Tai Chi Classes in Yorkshire 07855 850 427
eastridingtaichi.com Tai Chi for Mind and Body
WHO DOES TAI CHI?
Tai Chi is a low-impact exercise that can improve your balance, flexibility, and overall well-being. It has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and can be practiced by people of all ages and fitness levels. Below are some comments from my students to give you an idea of ages ability and reason for starting to learn Tai Chi & qigong with me, i've changed their names for privacy.
I've taught hundreds of people over my 15 years as a Tai Chi teacher and I imagine many others have stories which they didn't choose to share. Others may just have come out of curiosity, to relieve boredom or because they knew they should be doing something to stay fit and well, but below are the stories of some of the people who have made a big impression on me and have said that they have been changed in some way by the practice of Tai Chi & Qigong.
Clara and Don
Clara and Don started my Tai Chi and Qigong for Health classes together about 12 years ago . Don was probably late 60's and had retired and Clara was worried he was sitting around too much, so she booked a block of evening classes and 'told' him he was coming along;-P Clara wasn't retired at the time, so the 7.30pm start suited them both and it gave them something they could do together and in Clara's words 'would keep us fit and together into old age'. They still attend, now both retired and attending in the daytime. They are now late 70's - 80 and have attained a very good level of skill. There's no sign of them stopping any time soon :)
Sally
Sally is a young 30 something lady and is a physiotherapist near Goole. Her work is full-on and she can get stiff shoulders and a sore back as a result of the manipulations and massage she provides as part of her job. She can see 8-16 people per day in the physiotherapy practice. She told me that sometimes she feels like going home and pouring a big glass of wine to unwind but she knows that it will affect her sleep and her performance the next day. She had tried Pilates to unwind but found the class was too full-on for the end of the day and disliked the pace. Since joining our classes in Yorkshire 2 years ago she has completed the 24 form and says that she practices this at home on evenings when she can't get along to class. It calms her mind, relaxes her body and promotes a sound nights sleep.
Jeff and Darren
Jeff and Darren are brothers in their mid 50's. They both attained black belts in Karate in their 20's and continued with karate competitions until about 40 years old, when they found it was too hard on their bodies and they were frequently injuring themselves. They liked the 'martial arts self-discipline' and enjoyed regular training nights and missed the group activity. They began looking for something similar but less 'hard' on the joints, which they could carry on with for as long as they wanted. They joined one of the Tai Chi Martial Arts classes which I offer at my southern school. When they started their were very stiff in the shoulders and all of their movements were hard and forced and their faces definitely showed the strain.
Gradually I helped them find the way of relaxation and softness and Gary says the headaches he had been having almost daily have now gone and Jeff no longer grinds his teeth, a habit which used to drive Gary mad!
Harry
Harry was diagnosed with Parkinsons in his early 60's. His specialist recommended Tai Chi as a way of improving balance movement and preventing falls and maintaining control over his body for as long as possible. Harry came to me in 2021 and i remember he said he might not be any good at it as his 'memory is poor and his body is old'. Four years later and Harry is leading the group through the form, he can touch his toes and balance on one leg for as long as anyone else in the class.
Louise
Louise retired some years ago and admitted to me that she felt as if she had 'lost who she was ' and lacked confidence. Each day was a pointless repeat of the last and she felt she had little purpose and no interests, especially since her son and grandchildren had moved to Ireland last year. Her husband had his own interests which she had no desire to share so when she saw an advert on Facebook for my classes she asked her neighbour if she would come with her and they booked on. Both ladies still attend and Louise has told me she feels confident in her own abilities again and doesn't look to her husband to make all the decisions anymore. She told me that previously she would always introduce herself as 'Johns wife' but now she says 'Hi i'm Louise'. She and her next door neighbour went on a cruise last winter and she said that they made sure that their ship offered morning tai chi classes. They sent me several photos of themselves doing Tai Chi in exotic locations. They plan to go away again this winter.
Gary and Sharon
Gary and Sharon started in the same class in about 2018. They didn't know each other when they joined. Sharon had done about a year of Tai Chi before and Gary had a Kung-Fu background. Both were in their late 40's and single, and they soon hit it off. They continued in my classes until earlier this year, when they announced that they were buying a house together a couple of counties away. I was glad they had found happiness with each other but I was sad to lose them both from the classes. We stay in touch and i'm expecting a wedding invite via WhatsApp soon.
Joan
I didn't know it until many years later, but my Bestie to be Joan represented Britain in the 1966 Mexico Olympics as a track athlete and won several UK and international medals. She continued to have an active lifestyle, working as a fitness instructor before getting into dog agility , which involves a lot of running. In her late 50's her knee began hurting with osteo-arthritis and by the time she came to my classes at age 72 she was walking with a stick and holding onto the wall. Her posture had suffered due to always looking at the ground when she walked. Within a few months of learning Tai Chi, which involves paying careful attention to HOW she was walking and stance holding exercises which strengthened her leg muscles, plus a lot of belief in the ability of the body to heal, Joan had ditched the stick and stopped holding onto the wall and was performing the movements well. She went on to train with my own teacher in London for 9 hours over a weekend each month and acted as my assistant teacher, covering my classes in Surrey when i was away training in China. In 2014 She came to China with me and we travelled by public transport from north to south :) She confessed during our trip that she hadn't been able to get down on her knees to clean out the cupboard under her sink for many years and when she got her flexibility back this was one of the first jobs she tackled :)