Shiatsu, Tai Chi and Qigong - dominiccleary.org

25/08/2025

History has shown us that a nation state can slowly sink into depravity, losing all sense of morality and casting death and destruction on its perceived enemies, while the great mass of the population claim they don’t know what’s going , don’t care or actively support it. 1940s German demonstrated that, and 2025 Israel is following suit.
Around 18,000 children have been murdered in Gaza and untold numbers have suffered amputations of one or more limbs. They have been starved for months and seen their mothers, fathers, siblings and extended families killed in front of their eyes by tanks, guns, missiles and targeted drones.
Yet a July 2025 poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Instutute found that 79% of Jewish Israelis described themselves as ‘not so troubled’ or ‘not troubled at all’ by reports of the famine and suffering in Gaza – happening just tens of kilometres away from the smart cafes of Tel-Aviv. And of course there are large numbers of Israelis, especially the young, who proudly declare that all Palestiians, including children, must die.

25/08/2025

17/08/2025

The latest in my occasional blogs is about cherishing ourselves. It is inspired by the words of China's greatest historical doctor. "Whenever people don't live out their lives, or life is cut short, it is always caused by not loving or cherishing themselves." Sun Simiao, 581 to 682 CE122. https://peterdeadman.com/blogs/peter-deadman/cherishing-ourselves

14/08/2025

To understand the movement pathways of Taijiquan's force, practitioners often concentrate on training the hands and body. However, beginning from the feet is the essential path. To achieve this the focus of Taijiquan lies in cultivating the root. If the feet are unstable during practice, even if the upper body movements are correct, it will be difficult to manifest the characteristic whole-body integrated force of Taijiquan, because the power of Taijiquan originates from the root.

When practising, the mind should focus on both feet. The lower body must be stable, with the feet firmly rooted, the toes ‘gripping’ the ground, the Yongquan (Bubbling Well) acupoints hollow, and the centre of gravity steady. The feet must be solid, channeling the body's weight into the ground to generate a downward stepping force. During the form, one must constantly pay attention to the stability of the heels, clearly defining the feet's position, angle, shifts in the centre of gravity, and the axis of rotation to maintain dynamic balance. This reduces the burden on the knees and helps resolve knee pain issues. At the same time, pay attention to the transitions between the substantial and insubstantial in the feet—the substantial foot must be strong, while the insubstantial foot must be light and empty.

Power originates from the feet, passes through the waist as a pivot, and is transmitted to the point of force expression through the coordination of the body. The feet must step firmly into the ground to generate force, the legs serve as the main conduit of power, the waist governs the transformation of force, and finally, the force reaches the hands. This entire process must be executed seamlessly in a single flow.

Practising Taijiquan from the feet is a long-term endeavour. With prolonged training, the foundational stance work of the feet will become increasingly solid. In Tuishou it allows one to respond with ease, to disrupt an opponent's root while maintaining one's own centred stability.

05/08/2025

Your legs are literally training your brain.

Researchers followed 324 identical twins for 10 years and discovered the twins with stronger legs consistently had better brain function a decade later, despite sharing identical DNA.

The stronger twin had more gray matter, larger brain volume, and significantly less cognitive decline. Just a 40-watt increase in leg power led to an 18% improvement in brain performance, equivalent to being 3.3 years younger cognitively.

Here’s why this matters: your legs contain your largest muscle groups and demand the most oxygen. When you strengthen them, you force increased blood flow and growth factors directly to your brain.

Simple activities like walking, taking stairs, or bodyweight squats triggered these brain-protective effects. Your legs are actively preventing brain atrophy and promoting new neuron growth.

While you can’t change your genes, you can change your leg strength. Start simple!! Your neurons are counting on it.

DOI: 10.1159/000441029

30/07/2025

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀
Another article in our organ series has been posted....

In Western medicine, the pericardium is a thin, double-walled sac that surrounds the heart. It helps protect the heart from infection, keeps it in place within the chest cavity, and prevents it from over-expanding when blood volume increases. Beyond these structural and mechanical roles, the pericardium is not considered an organ in its own right and is rarely discussed unless disease or injury affects it.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), however, the Pericardium (xīnbāo, also called the Heart Protector) is recognized as a distinct functional system. It is paired with the Triple Burner (sānjiāo) and belongs to the Fire element. The Pericardium shares many qualities with the Heart, but it has a special role: shielding the Heart from emotional and physical harm while helping circulate its influence throughout the body.

Article at: www.qi-journal.com/3435
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25/07/2025

Your heart isn’t just beating it’s thinking.

Most people think of the heart as a pump. But science now says it’s much more than that—it’s a second brain.

Researchers have discovered that the heart contains an intricate nervous system with over 40,000 neurons—yes, actual nerve cells. This “heart brain” doesn’t just help regulate heartbeat. It processes information, makes decisions, and communicates directly with your real brain.

Here’s the jaw-dropper: Your heart sends more messages to your brain than the other way around. The vagus nerve, which connects the two, is 80% heart-to-brain communication. That means your heart has a profound influence on your emotions, reasoning, and even memory.

Ever felt something “deep in your heart” or followed your “gut feeling”? It turns out those aren’t just poetic metaphors. When something feels right (or wrong), your heart’s neural network is reacting in real time—faster than your conscious mind can process it.

This field of science, called neurocardiology, is rewriting what we know about human intelligence and decision-making. The heart is a sensory organ that responds to and interprets the world, shaping your thoughts and choices on a subconscious level.

For millions of years, humans have instinctively “followed their heart.” Now we know there’s real science behind that wisdom. The heart isn’t just supporting life—it’s guiding it.

So the next time you feel something strong in your chest—listen. Your heart might know something your brain hasn’t caught up to yet.