Learn About Our Classes and the Benefits of Tai Chi
Our Tai Chi Classes
We teach Tai Chi classes for beginners. These are friendly and fun classes taught in a supportive environment. The focus is on health and relaxation. As Kiyoko and Stewart teach the class together it's very easy to join the class at any time. The class format includes learning the form as a group as well as 1 to 1 teaching so don't fret about getting "stuck" trying to remember a certain move - we'll get you through it!
You will be taught a short Tai Chi hand form as well as various ancillary and Qi Gong exercises. Scroll on down to learn about the Tai Chi hand form and other aspects of Tai Chi.
New Beginner's Class in Ramsbottom town centre. Click here for directions: Map: Foundations for Learning. The beginner's class runs all year. You can join at any time. The class is also suitable for students who have some experience and want to improve. If you have some experience but "forgotten" what you learned this class will help bring it back.
| Location |
Foundations for Learning, Nursery, Factory St. See above Link to Google Map for Directions
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| Date/Time | Every Thursday beginning 8th April. From 19.30-21.00 |
| Cost |
£5/class or 6 classes for £25. 10% off for OAP, Unwaged and Families
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Private Lessons. We teach Tai Chi & Qi Gong privately to individuals or small groups at their/our premises. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Corporate Events. We provide one-off Tai Chi & Qi Gong lessons for Corporate Events and Company Team Building. Regular lessons are also provided to employees in the workplace. These can be a cost effective way to reduce absenteeism, improve productivity and reduce workplace stress.
For more information:: T. 01706-281008, M 0773-5082-388
Click here to go straight to the "Contact Us Form" and send your questions or comments directly to us.
About Tai Chi
Tai Chi Chuan originated as a Chinese martial art. The word "chuan" indicates a martial art. In the West most people shorten this to Tai Chi whether or not the system they practice has any specific martial training.
Tai Chi is more popular and more widely known for the slow, graceful, flowing movements of its practitioners as they glide through the Tai Chi "hand form". The practice of the low-impact hand form has been described as meditation in motion. Our own personal practice includes the martial side of Tai Chi. And we do teach this aspect of the art although our regular classes focus on Tai Chi hand form as well as various ancillary and Qi Gong exercises.
Tai Chi - Benefits
Medical studies are now confirming what Tai Chi practitioners have experienced for years, namely that health and wellbeing can be improved by practicing Tai Chi. Below you will find links to various articles covering a wide range of conditions that Tai Chi has been found to help. The links are to well know sites such as the BBC and some of the daily newspapers as well as to Science Daily and others dedicated to specific conditions (e.g. Arthritis Foundation). We hope you find them encouraging.
We would point out that dramatic improvements to existing conditions don't usually happen overnight. As with any exercise we should listen to what our body tells us - challenge our limitations but work within them. With repeated practice in class and in our own time, as the articles indicate, we should expect to see some benefits.
Tai Chi & Arthritis
Tai Chi for Arthritis Relief Click Here
Drug-free Treatments Offer Hope For Older People In Pain Click Here
Tai Chi for Arthritis--or Fibromyalgia (National Fibromyalgia Association) Click Here
Tai Chi Seems Tailor-Made for Easing Sore Joints and Muscles Click Here
Joint Research Backs Tai Chi and Water Work to Beat Pain Click Here
Tai Chi & Asthma
Tai Chi May Help Control Asthma Click Here
Tai Chi & Balance/Falls Prevention
Tai Chi Program Helps Prevent Falls Among Older Adults Click Here
Stroke Survivors Improve Balance With Tai Chi Click Here
Tai Chi & the Cardiovascular System
Tai Chi Lowers Blood Pressure For Older Adults Click Here
Tai Chi 'Can Treat Heart Failure' Click Here
Tai Chi & Diabetes
Tai Chi 'Helps Improve Diabetes' Click Here
Tai Chi & the Immune System
Practicing Tai Chi Boosts Immune System In Older Adults Click Here
Tai Chi Boosts Shingles Immunity In Older Adults Click Here
Tai Chi & a Good Night's Sleep
Elderly's Restless Nights Helped By Ancient Martial Art Click Here
Tai Chi - General Articles
Tai Chi 'improves body and mind' Click Here
Alexander Technique vs Tai Chi Click Here
All You Need to Know About: Tai Chi Click Here
And Don't Forget Tai Chi and the Kids…
How Tai Chi Can Help Children to Concentrate Click Here
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Our Tai Chi Background
We (Kiyoko & Stewart) are very interested in how food and exercise can positively change our health & well being. We have practised the Chinese arts of Tai Chi & Qi Gong since 1992.We are both advanced level Tai Chi/Qi Gong instructors registered with the Tai Chi Union of Great Britain (TCUGB). For the link to the TCUGB website
Click HereStewart is also a certificated instructor with the Northern Wu Style Tai Ji Quan Global Association. For the link to their website Click Here
Stewart with
There are various "styles" of Tai Chi. With a good teacher all have something to offer. We began by learning Yang style. We have added to our understanding of Yang style over the years through study with teachers from both the Rose Li and Derek Gordon lineages.
