Merry Christmas and things to look forward to in the new year :)

Happy holidays! There will be no more classes until Monday 6 January (except for one at Park Royal Spa and you need to be a member of the health club).

Enjoy the season and keep doing tai chi and qigong.

There will be lots of new and exciting things happening in the New Year. We will be starting the 8 step form on Wednesday afternoons at Hurst Dance Studios in Hindley and on Monday evenings we will be starting the Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan form at the Captains Lane Community Centre in Ashton-in-Makerfield.

Although the Monday extra half hour has been free up until now I will be starting to charge £3/session from the new year, making it £9 if you stay for both classes. There is still a 25% discount for paying monthly and it is included in the £30 for all classes in a month offer.

I am still looking into starting a daytime sword class sometime early next year. This will probably be on Mondays after the Guild Hall class in Walkden - I just need to get the paperwork sorted out first.

It is worth booking early for the Deyin Taijiquan Institute Chinese New Year Spring Festival on Saturday 25 January as it is always popular and is free to Deyin members (membership is only £20/year). There are tai chi and qigong workshops throughout the day given by Deyin instructors.

This is followed by an evening of celebration with food, demonstrations, raffle and lion dancing. Then on Sunday there is an opportunity to get a taste of the Mandarin language and calligraphy, with qigong in the afternoon. There is a charge for the evening celebration and Sunday workshops.

If you are interested in health qigong and would like to take it further there are one-day workshops on different forms at the Chinese Culture Centre in Telford on 11/12 January and 8/9 February. These workshops are aimed at instructors and would-be instructors but are open to all serious practitioners.

And if you are interested in the martial applications of tai chi, Angela Howarth will be running a series of weekend morning workshops in Liverpool.

Guild Hall still closed

The Guild Hall is still closed. Rather than pushing our luck with another outdoor class, I am going to cancel Monday's session and we will start again warm and dry on Monday 6 January.

All other classes will go ahead as normal next week.

Still no Guild Hall class

The floor at the Guild Hall is taking longer to dry out than expected, so there will be no class there on Monday :(. Weather permitting, we will go to the park again. We still hope to be there for the last class of the year on 16 December.

Outdoor tai chi

Well done to the dedicated group who braved ice, frost and friendly dogs to do tai chi in Walkden Park today.

Fingers crossed we will be back inside in the warm next week!

Class cancelled

There will be no class at the Guild Hall Community Centre next Monday as they are replacing the floor.

Feedback on Deal For Communities course

Thanks to funding from Wigan Council's Deal for Communities Investment Fund, from March to July last year North West and North Wales Tai Chi was able to put on a free tai chi/qigong course at Leigh South Community Centre for local residents. The class is still running on a private basis. Maureen and Alan talk about what they got from the course.

Planning ahead

I know it's not yet Christmas, but I have just booked my place on the Deyin Taijiquan Institute Chinese New Year bootcamp. These popular bootcamps always get booked up early, especially the Chinese New Year one which is followed by an evening of fun and celebration.

The bootcamp is free for members and membership is only £20, so if you haven't already tried it I recommend giving it a go!

World Health Qigong Day 2019

 We had a lovely time in Lilford Park this morning celebrating World Health Qigong Day with some qigong in the park.

Staying in touch

Did you know that A Higher Porpoise Tai Chi has a Facebook page, a Meetup group and a WhatsApp group?

The Facebook page is here.

You can find the Meetup group here. You need to create a Meetup account but it is free to join.

If you have a smartphone and are on WhatsApp, it is an easy way to share information and pictures. If you would like to join the group, let me know your mobile number and I will add you.

Don't worry - I will still be posting information and pictures here, but in this highspeed superconnected world there are quicker ways to stay in touch.

I'm back from the Mediterranean and I brought the sun with me. 🌞 Classes started again last week, except for the Monday classes which will start after the bank holiday.

There is lots of exciting stuff coming up. First off is World Health Qigong Day on Saturday 14 September. We will meet at 10 am by the Chinese umbrella tree in Lilford Park, Elmridge, Leigh WN7 1HN. The weather was not kind to us last year, but a hardy few of us had a great time doing qigong sheltering from the rain under the tree. So, barring extreme weather, the event will go ahead.

I'm also looking forward to starting my first regular weekly health qigong class on Wednesdays at 10am at Leigh South Community Centre, 32 Hope Carr Road, Leigh WN7 3ET. The first form we will look at is Ba Duan Jin (Eight Strands of Brocade).

Summer break

A Higher Porpoise Tai Chi is now officially on summer break. 🌞

Classes will start again 19 August (except for Monday classes which start 2 September).

I have been promising for a while to provide links to videos of the forms that we are doing. Then it occurred to me: most of them are here anyway, along with lots of other goodies. And you get even more if you become a member of the Deyin Taijiquan Institute. 😉

The only one missing is the 88 step form, but there are videos on YouTube if you look for them.

Keep up the tai chi! I look forward to seeing you all when I get back.

Polo shirts are here!

They've arrived and they're looking good!👍😃

AHP polo shirts and other goodies

I will be putting in another order for A Higher Porpoise polo shirts soon, so let me know if you want one. You can get them in navy blue, sky blue or purple.

