About me
I have been interested in Chinese martial arts for many years, but for years I never had the motivation to join a class. However, on New Year Day in 2007, I contacted Katherine Allen, a local Taiji* teacher regarding joining on of her classes. I originally wanted to just do the Taiji hand form as as an exercise, but stayed on to do everything else and more. New Year resolutions do last, if you make the right decisions. I found Taiji to be what I needed at that stage in life. Taiji provided a new way to look at life and was no longer just an exercise, but an art of living. Frequent practice meant I became fitter and stronger over time. A modern lifestyle makes finding time to practice challenging, but if you really want to seek change, then you find a way to make it happen. Over the years, I have progressed through the levels (grading) and have competed successfully at regional, national and European level. However, the learning never stops and I am always looking at new ways to improve my practice. I have written articles for Tai Chi & Oriental Arts, which is the magazine of the Tai Chi Union of Great British (BCCMA) and have featured in my Master's book The Tai Chi Bible.
Taiji is a very broad art and there is always something for everybody. Taiji can improve your mind, body and soul. One's health is very important, that why I say it is always a good idea to invest in your health.
Apart from Taiji, I also enjoy travelling, hiking and photography. I am by no means a professional photographer, but people have complimented my pictures. Some of my pictures can be found on my VSCO account. I took most of the pictures on this website.
*Tai Chi or Taiji? They are the same thing, but Taiji or Taijiquan is recognised as the official spelling. However, the art is also commonly spelt and recognised as Tai Chi. A lot of publications and organisations still use this spelling. So for the sake of consistency, titles will be spelt as Tai Chi, but written as Taiji everywhere else.
Updated 18/10/20