Thelma our Tai Chi instructor is currently offering a Tai Chi / Qi Gong taster session – No membership/booking needed on Monday the 12th of May at 10am Please contact Thelma directly on 07737354332. Entry cost is £5.
Weekly classes with Thelma take place in the gym on Thursdays at 12.15 and last an hour. Along with these we practice short, guided meditations for intention of movement through expansion and release of the musculoskeletal structure. The movements are based on the Yin and Yang principles, balance is an essential part of Tai Chi. Like nature, we are happier and healthier when in harmony.
As found in the following BBC article – https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/18gmYMx2ntW6Sdyl3fTH0Gw/the-surprising-health-benefits-of-tai-chi Tai Chi has been found to improve brain function faster than other exercise. Tai Chi could lengthen your life, it’s health for your heart, can boost immunity and burns as many calories as conventional exercise.
Tai Chi / Qi Gong is based on 3 pillars
1. Physical movement itself – How you align your body
2. Breathing – How your breath supports the physical movements
3. Intention – Your mental state – what is your mind doing whilst you are moving?
Shaolin warriors and monks use the slow movements as a form of Shadowboxing, giving them a better understanding of movement without adding stress to the body.
The sessions are quietly relaxing which allows you to have some time for yourself to
Calms the mind and allows the body to recharge and promote an overall sense of wellbeing.
This is the moving meditative state – physically, mentally and emotionally in balance.
This is known as Wo Song pronounced Wu Sung – empty or free of stress/tension.
Think of a violin string – we need the proper tension to make the right sound, too tight or too loose makes an agitated noise, if we hold our posture tensely/hard we overwork the muscle, likewise if we are too soft/relaxed the muscle stagnates.