Flowing movement is
an amazing tool to have in our kit: it can help with recovery after hard
training or injury, it can assist our nervous systems in unwinding and
relaxing, and it can add new dimensions of smoothness and connection in our
movement and martial practices. It can also be used as a meditative method
ideal for starting the day in a positive way and warming the body up for what
follows.
Finally, flowing
movement trains our own ability to sense, to react, and to "listen"
to our own physicality.
I have studied tai
chi chuan for twenty five years. I co-founded 5 Snake with my friend and mentor
Ian Kendall, which uses close-up martial arts for self-development.
I have spent the
last five years refining and adapting the tai chi method to make it more
practical and helpful, whilst retaining its powerful essence.
Movesense is the
result of this process, an ecology of practices designed to help us build a
flowing and resilient body.
Central to it is the
solo practice of flow, built through Flow Principles and Flow Forms. We also do
partnerwork to help hone each other's skills of flow.
I have found that
simplified flow has helped me through periods of high stress and burn-out. It
has helped me retain a sense of lightness and play even when circumstances are
tough. It has assisted me in sustaining a fitness regime, and even in building back
my attention and mindfulness in the face of social media overload.
Movesense is rooted
in the art of tai chi chi chuan. It uses simplified patterns to allow us to
flow quickly without learning complex sequences.
This can become a
daily practice of connecting with our body, moving it as a whole, grounding and
then releasing.
We can also bring
this movement into our everyday lives, which helps us to visualise and embody
flow as we move through our daily encounters.
