Tai Chi & Qigong Surrey

Tai Chi & Qigong Surrey Professional tai chi (Taiji37) and qigong (Taijiwuxigong) classes run weekly in Reigate and Merstham

Great explanation about meridians and their connection to qigong. At Tai Chi & Qigong Surrey we teach a system of qigong...
20/07/2025

Great explanation about meridians and their connection to qigong.

At Tai Chi & Qigong Surrey we teach a system of qigong called Taijiwuxigong. In Taijiwuxigong we focus primarily on 5 energy channels which are broadly equivalent to Chong Mai, Ren Mai, Du Mai and two others, the left and right channels, which pass through all organs cleansing them.

As a trained acupuncturist I am very familiar with the meridian/channel system and can support students to clear specific blocks and strengthen their qi. I am also trained in techniques to support the energy system to clear blockages which can be helpful for students who are struggling with a physical or emotional issue that doesn't seem to want to shift.

🌀 MERIDIANS IN TAI CHI, QI GONG & TCM PRACTICE.

Just like your veins and arteries circulate blood, your meridians are crucial for channeling energy throughout your body. In fact, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, your meridians are essential for life to exist.

Despite their importance, your meridians aren’t something that can be seen or measured using modern technology. So, what exactly are they, and what do they do?

In this blog, you’ll learn what meridians are and why they’re such an important part of your health and well-being. You’ll also discover a simple yet powerful way you can strengthen these channels to experience more health and vitality in everyday life.

🍥 What Are Meridians?
Meridians are energy channels that run throughout your body to deliver Qi to every cell within you. You can think of them as rivers and streams flowing through a forest landscape.

Meridians lie along your body’s fascia, which is the connective tissue that holds your organs, bones, blood vessels, and nerves in place. Although fascia is thin, it’s full of sensitive nerves that span your entire body.

Both your fascia nerves as well as meridians are sensitive to stress. When you experience stress, the nerves in your fascia tighten up, and your meridians become constricted. When this happens, it can be more difficult for energy (Qi) to circulate throughout your body. Relaxed states, on the other hand, can dramatically help your these pathways stay open and flowing.

Within your body, are twelve primary meridians which are known as… well, the Twelve Primary Meridians. Each of these corresponds to a specific organ. These include the Lung Meridian, Stomach Meridian, Large Intestine Meridian, Small Intestine Meridian, Bladder Meridian, Heart Meridian, Kidney Meridian, Triple Warmer Meridian, Pericardium Meridian, Gall Bladder Meridian, Liver Meridian.

There are also eight additional meridians known as the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. These include Du Mai, Chong Mai, Ren Mai, Yang Mai, Dai Mai, Yang Mai, Yin Mai, and Yin Chiao. Together, each meridian helps ensure that energy flows throughout your body.

🍥 Why Are Meridians Important?
To understand why your meridians are important, you need to understand Qi. In Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, Qi refers to your life-force energy. Every living organism requires Qi in order to live.

There are many different ways Qi can manifest within you. Every breath, movement, emotion, and thought reflects the state and quality of your Qi. Additionally, your Qi is directly connected to how healthy or unhealthy you are.

Meridians are important because they allow Qi to move throughout your body. When your Qi circulates through these channels, your body’s organs and other tissues receive the nourishment they need. However, if your meridians become blocked, your Qi can’t circulate. When this happens, your energy can become stagnant and unhealthy. Just think about what happens to a stream that stops flowing; the water becomes dirty and polluted. Based on this, it’s easy to recognize why meridians are so important to your health and well-being.

Fortunately, Qi Gong can help you keep your these channels strong so energy can continue flowing smoothly throughout your body.

🍥 How Qi Gong Can Help Strengthen Your Meridians
Qi Gong helps strengthen your meridians by working with your energy in several important ways.

First, Qi Gong seeks to activate your energy, which naturally increases its flow throughout your body. Many activation practices use tapping, breathing, or other engaging exercises to awaken and enliven your life-force energy.

In addition to activating your energy, many Qi Gong routines focus on purging old Qi from your energy system. This helps remove blockages in your meridians to restore the flow of energy. Once your energy has been cleansed, you can use other Qi Gong exercises to tonify, which essentially means strengthening your Qi so that it can flow with greater vitality. You can think of this process as turning a trickling stream into a gushing river.

Many Qi Gong exercises specifically focus on moving energy throughout your body with intention and focus. When this happens, you experience Qi flowing within you. This results in a serene feeling of being calm and relaxed yet clear and energized.

20/07/2025

I'm thinking of organising a group compassion meditation in support of those suffering - close to us, or in far flung parts of the world.

Would anyone be interested in joining? Can be online or in person.

11/07/2025

The Kua (Chinese: č·¨, pinyin: kuĂ )

In Taiji Quan, the Kua (also spelled Kwa), refers to the hip joint area and the surrounding muscles and connective tissues, particularly the inguinal creases. Using the Kua correctly is crucial for generating power, maintaining balance, and executing smooth, coordinated movements. It acts as a bridge between the legs and the body's center, allowing for efficient power transfer and stability.

