Blog Posts

Phoebe Zhang

South China Morning Post

18 December 2020

Tai chi, a centuries-old Chinese martial art and an internationally popular form of exercise, has been added to UNESCO’s cultural heritage list.

For more than 10 years (its initial application was rejected in 2008) China has been trying to have tai chi – also known as taijiquan – recognised officially by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

My first acting teacher in a conservatory setting was an elegant Jamaican man named Cedric Scott. My acting partner and I had just finished presenting a scene from Antigone that we’d been working on for a number of weeks, and I was feeling pretty good about myself. I leaned forward in my chair to receive his comments (his style of critique was brutally frank).

This ancient practice, which consists of sequences of fluid movements, can improve your balance and help you prevent falls.

Tai chi is a form of gentle exercise that experts say can help improve your mood, reduce your stress level, and help keep your heart healthy. It can also benefit your bones.

Halloween is a celebration observed in several countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day.  It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.

Do you like stories? One of the surprising stories from ancient China is the story of Pangu which recounts how our world was created out of chaos.

"In the beginning, dark chaos prevailed everywhere. This darkness took the form of an egg, and in this egg the first living being, Pangu, was born. Pangu slept and grew in the egg, fed and protected for millennia. When he awoke after many years, he had grown into a giant. Then Pangu stretched and broke out of his egg...

Regular practice of tai chi and qigong can bring great health benefits: deeper relaxation, stronger legs, better posture, increased energy and more. And right now there are a variety of ways to study with us. More details are located on the home page of our website.

Peter Wayne gets it very right, and his book is relevant to our school because the Yang Style Short Form is his touchstone (one of several schools and teachers he has studied with), and he often quotes and always honors Professor Cheng Man-Ching.

We’ve probably all experienced moments in our life when our timing has felt off. This experience may have been in a social situation, or perhaps in a professional one. Whatever the situation, it has probably taught us through experience that timing is important. Great comedians know when to deliver punch lines for maximum laughter. Polished orators know when to pause when making speeches to connect with their audience and deliver their message clearly. Great athletes know how important timing is, whether it be the speed of a golf swing or when to make a break away from the field.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR LUNGS

By Pam Hunt, RRT (Registered Respiratory Therapist)

Life begins with our first breath.

We inhale. We gather in.  We pull the outside in. 

And we exhale. We release. We push the inside out. 

We exchange. In and out. In and out. And we do it again. And again. And again. 

And our rhythm is established for our lifetime, until it ends with our last breath.

You don't have to practice croquet to practice croquet

By Edna Brandt, L.Ac.

My croquet partner and I recently won the spring tournament at my retirement community. The tournament is not our childhood croquet: there are strict rules, and the game requires physical and mental skills, and lots of strategy.