TaijiQuan Jing by
Zhang San Feng
Main image: Joe and myself practising Brush Knee Press; Top: Practising Shotokan Karate; Above: teaching on a Lotus Nei Gong course; Right: Andrew, kindly allowing me to demonstrate an application from the Taji form
My fascination with the Martial Arts began when I was a boy; I would watch my Father practise his Karate Kata in the house. When I was older I too began Shotokan Karate, learning from some fine teachers along the way from the Japan Karate Association and the Karate Union of Great Britain, but especially my Sensei, Owen Sumner, who played an important part in my development.
As the years passed and injuries grew, I began to seek other answers, I realised that the Martial Arts were not just about fighting; we need to cultivate our most important gifts, our health and spirit.
I briefly studied Aikido, quite different from Karate-do, it wasn’t quite what I was looking for but it was a stepping stone to the Internal Arts and it gave me more answers. I also did some Taiji Quan in the area but again it wasn't right for me, I was still looking.
Then one fortuitous day I was introduced to Laoshr Damo and Laoshr Paul Mitchell and I knew I had found what I was looking for.
I started to study the Internal Arts of Taiji Quan, Nei Gong and for a short while Xing Yi and Bagua Zhang. Over the next couple of months my body began to slowly change, the small muscles and tissues softened up and I began to fully relax which carried through into my daily life.
I remember the first time I experienced my lower Dan Tien (energy centre) turning, it was a very strange sensation, something you cannot believe until you feel it yourself.
Over the coming years I found myself on a life changing course where my health has never been better, I could feel energy or Qi moving through me and I was beginning to start the process of becoming a conduit for this universal life force.