Here's a breakdown of how to use the Kua in Taijiquan:

🌀 Understanding the Kua:

Location:
The Kua is the area of the hip joint, including the inguinal creases (front of the hip where the leg meets the body) and the pelvic area.

Function:
It's not just about the physical location; it's about how you use this area to connect the legs to the rest of the body, especially the waist and core.

Opening and Closing:
The Kua opens and closes during movement, facilitating the transfer of weight and the generation of power.

🌀 How to Engage the Kua:

Relaxation:
Relax the muscles in and around the Kua, allowing for free movement and sinking of the Qi (vital energy).

Sinking the Qi:
Imagine sinking your weight down into the Kua as you lower your body into a stance, like sitting on a chair. This helps to ground your center of gravity.

Opening the Kua:
When stepping or shifting weight, the Kua on the supporting leg should open, allowing for smooth weight transfer and stability.

Closing the Kua:
As you shift weight to the other leg, the Kua on that leg closes, engaging the muscles and directing the power upwards.

Using the Kua for Rotation:
The Kua plays a vital role in rotating the waist and Dantien (energy center), allowing for powerful and coordinated movements.

🌀 Benefits of Using the Kua:

Improved Power Generation:
The Kua acts as a lever, transferring power from the legs to the rest of the body.

Enhanced Balance and Stability:
Properly engaged, the Kua helps to root the body and maintain balance during movement.

Smooth and Coordinated Movement:
The Kua facilitates the smooth flow of movement throughout the body.

Protection of the Knees:
Engaging the Kua correctly can help prevent knee injuries by properly distributing weight and reducing strain on the knees.

🌀 Practicing with the Kua:

Start with basic stances:
Practice sinking into the Kua in simple stances like the horse stance or bow stance.

Focus on relaxation and sinking:
Pay attention to relaxing the muscles around the Kua and sinking your weight into it.

Feel the opening and closing:
As you shift your weight, feel the Kua open and close, coordinating this movement with your steps and turns.

Practice regularly:
Consistent practice is key to developing a strong connection with the Kua and integrating it into your Taijiquan practice.

🌀 Additional information:

The Kua
We often hear about moving from the Dan Tian in Tai Chi but doing so involves the whole pelvic structure. This includes awareness of position of the sacrum and allowing movement of both the kua and dan tian.

Chi = Qi = Energy = Electric Current
Dan Tian = Energy balance center

* The Dan Tian is an area slightly below the belly button in the centre of the body.
The waist is the body controller. Kua refers to the area that extends from the inguinal folds (front of the hip where the leg and body meet) to the crest of the pelvis. It includes the hip joints, the iliopsoas, and adductor muscles as well as the sacrum and the perineum.

* Tight pelvic muscles can pull your skeleton out of alignment into anterior hip tilt, impede your breathing ability and put stress especisally on abdomen organs containing all the digestive organs, including the stomach, small and large intestines, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder. The abdomen also contains the kidneys and spleen.
Importance

* Pelvic Bowl is the base and it holds all our internal organs. Weak pelvic muscles can lead poor posture, lower back pain, bowel movement, urinary problems, and other issues.

This is a great explanation of what we do in our pushing hands classes and also the benefits for students of practicing ...
20/06/2025

This is a great explanation of what we do in our pushing hands classes and also the benefits for students of practicing pushing hands as well as the form. Email Nicci at twgwithnicci@gmail.com for more information about our pushing hands classes

Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands (Tui Shou Taiji Quan).

Tai chi tui shou, or push hands are as important to tai chi, the martial art, as meditation, stances, or form practice.

It has been said that practicing the form teaches you to know yourself, while push hands let you know your opponent. There's nothing mystical in this statement. It simply means that when you correctly practice forms, you are teaching your body to relax and react in its most mechanically efficient manner as a single connected force. Push hands practice teaches you to feel your opponent's strong

and weak points, instantly knowing where you should attack or defend. Eventually, when your push hands are developed well enough, you will know your opponent's next move or weakness as soon as you touch hands or arms with him. Push hands is the sparring part of tai chi.

Although push hands gives you an opportunity to try out your many faceted tai chi training under sparring circumstances, don't expect to start with the freestyle version. First you must become familiar with shou patterns, developing your sensitivity and what the Chinese call listening ability.

The most common pattern in Yang tai chi is a double-hand pattern, where each person alternates defense and offense by exchanging a smoothly moving pattern from one person to another. However, this two-handed push hand pattern is not easily learned. It's better to start with a single hand tui shou pattern that develops sensitivity, conti-nuity and relaxation.

Single-Hand Push Hands

Start with say, the right leg one leg forward. Your weight should rest over your left leg, with the leg pointed 45 degrees forward. For stability turn your right foot inward about 15 degrees. Place your right arm into a ward-off position, lightly touching your opponent's right arm, which is also in a ward-off position. You and your opponent have the right legs and right arms forward. You may place your left arm behind your back or out to the side, whichever helps with balance.

