Tai Chi or Qigong - Which do you prefer?

My experience is that most people have never heard of Qigong when they set foot in a Tai Chi class. I certainly hadn't but I instantly fell in love with the Qigong and I am convinced that is what kept me coming back to the class. I am not the most patient person (better since doing Tai Chi) and I found Qigong easier to pick up and practise at home although it took several months before I confidently could remember the routine. Nonetheless I would try it each night after the children were in bed and loved the feeling of relaxation and calm it gave me.

Tai Chi was definitely a bigger challenge and a much slower process but I loved the Tai Chi because of that and there was nothing else like it that I had ever done. Having asked the question I'm not sure which I prefer. I love both systems but I know that some students are not as keen on the Qigong as the Tai Chi. I have taught classes that are just Qigong and just Tai Chi. I think Qigong classes can survive quite easily without any Tai Chi but I'm not sure that Tai Chi works as well on its own. The Qigong is a great system to get in the right frame of mind for doing the Tai Chi although I guess that might depend on which Qigong we are doing. In any case all my Tai Chi classes include Qigong. The question isn't really about which is better as they both have proven benefits - its a personal question and one which I can't answer!!! I love them both.

So come on, any thoughts or comments?

Tai Chi qualifications - how important are they?

This was not the post I originally had in mind however as I am going to Wolverhampton tomorrow for an instructor module and assessment some other thought/question sprang to mind - namely, "How important are Tai Chi qualifications?" On a personal note I find the training and instruction for them extremely useful. Certainly from the organisation that I train with - The Deyin Taijiquan Institute. The training is very good and thorough. Both Masters Faye and Tary are experienced practitioners and excellent teachers. I also think that having these qualifications gives me some credibility. It is also good to belong to an organisation that reviews your training and supports you in your development.

Interestingly though in the time I have been teaching Tai Chi, no-one has asked me for my credentials except one student who found himself apologising once I started to rattle them off. I actually didn't mind him asking but I think he thought he had been a bit cheeky - not at all. I worked hard to achieve what I have so far so to be asked is a refreshing change. When working for other organisations I have never been asked to produce my certificates or prove who I was (except for a school who wanted to see my passport and CRB). They had seen my website and that seemed to satisfy them. So are qualifications important? - does it matter whether your instructor has been through a training programme or has just decided to impart their knowledge of Tai Chi to anyone willing to pay? Tai Chi is not a regulated activity so basically anyone can set up a class. When I hire a hall I'm rarely asked for my public liability insurance let alone asked to prove that I am actually a qualified teacher. I guess students can decide for themselves what makes for a good Tai Chi teacher and use their feet if need be - or can they? If you don't know what Tai Chi is how can you make that judgement? Or maybe it is enough for some just to be out in a class with other people. If the Tai Chi isn't quite right, it doesn't matter, does it? I never want to get in a slanging match about good or bad teachers of Tai Chi although I have seen examples of what I would call bad teaching/Tai Chi but the question does get asked among instructors. I have to think about myself - I can't change other people but I can ask the questions and put it out there for discussion. Personally I feel better as a teacher having the qualifications behind me. It gives me confidence to actually share what I know (or think I know!). It would be good to hear others points of view. So please don't be shy, let me know what you think by commenting to this post.

Long time, no posts!

As you can see it has been 9 months since I posted anything on here so I have decided to rectify this. I already have a website (www.angelataichi.co.uk) and a Facebook page (/Angelas-Tai-Chi-School) which I keep up to date with things that are going on and photos of events etc so I have decided to use the blog in one of the ways I think a blog should be used and which is different from the aforementioned media. My plan is to post a thought, comment, quote etc each week to try and stimulate some discussion on here. I will use the website and Facebook to direct people here and hopefully start up some comments and feedback to what I post. I'm hoping that I can put up something in the next week, so watch this space!

WTCQD meeting

On Saturday we held our first meeting of the year to discuss putting on another WTCQD event at Festival Gardens, Liverpool. There were seven of us at the meeting: Barbara, Liverpool; Pat, St Helens; Stephen, Liverpool and Warrington; Jane, Leigh; Steve, North Wales and Gaynor, North Wales. And of course myself! Steve and Gaynor are going to do their first WTCQD in North Wales so won't be joining us:( but it is fantastic that they are spreading the news of Tai Chi and Qigong through this wonderful idea, set up by Bill and Angela Douglas, USA. A great afternoon was had which included a chilly walk to the gardens and further photos can be viewed on my Facebook page.

International Women's Day

I have been at a meeting today at Bluecoat in Liverpool to finalise arrangements for Tai Chi at this event - International Women's Day. The event takes place over the weekend of 8th and 9th March and the School will be kicking it all off with a Tai Chi taster session. The start time is yet to be confirmed but should be a great event. Once publicity is available I will post further details on here. Cycling back along the prom the water was very choppy but some great views and spotted a range of different birds. See if you can tell what the ones in the photo are.

Happy New Year

2014 looks like being another great year for Angela's Tai Chi School. There are already a number of events planned for the first half of the year with more to be added as we move through the year. So keep checking the webpage or my facebook page. This month I am holding another charity Tai Chi coffee morning. This will take place on Wednesday 29th January. A separate post will be included here in the next week or so. Other events to look forward to are two new Qigong classes starting later this month; Chinese New Year in February and World Tai Chi Day in Festival Gardens on the last Saturday of April. So keep looking out for details of what is going on. Have a fabulous year especially anything that is Tai Chi related.

Review of 2013

2013 has been a very exciting year with the business going from strength to strength. Lots of new classes starting. Some of which have come and gone but there are plenty which are going strong. As well as teaching in the South of the city, I have spread my wings to Crosby in the north of the city and taken on two established groups who unfortunately lost their teacher last Christmas. It was potentially a little nerve-wracking taking over from someone else but both groups made me very welcome and I think they are well used to my way of doing things now. Some of them from the Thursday group even took part in public demonstrations during the summer in aid of Freshfields Animal Rescue Centre.

In January we held our annual fundraising event at St Charles Church meeting room. This was to prove to be our last time at the meeting room after ten years of Tai Chi classes there. We moved to a new venue down the road which was much bigger and gave us more space to develop and expand as we needed. The fundraiser was in aid of the Macular Society in memory of one of the students who had died some months before. We raised over £400 and a good morning was had by all.

At Chinese New Year we were asked to take part in the Chinese Martial Arts festival being held at the World Museum over the weekend. This was a fabulous show of different martial arts from schools around Liverpool, brilliantly put together by Mike Dunn of Liverpool Karatejutsu. We showcased last each day which was a great way to finish the whole day off.

April was a busy month as I attended my first Qigong Instructor course with the British Health Qigong Association (BHQA)and qualified in the Dao Yin Yang Sheng Gong set. It was a great four days albeit a bit nerve-wracking on the final day when we were all assessed but well worth it.

Later in the month the school welcomed a delegation from China who came and did a session on the Yi Jin Jing set. A thoroughly enjoyed session which was attended by 18 Qigong enthusiasts.

The following weekend we held our first World Tai Chi and Qigong Day in the Festival Gardens. This was the end of four months hard work with fellow instructors from England, Wales and Scotland. It was a fabulous day and we made the local press as well.

In June we had our annual day out. This year we visited Port Sunlight and one of my students Harriet Gilmour, who had just qualified as a blue badge tour guide, gave us a great day out by showing us around the village and after lunch a tour of the art gallery including some interesting stories about some of the paintings. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day. Well done Harriet:)

The classes in the summer continued as I eagerly awaited my trip to China. I had booked this with Tai Chi Link Travel. These trips are organised my Master Tary Yip who has many years of experience in delivering excellent trips to China for Tai Chi and non Tai Chi enthusiasts. A group of 21 people who didn't know each other and were from all corners of the country plus three wonderful ladies from Australia, had the trip of a lifetime. I was away for 20 days and experienced a wide variety of Chinese landscapes, food and history. It is a trip that had a big impact on me and along the way we did plenty of Tai Chi and Qigong too, including a day at the Renmin University in Beijing where Professor Li worked for 40 years. I highly recommend Tary if you wish to make a trip to China. While I was away I kept an online blog which can be viewed by clicking here. There are lots of photos if you are interested in having a look.

After that things go back to normal and the classes continued through till Christmas week. During that time I was fortunate to work with year 2 children at Dovedale School. I taught there for four weeks and had a fabulous time with the children. This year also saw the start of new out door class at Festival Gardens. This takes place every Tuesday morning at 9am and to date we have been very fortunate with the weather although now we are having to wrap up very warm but it is a fantastic experience doing Tai Chi outside and I love it. 2014 looks to be another good year and I will post shortly things that I have planned so far for the new year.