Workshops are an opportunity to go deeper into different elements of practice – the programme cycles through core practice themes, allowing more time to explore and develop the practice, as well as more time for 121 feedback and correction – beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome. See also Retreats page.
2026 WORKSHOPS
Tai Chi Qigong Foundation Workshops
Partickhill, Glasgow West End & Fairlie North Ayrshire
Foundation workshops provide a structured introduction for beginners and a practical framework for long term progression.
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.
“There are no secrets, only movements too small to be seen”
Huang Sheng Shyan
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’), functional (external) strength (‘wai gong’)
- Internal Work – (‘nei gong’) body-mind connection (‘yi’ and ‘qi’), breath & energy work (somatic / sensory), internal release & opening (‘sinking the qi’), meditation practice
- Tai Chi, Wu Chi & Zhong Ding – equilibrium (‘zhong ding’) in inner & outer environment (‘heaven-man-earth’) – harmony of yin and yang (taiji / wuji), opening & closing (‘kai-he’)
- Static Gong Fu – timed standing practice, ‘bitter work’, building practice over time, building Qi and fullness (‘peng jin’)
- Moving Gong Fu – internal / structurally focussed movement, mobilising the ‘yi / qi’, single form practice (‘dan lian’), Tai Chi principles in movement.
- Mapping Directions & Movements – open-close, flex-extend, vertical, horizontal, rotation, spiral, balance, stepping, walking – whole body connected movements (‘one part moves, all parts move’)
- Partnerwork – co-operative partner practices based on foundations – Tai Chi ‘energies’ in partnerwork (‘pushing hands’)
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 Drop-In / £30 Current Students & Concessions
Cheng Man-ch’ing Tai Chi – Foundations, 37 Form & Pushing Hands
Cheng Man-Ching was pioneering teacher who brought Tai Chi and Chinese culture to the West during the 1960’s & 1970’s. His simplified Yang style Tai Chi is characterised by relaxation, softness, listening and timing, with a more philosophical, spiritual or Qi based approach, being less martial or technically focussed. ‘Professor Cheng’ was known for his skill in Tai Chi, as well as in Chinese medicine, painting and deep roots in Chinese culture and philosophy.
Workshop Content:
- Tai Chi 37 Form – Cheng Man-ch’ing Style Tai Chi 37 Form (Simplified Yang Style Tai Chi)
- Qigong / Neigong – Cheng Man-ch’ing lineage Qigong / Neigong & Practice Principles – includes Standing Practice, CMC ‘8 Methods’, Huang Sheng Shyan’s 5 Loosening Exercises, Liu Xiheng’s ‘Swimming Dragon’ Exercises.
- Pushing Hands (Tui Shou’) – Cheng Man-ch’ing lineage pushing hands and partnerwork principles.
Saturday 17th October 2026, 11:30am to 3:30pm – Fairlie Village Hall
72 Main Road, Fairlie KA29 0AB
Sunday 25th October 2026, 1:30pm to 5:30pm – Partickhill Bowling & Community Club
46 Partickhill Road, Glasgow G11 5BY
£50 – 4-Hour Workshop / £40 – Concessions
Partnerwork & Pushing Hands
Partnerwork and ‘pushing hands’ (tui shou) is a fundamental aspect of Tai Chi practice – it also of great benefit to Qigong practice, through co-operative ‘pressure testing’ to guide the development of various practice attributes.
This workshop will cover: foundation partnerwork attributes – loosening, yielding, listening, neutralising, receiving and returning – understanding and cultivating Tai Chi’s 8 energies – peng lu ji an tsai lieh zhou kao – pushing hands pattern practice – single & double pushing hands, Cheng Man-ch’ing, Huang Sheng Shyan and Wu style pushing hands.
Saturday 21st November 2026, 11:30am to 3:30pm – Fairlie Village Hall
72 Main Road, Fairlie KA29 0AB
Sunday 29th November Oober 2026, 1:30pm to 5:30pm – Partickhill Bowling & Community Club
46 Partickhill Road, Glasgow G11 5BY
£50 – 4-Hour Workshop / £40 – Concessions
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS 2026
Saturday 19th September – Tai Chi Qigong Foundations, Partickhill Bowling Club – 11:30am to 2:30pm
Saturday 26th September – Tai Chi Qigong Foundations, Fairlie Village Hall – 11:30am to 2:30pm
Saturday 17th October – Cheng Man-ch’ing Tai Chi, Fairlie Village Hall – 11:30am to 3:30pm
Sunday 25th October – Cheng Man-ch’ing Tai Chi, Partickhill Bowling Club – 1:30pm to 5:30pm
Saturday 21st November – Partnerwork & Pushing Hands, Fairlie Village Hall – 11:30am to 3:30pm
Sunday 29th November – Partnerwork & Pushing Hands, Partickhill Bowling Club – 1:30pm to 5:30pm