Personal Background
My initial experience, having had my interest aroused by Fritjof Capra's Tao of Physics, was a brief encounter with the Geddes branch of Yang style Tai Chi. But I first studied Taiji Quan, including the martial perspective, with Paul Zabwodski in 1986. Paul studied Yang style Taiji with Rose Li, and has a broad base in Chinese martial arts; so, whilst my primary study was the Yang style hand form, I also studied Wing Chun's Little Idea Form and a small amount of Shaolin training. In 1988 I moved to Brighton to study Artificial Intelligence and Computing at the University of Sussex, and whilst there I did a little Aikido, including weapon work with the bokken. The Japanese style of weapon training, making extensive use of repetitive drill and short sequences, has continued to influence the way I train and teach weapons practice.
In 1991 my academic studies moved me again, this time to Edinburgh to study Cognitive Science. Initially, I joined a Taiji class run by Adrian Martinez, training in the Beijing 24 step short form and some pushing hands. Then, in mid-1992 I began to study Wu-Cheng Taiji Quan under Ian Cameron. Ian studied Taiji with Cheng Tin-Hung in Hong Kong in the early seventies, and has been teaching in Scotland since returning. He is the founder of the Five Winds School of Tai Chi. 
In November of 1996 I was awarded an Instructor grade by Sifu Cameron, becoming a Senior Instructor in the system in 2007, which qualified me to teach the complete syllabus for the style. Eventually, in 2008, I stepped out from under his wing to concentrate on developing my own classes.
I have participated at a number of demonstrations for Five Winds Tai Chi over the years. In particular, 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 pleased to be chosen by Ian to perform the spear form along with Tadek Klasicki, whilst Sally Munro and Ian performed the sword form.
Competition is not at all a major part of my practice, but in October of 2002 I made up part of the Five Winds team competing in the 2nd European Tai Chi Championships in Denmark. Despite sustaining a shoulder injury in the pushing hands heats, I was proud to go on and win a gold medal for my spear form, having to perform the sequence mirrored, due to the injury, and a silver medal in the restricted step pushing hands in my weight category. In total, the team came back with 3 gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze medals.
I'm always keen to broaden my martial arts horizons; so, whilst keeping Wu-Cheng Taiji as the core of my practice, I've attended a number of seminars over the years, for example with Mike Sigman and Chen Xiao Wang. I've also studied some Xingyi Quan (in particular, the "Five Element Fist") and the basic palm changes of Bagua Zhang. These explorations of other internal arts inform my Taiji and deepen my understanding of the internal arts. Taking me a little further afield, but still very directly related to my explorations of Taiji as a movement art, I've also completed a foundation course in Dance Movement Therapy at Queen Margaret University. The practice of Authentic Movement in particular attracts me as a way of reaching deeper into mind/body interaction.
I am a registered instructor with the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain and also with the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts.