Exploring intersectionality and embodiment through tai chi and Christian theology
Dreamer’s Blog
“Trust your feelings’ –Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope
“Your focus determines your reality”–Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace
“For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven”–Ecclesiates 3:1, NRSV
Navigating The Blog
Welcome to blog central! You can navigate the blog via category hyperlinks, the search tool, or by scrolling through the posts in chronological order. If you like what you read, you may wish to book me for poetry readings, guest preaching, or theological talks.
If you have been watching the news at all lately, you’ve probably heard of sword yoga, and one of its most popular innovators, WeaponsUp. This organization fuses kung fu sword (jian) training with traditional yoga practices to empower women. The discourse within the martial arts community about this fusion practice is heated indeed. I also…
Recently, a member of my family died. The death was not a surprise; it came after a long life, and it occurred as peacefully as one could hope with plenty of warning thanks to excellent long-term care staff. As anyone who has lost loved ones will know, however, all the warning and good conditions in…
This May marked a significant milestone in my tai chi (taijiquan) practice: I have now been practicing Chen style taijiquan for 11 years which is equally as long as I practiced Taoist Tai Chi before that. It is fitting that this milestone occurred during Asian Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month in Canada as…
Today marks World Tai Chi and Qigong Day. This month, I’ve also been practicing tai chi for 22 years; in May, I will have been practicing Chen style tai chi for 11 years. I am forever grateful for the ways tai chi has changed my life over the past 22 years. I firmly believe in…
To the Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney: Congratulations on crossing the threshold to a majority government. I am writing to you as a person with disabilities and a person of faith, to urge you to make the most of this opportunity. Many marginalized and vulnerable communities of which I am a part have been…
Today marks the first International Day of Taijiquan. To commemorate the occasion, I will share some of the ways my taijiquan practice has deepened over the past year. The New Frame In the past year, I have added the New Frame (xinjia) routines to my practice. The New Frame has some differences which are designed…
In Canada, we celebrate Irish Heritage Month through the month of March and today we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with billions of others around the world. My paternal grandfather was from County Armagh in northern Ireland. I never knew him as he died before I was born but I was motivated to explore my Irish…
Today marks the annual International Women’s Day. As a taijiquan practitioner and an intersectional feminist, I thought I’d share some reasons I think taijiquan is a martial art that would benefit any woman interested in learning. Body Mechanics & Power Generation Taijiquan is a martial art that relies a lot on correct body mechanics for…
Several leading taijiquan teachers have asserted that familiarizing oneself with Chinese cultural works is essential to deepening one’s taijiquan practice. Since we are starting the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese lunar calendar, I will take this opportunity to share ways in which I broaden my cultural literacy. Tao Te Ching/Dao De Jing…
This week (February 1-7, 2026) marks World Interfaith Harmony Week. As such, I wanted to briefly explore my own interfaith journey and why I think tai chi is an excellent vehicle for such explorations. Overview of Faith and Tai Chi I began practicing tai chi when I was 12 years old. While I have changed…
The Dreamers' Corner 