Tai Chi & Qigong Surrey

16/03/2026

🌿 Open Your Body. Calm Your Mind.

Join us for a gentle afternoon of Taijiwuxigong qigong and guided meditation — a beautiful practice for releasing stress, easing tension and letting your mind settle.

No experience needed. Just come as you are.

This ancient qigong system works by opening the body so that energy (qi) can flow freely — when that happens, the nervous system naturally calms and the mind finds stillness. Perfect if you're dealing with stress, tension, postural discomfort or simply want more calm in your life.

📅 Saturday 21 March, 1:45–4:30pm
📍 Quaker Meeting House, A25, Reigate
💚 £30 for the full afternoon

Message us on twgwithnicci@gmail.com to reserve your place.

13/03/2026

Needles at sea bottom tai chi standing posture including some spontaneous spine opening. Dr Shen Hongxun's tai chi system includes practice of the different elements of the tai chi form as standing postures which have profound benefits for health.

13/03/2026

Practicing one of the tai chi postures from the Taiji37 form which I teach with assistance from my cat Stella.

28/02/2026

TAIJIWUXIGONG (QIGONG) EXERCISES FOR HEALTH - SAT 21 MARCH IN REIGATE

Our next qigong and meditation workshop will be at the Quaker Meeting House in Reigate on Saturday 21 March from 1.45-4.30. the workshop will cost £30.

This qigong workshop is suitable for all levels, including beginners. While I always tailor the exercises and meditation that we do to suit those who attend I thought I might also have an overarching theme of working with the earth energy.

In qigong philosophy, the earth carries rich and layered meaning — it is our centre of gravity and stability, our root, and a deep well of cleansing, healing, and maternal nourishment. In Chinese medicine, earth is also linked to our capacity to transform food and drink into vital energy, reflecting the health and resilience of the digestive system.

In this workshop, we’ll explore how Taijiwuxigong practices and meditation can strengthen our connection to earth energy — known as Da Qi. Through guided movement and stillness, we’ll learn how to draw on this stabilising force to open and clear the energy system, address underlying patterns that contribute to pain and illness, and gently regulate an over-stimulated nervous system.

Teas and snacks will be provided.

Please RSVP/send enquiries to Nicci at twgwithnicci@gmail.com.

28/02/2026

TAI CHI PUSHING HANDS IN REIGATE - SAT 21 MARCH

Our next Tai Chi Pushing Hands workshop will be at the Quaker Meeting House in Reigate on Saturday 21 March from 10-12.45 and will cost £30.

Pushing Hands is a two person tai chi practice which helps us to develop better awareness of and ways to work with the energetic forces that we exert in the world and those that are directed towards us. This workshop will be tailored to the audience attending so beginners are welcome. There will be opportunity for experienced Pushing Hands practitioners to work together and develop their practice.

Teas and snacks will be provided.

Please RSVP/send questions to Nicci at twgwithnicci@gmail.com.

23/02/2026

...or qigong.

Later this week I'll be sending information around about
- in-person and online classes,
- our next pushing hands and qigong workshops,
- a brand new tai chi for beginners course starting in May, and
- opportunities to study the 8 brocades and the buqi healing system with my fabulous teacher Shen Jin.

If you'd like to receive all the details and you aren't already on my mailing list please get in touch on twgwithnicci@gmail.com.

16/02/2026

Our latest social event involved creativity and clay. A massive thank you to Cami from Connected Wellbeing for facilitating our little group in creating pieces inspired by spring and the Chinese New Year (the year of the Fire Horse) which starts on 17 Feb.

15/02/2026

THE YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE

Chinese New Year begins on 17 February, welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse.

In Chinese tradition the Horse symbolises movement and freedom, while Fire represents joy, expression and the Heart.

So this is a year that naturally feels energising — but also mentally busy.

Many people notice:
- restlessness,
- poor sleep,
- racing thoughts, or
- feeling “wired but tired”.

