The Dragon's Head Blog
Great Britain
The Power of Softness
A 7-day Taoist Retreat in the European Centre helped us see a way to live our lives more peacefully, developing healthier habits through daily practise; not rushing, not worrying, but taking the time to be soft, feel the inside, balance and improve step by step. We were helped to see the importance of a strong […]
Exploring the feeling inside – in person
We embarked on a seven day journey of discovery, exploring working from the inside with the feeling. We were encouraged and reminded to enjoy the move, and that it was not about the external form. With just a few of the instructions delivered in a gentle way that helped us to let go of the […]
Feeling more connected
Lockdown arrived so no classes, all usual routine was gone. I felt all at sea. Practicing sets daily as usual, but I found that by the end of a set I had tears streaming down my face, even though I did feel calm. It was troubling. What to do? I decided to stop the sets […]
From grief to joy in a moment
I have found this 3rd lockdown in England very difficult and felt bowed down with grief for our son who died 18 months ago. It’s been a struggle to do my daily practice. However, I have forced myself to join the chanting on Saturdays and Mondays to bring some structure into my life. During the last […]
Changing habits
56 years ago my mother passed away. I was 10. Since then I have lived a pretty wreckless life. Smoking has been one of my coping mechanisms for the last 40 years until 6 years ago, when Taoist Tai Chi gave me the strength to stop. I ordered a plaque for my mother, for All […]
Managing stress and anxiety with daily practise
Before the pandemic, Taoist Tai Chi® arts was something I only practised when attending a weekly class on a Friday night. In between classes, I rarely gave it a thought. Having been suffering with anxiety and stress, I attended a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy course in February which gave me some tools to use. This became […]
Feeling the energy and the togetherness
On Saturday I logged on to ‘Chanting for the world’ for the first time. I didn’t chant but just soaked up the feeling and followed one of the chants that I had printed out. I found it very relaxing and enjoyed listening to the speakers. When the chanting was finished I realised that I […]
THE POWER OF TAOIST TAI CHI
Life at the moment is full of emotion and grief and Taoist Tai ChiTM arts have been an absolute saviour. My first “light bulb” moment happened when I was doing A Danyu challenge. I did forty danyus and then the next ten slowly, really concentrating in pushing with the feet and allowing the […]
Feeling more like the me I used to be
I notice that, on the days when I have been doing the foundations, I feel driven to get up and do more the next day. When I miss out days, I have less energy to get back to it. I have also tried this week to limit myself to stop each move before I get […]
Carry on regardless
I have been practicing Taoist Tai ChiTM arts for a number of years. I had been encouraged by a friend to give it a go, and I’m still giving it a go. One of the wonderful features of Taoist Tai Chi is that you are always ‘giving it a go’ you can never say that’s […]
Individual, daily practice – because it works…
Around five months before lockdown, I moved somewhere where there are no classes for Taoist Tai ChiTM arts… the tai chi desert! So for me zoom class calls during lockdown have actually been an improvement on the amount of input I usually get! We talk a bit about how we’re all getting on, which is […]
A journey starts with a single step…TRUST!
I’ve been doing Taoist Tai Chi for nearly 3 years and it’s the only thing I’ve found that really helps with my fibromyalgia symptoms, so during the pandemic it’s been important to keep up regular practice on my own. The weekly Zoom calls with my class have been very helpful with motivation to keep practising, […]
Reflections on practising alone together
Going out to a Tai Chi class had been a staple of my weekly routine for so many years, I couldn’t imagine how it would feel without that physical link to the Society, the meeting with other members, and the practising together. I’ve always practised regularly at home, but I’ve now realised I’d been doing […]
More lockdown discoveries…
I took part in the danyu challenge and did over 2,500. I really enjoyed doing it and all my aches and pains vanished. One night just after I had completed the challenge I tripped over my big labrador dog and fell flat on my face. I am 65. I lay a minute waiting to see […]
Chanting messages
I would like to say a big “thank you” for the Chanting sessions on Zoom. My Tai Chi journey started in October 2018 when I went along to my first beginners class. I found it challenging to maintain my practice since the classes were paused. I have had the time to be able to reflect […]
Finding direction in different ways
When you practice by yourself, there’s no-one else to rely on – you have to be your own instructor! My lovely instructors both said ‘Find a move or something to improve, and make it your Tai Chi Lockdown Challenge’! I decided that mine would be to learn the entire set! Although I have been practicing for […]
Letting go…more
As I practice during this lockdown I’ve learnt some amazing things. First, to let go, something I thought I had already achieved! Being told to self-isolate after returning home from Brazil, and then going into lockdown made me so very cross, as I had already been doing tai chi on my own for some time […]
The joy of self-discovery
The first 5 weeks of the dan yu challenge were particularly testing as I had sustained injuries to my left knee and left shoulder (unrelated to tai chi practice). I persevered with dan yus whilst trying to listen and feel what was happening. During week 6, whilst doing a Tai Chi set at home, I […]
Pain relief in isolation
Taoist Tai Chi® arts – my saviour Being introduced to Tai Chi by a friend was the beginning of a very positive chapter of my life. Needing two hip replacements did not make it easy to exercise. However, with Tai Chi I found both a physical and mental improvement. The slow and intense movement helped me focus […]
Opportunity in Crisis
During the early days of “Stay home, protect the NHS, Save lives” my feelings of concern, uncertainty and worry were quite strong (due to being categorized in a vulnerable group). However, I was very soon directed to the invitation to “do 50 dan yus a day for 50 days” which helped shift my focus and […]
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