Founder of Rising Dragon Tai Chi School, RDTC Living, Soul Moves, co-founder TMW Training Ltd, and practitioner of Vortex Healing and practitioner and teacher of Metatronic Healing.
Born 4/6/1952
Meditation
Studies : I first learned to meditate when I was 13 years old. I was taught by a doctor who was helping me deal with asthma. It worked, and showed me that we can change ourselves. When I was 16, at the invitation of my House Master, I studied with with Douglas Harding, author of “The Headless Society” and teacher of consciousness.
Age 25 I began Tai Chi practice, which included meditation, with Tibetan Lama the Venerable Geshe Damcho. I also studied Vipassana Meditation with Aachen Sumedho of Chithurst Monastery.
Age 29 I left London and for the next two and a half years lived at Geshe Damcho’s Tibetan Buddhist Centre where I undertook intensive practice in many fields of meditation including numerous solo retreats of a week or more. Whilst there I studied with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Ling Rinpoche, Tsong Rinpoche, Rato Rinpoche and many others. I continued my study of Vipassana meditation with Munindra and Goenka.
Teaching Experience : From 1986 to 1989 I worked with Ram Dass on his European retreats offering early morning Tai Chi and meditation sessions.
From 1986 to 2006 I led meditation and early morning sessions on Richard Moss’s 10 day European Retreats.
From 1986 to 2008 I led meditations on UK and European workshops with Emmanuel & Pat Rodegast.
I continue to practise and live meditation. I also conduct meditation retreats as part of the trainings I offer to my students.
Tai Chi Chuan
Studies : From the age of 25 I studied intensively for 4 years at the British Tai Chi Chuan Association in London, becoming Centre Director after 3 years and a teacher at the centre.
In 1979 I founded the Rising Dragon Tai Chi School in Bristol at the invitation of David & Penny Brohn. I also began teaching in Cardiff and in 1982 centred the School in Cardiff.
In 1988 I handed my Cardiff Centre over to my assistants in order to develop the national school, which blossomed into an organisation with 1200 students and 22 teachers at its height. In 1995 my wife and I developed our own residential centre, Poulstone Court, hosting courses throughout the year. Poulstone Court is also the residential centre of the Rising Dragon Tai Chi School, where I teach my own meditation and Tai Chi retreats.
Influences : Studied Cheng Man Ching style with Grand Master Chi Kiang Tao – President Taiwan Tai Chi Chuan Association and Senior Instructor
Studied Yang Family Style with Grand Master Chu Gin Soon – No 1 disciple of Mr Yang of the Yang Family
Studied Cheng Man Ching Style with Dr John Kells – No 1 student of Dr Chi Studied Wu Family Style with Simon Peow – Singapore
In the process of these studies, I learned numerous Chi Kung exercises which I incorporate into my present-day teaching.
Other Aspects – counselling, TMW, Soulmoves and Healing
During my 20s I studied counselling with Chad Varah founder of the Samaritans and became a Samaritan.
For the past 27 years I have taught Tai Chi and meditation to individuals and to students in the Rising Dragon Tai Chi School, Soulmoves and TMW.
In recent years I have developed “Soul Moves” (www.soulmoves.co.uk) as a way of allowing people to benefit from the essence of Tai Chi in their daily lives without having to go through a long training in the technique of Tai Chi Chuan. I offer weekend courses and one year trainings in Paris, Geneva, Oslo, Copenhagen, Slovenia and the UK.
I have also founded TMW Training (Tai Chi Movements for Wellbeing) along with a consultant clinical psychologist Dr David Quinn (www.tmwtraining.com) TMW is a specially developed sequence of movements which promotes physical and emotional wellbeing.
With origins in both Tai Chi and Chi Kung, the TMW sequence distils elements of these arts into a simple series of movements without complex forms to learn or difficult techniques to master.
TMW is currently Skills Active recognised and working with open trainings as well as with the Welsh Government and Hereford Brain Injury Unit amongst others.
I have used Tai Chi/Chi Kung exercises to help people in :
- Hereford Blind College
- Hereford Parkinson Society
- Hereford Multiple Sclerosis Society
- Bristol Cancer Help Centre, both for staff and patients
- Bath University Business Centre
- The Haven for Breast Cancer London & Hereford
- Day seminars for Health Creation
- I have written numerous articles on Tai Chi Chuan, together with three booklets for students of the Rising Dragon Tai Chi School
I have made four DVDs of Tai Chi and Tai Chi exercises and created two Meditation CDs. More are in the pipeline.
I have taken part in TV & Radio documentaries and interviews – including HTV, BBC1 and BBC Radio Wales etc
I am currently finishing the final edit of book entitled “Soul Moves” detailing the journey of awakening through the paths of Tai Chi and meditation and especially the living of it in daily life.
I have been trained in the current healing techniques in date sequence :
- The Metamorphic Technique
- Usui Reiki I & II
- I have developed my own healing technique, Healing Touch
- Currently undergoing intensive training with Vortex Healing having completed 8 of the 9 levels of training
- I have completed all 5 levels of Metatronic Healing and have recieved the Teacher transmission, being one of only two people allowed to teach Metatronic Healing to others.
Over the past 30 years I have had a deep and wide experience of both meditation and Tai Chi Chuan, as a student, as a teacher and as an administrator. I bring this experience and in its distilled form offer the very heart and essence of these paths making them immediately accessible and relevant.