I first attended a Tai Chi class when I was 17 years old, and from that very first lesson I knew I was hooked. There was something about these slow and gentle movements which made me feel like I was walking on air.
Ever since then I have been actively studying Tai Chi with a variety of teachers, each with their own particular character and emphasis, whether it be for health and well-being or self-defence.
My approach to Tai Chi has been and continues to be an on-going evolutionary process, as I believe it is for all who genuinely study, research and practice this wonderful and multi-faceted art. As such, the main form that I teach is the 42 Step Combined Form, which I originally learned from Wushu champion Lin Qiu Ping, who was at that time, three times World Tai Chi champion and eight times Chinese champion.
As my particular interest in the martial aspects of the training grew, I began to seek out and train with a variety of instructors and Masters from both the Chinese, Filipino and Indonesian martial-arts, and this experience has constantly fed back into my Tai Chi and Qigong practice. This feedback continues all the time as my Tai Chi practice develops alongside my studies with my teachers, Sifu Nathan Menaged and Paul Andrews (Nathan’s UK representative).
I have taught Tai Chi to a wide variety of people of all ages, and find it to be not only a wonderful method of therapeutic exercise, but also a very effective method of self-defence. Although I teach the 42 step form, my personal expression of the form differs from the way it is performed for Wushu tournaments, and rather focusses on smaller spirals, less exaggerated stances, the coordination of breath and movement, and the understanding of martial application.
One-to-one Tai Chi classes
There are currently no general group classes that I run for Tai Chi, but I do teach on a 1-2-1, or (pre-arranged) small group basis. If you would like to discuss Tai Chi training, please contact me via email or call me for an informal chat at:
Tel: 0208 352 9827
NEWS!!!
Tai Chi enhances healthy aging!
A recent meta-analysis of Tai Chi states that the therapeutic exercise of Tai Chi may offer a safe, non-pharmacological intervention model enhancing healthy aging, and also combating cognitive decline.
The analysis looked at the evidence from twenty scientific studies (11 of which were randomised controlled studies), which all looked at the effects of Tai Chi practice on the cognition and physiological parameters in the older (60+ years) population. The study conclusion was that regular Tai Chi practice offers a potential tool for enhancing executive functioning while increasing emotional well-being and cardiovascular health.
This recent study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2014), Vol.62
Please take a look at the video below, which details the positive effects of Tai Chi practice in a variety of areas: