Happy New Year 2024!

 Happy New Year!

2023 classes start Monday 16 January

 Classes start again on Monday 16 January. The schedule for the new term is up on my website. It includes two half price beginners' courses, one on Monday afternoons in Bramhall and one on Thursday evenings in Bryn. If you have been thinking of trying tai chi this is a great way to start.

There are also lots of other fantastic things going on, including a Health Qigong course in Leigh and continuing Saturday mini-workshops on the fan form in Bramhall, so do check out the schedule to see if there is something you fancy.

Happy New Year!

 Wishing you all the best in 2023😀

New term starts 19 September

I hope you have enjoyed your summer. Autumn is approaching now, it is time to get back to indoor classes and there is a lot going on - details are on the website.

We will be doing Yi Jin Jing Health Qigong on Mondays in Walkden and Bramhall. On Wednesday afternoons in Hindley we will be doing the Yang style Beijing 10 step form, a compact form for small spaces.

There will also be three half price beginners’ courses this term: Mondays 11.30am in Walkden, Tuesdays 10am in Leigh and Thursdays 7pm in Bryn. Get in touch to book a place.

It’s World Health Qigong next Saturday, 10 September, and there will be a short free event at Parr Fold Park in Walkden at 10am.

And if you have ever been in intrigued by Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan, I will be doing a series of 3 hour workshops in Bramhall. The first one is on Saturday 17 September at 3.30pm and is £30.

Tai chi in the park

It’s that tai chi in the park time of year. Normal classes are over for the summer and we are heading outside. There will be outdoor sessions in Parr Fold Park, Walkden; Bramhall Park, Bramhall; Pennington Hall Park, Leigh; and Leyland Park, Hindley.

Outdoor classes are less formal than the indoor classes — there will be no teaching as such, we are just going to warm up and run through a few forms together.

Although the weather has been iffy lately the forecast is good for this week.

New term new classes

 

The summer timetable is now live on my website. Some classes are continuing from last term but there are new things starting up.

On Tuesday mornings in Leigh we will be going through the Yang style 8 step form from the start: great for beginners but also as a refresher or if you are unfamiliar with this popular short form.

On Wednesday afternoons in Hindley we will be doing the Classic Ba Duan Jin qigong form. This is slightly simpler than the Health Qigong version but is a powerful set of exercises.

And on Thursday evenings in Bryn we will be starting the Yang style 24 step form. This is the most popular form all over the world. It was structured in the 1950s by Grandmaster Li Tianji, Master Faye Yip’s great uncle. The classes will be suitable for all levels from beginners to advanced.

It has been so lovely the past couple of years to get out and do tai chi in the parks, and this is something that I want to continue with. So from 4 July, daytime classes will all be outside. They will be less formal than the indoor classes: rather than learning a form a move at a time, we will get warmed up and then just go through a few tai chi and qigong forms together.

I hope there is something here that takes your fancy and I look forward to playing tai chi and qigong with you.

 The spring timetable is now up at https://www.ahigherporpoise.com/classes. Classes start week commencing 10 January. There are two half price beginners courses, one on Wednesday afternoons in Hindley and one on Thursday evenings in Bryn.

Happy Holidays!

 Wishing you a safe and merry Christmas and a happy healthy new year. Classes will start again week commencing 10 January 2022.

Free class

There will be a free 4 week course for beginners starting on Wednesday 7 July. It will be on Wednesday afternoons 2.30pm-3.30pm at Hurst Dance Studios in Hindley. Places are strictly limited. Contact me to book a place.

Summer timetable

 See website for details.😀

"Just One Thing" episode

Over the bank holiday weekend I finally caught up with the "Just One Thing" episode that my brother and Mike told me about. I'm really glad I did. I've always known about the benefits of tai chi from first-hand experience but it is good to have them validated.

The podcast is actually about standing on one leg, and the benefits are amazing. As Dr Michael Mosley says: "Improving your balance really can have a life changing impact. It improves core strength, posture and coordination. Do that and you are more likely to walk upright rather than hunched, which will make you look younger and might even improve your mood. There's even research showing that balance is a great predictor of healthy life expectancy."

He asked Professor Dawn Skelton of Glasgow Caledonian University whether tai chi would work as well and this was her response: "Tai chi is one of the best activities to improve your balance. It's slow and controlled; it's three-dimensional so your head moves at different times to the rest of your body; you get all that feedback from the joints because it's slow and controlled. It's one of the best things to help prevent your first fall... really is a lot of evidence for that."

I always tell people that you don't have to stand on one leg to do tai chi. You can improve your balance and coordination just by paying attention to your posture and being aware of where your weight is.

Standing on one leg is a simple thing that you can do at home. Tai chi has all the health and wellbeing benefits of that and more: it can reduce stress, increase energy, and improve focus and inner calm. And if you join a class you get the social benefits as well. There is nothing quite like the feeling of being in a group moving and breathing as one.

Mindfulness Weekend this weekend at Haigh Woodland Park

 

I've just been to Haigh Woodland Park to have a look round before the mindfulness weekend for Mental Health Awareness Week. It's a beautiful venue and I'm looking forward to tai chi in the walled gardens at 8am on Saturday. And Lewis assured me that they have gazebos just in case the weather isn't kind😀. There are lots of calming mindful activities this weekend, all free, and there is still time to book on 01942 828280.

 

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Indoor tai chi classes start 17 May

Much as I love tai chi in the park, and I do, the British weather isn't always kind to us. So I'm very happy to announce that with the next stage of lockdown easing on 17 May, we can have indoor tai chi and qigong classes again!

The Monday morning class in Walkden and the Wednesday afternoon class in Hindley will return to their original venues.

Our usual venue for the Tuesday morning class in Leigh is being used as a vaccination centre, so that class will continue in the park, weather permitting as always.

Important notice about email subscriptions

 If you subscribe to this blog by email, there are some upcoming changes that you need to know about. The email subscriptions are done through FeedBurner, and it is a service that they will be discontinuing from July. After that point you will no longer be able to get the blog by email.

The blog itself will still continue and you can view it on my website or on Blogger. As an alternative, you will automatically be added to my MailChimp email list and should get an email about this soon.

Happy Easter!

 

Tai chi in the parks

 We have been so lucky with the weather this week. It was wonderful being able to do tai chi in the park again and it was so nice to be able to see people in person.

Tai chi in the park

 

From next Monday, organised outdoor sports can start up again. And you know what  that means. Tai chi in the park! Times and places are listed here. 

Mother's Day gift idea

 What do you think your mum would like for Mother's Day? Flowers? Chocolate? A card? What about spending some time with you? Do something together even if you can't be together in person. Like booking an online tai chi or qigong course to do together.

2 for 1 offer on tai chi and qigong courses - see www.ahigherporpoise.com/classes for details.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Xīn nián kuài lè 🥠😀.

Best wishes for the Year of the Ox.

 It's more accessible, more informative, better integrated. Check it out at www.ahigherporpoise.com.😀