For years, I have been writing about Taijiquan. A dictionary. Blog posts. Reference articles. All of them non-fiction, all of them trying to get things right. Then an idea hit. An idea for a Tai Chi novel! When I started writing, it was strange at first. To write fictionally. To just go with the flow. […]
Are you a book lover like me? Then you probably have many of the best Tai Chi books, Qi Gong books and TCM books. I like to read through them, sitting on my couch. But sometimes there are words or phrases I don’t understand. And as much as I love the Internet, I also love […]
When I wrote my Tai Chi novel Push Hands*, I started describing all the characters. I did not want to randomly assign names, I wanted them to mean something. And finding the right Chinese names turned out to be quite a joy. A little inside joke, if you will. Chinese names carry a lot of […]
A few months ago, I noticed something unsettling. My Taijiquan practice felt boring. Not occasionally, not only on a tired Monday morning. Just generally, flatly boring. And that worried me, because Taijiquan is something I really love. Or at least, I used to. I noticed this subtle pull away from my practice. Towards my never-ending […]
I really enjoy connecting with fellow Taijiquan and Qi Gong practitioners from all over the world. That’s actually why I’ve chosen to write my blog in English—even though German is my mother tongue. So far, I haven’t had the chance to attend a major conference or a large push hands gathering, but it’s definitely something […]
Recently during a Taijiquan class, I heard this statement from a fellow student. “I only learn from Asian teachers. Their bodies are built differently.” It stopped me in my tracks. And I wondered: Is ethnicity important when choosing a Taijiquan teacher? Breaking Down Stereotypes I think the belief that Asian teachers are automatically better at […]
