Andreas Schöter Flat 12, 44 Craighouse Gardens, Edinburgh EH10 5TZ Tel: 07752 721654 Email: andreas@yijing.co.uk Although I'd earlier had a brief encounter with "Health Club Taiji", I first really studied Taiji Quan with Paul Zabwodski in 1986 in Exeter. Paul has a broad base in Chinese martial arts and, whilst my primary study was the Yang style hand form, I was also exposed to some Wing Chun and Shaolin. In 1988 I moved to Brighton to go to university and during 1989 I did a little Aikido. In 1991 my academic studies moved me again, this time to Edinburgh. Initially, I joined a class run by Adrian Martinez, learning the Beijing Short Form and some pushing hands. Then, in mid-1992 I began to study Wudang Taiji Quan under Sifu Ian Cameron who has been my teacher since that time. In November of 1996 I was awarded an Instructor grade by Sifu Cameron, becoming a Senior Instructor in the style in 2007. I am also a registered instructor for the style with the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain and a registered instructor with the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts. I enjoy the performance of the art, and I have helped at a number of demonstrations of Five Winds Tai Chi. Memorably, in 1998 the School was honoured to be asked to demonstrate at the New Year celebrations for Edinburgh's Chinese community, helping to usher in the Year of the Tiger! I was very pleased to be chosen by Sifu Cameron to perform the spear form along with Tadek Klasicki, whilst Sally Munro and Sifu Cameron performed the sword form. I'm keen to broaden my martial arts horizons; so, whilst keeping Wudang Taiji as the core of my practice, I've attended a number of seminars over the years, for example with Mike Sigman when he visited Edinburgh and, in London, Chen Xiao Wang. I've also studied a little Xingyi Quan (the "Five Element Fist") and the basic palm changes of Ba Gua Zhang. I feel these extra-curricular activities inform my Taiji, and deepen my understanding of the internal arts. Although competition has never been a main concern in my practice, in October of 2002 I was pleased to make up part of the Five Winds team competing in the 2nd European Tai Chi Championships in Denmark. Dispite sustaining a shoulder injury in the Pushing Hands heats, I was proud to go on and win a gold medal for my spear form and a silver in the restricted step pushing hands in my weight category. The full story of the Five Winds team is here! One of my main concerns is the state of Taiji Quan in the West; so many people seem to be teaching with an incomplete picture of what the art encompasses. I consider it the responsibility of a teacher of Taiji Quan, what ever their reasons for teaching, to strive for the deepest understanding of all aspects of the art. How else can they give their students honest and comprehensive teaching? I currently teach two classes in the Morningside area, one focusing mainly on handform and the other covering the complete traditional syllabus. I also run a practice group for more experienced students, concentrating mainly on pushing hands and self-defence applications, and I help teach in Sifu Cameron's classes at Meadowbank. In addition to my traditional classes, I also work with various mental health groups around Edinburgh, teaching Taiji as a means of relaxing and reconnecting with the physical self. I believe this is completely in keeping with the full spirit of the art. Taking the philosophy of Taiji from the purely physical into emotional, intellectual and spiritual realms, I have an interest in the Yijing, the Chinese Book of Change. Most of my work involves the formal properties of the symbol system and their application in divination. I've had a number of articles published in various journals of the topic. I am also interested in the connections between the Yijing and Taiji Quan, as they share the same underlying metaphysical framework. I maintain a web site presenting my work. I am a qualified sports and remedial massage therapist. I find that Taiji Quan and physical therapy make an excellent combination. I practice in Edinburgh, with my partner Fiona McIntyre, under the name of 5 Elements Therapy. We have a web site here.