Living Movement
Living Movement is movement and mindfulness in action. It’s tai chi and qigong: tai chi and qigong distilled to its essence, unpacked in a variety of ways and applied to life in a variety of ways.
Living Movement can work for all sorts of different people – individuals, groups and organisations.
It’s the way that I have come to explore, experience and teach tai chi and qigong and apply these excellent and helpful principles to life.
Tai chi and qigong and the core principles that underpin these ancient arts of movement, offer us some truly fantastic body-mind wisdom, ideas, ways of moving and ways of being that can help us to be well, day in, day out.
And that’s what Living Movement is all about really, ‘being well’ in a full, deep, rich kind of way. It helps us to be in touch with our own nature; it helps us in relations with others and it helps us to develop a broader spectrum of awareness in being part of a larger web of life.
In Living Movement tai chi and qigong you learn the 5 core principles:
“Living Movement, with its constellation of 5 inter-dependant core principles, is a map and guide for learning, developing and exploring not just tai chi and qigong but who and how you are as a person”.
1. Freeing – brings fluidity, freedom and an ease in moving. It enables energetic flow and recognises the importance of movement (a hinge won’t rust if its kept moving) You consciously relax the muscles and encourage a loosening of the joints. This promotes circulation, and helps to dissolve unwanted stress. Freeing dissolves tension, releases anxiety and unlocks creativity. Freeing can be the force or agent of change that helps us move away from unhelpful and stuck ways of being.
2. Aligning – is sacred kinaesthetic geometry. We employ the frame of the body, allowing gravity and engaging levity to bring form and structure to who we are and how we move. Aligning allows us to experience the whole self through postural integration. It gives us a way to be centred, grounded and present. It brings us natural strength and flexibility It gives us insight as to how we are best ‘placed’ in relation to helping and working with others. Aligning well allows us to bring our visions and ideas into actuality. Aligning the body becomes the vehicle for aligning the mind.
3. Focusing – is the skill of mindfulness. Focusing encourages you to become mindful and so manage your energy more clearly Where your attention goes, your energy flows and where your energy flows, your life grows. Learning to be present, actively directing your energy or quietly listening, with clarity. This is truly one of the cornerstones of tai chi and qigong and a very helpful life tool.
4. Sensing – is the art of listening. Listening with all your senses, deepening your awareness, gathering information. If you listen well, you know what’s going on. If you know what’s going on then you’re in a position to make informed and powerful choices, whether with a partner in a tai chi exercise or a life choice situation.
5. Being – is the Tao, the Way. Your way; your natural way. In Living Movement this is definitely one of the coolest parts. Tai Chi has the potential to help you be in touch with your nature, the real you and to help create to a real authentic and ultimately happier place of being.