Internal Arts Madeira

29/10/2025

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who attends my Tai Chi and Qigong classes, as well as those who are kind enough to follow me here on Facebook.

Also, I want to remind you all that this page does not have to be a one-way method of communication.

I'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have about Tai Chi, Qigong, and related topics such as meditation, etc.

Thank you again for your support!

28/10/2025

Thinking about starting Tai Chi or Qigong practice?

How about meditation?

Or eating healthy foods...getting enough sleep...not sitting so much during the day...?

Thinking about things can trick your brain into releasing the same hit of dopamine as if you accomplished something.

You end up getting addicted to that dopamine and start thinking more and doing less.

Trying will get you closer to your goals than imagination.

28/10/2025

Class canceled today, 28 October 2025.

Sorry, but it’s too wet and windy to train outdoors today.

Let’s hope for better conditions tomorrow!

27/10/2025

A few words from Chen Bing on the importance and benefits of Standing Practice (Zhan Zhuang).

I'll be adding more of this training to my Tai Chi classes as it really is a key element to learning to soften and relax.

Even just a few minutes can be beneficial (though at least 20 minutes is better!).

Master Chen Bing gives some advices to beginners and interested people of Taijiquan and talks about the importance of "standing" in Taijiquan.This is the 7th...

26/10/2025

Don't Scratch That Itch

I see a lot of people itching and fidgeting while engaged in slower - or even static - training, such as Qigong, Post Standing Practice, Meditation, etc.

You feel an itch here, a distraction there, and out of habit you'll want to scratch the itch or make an adjustment that breaks your posture and concentration.

Unless it's something like an insect actively biting you, or your body is in a position that is causing you real pain (not just the discomfort that comes from normal training), I think it's best to resist the urge and see if the issue will go away on its own.

Otherwise, the interruption can interfere with your mental state, Qi flow, and the overall training effect of the activity you are engaged in.

I use a three breath method to deal with itches and distractions: I focus on my inhalation and exhalation for three breaths. About 90% of the time whatever was bothering me dissipates before this cycle ends.

If it doesn't, then it really is something that needs to be addressed before continuing on.

The point is not to thoughtlessly react to every sensation, but to exercise conscious control over your mind and body.

25/10/2025

Just a reminder to my students here on Madeira: daylight saving time ends here in Portugal ends tomorrow, 26 October.

I know that nowadays most everyone uses phones or watches that automatically adjust, so it's not as much of an issue as it used to be in the past.

Personally, I'm looking forward to getting an extra hour of sleep tonight, which is appropriate as sleep will be the topic of my next long essay.

24/10/2025

A few minutes on YouTube will result in a playlist of dozens of people performing the same Tai Chi form, but each demonstration will be different.

We all have different bodies and ways of moving. When you first start to learn a Tai Chi form, follow your instructor closely and do your best to mimic their movements.

Later, as time passes and your skills progress, you will discover your own, unique way to express these forms.

The small details are not as important as the large concepts. Does the body move as a coordinated, integrated system? Do the limbs follow the body, not the body chase the limbs? Does relaxed softness transition to firm power? And so forth.

As long as these are intact, the minor variations are inconsequential.

Think of it this way, we learned to write in the same classrooms with dozens of other children. But today, as adults, none of us has the same style of handwriting. As long as it's legible, these differences do not get in the way of communicating.

The same idea is true for Tai Chi.

As long as we adhere to the core principles, individuality is not a problem.

23/10/2025

Just a quick note about the training cycle in the free morning group Tai Chi classes at Madalena do Mar and Funchal.

These classes are predominantly attended by beginners and people new to Tai Chi, so we mainly work on warm-ups, mobility and coordination exercises, and the 19 Posture Form.

The 19 Posture Form has four sections, and I focus on one section each week. For example, this week we are on Section 3, and then next week we will move on to Section 4.

I follow this pattern because I don't think it's fair or productive for students who have been attending for a while to have to keep returning to Section 1 every time someone new joins the group.

Also, I'm just one person and can't teach multiple groups of varying skill levels simultaneously.

Newcomers are most welcome to join at any time, regardless of what section we are working on that week. I always take the time to teach them the opening sequence of Section 1, and they will benefit greatly from the warm-ups and other exercises.

It might be a bit confusing at first, but not to worry, we will soon be back to Section 1 and it will all start to make sense.

Moving into the future, once I have a core group of people who are proficient in the 19 Posture Form, I may add an additional hour of training just for them so we can progress to more advanced topics.

Of course, the Wednesday Qigong class in Madalena do Mar is open to everyone and is always the same, so skill level is not a concern.

22/10/2025

In my last post, I described a method to more effectively learn Tai Chi from videos. In that post, I mentioned my belief that it is essentially pointless to try and learn Tai Chi from books. I just want to clarify that my opinion is almost the complete opposite when it comes to Qigong.

The vast majority of Qigong systems are static, meaning that the practitioner is not stepping in any given direction, or performing complex movements to transition from one posture to the next.

This lends itself well to learning from printed materials, especially if these books are well-written and contain copious amounts of details on how to properly employ the system.

I first started learning Qigong about 25 years ago via in-person classes with a talented instructor. However, this instructor was more focused on the "how" of his Qigong system, and never really went all that much into the "why."

Circumstances eventually caused me to relocate after about three years and my practice was sporadic until I suffered a serious illness and started looking for answers to my ailments.

I remember quite clearly the day I found myself in a consignment store in Tacoma, WA, where one of the sellers had an enormous collection of books from Shambhala Publications.

Among the stacks, one book jumped out at me, "A Complete Guide to Chi-Kung" by Daniel Reid. I only needed to glance at a few pages to recognize that this books contained the details and information that revealed the "why" missing from my previous instruction.

This set me down the path of deep study and research of Qigong, and I still incorporate many of Daniel Reid's insights into my own practice and teaching.

In fact, I'm actually on my third copy of this book because my first two wore out and fell apart from hard use.

I have since practiced Qigong with other instructors, all of whom added greatly to my knowledge, but it was Daniel Reid who first truly opened my eyes to Qigong's possibilities.

I encourage you to acquire your own copies of this book, as well as Daniel Reid's other works.

21/10/2025

Insights and information from my instructor, Stephan Berwick.