.

It makes you less clumsy, more graceful and ultimately far more relaxed. Not only do your fingers become more alert and sensing, your feet do too. 

Waiting list

Newcastle Tai Chi is a highly-rated school with a limited number of places available. Unfortunately, we have a waiting list.

If you want your name adding to the list, please send us an e-mail and we will contact you when the next induction course is scheduled.

Uncomfortable

A person cannot very well learn combat if they are uncomfortable touching other people.

Even if you are learning tai chi for health, it is necessary to work with other people through partnered exercise. Working alone offers no feedback.

Only through working with another person can you really begin to feel what is happening. Without a partner you will never know if your connection is complete or your jing apparent.

The yin/yang symbol expresses partnership; the harmonious joining and intermingling of two apparent opposites. This principle lies at the root of all taijiquan practice.

 Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

  (Leo F. Buscaglia)

Fear

There is a modern phobia of physical contact. People quite often do not like to be touched. Yet, touch is one of our senses and if we ignore it, our world becomes far lonelier.

In taijiquan we consider touch to be very important; by working with somebody else we can help them to feel how their own body operates and help ourselves as well.

We encourage people to become accustomed to physical proximity from the start of their training, to relax, soften and be receptive to other people.

Touch

The sense of touch is actually quite complex. Within the sense category of touch we may include: pressure, pain, temperature, shape, softness, texture and vibration.

Taijiquan aims to improve our brain's capacity to interpret and respond to the data it receives.

Sitting

People tend to sit a lot these days. In the car, on the sofa, at a table. Whilst watching TV. When eating. Sitting for short periods of time is fine but lengthy sitting has an adverse effect on circulation.