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. […]
I am currently reading The Art of Fighting by Priya Parker* with my book club. The book is about conflict in groups. That interested me, because most books about conflict and communication are about one-on-one situations. And as an internal martial artist myself, the title made me curious, too. Then I was surprised to find […]
Ten years ago, I interviewed Violet for Qialance. Violet Li is a long-time and very dedicated Taijiquan practitioner. Some of you may know her from her articles and her website Violet Li Tai Chi. I reconnected with her earlier this year through a call from the Immortal Sisters of the Tao Foundation. This time Violet […]
My plan is to publish a new post every Friday here on Qialance. But sometimes life gets in the way. This week it’s a cold. I recently wrote about Tai Chi with back pain. For me, pain and practice can go together. But it’s different with a cold. My body asks for rest, so that’s […]
Recently, my Tai Chi teacher said a term in class that was new to me: magpie bridge (in German: Elsterbrücke). Magpie Bridge (Què Qiáo) is when you touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth. I have done that so many times, for many years. I was astonished that I had never heard that […]
I’m currently reading The Art of Fighting* by Priya Parker. The book is about conflict in groups. And Taijiquan is mostly practised and learned in groups. One short sentence made me stop: “Feelings are energy.” The Art of Fighting, Priya Parker, p. 13 We talk a lot about energy in Taijiquan. And we rarely talk […]
