Internal Arts Madeira

01/09/2025

Details, details, details...

I hope the image I'm sharing here doesn't look to much like the first pages of a deranged manifesto.

Last week, I had to take my cat, Bruno, back to the veterinary hospital again for yet another infected wound.

While I was sitting in the waiting room, I decided to make the most of my time by taking out a notebook and pen and writing down all of what I considered to be the most important details and instructions for Standing Post (Zhan Zhuang 站桩) training.

Standing Post practice is one of the best methods for developing Fang Song (放鬆), which is often translated as "relaxation," "letting go," or "softness." It's also a great way to develop leg strength, which contributes to improved balance. Furthermore, this kind of training is associated with energy, or Qi (氣) cultivation. All are necessary for deepening your Tai Chi or Qigong skills.

My notes are actually incomplete because I was called in to have Bruno examined before I could finish; there's still a lot to add! I believe that putting my thoughts to paper like this is a good way to organize my knowledge and better articulate my ideas.

I don't currently teach Standing Post as much as I probably should in my regular classes, though it is included in the style of Qigong I practice. I plan to work it more into the curriculum in the future, so consider yourself forewarned!

Bruno is fine, by the way.

31/08/2025

Thank you to all the people who started following this page in the past few weeks!

I very much appreciate your support and will do my best to create content that you find informative and interesting.

More to come!

28/08/2025

This man would make an fantastic Tai Chi instructor!

Excellent demonstration of weight shifting; proper pivoting on the feet while in motion; clear emphasis on the purpose and function of the movement.

I may not understand the language, but I can still comprehend the lesson!

This video has subtitles. Be sure to enable them if you don't know Finnish. If you want to contribute by translating the subtitles to your language, shoot me...

27/08/2025

My favorite part of practicing Tai Chi forms is the very beginning, when you take a few breaths, pause for a moment to harmonize your mind and body, realize the potentialities of what you are about to do, and then ease into the first movements...

26/08/2025

Two important concepts in Taichi are opening/closing and straight/round.

Here is a short video of my instructor, Stephan Berwick, discussing these concepts, as well as other topics, at the Smithsonian, Hirshhorn Museum of Modern Art in Washington DC.

Stephan Berwick presenting “What is Taijiquan?” at the Smithsonian, Hirshhorn Museum of Modern Art in Washington DC, as part of artist,, Laurie Anderson’s co...

14/08/2025

I’m Not Special, Just Determined

“Talent is a pursued interest. Anything that you're willing to practice, you can do.”
― Bob Ross

The universe has a strange way to manifest serendipity that will never cease to amaze me.

Just the other day, I was explaining to one of my Tai Chi students that I’m not special when it comes to my Tai Chi skills. Then, just that very day, I came across a YouTube short in which the late, great Bob Ross summed up in less than thirty seconds what I struggled to articulate earlier that morning.

The only reason why I have even modest talent in Tai Chi is because I find it interesting enough to have pursued it for almost twenty years.

I’m not special. I’m not any kind of naturally gifted athlete. I’ve experienced the same difficulties as everyone in trying to learn complex forms and highly technical movements. There have been more than a few days when I didn’t want to go to class or train on my own, but I forced myself to set aside all my excuses and go anyway.

One of the main reasons why I have any degree of skill is that I never gave up and kept pursuing this interest. At times the progress was rapid, at others it decelerated to a frustratingly slow crawl.

What’s funny is that it’s not easy for me to explain why I have this interest. Why Tai Chi? Why not something else like tennis or Yoga? I don’t know if I can adequately answer this question any easier than I can explain why I prefer to write with blue ink. I just do.

What I can attest to is that, subjectively, when I practice Tai Chi, I feel better. I feel more nimble, coordinated, and balanced. I’ve also found wonderful friends and met so many fascinating people in the Tai Chi community. Could I have achieved the same results with, I don’t know…ballroom dancing? Maybe, but that doesn’t appeal to me any more than a green fountain pen does.

I mentioned earlier that persistence is one of the main sources of my current skill level. The other is that I was lucky to find an outstanding instructor at the very beginning of my Tai Chi journey. Stephan Berwick provided me with the proper foundational training to support all my subsequent efforts, a gift for which I will always be grateful.

So, my advice to you? Find your interest and pursue it with relentless passion, but also find a good teacher to guide you along the proper path.

Also, if you feel so inclined, try to share your knowledge, be an inspiration, and help others as much as you can.

Good luck!

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. I am not a doctor or healthcare professional. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new health practice, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions or concerns.

08/08/2025

The Qigong system that I practice and share with others contains three movements related to supporting the functions of the San Jiao (Triple Warmer).

A simple explanation of the San Jiao is that it is a structure that holds all the body's major organs and is responsible for regulating the flow of energy and fluids between them.

That really is an almost too simple explanation, so I'll let the good folks at Qi Journal give a more nuanced and complex description.

Qi Journal is a wonderful source of information about Tai Chi and Qigong, as well as other topics related to the so-called Internal Arts and Traditional Chinese Medicine. I've been a subscriber for years and always look forward to finding their quarterly editions in my mailbox.

It is also one of the few such magazines that remains in print. They also have an online/digital version, but I still like to have a physical copy to hold and make notes in.

The old ways are still - at least in my mind - in many cases the best ways.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 '𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻' 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗲

In Western medicine, all organs are defined as physical structures that can be seen, measured, and removed or repaired if needed. The Triple Warmer, also called San Jiao (三焦), does not exist in this framework at all. There is no anatomical structure corresponding to it, which makes it one of the most mysterious and misunderstood parts of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for those coming from a Western perspective.

