The secret of the ‘internal’ Martial Arts lies in your ability to connect to and use the body’s core.  This is the first thing you are taught in our Tai Chi classes and how we begin every lesson – it is the secret to the famous internal power of Tai Chi!

In order to make the skills of the internal arts universally accessible to all Martial Artists we need concrete and methodical practices that systematically take the practitioner through a layered process to build core skills and sensitivity using simple language and terminology.

In the Shi Kon system we begin this process with Nei Gong.  Nei Gong translates to “inner work” and begins with a series of standing meditations that take the mind systematically through the true core of the body and teach how to use the breath to release excessive tension that can cause stiffness and obstruction.

In our seated Tai Chi programme we teach a lovely seated Nei Gong exercise.  It is an exercise that reinforces correct posture and breathing and also serves a method for calming the body and mind.  It can also be incorporated into a pre-sleep ritual for those who suffer from insomnia – it help’s prepare the body for a peaceful night’s sleep.  It can also be used at your desk and in your car.

Simple Seated Nei Gong

1 – Firstly you will need to be seated – either sitting on a chair or on the edge of the bed.  Ideally you should sit at a height were your thighs are horizontal with your feet sitting flat on the floor shoulder width apart.

2 – Now you need to hold your head “as if suspended from above”.  Imagine that you have a book balanced on your head and then gently float the crown of the upward – ensuring that crown stays level and your book doesn’t fall off!  This should cause you to sit up straight and feel the spine open.

In this article Steve continues his series on holistic Martial Arts, from ‘The Chakras’ and ‘What is Chi’ to ‘The Art of Healing’.

If you study Martial Arts for Self Defence…..  What is most likely to kill you?  The answer is of course, bad health – and therefore that should be your first line of defence!  You have to care for your physical, mental and emotional health to be able to deal with any external threat effectively 

An important day in your life as a Martial Artist is the day you take responsibility for your own well being and training regime.

The art of healing is an essential part of your Martial Arts training.  The Japanese say satsu/katsu that it is essentially that ‘life taking’ and ‘life giving’ should be in balance and the study of taking care of your own and others wellbeing should be a natural part of your study.

Having worked within the security industry my training has always been rooted heavily in the ‘reality’ end of the martial arts and my primary concern has been the body’s survival system.   It is the desire to understand this system that has really been the driving force in my martial development and was also the catalyst that led me into physical therapy and the healing arts.

Our survival system is powered by the sympathetic nervous system that is more commonly known as ‘fight or flight’.  This part of the nervous system is our body’s ‘call to arms’ and changes our physiology to allow us to perform during life threatening situations.