Ancient Taoist Wisdom for Modern Life

Learn rare, authentic & powerful Taoist Mind-Body arts to heal, balance & energise.

Benefits Include:

Less Stress & Anxiety  •  Better Sleep  •  Increased Energy Levels  •  Superior Health  Healing of Back, Neck & Joints  •  Improved Libido  •  Emotional Balance 
Mental Focus & Clarity  •  Spiritual Growth

"Andrew makes Qigong wonderfully accessible and enjoyable. I've learned more in a few short workshops than I did in months of other training. He is very good at explaining the mysteries of Chi and excellent at helping you to directly experience this wonderful life force. Attending his workshops has helped my Tai Chi practice and teaching immensely."

Nicole Dickenson, Tai Chi Instructor

"I consider Andrew to be a true master of Internal Arts. His movements, his easy manipulation of Chi energy for healing or martial arts, his knowledge of the energy meridians in the body and of the Internal Arts in general suggest a master of his craft.
I would thoroughly recommend Andrew as a teacher."

Felix Economakis, Psychologist and 2nd Dan Black Belt in Karate.

"Andrew brings Tai Chi down to earth. He connects quickly, without judgement and this contributes to the whole ethos of his teachings."

Veronic Start, Singer

"I have studied Tai Chi with Andrew over the last 2 years. I can honestly say that Andrew
is by far the best teacher I have worked with.

My Tai Chi has advanced by leaps and bounds and the associated benefits that I have experienced as a result are numerous: greatly increased focus; more energy; a general feeling of being much more centred; and a far greater capacity to cope with stress; to name a few.

In the stressful times we live in, the benefits of Tai Chi can be quite literally transformational. But the progress we make depends primarily on finding a truly brilliant teacher - something which is very rare indeed. Andrew is certainly such a rare person and I would wholeheartedly and without reservation recommend him to anyone."

John Frieda, Hair care master

What is Qigong (Chi Kung/Qi Gong)?

Qigong is a Chinese term meaning Energy Work. Doing energy work means you free up and enhance the flow of life-energy in the body. This energy is called Chi by the Chinese; in the Indian yoga tradition it is called Prana.

It is the same Chi energy that acupuncturists work with, to heal & balance.

Your Chi energy affects the functioning of your physical body and of your mind. This is why if you want to be healthier and less stressed, it is very important to achieve a smooth and balanced flow of Chi.  Chi can become blocked or unbalanced by stress, illness, injury, poor diet and lifestyle. This then leads to poor health and/or lack of mental-emotional balance.

Qigong consists of a series of exercises using breathing, movement and awareness simultaneously, to move your Chi energy in a healthy way around your body. This clears blockages, rebalances the natural flows of Chi, and calms and centers the mind. With Qigong, you can even enhance your Chi energy – actually increasing the amount you have –
to achieve superior health, vitality and mental focus.

There are many different types of Qigong, which come from several different Chinese traditions. The deepest and most powerful forms of Qigong are known as Neigong – which means Inner Work. The Neigong methods of the ancient Taoist tradition are the safest, most profound and powerful of all Qigong systems. Taken as a whole these practices are known as the Internal Arts, or Nei Jia in Chinese.

Andrew Popovic studied intensively in the authentic lineage of Lao Tzu, an unbroken line of teachers going back thousands of years to the heart of this ancient wisdom. He teaches authentic Taoist Neigong – a form of Qigong that is safe and easy to learn but yet incredibly powerful, and with endless potential for personal development.

The ancient Taoist tradition is based on the principles of universal balance and harmony, and becoming centred and integrated within oneself, as well as in tune with the energies of nature and the world around us. The most famous Taoist book is the Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu.

While a few Chinese terms are used because they are specific to this work, no knowledge of Chinese culture, and no special clothing, beliefs or behaviour are needed to learn and apply Qigong. Because all human beings have essentially the same nature, regardless of race and culture, these methods work superbly to bring you greater health, vitality and happiness.

Note:
As these are Chinese words, they can be spelled several ways, depending on the system of transliteration being used. Chi can be spelled Qi. Qigong can be spelled Chi Kung or Qi Gong (it is pronounced 'Qigong'). Tai Chi can be spelled Tai Ji (which is the correct pronunciation).

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What is Tai Chi ?

Tai Chi is a more complex form of Qigong which is also a martial art. Nowadays most people learn Tai Chi as a health and meditative practice only. The main practice in Tai Chi is called the 'Form', which is a series of slow-motion, gracefully flowing movements that embody the principles of Yin and Yang, and the flow back and forth between them, physically, energetically and mentally.

Practising the Form not only help with stress and allows you to become calm and centered, but also releases tensions within your body and gently heals neck, back and joint problems, as well as internal health issues.

Tai Chi forms can be long, medium, or short. There are different styles of Tai Chi, but all the authentic ones share the same principles.

Andrew teaches Wu style Tai Chi, which has an emphasis on the health and meditative benefits. Andrew has also been trained fully in the martial aspects of Tai Chi and teaches that to students who are interested.

The benefits of Tai Chi practice are mostly the same as with Qigong, but with more emphasis on physical movements, and therefore more development of physical coordination, balance and flexibility.

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Which Should I Learn - Tai Chi or Qigong ?

If you are particularly attracted to physical movement, Tai Chi will appeal to you. If you are interested in going straight to the energy work, Qigong may suit you best.
Because the movements of Qigong are simpler, and quicker to learn, it is possible to engage in the energy work immediately.

Tai Chi requires you to learn complex movements, which make it harder to focus on the ‘inner’ work at first. Later on, Tai Chi incorporates all of the principles of Qigong – it becomes a Qigong practice. Its simply an issue of Tai Chi having many more movements to learn – but that can be fun.

One advantage of Qigong if you are very busy and stressed is that you can learn enough in one workshop to take away and practise, and it can bring immediate results in terms of feeling calmer and more centered.

Ultimately it is not a either/or between Tai Chi and Qigong as they share the same principles, and great benefits can be had from learning both. Many people try both to see what suits them best.

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What is Meditation?

Put simply, meditation is the practise of calming and centering the mind. It is not about seeking to block thoughts or become mentally blank in some way, but to achieve a state of inner calm and presence in all situations. In this sense it is the ultimate stress-relief.

Through the practise of meditation you not only get to enjoy life more, but also become more effective and successful, because your mental state is clearer, less full of tension and distraction.

In the Taoist tradition, Meditation and Qigong go hand-in-hand. This is because by calming your Chi energy you calm your mind. In fact, is very hard to calm your mind until you calm your energy. This is why many people struggle with meditation.

The Taoist Neigong that Andrew teaches is inherently meditative, and effortlessly achieves many of the goals of formal, seated meditation. From that point, deeper meditative practices can be applied, to get even greater benefits. Andrew teaches you to meditate sitting, standing and moving – so you can integrate the benefits in all aspects of your life.

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