Tai chi, qigong and meditation help by slowing the body while calming the mind.

Instead of burning energy, we circulate it.

The aim isn’t to reduce vitality — it’s to make energy feel steady, clear and grounded.

A Fire year thrives on rhythm, not speed.

To find out more about our weekly classes (in person and online) and weekend workshops please contact Nicci on twgwithnicci@gmail.com.

14/02/2026

This might seem a bit silly to some of you but I think it's important to remember that you don't need to be doing something special or be with someone to be loved. You are a miracle and deserve love simply for being here.

Wishing every single one of you a happy valentine's day 🥰

23/01/2026

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY - 2026 WORKSHOPS IN REIGATE

23/01/2026

*Tai chi & qigong are about biomechanics, not just energy work*

The alignment adjustment in this image is something we cover in my classes - how to open the lower back by dropping the tailbone and slightly tucking the pelvis under thereby aligning the spine better - moving from figure B (right) to figure A (left).

Not only does this help to load weight optimally in the skeleton but energetically it supports the opening of the main energy channel in the body - the central channel or Chong mai - which runs from perineum to crown just inside the spine.

If you'd like to know more this is covered in my online qigong and meditation classes on a Thursday evening. Message me on twgwithnicci@gmail.com for info on how to join the class

Rib Cage, Pelvis & Spinal Loading

The upper images explain how alignment of the rib cage over the pelvis directly controls the forces acting on the spine. Think of the trunk as a vertical column that must transfer body weight and movement forces efficiently from top to bottom.

In Image A, the rib cage is stacked directly over the pelvis. This creates a vertical line of force through the spine. The diaphragm remains level and domed, allowing pressure to be generated downward and outward in a balanced way. Because of this alignment, most of the load acting on the spine is compressive. Compression, when evenly distributed, is the safest force for the spine and is well tolerated by vertebral bodies and discs.

The arrows in Image A show pressure being contained within the trunk rather than escaping forward or backward. This allows spinal muscles to work efficiently with minimal effort. The lumbar curve is present but controlled, and the spine behaves like a stable pillar rather than a bending hinge.

In Image B, the rib cage is tilted backward while the pelvis shifts or tilts forward, creating a “scissor” relationship. This breaks the vertical stacking of the trunk. The diaphragm becomes angled and flattened, losing its ability to manage pressure evenly. As a result, pressure is redirected anteriorly and inferiorly.

This misalignment significantly increases shear forces at the lumbar spine, especially at the L5–S1 level. Shear forces attempt to slide one vertebra over another, something the lumbar spine is poorly designed to handle. To compensate, spinal extensors and passive structures such as ligaments and facet joints are overloaded. Over time, this contributes to stiffness, fatigue, and low back pain.

19/01/2026

**Wuji and Taiji – beyond words, into experience**

In Daoist thought, Wuji points to what exists before yin and yang — undivided, formless, and beyond distinction.

Because modern language is inherently dualistic, it can never truly describe wuji. Words rely on opposites, definitions, and contrasts, while wuji is prior to all of these.

As the Dao De Jing reminds us:
“The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao.” (Chapter 1)

So any description of wuji is only a pointer, the best approximation we can make.

From this indescribable ground, Taiji arises — the first movement toward differentiation, expressed as yin and yang in dynamic relationship.

The Dao De Jing describes this unfolding:
“The Dao gives birth to One;
One gives birth to Two;
Two gives birth to Three;
Three gives birth to the ten thousand things.” (Chapter 42)

In tai chi and qigong practice, this isn’t just philosophy. Wuji is tasted in stillness, standing meditation, relaxation, and deep listening.

Taiji appears when movement begins — shifting weight, opening and closing, rising and sinking — yin and yang endlessly transforming.

Practice shows us that movement emerges from stillness, and stillness remains within movement. While words fall short, the body knows. Through practice, we move beyond explanation and into direct experience.