Internal Arts Madeira

11/04/2026

Coffee, Qi, and Me Issue #16: An Evening With Bill Porter, AKA "Red Pine" is available on Substack.

In this article, I discuss how one the one hand, learning and practicing Tai Chi and Qigong can lead to an interest in other aspects of Chinese culture, but on the other hand, you don't need to go what I call "full China" in order to appreciate these arts.

In short, you don't have to engage in Kung Fu cosplay or Wuxia fantasies. Unless you want to.

Subscription to my Substack is free.

Link is in the comments section below.

Enjoy!

09/04/2026

Online Gaming Leads to Qigong Healing

It never ceases to amaze me the myriad ways in which people are drawn to Tai Chi and Qigong. Sometimes it’s intentional, sometimes - as in the example described below - it’s circumstantial.

Or maybe serendipity…

A few days ago, I came across a quirky article titled “I Started Five Animal Frolics From Where Winds Meet".

Where the Winds Meet is a wuxia-based action/adventure, multiplayer online game that takes place in 10th Century China, during a time known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

In the game, there is an event in which characters can participate in learning the Five Animal Frolics.

The Five Animal Frolics (五禽戏, Wǔ Qín Xì) is one of the older recorded systems of Qigong, having been created by the physician Hua Toa approximately 2,000 years ago.

It mimics the movements of tiger, deer, bear, monkey, and crane, hence its name.

I’m not going to describe it at length, but I do think it’s important to mention that it is one of the four Qigong systems recognized and standardized by the Chinese government.

Getting back to the article…

The author describes how the event in the game piqued her interest and she started to mimic in real life the movements her character was performing on screen.

This drew her to seeking out more information and instruction in the Five Animal Frolics, and she now incorporates it into her day.

I like how the author ends her article with these words:

“…wellness doesn’t have to be extreme to be effective. Sometimes, it just has to be consistent. And sometimes, it starts in the most unexpected place.”

She’s absolutely right.

There's a link to the article in the comments section below if you’d like to read it yourself:

09/04/2026

Class Cancellation

No class in Madalena do Mar on Thursday, 09 April due to rain and strong winds.

08/04/2026

Hello to all!

One of my core philosophies is that everyone should have access to free, quality Tai Chi and Qigong training. This is why I offer the public group classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday mornings at no cost. All you need to do is get up early and come to class. This is not going to change.

Currently, I only charge tuition for private individual or small group training. However, I've never made it clear what my tuition rates are.

Over the past few days (and with some feedback from some of you), I've come up with a rate plan that I think is reasonably priced:

Internal Arts Madeira Hourly Private Training Tuition Rates:

1 Student: €20
2 Students: €30
3 Students: €40
4 Students: €50
5 - 10 Students: €60

11 Students: €70
12 Students: €80
13 Students: €90
14 Students: €100
15 - 20 Students: €110

More than 20 Students: €120

These rates are only valid for in-person instruction at locations no more than 30-45 minutes drive from my home in Ponta do Sol, or online instruction (see below).

Private instruction does not have to be long-term. For example, a student (or group of students) can request a specific number of classes for a predetermined time period.

For small group training, I prefer to receive payment from one person/group representative, rather than collect individual payments from all the participants.

Payment can be made in cash, bank transfer, or payment apps such as Revolut and PayPal. MBWay is not an option now, but will be in the future.

Instruction can either take place at a location close to my home in Ponta do Sol, or at a location convenient for the student(s), such as a nearby park or other suitable area.

Private instruction is not available on Mondays.

Private instruction is only available after 10:00 am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays (to not interfere with the free group classes).

No time restrictions for Fridays and Saturdays.

I also offer private Qigong instruction online via WhatsApp video chat or Google Meet.

Online Tai Chi instruction is only available for students with previous Tai Chi experience (such as finishing a complete cycle of 19 Form training at my free group classes).

Starting in June, I also plan to start offering a paid membership option for people who are seeking additional training opportunities, but perhaps not in the form of private training. I'm still working on the details for that program.

