Teachers
The 2 principal teachers at the Middle Way School of Tai Chi are Chris Hill and Phil Vickery. They have all studied extensively under Master Alan Peck as well as under other various Tai Chi Masters.
Chris Hill
I have been studying T’ai Chi for nearly twenty years, at the school previously ran by Alan Peck in Bedminster. In 1993 I was 19 years old and began study on the Short form. By 1995 I was a teaching assistant, helping in the smooth running of classes. I began teaching groups in the school unaided in 1998 and the following year I set up and facilitated practice classes for students of various levels. Alan Peck was a genuine kind and loving man who had an ability to create a positive space for people to become more comfortable within their own hearts and bodies. He was one of the foremost practitioners of Tai Chi in Britain and communicated the essence brilliantly to his students. My time with him was very enjoyable and educational and I miss him dearly.
Over the next three years I attended week-long workshops in France and Holland, under Dr Shen Hongxun, studying single postures for health (Taiji 37) and classes covering other aspects of T’ai Chi. Dr Shen demonstrated powerful examples of chi and it`s potential. During this time I also attended workshops under other masters. The workshops I attended confirmed that I wanted more than ever to gain a greater understanding of the system that Alan Peck and Dr Chi Chiang Tao taught.
I have also been very fortunate to have spent so much informal time with my dear friend Venerable Geshe Lobsang Thinley. I have been able to observe how Geshela, a genuinely cultivated man conducts himself in public and in private. When I am in his company I am always humbled and mesmerised with his skilful, compassionate and intelligent approach to interaction with fellow beings.
I believe that Tai Chi as a physical exercise can promote a feeling of harmony and creativity for individual, also a sense of connectedness amongst class participants. Tai Chi should also develop motor skills to a high level and encourage calm mind. Practitioners can also increase resources like confidence, greater emotional freedom and self-esteem which can be transferred to other areas of their life. Becoming good at Tai Chi is like having a really expensive Swiss Army knife; you have a tool for all occasions!
Phil Vickery
I first came across Tai Chi as a young child on TV with programmes such as “The Way of the Warrior”, “Ring of Fire” and documentaries. Years later whilst continuing a life long interest in the esoteric and spiritual practices I had managed to read one or two books on Tai Chi and decided to seek out a teacher.
It was in 1993 that I first contacted Alan Peck about classes, and then I started at the Natural Way T’ai Chi School in 1994. About a year later, after learning the Short form, I was invited to join the regular Tui Shou (Push Hands) class, and then a year after that to become an assistant helping out with class administration and with Alan’s main teaching. Eventually I was asked to teach within the school by Alan and have continued to develop this as well as my own personal T’ai Chi practice. I have taught on a one-to-one basis outside of the school but teach mainly in the schools weekday classes and workshops.
I have studied Taijiwuxigong with both Master Shen Hongxun and his daughter Master Shen Jin. I also attended a Masterclass workshop with Master Shen for advanced instruction in developing Tai Chi forces for applications and Push Hands aswell as health. I studied Chinese medicine with specific emphasis on Acupuncture at the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine and gained my Licentiate and Practitioner Diploma in Acupuncture and am a recognized Member of the British Acupuncture Council.
Through my study of Tai Chi I have developed an ongoing interest in both Taoism, Tibetan Buddhism and their respective practices of meditation. I have attended teachings by H.H. Dalai Lama. My interest in these areas and the connections through to my Tai Chi practice are a continuous relationship. I am motivated to deliver the highest quality of teaching that I can with the resource of my experience, understanding and my own personal insights into Tai Chi, health matters and energy work.