My Story

If you do a quick search on the proven medical benefits of Tai Chi, it does not take long to find miraculous claims about transformational healing that often follows after proper instruction and practice. I am one of those living testimonies.

 
Having learned and practiced the traditional 108 postures of the Yang Long form way back in the 90's along with a lifetime of training in different martial art systems, it wasn't until the diagnosis of a chronic illness in 2016 that I realized just how much of my practice was "external". Tai Chi is an "internal" practice where the majority of physiological training takes place on the "inside" (nei gong= “internal skill/work”). My first and dearest Sifu, Ron Wilson, used to try and help me understand this by saying things like, “You could spend a lifetime training just this one movement and never stop learning from it.” - “Relax! You’re too stiff!...(while I thought I was relaxed)”, and “If you want your martial art to get better, you need to put more Tai Chi into it.” I must confess that I did not understand the nature of his effortless strength and ability until all of my strength was taken from me in 2016.

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Researching Masters-Experiencing Healing
Lying supine with a severe case of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a chronic disorder that falls under the umbrella of dysautonomia, I began to do research on masters that healed themselves and/or had tremendous control over their bodies. In 1992 I attained the level of black sash in a system called Wing Chun so it made sense for me to start there. That is where I stumbled upon master Chu Shong Tin. He was ill as a child and from the age of 20 told by doctors on 3 occasions that he would die. The 1st time he was given 3 months to live due to a stomach illness that lasted a year; the 2nd time, in his 60’s, he developed severe bruising and swelling with a blood platelet count so low that they tested him 3 times to be sure it was a correct measurement saying “With this result, we do not know how you are still alive”; the 3rd time he had stage 4 liver and kidney cancer in his mid 70’s and was given only a couple months to live. Refusing medical treatment and only practicing his internal Wing Chun system, he lived another 7 fulfilling years teaching and practicing. Most of the footage of him online preforming amazing feats of strength were filmed during this 7 year period.

(info taken from an interview by the “Martial Man”- see full article here).

I also stumbled upon Tai Chi Chuan Sifu Adam Mizner and saw levels of internal kung fu that surpassed that of my Sifu’s or anyone else I had ever seen. With nothing else to do, I spent endless hours watching footage of these great masters and began practicing the concepts they openly shared – first from my bed, then sitting up, and then finally standing. After 6 months of practicing only standing postures with the occasional light, slow, and intentional arm movements, my system experienced a total “reset”. It was on the morning of  March 5th, 2017. My doctors were confounded and one even said, “What happened to you is not a miracle, it is an impossibility but you are clearly healed.” 

Those months of mindful practice gave me time to:

•  Identify and wrestle with areas of cognitive dissonance

•  Deeply Observe what was going on within my body 

•  Change my diet to reduce stress on my digestive system  

•  Draw closer to God with steady prayer and devotional time

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This reminded my body to be well.  The only way I can explain it is my mind, body, and spirit were in alignment and agreement.  I’ve been in full remission of POTS and don't even get colds anymore, where as far as I can remember I used to get knocked down with something for a week at least once a year. In 2018 I got that nasty flu that was going around and knocked it out in a matter of hours. Friends and family didn't believe it until I had a test done  proving that it was in my system. The few hours proceeded like this: I could feel it in my system; feel my system react to it; I made some hot chicken soup and put my feet in hot water; felt my temperature rise; continued to be mindful the whole time doing breath work and quieting my mind and body; broke a sweat; it was gone. 

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Now, I continually research and study how our fearfully and wonderfully designed minds and bodies naturally heal. I've posted some books that best explain my experience here and continue to research the endless modalities for autonomic restoration in hopes to help as many people as I can optimize their health. I’m far from a Master, Doctor, or expert of anything… just a thankful student of myself helping others along their journey to a balanced mind, body, and spirit.  

See some of my fun ongoing research here:
   
 

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