Dr. Anthony Ng

I moved to Canberra from Malaysia in 1977 to continue my high school studies at Marist College in Pearce. Apart from leaving for a short time to complete my tertiary studies interstate, Canberra has been my home.

I have been a member of the Chinese Traditional Wushu and Health Academy since 2002.

Wushu is commonly regarded as a fighting style in the West. I also see Kung Fu as a fighting form, but more importantly I see it as an art; a culture encompassing physical well being, mental well being and self discipline. It is the underlying benefits to one's health that most practitioners I feel, fail to appreciate.

I have found Wushu to be a good form of physical exercise with focus on posture, balance, aerobic capacity and strength which promotes physical well being. Wushu also influences the mind by promoting mental balance and peace. I believe when harmony between the body and the mind is achieved, it increases health and mental well being. This harmony is then reflected to how we conduct ourselves in our daily lives. This, I believe, is our aspiration.

Wushu is traditional Chinese culture. I invite all to experience and appreciate one of the most valuable aspects of Chinese culture - for both young and old.

Beth Worrall

Behind the slow and graceful movements of Tai Chi are benefits that many Westerners are now learning about. We are finding that the sequence of subtle movements are improving flexibility, strength, balance and feelings of wellbeing. Additional training exercises and Qi Gong are revealing areas of ancient knowledge that can be applied to enhance our health and the quality of busy modern lifestyles. More research is being done and it is pleasing to see that benefits are being confirmed by science.

I began learning at retirement age, and since starting I have experienced the positive outcomes and hope to continue doing so for many years to come!

Craig Mallett

I started training Xin Yi Liu He Quan and Cha Quan in September 2003, and started Tai Ji Quan in September 2005. Originally intending to use martial arts only as a tool to get fit and maybe learn some self defence techniques, I instead ended up thrown in the deep end of these strange but extremely rewarding arts. My practice began as a hobby; training only once or twice a week, I had no idea why I was being asked to drill these bizarre movements over and over again. It took me over 2 years to figure out the benefits of this type of practice and only then did I begin to take my training seriously. Looking back, the progress I made over the first two years could have probably been achieved within 6 months with a proper training routine.

My practice has very much become a lifestyle for me now, and my love for it pushes me to get at least a couples of hours in every day. I use the movements I have learned as tools to research the relationship between my mind, my body and my surrounding environment. With diligent training, I am peeling away the layers of bad habits built up over a lifetime, slowly revealing my full potential and returning to a completely natural state. Each day my practice helps me to calm my mind, eliminate useless wandering thoughts and bring me closer to a state of complete awareness. Physically, I have learned to relax my body to a depth I never thought possible before training. I am faster, more powerful and have far greater endurance than ever, and I do it with greater ease and relaxation as I learn to move in complete harmony. Still, I am only scratching the survace, and every answer I find seems to raise ten more questions that need to be researched in depth.

David Witheridge

I have found that wushu and taiji practice is a way to practice using the body efficiently, as a whole, without conflict, and with flowing movement that is in harmony with the bodys natural design. Conflict in the body can come from incorrect posture, excess tension, and a distracted mind. By concentrating on the principles of posture and movement within taiji and wushu, you can correct your posture, and as you get stronger, you can reduce tension in the body and relax. Being mindful of the principles helps reduce wandering thoughts, and helps quieten your mind. As you relax, you can involve more of your body in the movement, and more of your body becomes in harmony. When you move, your whole body is involved, without any stiffness, and it feels smooth, fluid, and stable.

By training your body to move as efficiently as possible, smoothly and without tension, and by being mindful of your physical actions and mental state, you can have a very positive effect on your everyday life.

Eamon Logue

My name is Eamon and I work in IT. As an office worker, I feel lucky that I have the chance to get away from the office environment and practice martial arts on a regular basis. It is a precious counterpoint to my life in the modern world, and acts as a solid balance to my career duties. Training keeps me fit and healthy and presents me with the opportunity to learn and improve my capabilities. It gives me an outlet to practice humility, creativity and discipline. Learning from a good teacher in a class environment helps me understand the necessity for respect. I find the philosophy of the training very helpful. There is a natural harmony to it.

The reliance on external factors for health is diminishing as time passes  I find that I am healthier now than any time before I started training. Practice is preventative medicine for the body and the mind. Its still hard, but the desire to train grows the more you do it. Even in winter, the chill of the morning air is not a concern that lasts past the few minutes it takes to work up a sweat. As I persevere with training, the constant adversity becomes my measuring stick for difficulty in life, and every task just seems to get a little easier in comparison. It took a while for my mind to adapt to the concept that the training never gets easier  one just gets better at it and has to work harder to reach personal limits. I find it rather agreeable that every time limits are reached, they increase. Its certainly a rewarding practice, but there are sacrifices martial arts demands of its followers. One must have determination and be able to consistently examine ones own weaknesses. As time passes it becomes harder and harder to excuse them. Time is another issue  the training demands patience. After a while, one realises the intrinsic nature of the rewards training provides.

I no longer train for competition, or to become a peerless fighter, or even to reach the highest level of personal health. I train because I love to.

Isaac Hudson

Ive been doing wushu and tai chi for around 5 years now. I was initially attracted by the possibility of learning something that was hard (or impossible) to master and would last my whole life. As I continued to train and became more mentally and physically aware, I started to appreciate the arts for their intricacies and infinite depth. Lately though, life events have made it difficult for me to train as much as I would like. This has forced me to appreciate the health benefits that even moderate training can provide. Interestingly, it is those health benefits that are currently inspiring me to try and return to my previous training levels.

My overall goal is to reach a point where I am practising wushu purely for the enjoyment of doing so, and the benefits of practising are a happy coincidence. Im not there yet, but I know that the way to get there is the same as always  practice, practice, practice!

Rosemary Birch

I never enjoyed competitive sport or gym classes but I was attracted by the graceful movements of Taiji and began learning it as a form of exercise. I soon discovered that Taiji is far more than just a series of physical movements; it is a martial art and is based on philosophical principles thousands of years old.

After four years of practice I am physically healthier and stronger and my balance and flexibility have improved. This is important for me as I have low bone density and am at risk of developing osteoporosis. My Taiji practice is a vital part of preventing this disease.

I am mentally more relaxed and focussed which helps me a great deal in my everyday life and work. I am excited to realise that the study of Taiji can be lifelong, and I look forward to growing and developing in understanding and skill.

Sonny Natali

Im currently studying Physics in Australian National University (ANU). Its been around 5 months since I started coming for the Taichi class. I found this to be a really rewarding experience. When Shifu asked me to write what I know about Taichi, I was not too sure what to write. I realized that my understanding is still really shallow. All that I can say is that I feel a lot of improvement in my body. I feel a lot more energized and alert. Even after long rigorous activities or work, I feel that my body is recovering really fast.

Shifu asked me to relate this with physics knowledge, well its really hard. All I could think of is in Quantum Physics. Weve got the famous uncertainty principles that state everything has an uncertainty characteristic attached to it, so I guess Taichi helps us to be more alert to the (inevitable) changes happening in our body and to acknowledge these minute changes and adjust accordingly. To quote what Shifu said during training: When doing Taichi, it is not only our hands or feet which we are exercising; it is every cell in the body.