In this course, a combination of slow, relaxed, flowing Tai Chi movements and Qigong exercises offers numerous benefits for people of all ages and health conditions. If ‘Movement is Life’, then adding mindfulness to the movement enhances it manyfold.

At a physical level, this course helps improve balance and leg muscle strength – both important for fall prevention, especially as one approaches middle age. It also enhances core strength to build stability and reduce back pain, and improves overall circulation throughout the body.

Focusing on each movement helps the mind relax, which in turn reduces stress, promoting a sense of calm and balance. For its mental relaxation component, Tai Chi is often compared with yoga and is sometimes described as ‘meditation in motion’.

This course offers a pathway to a feeling of wellness – both within and without. For it is when we connect with ourselves internally that the realization of how we are connected to the world lights up like a shimmering network, transforming our worldview, bringing into focus the world around us, and the role we play in it.

*This course is suitable for all ages
*Participants have the option for seated Tai Chi
*Can be customized to individual fitness level

PLEASE NOTE: Registration required. No drop-ins. Please register by end of business one day prior to class date. (Eg. Wed evening for Thu class, or Thu evening for Fri class).

What are Tai Chi and Qigong?

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art that has been practiced for over two thousand years. It consists of a series of slow, relaxed, continuous, flowing movements with focus on breathing. ‘Chi’ (also spelt ‘Qi’) is the life energy that flows through the body’s energy pathways. Tai Chi movements are based on the belief that the human body has a system of pathways along which energy travels as it nourishes and heals muscles, joints, bones and organs. Proper flow of Chi throughout the body’s energy pathways helps maintain essential health. Imagine a garden hose
with a kink in it that prevents water from flowing properly – unless the kink is corrected, the hose cannot deliver much-needed water to the flower bed, resulting in poor plant growth. Similarly, when the flow of Chi is blocked or becomes stagnant, the body feels unwell.

Qigong or Chi Kung is the art of energy. Quoting Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit from his book ‘The Art of Chi Kung’, “Chi Kung is the art of developing energy, particularly for health, internal force, and mind training.”