13/09/2026
About The Workshops
Foundation practices in Tai Chi & Qigong are refined and developed over months, years and decades of practice - this is the meaning of 'gong fu' 功 夫 - skill resulting from hard work over a long time. We should not expect to fully grasp or master the foundations in a single workshop or 10 week course. However, by making the effort, taking the time and care to properly develop foundation practices, we make faster progress over time - as the saying goes 'slow is fast and fast is slow'.
A foundation 'practice map' is invaluable if we want to make progress - in my first decade of practice (1997 to 2007) there was no detailed foundation map provided by most local teachers - students were advised to 'just practice', with the expectation that skill and understanding would emerge spontaneously over a long time, from just practising forms. This generally didn't happen, and often students developed or retained poor movement and posture habits, and in partnerwork would use speed, strength or aggression, rather than developing genuine Tai Chi skill. Some students had 'natural' skill, but what they were actually doing remained a mystery.
"There are no secrets, only movements too small to be seen"
Huang Sheng Shyan
In the intervening 20 years, I have been fortunate to train with Tai Chi teachers who offered a much clearer path of development, as well as undertaking yoga practice / teacher training (plus meditation practice and retreats). The availability of better quality teaching via online courses with international teachers has also helped over this time. This process enabled me to develop my own foundation map to share with students.
Foundation workshops focus on universal foundations of practice, rather than a specific style or form. These can be applied to tai chi and qigong forms, as well as other movement forms, yoga and meditation practice. This can be mapped out on a single sheet of paper and is relatively easy to understand at a basic level - and over time, we can go much deeper into it - it is said that the practice is 'an inch wide and a mile deep'.
Foundation Practice Map
- ‘Song Gong’ – relaxing, loosening, sinking, co-ordination & mobility
- ‘Kai Men‘ – opening, stretching, elasticity, 'silk pulling', yoga
- Structure Work – structural principles, stances, shapes, standing practice ('zhan zhuang / ding shi'),
- Internal Work - ('neigong'), body-mind connection ('yi' and 'qi'), breath & energy work (somatic / sensory), internal release & opening ('sinking the qi')
- 'Tai Chi, Wu Chi & Zhong Ding' - equilibrium ('zhong ding') in inner & outer environment ('heaven-man-earth') - harmony of yin and yang (taiji / wuji)
- 'Static Gong Fu' – timed standing practice, ‘bitter work’, building practice over time, building Qi
- 'Moving Gong Fu' - internal / structurally focussed movement, mobilising the 'yi / q'i', single form practice ('dan lian'), Tai Chi principles in movement.
- Mapping Directions & Movements – open-close, flex-extend, vertical, horizontal, rotation, spiral, balance, stepping, walking
- Partnerwork – co-operative partner practices based on above foundations - Tai Chi 'energies' in partnerwork ('pushing hands')
Note: This may seem like a lot to take in and can be confusing or overwheling at first - don't be discouraged! - these elements are like jigsaw puzzle pieces that eventually form a simpler picture as they become embodied in our practice.
Saturday 19th September 2026
11:30am to 2:30pm
Partickhill Bowling & Community Club
46 Partickhill Road
Glasgow G11 5BY
Saturday 26th September 2026
11:30am to 2:30pm
Fairlie Village Hall
72 Main Road
Fairlie KA29 0AB
£40 / £30 concessions
Payment can be made via payment link below, bank transfer or in cash at workshop.
https://alanskirving.co.uk/product/weekend-workshop-drop-in-40/
