Bringing 5000 Years of Collective Wisdom

A Therapeutic Approach to Mind, Movement & Wellbeing 

Dealing with pain, anxiety, overwhelm, stress, mobility issues or lacklustre can be difficult for anyone. It can stop us from enjoying life and the things we like to do.

Having worked as a therapist for more than 20 years I also appreciate how challenging low self-esteem, trauma and health challenges can be. Like many, you may have already tried a number of systems that haven't worked for you. Or you are looking to get back into something that will enhance your wellbeing and enjoyment of life again.

For a long time, well-established practices such as Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, and Meditation have been known for their positive health benefits. And as a therapist, I've searched for the most practical, simple and effective methods my clients can use to help themselves improve their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

A-Way uses the best methods I know, practice and teach to help you improve your alignment, posture, movement, energy levels and resilience to live life more in the flow, whilst releasing the tension, pain, and blockages. The gentle, mindful, restorative approach means it is suitable for all levels of fitness, flexibility, and health.

During these classes, you will learn how to develop a self-practice using methods and techniques from Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, and Meditation to improve your natural healing system.

It’s worth knowing that there is not only ‘one way’ that could work for you, but there is ‘A-Way’.

There are various ways you can choose to from to start making a change in your life. Each of the classes work with the mind, body, breath and energy in different ways. Qigong is a very gentle, yet powerful way for overcoming injuries, pain and illness and giving more energy to do more things. Qigong is excellent for those who like to practice something very simple, that will give measurable results, right away. Qigong can be done sitting, lying down or standing up. It helps generate a smooth flow of energy around the body, releases held tension and wakes up the your own healing system. It can also be used as a meditation and increase energy levels, amongst many other benefits.

There is a lot of research out there that positively promotes the effectiveness of meditation. From creating inner peace, to increasing Dopamine levels, to improving resilience, mental focus and decisiveness. Meditation is simple to do, easy to learn and can be applied to so many situation in your life. You can do it sitting, laying, standing or on a chair or walking. In fact, once you have grasped some of the simple principles and methods of meditation, you can use it in everything you do for enhanced results.

My Kung Fu brother in Scotland, Mark Appleford, gave me a nice description of the difference between a fighting sport, a fighting system and a martial art. All the systems involve the martial side, which is learn how to defend yourself. Seems obvious that you should learn how NOT to get hurt as a priority!

A fighting sport, like MMA looks to increasing your skills to win a match, competition or tournament. It uses fighting techniques from martial arts. It does not focus on your wellbeing or the wellbeing of others, but is an excellent fighting system that has produced many talented fighters.

A fighting system, like Krav Maga, teaches you the most effective way of putting another person down (knocking them out or killing them). It also does not focus on your wellbeing or the wellbeing of others. It has been successfully used in military training.

A martial art, such as Shaolin Kung Fu or Taijiquan, is a complete system of physical, mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual wellbeing and growth. As a martial art it teaches you how to defend yourself and defeat an opponent. It also gives you strategies you can apply to your daily life. It works on improving not just your flexibility and strength, but also your inner resilience and capacity to deal with life more positively. It was the system trained not just by the monks, but by the generals and Emperor of China. It teaches you how to cultivate your mind, body, energy and spirit.

It is simple a truly wonderful art that has changed my life and that of thousands of others.

People who want more than just fighting choose the Shaolin Arts.

Many, many years ago, I trained Tai Chi. This should not be confused with Taijiquan, but it often is. Tai Chi is the form taken from part of Taijiquan and is the gentle, mindful movement you often see older people in China (and now all over the world) practicing. It often means learning long sets, that take a long time, and often get forgotten. That's not Taijiquan.

Taijiquan is like Shaolin Kung Fu, in fact it came from Shaolin Kung Fu. It's just a gentler version and more suitable for people who want to focus on health and cultivation, than something more dynamic like Shaolin Kung Fu. Saying that, Taijiquan can also be dynamic and effectively be used for fighting. I learnt from a Shaolin Grandmaster.

Some years ago a came across a translated Taijiquan Treatise, written by the founder of now Taijiquan - Zhang San Feng, a 12 century Taoist Priest. This treatise or instructional poem, if you like, had such a major impact on me that it shaped my practice, therapy and approach to life. It has pretty much become my life's work!

So, if you would like to practice something that has fantastic health benefits, relaxes your mind, and nourishes your heart and spirit, without the need to learn long, complicated sequences, then how I teach Taijiquan will very much be for you.