Instructors 2025

In this, our 28th event, in addition to our usual high level instructors we have invited some special new guests to join us for the weekend. We have a total of 12 instructors joining us, 8 for the full week’s duration and an additional 2 as weekend guests. As a bonus we are repeating, by popular demand, the early morning Baguazhang session each day from Sunday through Thursday, to be led once again by  Sergio Uzzo and Simona Longeri.

As usual we consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to host a selection of high quality teachers, from all over Europe as well as Mexico, offering an interesting and varied range of workshops, something which we believe offers valuable educational material for all tastes and approaches to these arts.

Yanira Rodriguez

Following a high-performance national-level athletics career, Yanira began to ask herself: who she was, what she wanted and life itself, which led her in 1996 to the study and practice of Taijiquan and Zen meditation as tools to find the answers.

Along the way she found the importance of the balance of mind, body and heart, so she realised and appreciated this wonderful opportunity to live this human life.

In 2002 she became co-instructor of the Taijiquan program at the National University of Mexico. Since then, she has worked with students in Mexico, Canada, USA, Germany, England, Scotland, Spain and Italy. Yanira teaches Qigong , the complete curriculum of traditional Yang style Taijiquan and 5 Sections Taijiquan.

With additional training in medical acupuncture and physiotherapy, she shares this experience and helps students find balance through the practice of these disciplines.

www.shindomx.com/yanirajigetsu

Paul Silfverstrale

Paul is a Swedish martial arts teacher, acupuncturist and naturalist (not naturist!). After ten years of training in Kyokushinkai karate he started practicing Wudang Practical Tai Chi Chuan in 1998 under the guidance of Dan Docherty. With Dan´s introduction, he resided and studied in Malaysia and Singapore and trained with other masters of the Hong Kong Wu-lineage. After 20 years of practice Paul was appointed Level 9 – “Principal Instructor” in the style by sifu Docherty. During the years he expanded his experience under Bapak Wilhelm de Thouars’ in Kuntao Silat. He has won many Tuishou and Sanshou tournaments, and has coached several champions currently coaching the Swedish national team. He is an expert in natural and evolutionary movement (EVO Training).

Frederic Plewniak

Frédéric discovered Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan thirty years ago and has been teaching this style in Strasbourg, France, since 1998. He is a sword enthusiast and, for more than twenty-five years, he has committed himself to the development of what he now calls Taijijian Fencing, from the very basics of Taiji sword to free sparring with protective fencing gear. This is an ever-going process based upon experimentation and the Taijiquan Classics, as well as historical textual sources such as the Jian Jing, written in the XVIth century by General Yu Dayou.

James Carss

James began his martial arts journey at the age of 12 with wing chun kung fu and tai chi chuan. He studied both for 6 years before going to University and graduating in Sport and Fitness Science. James relocated to Hong Kong in his twenties to study at source and spent almost fifteen years living and studying chinese martial arts full time.

Experienced in many arts his specialism is Yiquan where he is a disciple of Hui Kit Wah and Chan Tak Chuen in the Han family of yiquan system. James is also qualified to teach liuhebafa, xingyiquan and baguazhang and is a certified instructor with the Hong kong Tai Chi Association.

Throughout his career James has maintained an emphasis on combat practicality and health whilst drawing on his own background and experience in sport science. He has a record of competing in both boxing and muay thai and working as a door supervisor.

Since returning to the UK he has founded the Xingyi Dacheng Boxing Association under the blessing of his teachers, and teaches students internationally across europe and North America. He is the author of three books: Yiquan, The Fighting art of the Han Brothers; Tao of Old School Boxing; and the Internal martial Artist Guide to Strength and Conditioning, In 2022 he developed the first yiquan mobile app.

https://internalmartialscience.com

Dee Swift

Dee has been teaching Yang Style Tai Chi and Qigong for 30 years. She was at the first ever Tai Chi Caledonia as a participant and returned as an instructor in 2004 and 2005 before diving in again last year to lead weekend workshops. Dee teaches a full curriculum of solo forms, partnerwork, weaponry, qigong and meditation from her base near the Lake District.

