Francis Briers

Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art and health cultivation practice. Within the body of teaching there are some beautiful, and often less well-known, aspects that can help us to feel more connected and alive in everyday life.

This workshop will focus on teaching a deceptively simple set of Chi Gung exercises and standing meditation practices that you can take away and continue to explore after the session. The exercises work through the whole body to help us tune into different lines of connection through the tissues and subtle musculature.

The Chinese term Chi Gung is most commonly translated as ‘energy skills.’ Part of the gift of this set of exercises is to help you cultivate vibrancy and animation through your whole body. They can be both diagnostic and nourishing, helping you find where you might have got a bit ‘stuck’ in your body, and to then help create more flow and mobility.

The standing meditation is sometimes called Nei Gung, which is usually translated as ‘internal skill.’ There are different aspects to this, but it includes:

• Developing your felt sense of alignment and posture

• Learning to mindfully shift your state, from Yin (receptive) to Yang (assertive)

• Cultivating the personal qualities that help you to move more gracefully through the world

We will also work with walking meditation and do some partner work which is both fun and helps us to understand the movements, and the internal skills, in a whole other way.

We will have 3 hours (with a break, of course!) and allow time to digest, ask questions, take notes and learn deeply.

This workshop is suitable for anyone. You don’t have to have ‘embodiment’ or martial arts experience. 

Cost will be £40 for the half-day, £20 deposit. If you are a member of my weekly Tai Chi class then you can get a discount, ask me at class or drop me a line. It will be held at Anderida Community in Forest Row, East Sussex, UK. Timing will be 10.30am - 1.30pm.

There are only 12 places available on this workshop. To book your place get in touch and feel free to ask me if you have questions or would like to learn more.

Email: hello@francisbriers.com 

Facilitator - Francis Briers: I have been studying martial arts for over 20 years.  My exploration began while studying Tai Chi and other martial arts alongside training at drama school which also included extensive Alexander Technique and movement work.  Over the years I have always been fascinated with how we can make the deeply nourishing learning from specialist fields like martial arts and theatre, more accesible to everyone. It was in that spirit that I explored and taught somatics and embodiment for over 10 years, including training other facilitators and coaches. I have experimented with and incorporated learning from a range of martial arts (including being a 3rd dan black belt in Karate and Tai Chi instructor), standing meditation and chi gung, various schools of dance, embodiment and body-work, leadership and coaching, and many years of professional practice as a facilitator, coach and spiritual counsellor.  In my primary work, I am a professional facilitator, leadership & learning consultant, and coach, and have taught embodiment internationally.