I will also be in Telford not this weekend but next, so if you want anything from Tai Chi Link (e.g. shoes, swords, panda t-shirts) let me know and save on the postage costs.

Upcoming events

There are lots of exciting tai chi and qigong events coming up.

On 22 June 10am-2pm Angela's tai chi school is putting on an applications/push hands workshop in Liverpool. Contact Angela Howarth for details and to book.

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of P.R. China, qigong masters from the Chinese Health Qigong association are touring the UK and we have dates in both Manchester and Liverpool.

Before getting to the North of England they will be part of a packed programme at the Deyin Tai Chi Summer Camp in Telford.

On Sunday 30 June 1pm-4.30pm is Daoyin Yangsheng Gong 12 Fa in Old Trafford. Contact Contact Ms Xing Mei of Xinhua Chinese Association on 07863 563217 to book.

Then, on Monday 1 July there will be a lecture at Liverpool University 11am-midday followed by a workshop on Ba Duan Jin 2pm-4pm. Contact Dong Barraclough on 07990 012731 or Dong.Barraclough@gmail.com for both.

And on Saturday 27 July Master Faye Yip will be visiting Liverpool to give a morning workshop on Mawangdui health qigong and and afternoon 24 step improvers' workshop. Contact Angela Howarth for details and to book.

More WTCQD pics :)

A few more pics from World Tai Chi and Qigong Day.

Last week's WTCQD pics

I hope you are enjoying the bank holiday even if it isn't as warm as it was at Easter. Here are a few pictures from last weekend's World Tai Chi and Qigong Day in Liverpool.

World Tai Chi and Qigong Day 2019

World Tai Chi and Qigong Day is nearly here.

Celebrate this free event in Liverpool:

Saturday, April 27th at 10am
St John’s Centre, Steble St, L8 6QH.

Doors open 9.30am for a prompt 10am start.

The event will include free workshops, refreshments and a chance to meet with other
tai chi enthusiasts and teachers.

Everyone is welcome. :)

Online payment now available

You can now pay for classes online here via PayPal. You don't need to have a PayPal account to use PayPal - just choose your class from the dropdown menu, click on the "Pay Now" button and enter your credit/debit card details.

• You can pay monthly for your regular class. And don't forget - if you are paying monthly and there is a week when you can't make it to your usual class you can always catch up at a different one without paying extra.
• If you want to go to more than one class a week then the monthly pass is a good deal - £30 for as many classes as you like.
• If you don't like carrying small change and you know you are not going to be able to make it to every class this month, you can even pay for your next single class online.
• Or of course you can carry on paying in cash on the day as normal.

Gift of wellbeing

Give the gift of wellbeing this Mother's Day and buy her a place on a qigong course - Wednesday mornings in Leigh or Thursday evenings in Hindley. Both courses are great value at £50 for the 10 week course.

Just like tai chi, qigong is a great exercise for health and relaxation. It is suitable for all levels of health and ability and can be adapted to the individual. The courses are designed for beginners and no previous knowledge is required.

The daytime class is on Wednesdays, 10am-11am, at Leigh South (TocH) Community Centre, 32 Hope Carr Road, Leigh WN7 3ET, and runs from Wednesday 3 April to Wednesday 5 June.

The evening class is on Thursdays, 6pm-7pm. at Hurst Dance Studios, 51 Market St, Hindley, Wigan WN2 3AE, and runs from Thursday 4 April to 6 June.

For the Wednesday morning classes in Leigh:

And for the Thursday evening class in Hindley:

Boots found at TocH

These soft furry boots were found by Alan after the class at Leigh South Community Centre on Tuesday. Anyone know whose they are?

Happy Lunar New Year!

Xīn nián kuài lè!

Qigong for beginners - upcoming courses

Just like tai chi, qigong is a great exercise for health and relaxation. It is suitable for all levels of health and ability and can be adapted to the individual.

Coming up at the beginning of April are two 10 week courses on Yi Jin Jing muscle and tendon strengthening exercises, one daytime, one evening.

The courses are designed for beginners and no previous knowledge is required. Just like tai chi, though, more advanced students can benefit from going over the basics of each move.

Both courses are great value at £50 for the 10 week course. And if you book by 1 March you get £10 off!

The daytime class is on Wednesdays, 10am-11am, at Leigh South (TocH) Community Centre, 32 Hope Carr Road, Leigh WN7 3ET, and runs from Wednesday 3 April to Wednesday 5 June.

The evening class is on Thursdays, 6pm-7pm. at Hurst Dance Studios, 51 Market St, Hindley, Wigan WN2 3AE, and runs from Thursday 4 April to 6 June.

Click below to get your early booking discount now or email for more information.

For the Wednesday morning classes in Leigh:

And for the Thursday evening classes on Hindley:

Schedule change - classes start 14 January

Classes were scheduled to start again tomorrow, 7 January. However, although I had a fabulous holiday, on the last day I started going down with cruise cough. I am already beginning to feel a bit better, but to avoid passing it on to you all I am going to take an extra week off and do lots of tai chi and qigong at home.

Classes will now start again the week commencing 14 January. I look forward to seeing you all then. :) 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I know it's a little late, but I have been off the radar for a couple of weeks. :)