Welcome to EasternPeace Tai Chi!
Anthony Fidler
Tai Chi means different things to different practitioners.
The goal of a student is to find a good teacher with values similar to their own.
I am particularly interested in the therapeutic and meditative aspects of Tai Chi.
I believe when taught in a sensitive and appropriate manner Tai Chi has much to offer people both physically and mentally.
It is far more than just a relaxation exercise though this on its own justifies the activity.
The postures and movements have an implicit naturalness and harmony to them, which when performed reasonably well help the release of tension structures from the body, and hence increase the energy and health of the person.
Emotions are attached to these tension structures and so in its own way Tai Chi, while relaxing the body structure has an emotional impact on the practitioner, creating more space for the individual to deal with reality in a calm and peaceful way.
At the same time it requires conscious movements all the time, and with effort this increases concentration skills and body awareness making you more alive.
My Tai Chi Credentials:
My experience of Tai Chi started in a minimal way at University in 1990, and then restarted in a life changing way in 1997 when I encountered a teacher in Southern China.
For me this was an instant revelation, of something I wanted to bring into my life whatever the effort required.
I practiced every day from then on and returned to China specifically to study in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005, 2006 and 2007 each time staying for 2, 3 or 4 months and having one to one classes each day, generally twice a day. My average training time would be four hours a day, sometimes six.
2008 was a big year for me. I built up a new relationship with one of the Chen family Grandmasters, Chen Zhao Sen and continued my training with him in 2009. I also learnt Traditional Yang Long Form with Yang Dong Bao in 2009.
I continued my training in the Autumn of 2010 both in Chenjiagou with Chen Zhao Sen & Yangshuo with Yang Dong Bao.
In the spring of 2011, I was introduced to Chen Xiao Jia from the Kaifeng lineage which Yang Dong Bao is part of and have to say I just love it. Lao Jia is a beautiful style, but was often too demanding for me physically whereas Xiao Jia, the Small Circle style is more internal and can be performed at a high medium stance rather than medium to low as is the norm with Lao Jia. A truly beautiful form which I hope to teach one day.
I now practise Traditional Yang Long Form 85(108) and Chen Style Tai Chi Xiao Jia 64, along with some Lao Jia and offer teaching in Yang Style 24 with an emphasis on the traditional style of movement with small circles.