Another wonderful master from the Chen family will also visit in November – someone I have trained with whenever I could and very well worth working with is Master Chen Yingjun – son of Grandmaster Chen Xaiowang.
Chen Yingjun has visited the UK regularly for many years and has workshops at a number of venues including Oxford and Reading.
Details from www.chenyingjun.co.uk
I hear that Master Chen Bing will visit the UK in August – I have met and trained with Chen Bing for only a couple of hours but that is enough for me to recommend anyone seriously interested in Tai Chi to attend his demonstrations/workshops.
Tai Ji Circle will host him on Sat, 24 August 2019 11:00 – 13:00 BST see here for tickets
I understand that he may also visit other venues so it is worth looking out for information.
I will be running a workshop at The Letchworth Centre for Healthy Living on Sunday 28 July, 9.30 for 10.00-13.00.
Tai Chi practitioners often describe the feeling of moving their bodies as magical, and the experience of long term Tai Chi practice can certainly be described as developmental. My workshop will introduce beginners to the simple ideas underlying this popular but little understood art. Longer term practitioners can expect to be helped on their path and perhaps achieve further insights on their own developmental journey.
Cost: £35 includes refreshments
Book your place
or contact Pat James at the Letchworth Centre, 01462 678804, [email protected]
We had a lovely picnic in the Swiss Garden at Shuttleworth yesterday with lots of practice of standing pole Chi Kung and the Laojia form – as you can see from the photo the picnic area offered shade and sunshine with lots of trees which were delightful – all in all a perfect venue. We even had the chance to observe a number of biplanes and WW2 aircraft from time to time.
The group assembled in the car park at 10.00 and benefited from a low cost group entry and free Tai Chi instruction until 2.00 with our own picnic hampers.
I had a lovely time teaching Tai Chi in the Swiss Garden at Shuttleworth this morning – the sun came out and so did many people who were eager to learn about Tai Chi.
Since we were in pretty much ideal surroundings we took advantage of being able to start with a brief sensory walk, grounding ourselves by connecting with the trees and bushes of the garden, calming our minds and bodies. I and my student Steve Milsom then took these enthusiastic beginners through 40 mins of exercises focusing on balance, posture, relaxation and moving about the centre, including waving hands like clouds, standing Chi Kung and Tai Chi walking. This was followed by our demonstration of the Laojia form and the Chen Broadsword form, with a brief history lesson to place Chen Tai Chi in a very wide context of both health and martial arts also covering briefly some of the Buddhist and Taoist philosophical backgrounds and other precursors to it’s synthesis.
We then we went into learning the first move of Laojia with discussion of what a beginners lesson might look like and further questions.
After the class feedback was very positive and many people stayed to ask questions including “where can I learn Tai Chi locally?” – at my classes in Shefford or Letchworth! So I am delighted to have been invited back later in the year and I would love to do more at this delightful venue.
Many of us then retired to the restaurant from where we could observe a Spitfire and a helicopter visit.
Well we had last years weather again but that did not deter many people from coming to the Community Hall and taking part as demonstrators or as visitors in this now regular community event – organised by the Shefford Tai Chi group on an entirely free of charge basis, supported by volunteers from the group who provided refreshments ( home made cakes, tea, coffee, soft drinks) all by donation to charity – we would like to express a big thank you to all who assisted – incidentally we raised £80 this year.
Each year on World Tai Chi day we throw open the Community Hall to local practitioners of martial arts and alternative health activities – so this year we had a gentle Tai Chi loosening at 10.00 to get us all in the mood. Ian Deavin (chief instructor of Shefford Tai Chi) took the group through some normal class exercises aimed at developing good posture and balance for people of all ages.
This was followed by a very interesting session of Yoga led by local teacher Laura Johnson who led everybody through a typical class of gentle stretching and balance exercises aimed again at the development of healthy movement for all.
At 11.00 Eileen Johnson gave a wonderful hands on seminar of Alexander Technique focusing on relaxed posture and ease of movement which had many people feeling as if walking on air. Alexander Technique is an intervention much valued for dealing with back problems and balance.
The pace stepped up at 11.30 with Ataru Shotokan Karate under Sensei Jamie Thomson and his wife Tracii – an enthusiastic group demo and participatory session with many youngsters, followed at 12.00 by Ian Deavin with a graceful Tai Chi demo of the Chen style Laojia form and Sword form.
12.30 saw us involved with ENSO Jujitsu under Lee Alexander Sensei for another interactive session including more young people, followed by an exquisite demonstration of Iado – Japanese sword drawing by Lee Alexander Sensei.
Ian Deavin followed with more Tai Chi showing how Tai Chi may be practiced in small soft movements suitable for people of all ages interested in developing better balance and healthy movement – as well as how it may be done with bigger faster movements for the younger or more martially inclined.
Sadly the hoped for Taekwando demonstration led by Sensei Tom Delve, with his much enjoyed brick breaking, was not possible due to ill health – we send our best wishes.