Yet in TCM, the Triple Warmer is considered an essential functional system that governs the distribution of energy, water metabolism, and communication among all the organs. It is paired with the Pericardium in the zàng-fǔ model and belongs to the Fire element.

The term Triple Warmer refers to the three regions or "burners" of the body... the upper, middle, and lower, each with distinct responsibilities. The upper burner includes the chest, Heart, Lungs, and regulates respiration and circulation. The middle burner covers the area of the Stomach and Spleen, managing digestion and nutrient transformation. The lower burner relates to the Kidneys, Bladder, intestines, and reproductive organs, handling elimination, reproduction, and storage of essence.

More at: www.qi-journal.com/3437

21/07/2025

Blazing Sun and Bugs:

Slight Change of Venue for Sunday Class in Funchal

The Sunday morning Tai Chi class is still located at the west end of Parque de Santa Catarina, but instead of being just inside the entrance to the children's play area, now we train just outside the entrance, near the old tractor (see image).

When I first started training inside the children's park this past winter, I thought the location was perfect, especially because the site remained in the shade of a large tree for most of the morning.

Now that it is summer, the sun is in a different position in the sky and what used to be a delightfully cool spot in the shade is now blasted by uncomfortably strong sunlight.

Also, the warmer temperatures heralded the arrival of an aggressive colony of tiny ants that will not tolerate our presence. It's kind of hard to practice your "brush knee" when you are frantically performing "brush stinging ants off your leg!"

It is unlikely that I will return to the previous location even after the end of summer because in my absence, a Capoeira instructor kind of laid claim to the empty space and is holding a class there now. I guess they don't mind the formigas.

Regardless, it's still easy to find my Tai Chi class because it's hard to miss the giant tractor.

18/07/2025

Trust the Process of Learning Tai Chi

Tai Chi can be difficult to learn, regardless of the style or lineage.

Anyone who tells you differently might be delusional, outright lying, or trying to sell you something (or all three at once).

At the beginning, the technical details are overwhelming. At some point, you get the footwork down, but now your arms are flailing all over the place.

Eventually, you work out what to do with your arms, but somehow manage to forget again where your feet are supposed to be.

I’ve been through this myself and understand your frustration.

I can tell you though with a great deal of confidence that eventually it all comes together, often unexpectedly so. One day, you’ll be practicing one of your forms and suddenly realize you’re actually doing pretty good.

This moment just kind of creeps up on you, and it’s wonderful when it happens.

I’m not special. I don’t have any great gift for learning Tai Chi, I just have persistence and a willingness to place my trust into the process of slowly building proficiency.

You don’t have to figure it all out today. Trust the timing. Trust the unfolding.

Take a deep breath and try again.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. I am not a doctor or healthcare professional. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new health practice, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions or concerns.

11/07/2025

Tai Chi In Troubling Times

Tai Chi practice provides me with an oasis of normalcy and a foundation for resiliency in the face of tragedy and crisis.

The past week has been challenging for me. First, on Monday, one of my cats died from complications related to carcinoma. Then, on Tuesday, another of my cats showed up with deep bite wounds (likely from a dog attack) that necessitated a trip to the local veterinary hospital.*

In the hospital parking lot, I saw a young woman sitting in her car, sobbing uncontrollably with an empty pet carrier on the seat next to her.

In the lobby, I watched an elderly couple leave an examination room with tears streaming down their faces, cradling a small, still body swaddled in a blue blanket decorated with bright yellow images of dog bone treats.

These small scenes of tragedy brought back memories of when I once sat by my father’s bedside as he slowly slipped away in hospice care. Or when just a few years later I endured the first days of my mother’s uncertain - albeit ultimately successful - recovery from a massive stroke.

These crises both lasted for weeks. Weeks of hope and despair. Weeks of ruminating on the fragility and finite reality of life.

In order to escape from depression and negative ideation loops, I relied on the one thing I knew could distract my mind from the doom and gloom: Tai Chi.

Every morning before heading to the hospital, I practiced. Every evening after returning home, I practiced.

The technical nature of Tai Chi that makes it frustratingly difficult to learn is also a blessing because it requires all of your focus; you can’t let your mind wander or your forms fall apart.

Those practice sessions gave me respite from my worries, during which my mind could rest and my stress levels descend to something less than full-panic mode. In fact, I think giving myself these breaks allowed my subconscious to better process my experiences, leaving me more resilient and capable of dealing with events in real time.

I know that when tragedy strikes it can be hard to think about anything else, but an activity like Tai Chi that demands deep focus can give you a much needed shelter from the storm of emotions you face.

That’s what Tai Chi did - and still does - for me, and is one of the reasons I’ll never stop practicing.

*Before anyone lectures me on letting my cats run around outside, all the cats I care for are strays that showed up at my house on their own. With the exception of one that arrived as a kitten, none of them are properly socialized or box trained. Simply put, they are little savages who can’t be kept indoors against their will. Furthermore, I live on a quiet street in a rural area free of predators. I let them live free and they can come and go as they please. I also live on a small island in the Atlantic where the local wildlife was decimated by human activity centuries before I arrived, so my cats also do not pose any danger to endemic species. Lastly, mind your own business.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. I am not a doctor or healthcare professional. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new health practice, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions or concerns.

08/07/2025

This is Bruno, the cause of this morning's class cancellation.

He showed up last night with bite wounds on his neck and leg, probably from a dog attack.

He's doing fine, but he's not happy about the cone!