Welcome to Dao Body my Chinese Yoga and Massage Therapy site.

On this site you'll find information on Massage Therapy and Dao Yin (Chinese Yoga), the principal therapies that I offer, as well as Tai Chi for health.

The aims of Daoist (Taoist) holistic health practice and Chinese Medicine are the same; the achievement of a healthy balanced physical and mental state. Daoist practice consists of combining physical and mental discipline. Chinese Medicine is, at least in part, something that is done to the recipient. However there is an expectation that the "patient" takes some responsibility for their own welfare.

As a teacher and a therapist my aim is to present information in a clear and matter of fact manner. Whenever possible I use plain English so that information is accessible to everyone.

I try to avoid jargon phrases and vague "new age" terminology. You can read elsewhere on the site about the TaiJi (Tai Chi) that I practise and teach. The site focuses more on the Martial Approach but the health aspects of Taiji are well documented particularly its ability to reduce stress, improve balance and enhance circulation.

I was fortunate to discover the British Taoist Association, it's an organisation with strong links to many temples in mainland China and some of its members have been ordained as Daoist priests. The most experienced being Shi Jing (above)

Shi Jing is an excellent teacher and leads several annual retreats teaching Dao Yin and Meditation.

Dao Yin and Meditation are the two main practices that constitute an area of study that is called "Yangsheng"養生 which translates as "nourishing life".

My training in Holistic Therapy goes back to the early 90's when I studied both western massage styles (Swedish and Sports ~ Deep Tissue) and eastern styles (Shiatsu based mat work and Tui Na/ An Mo Chinese Massage).

The most obvious difference to the uninitiated is that western styles use oils directly against skin whereas Eastern styles more often take place on a mat on the floor and the techniques are delivered without oil through light clothing. Read more about massage therapy here.