Let me emphasize again that the free group classes are not going away!

07/04/2026

I just saw this ad pop up on the side of a website I use to check the weather.

THIS IS NOT TAI CHI!!!

It's just calisthenics!

I really hate how "tai chi" seems to be getting slapped on everything as a marketing trick.

07/04/2026

“If one approaches the study of Tai Chi Chuan without perseverance, one emerges empty‑handed from a mountain of treasures.” - Cheng Man-Ch’ing

No one can teach you to bowl. Sure, a more experienced bowler can show you the basics movements, but you have to discover the techniques on your own. This only happens if you practice diligently.

The same thing is true of Tai Chi. My own instructor, Stephan Berwick, gave me all the fundamentals, corrected my postures, and explained the core concepts - an entire mountain of treasures - but it was up to me to work my way through all the material to figure out what it meant.

For example, it took years for me to understand something as basic as maintaining a proper shoulder-hip, elbow-knee, and wrist-ankle framework.

Even longer to discover how to open and close the kua.

And I’m still working on finding my “root” and the “ground path.”

Almost 20 years after my first Tai Chi class, I’m still persevering. Even now, with two decades of practice behind me, I still feel like there is still so much left to discover, that I’ve barely wet my toes in the surf at the edge of the ocean.

I just have to keep going.

05/04/2026

Now available on Substack!

Coffee, Qi, and Me Issue #15: You Don't Have an Infinite Supply of Knees

Regardless of your age, you need to look after your knees, even when practicing something as “safe as Tai Chi.

Injure your knees once, and you will suffer for life.

Subscription to my Substack is free.

Link to the article is in the comments section below.

04/04/2026

Quite true...

Wise words.

03/04/2026

03/04/2026

It really is that simple.

It's not that easy.

But it is that simple.

02/04/2026

When you go to your doctor, do you ask them why your car makes a strange noise when you shift gears?

When you take your car to the mechanic, do you ask them for stock market investment advice?

When you talk to your financial advisor, do you ask them to diagnose that strange rash on the back of your neck?

Of course not.

You shouldn’t ask your Tai Chi or Qigong teacher any of these kinds of questions either.

Unless, of course, their day job just happens to be doctor, mechanic, or financial advisor.

The point is that just because someone is knowledgeable in Tai Chi or Qigong, that doesn’t make them a wise sage who can provide authoritative advice on any given topic under the sun.

I occasionally have students ask me for specific exercises for specific ailments they might be experiencing. Well, I’m not a doctor, so most of the time I say “I don’t know.”

If I’ve experienced the same or similar issues, I might talk about that and what worked for me, but I also explain that what worked for me might not work for them.

I don’t live in their body, so I don’t know what they are truly feeling.

I’m definitely not going to try and diagnose their condition. That kind of thing falls way, way outside my purview.

The same goes for financial advice, mental health or relationship counseling, career advice, etc.

I teach Tai Chi and Qigong, and I write essays on those and a few other topics on various platforms.

I’m not a life coach.

If you ask me as a friend, I might give you my honest opinion, but it carries no more weight than anyone else you might know.

In fact, I would warn you to be very cautious of Tai Chi or Qigong instructors (or teachers of anything related, such as other martial arts, yoga, meditation, or etc.) who are eager to offer up unqualified advice, maybe even with the expectation that you do exactly as they say.

You might think you’ve met your true guru, but it’s more likely that you’re falling under the influence of a de-facto cult leader.

Be careful with who you trust.

02/04/2026

This is an inspiring story about the potential lifesaving qualities of Qigong, Tai Chi, and TCM.

Not to mention the restorative properties of sunshine, fresh air, and positive thinking.

Although I never met the Dr. Wang mentioned in this article, he was the mentor of my first Qigong instructor, Sifu Julio Ferrer.

Good News: Helen Liang's Triumph Over Tragedy: Healing Cancer with Tai Chi, Qigong and Chinese Medicine Part 1 by Martha Burr
Highlights Include: Chemo • Tai Chi • Meditation • Read More: https://buff.ly/aGVYcta