In addition to our Yang style lineages we have studied Wu style from the Cheng Tin Hung (Hong Kong) lineage and Stewart has studied Wu style from the Li Bin Ci (Beijing) lineage. The Wu styles are known for their short stances. This makes them very suitable for those working on issues with balance, troublesome knees or other lower limb concerns.
In previous years we have taken part in Tai Chi competitions to see if we could do our forms calmly while in a pressurised environment & to see if we could successfully use our Push Hands skills against uncooperative opponents. We had some success with these efforts and are former National and International champions in Tai Chi competitions including British, Danish, and French national competitions as well as the European Tai Chi Championships.
We also competed successfully at the International Tai Chi Legacy/Chin Woo World Championships held in the USA in 2002 winning gold in various events including hand and weapon forms as well as martial applications.
Stewart and opponent await the referee starting their Push Hands bout during the 2002 Tai Chi European Championships. Stewart took Gold in his weight category.
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The Tai Chi Hand Form
The hand form is what usually brings people to Tai Chi and is what we focus on in our usual health and wellbeing classes.
There are, however, many hand forms - some short, some long, some modern, some older. Also, any given hand form can be done slow, slower, fast, keeping stances high, taking deep stances, making the movements softer, making the movements more forceful, etc. etc.
We use a Wu style short form created by Cheng Tin Hung and Dan Docherty as our introduction to Tai Chi hand forms. More advanced students can progress to long forms, fast forms and weapon forms.
Other Aspects of Tai Chi
Internal Conditioning
Regular practice of a Tai Chi hand form will benefit mind and body. Traditional Tai Chi schools have additional methods of conditioning the mind and the body. It may be that they "hold" stationary postures (which may or may not be from their hand form) - remaining motionless for increasing periods of time. Or they may use more dynamic exercises. Or both. The best "internal" conditioning systems will work on the cardiovascular system, the breathing, the nervous system as well as on the joints and tendons. As such the internal conditioning aspect of Tai Chi can deliver significant health benefits. As with all aspects of Tai Chi, such exercises should only be learned under the supervision of an experienced teacher.
Applications
The Tai Chi hand form contains many movements which can be used in self defence. These "applications" can be trained in a controlled and co-operative way to better understand the movement itself and for self defence.
Weapon Forms
These include fans, swords, sabres and spears. In the interest of safety the weapons are blunt/made of wood. Manipulating a weapon for several minutes can give us a light weight training work out. If the weapon form is repeatedly done at a reasonable speed then it can also improve our cardiovascular fitness (as can the hand form). Typically taught to more advanced students these forms add complexity and challenge us not just to control our own body but the weapon as well.
Kiyoko impersonates a "Rhino gazing at the Moon" from the Tai Chi Sword Form. This is one of the more challenging postures in the Sword Form. Holding this posture is very good conditioning for the legs and challenges our ability to balance.
Kiyoko demonstrates a posture from Tai Chi Dragon Fan. The fan is a more recent addition to the range of Tai Chi weapons. "War" fans have been used historically with the Japanese Samurai leader Takeda Shingen (1521-1573) famously using a fan to defend himself against a sword attack at the battle of Kawanakajima. Kiyoko's fan is somewhat lighter than the heavy metal war fans but it still gives the wrist tendons a good workout.
Pushing Hands
Tai Chi has many ancillary drills which can be practiced alongside the hand form. The Pushing Hands drills begin with co-operative partner work. They can be a lot of fun and can bring health benefits in their own right. They train our sensitivity and make us very aware of areas of tension/stiffness in our own body (and then to relax them!) as well as in our partners. They improve our body/hand-eye co-ordination and they help improve our balance and agility. These are all useful areas to work on for our health as well as for martial artists seeking improved performance.
For those so inclined Pushing Hands competitions give the opportunity to test our ability to redirect the opponent's incoming force and to maneuver him/her to the floor or out of the competition area using our Tai Chi skills.
Kiyoko (on the left) positions herself to throw an opponent while the referee looks on
For more information:: T. 01706-281008, M 0773-5082-388,