www.lakestaichi.org

Harriet Devlin

Harriet is the daughter of Gerda (Pytt) Geddes, who was the first non-Chinese woman teacher of Tai Chi Chu’uan in Europe. Gerda had lived in China in the late 1940s, but was taught by Master Choy Hawk Pang- a student of Cheng Man-Ch’ing – in Hong Kong  in the 1950’s. As a child Harriet watched the teachers and back in England began to learn from her mother who taught for decades at The Place in London. Pytt Geddes studied Chinese Taoism, art and symbolism and interpreted the Yang Style Long Form as an allegorical journey from birth to death experienced by every human being. In order to expand her knowledge, Harriet attended classes in New York and with her mother’s first teacher in San Francisco, as well as in Taiwan. Harriet has been teaching the Yang Style Long Form for over 40 years. She also taught  Shiatsu which she had studied in Japan and in the US. Harriet’s teaching is based on the interpretation of the spiritual and allegorical rather than the martial aspects of the form.

Gordon Faulkner

Gordon is the Director and Principal Instructor of the Chanquanshu School of Daoist Yangsheng Arts, a school with five branches of study: Quanshu, Daoyin, Neidan, Anmo, and Dao.

Gordon has had a lifelong interest in oriental culture but only began his martial art training in 1968.

As an Armed Forces Veteran with 22 years’ service in the Royal Air Force, he has trained with, been trained by, and ultimately trained members of all branches the British Armed Forces.

It was in the early 70s during his RAF service he encountered Chanquanshu, which led him to the ‘internal arts’ that would become his main practice.

During his military service, he became a founder member and General Secretary of the Royal Air Force Martial Arts Federation.

Recognised for his outstanding abilities in these fields in both the West and inside China, in the early 1990s he was invited to study the Daoyin Yangsheng Gong system with Professor Zhang Guangde of the Beijing University of Physical Education (BUPE).

In 1995, he became one of the first Westerners to be qualified as a Senior International Judge certified by the China Daoyin Yangsheng Gong Association and the China Wushu Society.

In 1999, at a ceremony held in the BUPE, Professor Zhang accepted him as a closed-door disciple (Ru Shi Di Zi in the Confucian tradition) and made him a successor to the Daoyin Yangsheng Gong lineage.

Gordon went through the Daoist Bai Shi ceremony on Wudang mountain in 2003 where You Xuande, the 14^th generation Grandmaster of Wudang boxing, made Gordon a 15^th generation lineage holder with the clan name of You Lisu.

He has taught throughout Europe and the USA, but presently Gordon teaches just a small group of dedicated students and, of course, his daughter Tina.

Academically, Gordon is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society and member of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding.

www.daoyinscotland.com

Mauro Bertoli

Mauro began his martial training as a child, first practising Judo and then continuing with Karate.

In 1985 he practised Shaolin Kung Fu with Master Chang Dsu Yao reaching the rank of black belt. In 1987 he began practising Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) “Yang Style” from that moment on he gradually detached himself from external styles to dedicate himself body and soul to “internal (Nei Jia)” styles.

After the death of the Head of School, he continued his learning journey and in 1994 he founded, together with other practitioners, the “Group 108”, an association which aimed to deepen and spread Chinese internal styles. He continues to attend seminars of various internal styles with Masters of the highest level and of various styles.

In 1995 he met Master Yang Lin Sheng and became his student, obtaining his black belt and also becoming an instructor in the Chen and Yiquan style taijiquan disciplines

In 2001 he took a long study trip to China, practising with many masters. He collaborated with Federico Motta Editor of an encyclopedia, dealing with the part concerning the art of Taijiquan.

In 2013 he founded and became president of ARTY (Taijiquan Yiquan Research Association) and obtained the position of National Master with CSEN (CONI-recognized Sports Promotion Body).

He participated as a teacher in the “Tai Chi Tcho” in La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) in the 2015/2017/2019 editions, in 2017 at the 6th International Push Hands Meeting in Prague (CZ), in 2022 at the “21st International pushing hands Hannover meeting” all prestigious international seminars with practitioners from all over Europe.

He has thirty years of teaching experience, especially in Yang style Taijiquan, Sword, Qigong and Pushing Hands gained by holding courses and seminars in Italy and abroad.

www.taijiquan.it

Sergio Uzzo and Simona Longeri

Sergio started his martial arts studies with with Master Yang Lin Sheng: Tai Ji (Chen Style), Xing Yi Quan, Yi Quan, Ba Gua Zhang. Then he studied Cheng Ming Style (Wang Shujin School), Tai Ji, Xing Yi Quan, Ba gua Zhang and Qi Gong with Master Paolo Magagnato. During the same period he studied also GM. Guo Guizhi’s Da Cheng Quan – Yi Quan. Studying directly under the direction of GM. Whang Fu Lai and GM. Huang Su Chun Sergio gained the international certification for Tai ji and Qi Gong of Cheng Ming School. During these years he also had the opportunity to study Taikiken with GM Michio Shimada Sensei. In 2016 he began his Sun Family Ba Gua Zhang studies with Master Luigi Zanini.

Simona started her martial arts studies in 1999 with Liu He Ba Fa Quan under Master John Shadow. After further studies with Prof. Li Xiaoming she became an instructor of Therapeutic Qi Gong.
In 2002 she began studying Xing Yi Quan, Bagua Zhang and Yi Quan with M. Yang Linsheng and Liu Chunyan,  going on to study Chen Style Taiji Quan with M. Xiaowang and M. Zhu Tiancai.
In 2006 she started to study Taiji Quan, Xing Yi Quan, Bagua Zhang and Yi Quan of Cheng Ming style (created by Wang Shujin) with M. Paolo Magagnato.
Simona gained 1st place in Tui Shou and 4th place in Tai Ji form at the international tournament in Taiwan in 2012. Today she is a Martial Arts, Yoga, and Pilates teacher.

Severin Berz

Severin shares his 20 years long experience with meditation, body awareness and perception which he applies to Taiji and Push-hands.
After some years of Bagua Zhang practice with Master Han Yanwu he was blessed with the great opportunity to intensely practice Taiji with Ghislain de Taillandier who also pointed him towards Master Sam Tam. Meeting with Sam Tam allowed him to experience the Taiji principles in the most refined way and to have a clear direction for his practice.  Severin likes to help people to refine their awareness of subtle energetic, perceptual and postural settings and integrate them into their own technical background.

www.taijiheart.com

Katrin Blumenberg

Katrin is a Qigong instructor who teaches in German speaking countries.

She specializes in instructing doctors, psychologists and elementary teachers on how to include Qigong in their work.

When she was working for the “Chinese National Circus“, she met her late husband, the acrobat and Chinese doctor Zheng Yi.

Together they invented the “Qi Gong of the four seasons“.

She wants to enable an easy access to Qigong, without lowering its quality. It is also one of her goals to empower women to teach and show full capabilities.

                                    www.qigong-four-seasons.com

Tammy Bliss

Tammy is committed to the world of holistic wellness, and her life’s work reflects a deep dedication to the disciplines of meditation and Qigong. With nearly three decades of devoted practice Tammy’s passion has expanded into the realm of Traditional Chinese Medicine, driven by her ongoing search for holistic healing methodologies. Her adventure into TCM enhances her connection with people, offering them a way to heal not only their minds, but their bodies as well with an integrative combination Tammy teaches, Qigong, Tuina, stationary Qigong with acupressure and pharmacopoeia techniques. Yin practices, 5 elements techniques practices, Vishoka meditation, pranayama breathing, systemic relaxation, mantra meditation, guided meditation as well as tension and relaxation practices, she is also certified as a teacher of hatha yoga, yin yoga, iyengar yoga, gentle yoga, restorative yoga, hot yoga, power yoga. Tammy teaches in USA, Costa Rica and Mexico and her teaching is a testament to her belief in the interconnectedness of physical and mental health and her commitment to providing holistic healing solutions.

www.shindomx.com/shindoteam