Biography
Andy James sees himself as a global citizen having lived in Guyana, the U.K. and Canada. Being western educated but of Chinese descent, he discovered Eastern spirituality and philosophically around the age of 20, specifically Buddhism, which radically transformed his life. Around the same time, he started practicing the Asian martial arts and eventually gravitated to taijiquan.
He was fortunate to find and be instructed by eminent teachers – Thai meditation master Dhiravamsa and taijiquan and ‘internal arts’ master, Miss Rose Li of Beijing. He earned a B. Sc (Econ) degree from the London School of Economics and qualification as a Chartered Accountant of England and Wales, working in the City of London.
He moved from London to Toronto, Canada in 1981 and in 1984, gave up the business world to teach meditation, taijiquan and related arts including qigong. His teaching organization, the Tai Chi and Meditation Centre, has taught thousands of students and garnered local and national media coverage in Canada. He has judged in national taijiquan competitions in Canada and the U.S. and his students have won many competition medals.
In 2003, Andy and his wife, Nicola, opened The Harmony Dawn Retreat Centre to the public. It was built in rural Ontario using green technology as well as subtle energy Feng Shui principles. It acts not only as a nurturing space for mind-body groups but as an experiential example of integrated and balanced living. Healthy and delicious food is an essential and popular part of the Harmony Dawn experience for both new and returning guests.
