THE DISCIPLINES AROUND
TAO MOVEMENT
MARTIAL ARTS AND SELF DEFENSE
BOXING
Also known as the sweet science, boxing is a combat sport where the athlete relies on footwork and his or her ability to use the hands. Boxing training is hard and intense but fun and rewarding – you will develop not only strength and stamina, but motor skills, coordination and self-confidence.
WING TSUN KUNG FU
Wing Tsun is a Chinese martial art created by a Shaolin nun 300 years ago. Unlike other fighting styles, it relies upon skills, balance and poise rather than force. It is soft and simple, yet extremely effective for self-defense.
HUMAN MOVEMENT SKILLS
GYMNASTICS & CALISTHENICS
Calisthenics is a technical term to describe body weight training, and gymnastics is the art of controlling the body within a space with technical precision.
The discipline of gymnastics was developed in ancient Greece to prepare men for warfare; it was part of the strength and conditioning training programme for warriors in Sparta and Athens, which evolved into the sport of gymnastics which we see nowadays in the Olympic Games. Working with your own bodyweight on apparatus such as pull-up bars, rings, parallel bars, or the floor, gymnastics training develops strength, flexibility, control, coordination, balance and agility.
YOGA
Yoga is an ancient practice which originated in India that focuses on body weight postures, fluid movements and breath control. It is commonly used to improve postural alignment and to achieve flexibility, balance skills and both physical and mental relaxation.
MOVEMENT
Movement explores human movement potential and aims to improve our freedom of movement. Using elements from gymnastics, animal flow, yoga, end-range functional mobility and traditional martial arts, my personal approach to this discipline aims to develop strong and flexible bodies – it is a progressive system to develop fundamental strength, mobility and control through mindful movement.
INTERNAL ENERGY
WORK
QI GONG
QiGong (or Chi Kung) is a more than 3000 years old daoist practice to work on internal energy. Linking breath and movement, QiGong exercises stimulate the flow of energy throughout the body, dissolving muscle tension and promoting body and mind relaxation. The ultimate goal of a consistent QiGong practice is to harmonize oneself with Nature, thus becoming one with Nature and achieving excellent health and longevity.
TAI CHI CHUAN
Tai Chi (or Taiji) is a Chinese martial art practised for both self-defense and for health. It is a form of meditation in motion, which increases the practitioner’s body awareness and relaxation, physical longevity and mental serenity.