Blog

By Jeff Patterson 6/9/09 Qigong (or chi gong) is an internal art focusing on the study and practice of the breath and how your breath is directly correlated with the body’s over all circulation, health and well being. There are many styles of Qigong and many reasons one might start a practice.   What is… Read more »

By Jennilyn Nelson Stepping into a martial arts studio is one of my earliest memories of exercising self-confidence. I was nine, very shy, and not athletic. My mother had to coax me through the doors, reassuring me it wasn’t as scary as it seemed. Everything about the place seemed alluring and alien; shaking the instructor’s… Read more »

Tai Chi – Qigong – Yichuan – Push Hands Saturday October 9th & Sunday October 10th Grandmaster Sam Tam will be teaching a weekend seminar in Portland, hosted by Northwest Internal Arts. Sifu Tam is world renowned for his internal martial arts ability. He is famous for and highly trained in Yiquan, Tai Chi Chuan,… Read more »

This practice is excellent for anyone who holds tension in their shoulders, neck and upper back. It improves one’s posture, develops structural strength and cultivates energy, thereby enhancing one’s health.   Yichuan – Embrace the tree – Posture: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, outsides of the feet parallel. Slightly bend and relax the… Read more »

Breathing exercises are worked within the Tai Chi and Qigong systems for a variety of reasons; cultivating a meditative state, enhancing the body’s energy level, calming the mind and cleansing stagnancy and toxins from the body. The Four Count Breathing is a simple set that provides all of the benefits mentioned above and is an… Read more »

By Jennilyn Nelson Easily one of the most common questions parents of prospective students ask me is: “Will martial arts make my child violent?”. A fully valid question, given the slanted coverage Western media gives to martial arts, and a question I’m always more than happy to answer with a confident “No.”   Where do… Read more »

Building Tomorrow’s Leaders Jennilyn Nelson, Youth Power Instructor “Three things you should hold and keep. The first is mercy for from mercy come’s courage. The second is frugality from which comes generosity to others and third is humility for from it comes leadership” Think of any kids’ martial arts film and freeze-frame the first image… Read more »

An overview of the science supporting the art Qigong, Tai Chi Ch’uan, Bagua, Hsing-I and Yichuan are all facets of the Internal Arts and are known for their health enhancing effects. Though they are all related and have similar effects, for simplicities sake we will refer to them as qigong for the remainder of this… Read more »