By 2.00 when we had all had our lunch we were in the hands of the William Wong Wing Chun Academy under chief instructor William Wong and his wife Yvoone who led us through their style – and then by popular request William took enthusiastic leadership of a fully interactive all styles self defence partner training session, followed by a similar session with Sensei Thomson which pretty much took us through to the end of the day.
Ian rounded off the event by having with some Tai Chi discussion with visitors while the demonstration area was taken up by martial artists playing and having fun in a mixed styles practice.
All in all it was a brilliant day, which only gets better each year – we look forward to 2020. See here for details of demonstration participants.
If you run a martial arts or alternative therapy activity and would like to join us next year – or would like to know more about Tai Chi please contact me – Ian Deavin on 07860 218334 or e-mail [email protected] the festival is funded by Shefford Tai Chi in order to promote related community based groups. Participation and visitor entry are free to all. See more at www.sheffordtaichi.org
With special thanks to the following for providing refreshments and help through the day:
Jackie, Joy, Penny, Judith, Lynn, Janet, Margaret C, Margaret S, Lloyd, Lloyd’s wife, John, Steve and my own partner Lesley.
I am delighted to be participating in this Swiss Garden event with a Tai Chi class on Friday 10 May for all ages and levels of interest – the location is truly lovely, a classic garden environment wholly supportive of some gentle Tai Chi practice.
This May, the Swiss Garden will be hosting six wonderful activities as part of the 2019 Greensand Festival (details below).
Cultivating Mindfulness Practice
Thursday 2 May and Friday 31 May 2019
The workshop is suitable for garden lovers who wish to enhance their experience by combining it with Mindfulness.
www.shuttleworth.org/mindfulness-practice
Herbs – Cultivation and Use through the Ages
Friday 3 May 2019
This presentation by Bev Bond will inform about the history, cultivation and use of herbs through the ages.
www.shuttleworth.org/herbs-presentation
The Therapeutic Garden: Essential Oils & Wellbeing
Thursday 9 May 2019
This workshop will include a presentation on the benefits and safe use of essential oils, after which you can create your own oil blend to take home.
www.shuttleworth.org/essential-oils-workshop
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Tai Chi
Friday 10 May 2019
Tai Chi is recognised as soft exercise and calming meditative movement – in the delightful and classical tree populated environment of the Swiss Garden.
www.shuttleworth.org/tai-chi
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Yoga and Meditation Practice
Monday 13 and Monday 20 May 2019
Join us for this very special and unique event, a chance to get back to nature with a slow, flowing yoga practice suitable for all ages and abilities.
www.shuttleworth.org/yogapractice
Foot Reflexology Sessions
Friday 24 May 2019
Reflexology is a non-intrusive complementary health therapy based on the theory that different points on the feet correspond with different areas or zones of the body.
www.shuttleworth.org/reflexology
I have recently taken to putting on the website articles which are not carefully crafted – rather they are what may be regarded as thought pieces – something quite traditional as one might recognise from the way the “Tai Chi Classics” were put together for example.
Once thinking about a topic after a while quite suddenly the thoughts just tumble out and it is all I can do to get them on paper – I simply don’t have the time these days to carefully craft them into well structured articles or to fill out the background on everything. So I must leave it to my readers to explore further. I expect that from time to time I will revisit and expand on points.
One that comes to mind is the reference to a difference between preventative and remedial Tai Chi when considering the health of older people. We can think that while a person has the ability to do normal Tai Chi exercises then this may be regarded as preventative of falls or other health issues – on the other hand once a person has reached a point where they can no longer do something like walk the length of a hall or stand for half an hour exercising then they are in need of remedial work. Preventative Tai Chi is simply exercising normally – but in the case of older people perhaps not so vigorously as we once did and can easily be accommodated in a normal beginners level class – this is why I often refer to them as “over 50s classes since at that age people still have a good 10 years to learn and develop their skill before they reach a point at which they would otherwise become vulnerable to falls. Start at 50 and one can hope to improve one’s proprioception, body mapping and Tai Chi skill to a point that staves off problems of falling.
On the other hand I sometimes see people with walking frames or in wheel chairs – or get phone calls from relatives who’s father/mother has just been diagnosed/admitted to a care home and have seen that Tai Chi is good for their condition – and would I please go to the care home every day to teach their parent. Sadly it is expected that they have probably reached a point where more work is needed than either I or they can put in. It is possible they could do the work but unlikely if they do not already have the discipline, habit and skill of doing it already. This is what I mean by remedial. In these case I suspect that some daily Tai Chi informed exercises and physiotherapy would be as helpful as anything else and would encourage physios and carers to learn enough to pass on simple exercises.
Recent examples of this sort of article include Thoughts on Tai Chi Movement and Martial Arts as a Philosophy also Managing getting Old with Tai Chi
There will be no classes on the following dates at any of our venues:
Friday 21st Dec
Sunday 23rd Dec
Monday 24th Dec
Friday 28th Dec
Monday 31st Dec
There will be a class on Sunday 30th by popular demand – otherwise classes will be as normal – and if it is not too early – a Merry Christmas to you all!
