The Dragon's Head Blog

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 […]

This is a thank you for giving us such rich guidance during this time of self cultivation. The chanting sessions on Sat. mornings are such an opportunity for coming together with common purpose and the discussions have opened up much more about taoism than I had ever imagined. This in turn has been very helpful in […]

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 […]

I usually go in the garden and try to find a flat spot amidst the tussocks. I’m very careful to start in a good position, remembering how to stand and very important to be relaxed, body first and then quieting my mind. Sometimes I just stand and at others I do some foundations, again taking […]

Steve Spathelf, Dunedin’s famous orange artist, returns to the International Center Florida to undertake the restoration of the resident lions. These lions started their life as guardians at the entrance of the International Centre at Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, but after many severe winters they were relocated to sunny Florida. Now they await the opportunity to greet […]

  I use the different rooms in the house for my tai chi practice – The loft room… holding on the bannister I do snakes. Standing in front of large mirror in the bedroom… I can check on what I’m actually doing with the Tor Yus and the foundation exercises, interspersed with Dan Yus. The […]

  The first couple of months of 2020 had brought a number of difficult issues for close friends and family, all of whom  looked to me for physical and emotional support. Each one needed totally different skills and all together were a difficult mix. But, having discovered Taoist Tai Chi a couple of years ago, […]

Since  ‘chanting for the world’ on Saturday, I’ve been thinking about the new challenge of engaging consistently with my practice. I am lucky that I have space both inside and out, but I am limited by time. I definitely want to do some tai chi before the working day starts, but it keeps getting dropped. I […]

Cultivating self-discipline with Taoist Tai ChiTM arts Lockdown does not suit me, and after a few weeks of only leaving the house for a bit of exercise and shopping, I was beginning to feel like a caged tiger. Each day I was doing a Tai Chi set, the foundations, and the Dan Yu challenge, but […]

For me, on an uneven lawn I laboured to keep balance and to utilise the area available but persisted because I felt I HAD to do it each day. Then for health reasons it was decided for me to let go and rest up a while.  Then recently one afternoon I found the porch area […]

“I have just done what felt like one of the softest, quietest most beautiful sets ever, stepping softly, feeling an opening and relaxation in the whole body and moving from inside, quietly. Amazing!  I feel that the focus on the quality of quietness and letting go in the chest and shoulders in this lockdown is […]

Scott started his Taoist Tai Chi journey with a beginners weekend last year. When classes were suspended earlier this year due to COVID-19,  he initially thought he was craving further instruction, and missing doing the set as part of a group. “Taoist Tai Chi® arts have become a pretty big part of my life in […]

                          While we are all trying to deepen our personal practice and staying home, we were touched by the inspiring testimony of the members from the group “Five Fingers” (a group that has been practicing Taoist Tai Chi for three years), in Livorno, […]

The comments and recounted experiences keep rolling in. It’s wonderful to know how many people are making the very most of their isolation, practising with dedication and heart and finding so much treasure for themselves. Thank you everyone for sharing and inspiring us all to stay motivated, and keep practising to be strong(er). “I’ve increased […]

  Rather like going to class at a regular time, I have set a schedule for my Tai Chi practice during the ‘shut-down’.  So, at 10.30 every morning I am ready to start. This helps… Otherwise I might decide to stay in bed! I do practice at home on a regular basis but always a […]

New Zealand has been in a strict lockdown for a month – some participants have shared photos and reflections on their Taoist Tai Chi practice during this time. “At 2.00 am on Sunday morning (New Zealand time) I was fortunate and honoured to tune into the chanting organised by Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism […]

  “We see each other at the Monday morning class, and decided to still have a chat on Monday mornings, to try and keep ourselves motivated. Well, my instructor motivated me to open the windows, do some foundations and a few Dan Yus, and it really helped, and of course great to keep in touch.” Maureen […]

In Great Britain we have been appreciating how fortunate we are to have Taoist Tai ChiTM Arts to keep us strong and still during this difficult time. We are enjoying a dan yu challenge; 50 dan yus for 50 days to celebrate 50 years. Instructors have been receiving many positive messages from participants who are […]

  Sandy Cunningham, Dunedin, Florida Branch, is also a nurse at a very busy hospital, but found a brief moment to cultivate stillness.  She inspires us to keep practicing.  

Recently we were asked, “how can we take better care of the Taoist Tai Chi® arts?”   This year, as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, there are opportunities to reflect on the uniqueness of our teachings. The International Centre in Canada, in the winter, offered a ‘quiet’ that seems harder to find in the bustle of everyday […]