Additional information:
Tai chi push hands, or tui shou, is a crucial aspect of tai chi practice, serving as a sparring component that complements the form and meditation. It's a partner exercise designed to develop sensitivity, balance, and the ability to "listen" to an opponent's movements and intentions. By practicing push hands, individuals learn to feel an opponent's strengths and weaknesses, ultimately allowing for more effective offense and defense.

Key aspects of push hands practice:

Developing Sensitivity:
Push hands trains practitioners to sense subtle changes in an opponent's body position, balance, and intention through physical contact.

Learning to Yield:
Instead of relying on brute force, push hands emphasizes yielding to an opponent's force and redirecting it to one's advantage.

Refining Movement:
Push hands allows practitioners to apply the principles learned in the tai chi form (e.g., relaxation, connection, and rooting) in a dynamic, interactive setting.

Understanding Energies:
Push hands helps practitioners develop a deeper understanding of the "eight energies" (peng, lu, ji, an, cai, lie, zhou, kao) and how they can be used for defense and offense.

Moving from Solo to Partner Practice:
While solo form practice teaches the body mechanics, push hands allows for practical application and development of "listening ability" (ting jing) through interaction with a partner.

Push hands progression:
Single-hand push hands: This is a good starting point for developing sensitivity and relaxation.

Two-handed push hands: This more advanced pattern involves alternating between offense and defense, requiring greater coordination and understanding of movement.

Freestyle push hands: This is the most advanced level, where practitioners move freely and apply techniques learned in push hands and form practice.

I'm teaching the Taiji13 form in Reigate on Saturday 28 June. It's a short form (sequence) and an ideal intro to tai chi...
20/06/2025

I'm teaching the Taiji13 form in Reigate on Saturday 28 June. It's a short form (sequence) and an ideal intro to tai chi. For experienced practitioner you will explore 8 core tai chi forces in more depth.

Still a few spaces left.

Contact Nicci at twgwithnicci@gmail.com if you'd like more info.

A good illustration of where the 2 dantiens we work with are located
20/06/2025

A good illustration of where the 2 dantiens we work with are located

Thanks to Robin Sheldrake for this great reminder of the benefits of qigong.Tai Chi & Qigong Surrey run a qigong class o...
17/06/2025

Thanks to Robin Sheldrake for this great reminder of the benefits of qigong.

Tai Chi & Qigong Surrey run a qigong class on Wednesdays at 10am in Reigate. The first class is free - come along and give it a go.

Next part of perm starts on 24 June. Email Nicci at twgwithnicci@gmail.com for more info.

Some more research into the benefits of tai chi
10/06/2025

Some more research into the benefits of tai chi

Recent neuroscience research reveals that Tai Chi practitioners show 23% better memory performance compared to brisk walkers, while cyclists may be missing crucial cognitive benefits that only mind-body exercises can provide. This discovery is reshaping how we understand the relationship between phy...

02/06/2025

Reasons to learn tai chi from an experienced and specialist teacher - physical benefits

If you'd like to find out more about our weekly classes in Reigate and Merstham contact Nicci at twgwithnicci@gmail.com.

Save the date - Taiji13 form workshop, summer socials and more!
31/05/2025

Save the date - Taiji13 form workshop, summer socials and more!

A few special announcements on this lovely Saturday evening.Firstly - I'm running a Taiji13 form workshop in Reigate at ...
31/05/2025

A few special announcements on this lovely Saturday evening.

Firstly - I'm running a Taiji13 form workshop in Reigate at the end of June.

This is a short tai chi form comprising of just 8 postures performed in each of the cardinal directions and applying the 8 key taiji jin or tai chi forces. The postures are all ones that appear in the longer Taiji 37 form that I teach in our weekly classes but combined in a slightly different order.

The beauty of this short and compact form is that you will get to focus in on these postures and will learn a short sequence which is easily practiced at home/in smaller locations.

This is the first time I'm teaching this form and I'm hoping to be able to run through it all in a day but it might be a bit tight. If we need more time I will schedule another weekend day to revise and finish it off.

Please RSVP (twgwithnicci@gmail.com) if you would like to attend. I would like a minimum of 6 students to proceed.

Location - Quaker Meeting Hall in Reigate
Date - Saturday 28 June - 10-4.30 (incl 1 hour lunch break)
Price - ÂŁ55
What to bring - a mat/blanket for lying down/meditation after lunch, some lunch or you can go into Reigate

NEW TAI CHI & QIGONG TERM FROM 7/8 MAY IN REIGATE & MERSTHAMOur new term is starting this week. New students are welcome...
05/05/2025

NEW TAI CHI & QIGONG TERM FROM 7/8 MAY IN REIGATE & MERSTHAM

Our new term is starting this week. New students are welcome to come along for a free first class.

Classes in Reigate on Wednesdays
10 - 11 - Qigong (the basic building blocks of tai chi and great for health)
11.30 - 12.30 - Tai Chi form
6.30 - 7.45 - Tai Chi form with Qigong warm up

Class in Merstham on Thursdays
10 - 11 - Tai Chi form with Qigong warm up

If you have any questions or would like more detail please email Nicci on twgwithnicci@gmail.com.

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Reigate

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