Move Heal Awaken Newsletter Gabriel Shaw

“Use the mind to move the energy... Use the energy to move the body,”
— Yang Chengfu

Hello friends,

We live in a world of dualities and separations. The disconnection between mind and body, self and other, ancient and modern, art and science, etc. seems less like a perspective, and more the way it is. This foundation is reaffirmed by the very institutions whose results also challenge it. Most meditators focus on the mind. Physiology and psychology are siloed university departments. But the more I’ve studied all these fields, the more I see these distinctions as merely models. And models that have grown obsolete.

When I started practicing Tai Chi in 2003, I immediately fell in love with the way the flowing movements seemed to focus my anxiety and relax my body. As I continued the discipline over the next ten years, I heard countless stories about how the practice had helped fellow practitioners break through performance plateaus, from sports like running and swimming to more cognitive pursuits like research and writing. These reports, along with my own experience, presented me with a mystery. How did this ancient art seem to have such a significant impact on both the body and the mind?

I choose to enroll in a bachelor of science in kinesiology partly as a way to clarify that mystery. I studied exercise, nutrition, psychology and neuroscience. That time was valuable in many ways, but no amount of understanding exercise as medicine came close to capturing the felt experience of embodied practice. Even my professors who had explored and loved Tai Chi or Qigong couldn’t articulate it in an intelligible way.

The body is not a machine

Trying to understand the body as if it were a machine was the most critical mistake in that exercise science department, and it’s a mistake I see all over the world of exercise and physiology, generally. Anyone who cares about performance can tell you that your thoughts impact your results, as but one example. How does that work? Viewing the body as a series of pulleys and levers cannot answer that question.

The bridge between mind and body

What connects the mind and body? One Tai Chi teacher (Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming), taught me that in the west we say “the nervous system”, while in the east we say “qi” (or chi). But I’ll take that one step further, and say “emotions”.

Indeed, according to qigong theory, the heart is the center associated with qi. While in the west, we know that your heart rate and heart rate variability are the first places to measure your level of stress (ie. nervous system activation).

The language of the heart

Your nervous system (or heart) does not speak English—at least not very well. For words to matter, they need to first be translated into a language the body can understand. What is that language? Imagery*.

You don’t have to take my word for it. Think of the word “tiger”, and notice what happens. You probably automatically brought up an image of a tiger. If you consider those letters in order, it doesn’t tend to elicit much. On the other hand, an image of a tiger produces a much stronger reaction. The image makes the concept much more salient. It’s the same way you feel your love when you picture your lover’s face. And why “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

Connecting mind, heart and body

Understanding sensations, emotions and thoughts as points along a single spectrum (rather than separate phenomena) is one important contribution from tai chi and qigong. It’s an insight that we can apply to other modalities.

But that understanding has also led to an error among some tai chi or qigong practitioners. That error is to impose images on the body. That has its applications, but imagination can lead you astray from reality. That is a pitfall where it comes to healing.

What’s more impactful is listening to the body—learning to read its images. In Tai Chi, we call it “listening skill” or ting jin. By bringing that kind of presence to our body, we open to moving the energy that’s trapped there. Imagination is temporary. Release is transformative.

If you want to learn the language of your body, join me for a virtual workshop: “Tai Chi for Releasing Stored Stress” on June 17th. Gain the tools to dissolve chronic tension and clear your nervous system load so you can show up with greater energy and presence. Find more information and registration here.

*About 1% of the population has aphantasia and cannot process mental images. These people often skip that step and go right to energy. How do you speak the language of the body/nervous system? Reply here and let me know!

Virtual Workshop on Wednesday, June 17

For high-capacity humans, chronic stress doesn't always announce itself — it accumulates quietly in the body as tension, pain, and a persistent bracing against life. You've been the load-bearing wall for a long time. And the body keeps the score. This 75-minute virtual workshop brings together traditional tai chi, clinic nervous system regulation and somatic wisdom to teach you how to hear what your body is actually communicating, and to practice movements that restore calm without effort. This isn't about pushing harder at wellness. It's about learning to let the body unwind on its own terms.

Wednesday, June 17, 2026
7:00pm–8:15pm PT
Virtual (Zoom)
$35

You'll move from carrying decades of stored stress as physical tension and disconnection, to feeling calm, present, and equipped with practices that restore energy and help you finally hear what your body has been trying to tell you.

The Eight Energies of Tai Chi (Taijiquan)

Form and application seminar with Master Sam Masich

June 27-28

In this special 2-day seminar, we will dive deep into the core of Taijiquan. We’ll explore the eight energies (peng, lu, ji, an, cai, lie, zhou, kao) using traditional taijiquan form, push-hands, and application, as well as how Masich Internal Arts Method works to bring new life into ancient methods.

Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28
10:00am-5:30pm (break 1:00pm-3:00pm)
Esquimalt-Gorge Park, Victoria, BC
$200 (both days), $125 (single day)

​Learn more​

Healing Shares

Each week I share vetted resources from trusted experts to assist your healing journey.

• ​Tai Chi as Traumatic Intelligence (10 min article)​
  Check out Master Sam Masich’s substack for deep dives to the history and philosophy of Tai Chi. This article explains how Tai Chi was born out of crisis as a way of helping practitioners cope with trauma from its onset.
• ​Stretching for low back pain versus stability (2-min video)​
  I had to share this one because it explains an error I see all the time in my kinesiology practice. Namely, stretching instead of stabilizing for low back pain.
• ​Kettlebell Teacher Training (70-hour CE course)​
  Sharing this on behalf of my friends at Third Space Movement in Victoria. This training is for anyone keen to offer kettlebell focused group fitness classes or private lessons. This is more than just training that will teach you physical skills. This training will teach you how to be a strong instructor.

Thanks for being here with us. Did anything stand out to you? Please reply to let me know. We always enjoy hearing about your favorite resources, too.

Gabriel

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