Taking place in Pine Hall
Baptist Church
Silver Street
Lyme Regis
BEGINNERS CLASSES
Wednesdays at 11 am
ADVANCED CLASSES
Wednesdays at 9.30 am
What should I expect?
Last just over an hour.
Will comprise warming up exercises, learning the Golden Flower QiGong Form, meditation and Qigong relaxation exercises.
What to wear?
Loose clothing that allows you free movement, such as a t-shirt and running or yoga trousers. Wear clean and flat shoes (preferably with thin soles) or barefeet.
Anything else?
Bring a bottle of water
Testimonials
“I have not been attending t’ai chi classes for long but already I can feel very strong benefits. When I leave the class my mind is free of petty worries. I feel a sense of calm and confidence. I like the fact that it is incredibly relaxed and although structured, there is a feeling of ease and comfort. The warming up exercises make me feel fresh and ready to learn and your methods of teaching the moves are performed with patience and skill. Thank you!” (Jane)
“No pressure at competition. T’ai chi has brought me connectivity; me, myself and the Universe!” (Sheila)
“I particularly enjoy the flowing movements of The Form when we try to perform them to music. Although I often forget the moves towards the end, it still gives me a positive feeling – something to do with the whole group moving slowly and quietly in the same way. I have learned to be more aware of my posture both when doing t’ai chi and in everyday life and that small adjustments can improve this. I am more aware of tension in my body, particularly in my shoulders, and now regularly tell myself “Shoulders down!” I like the fact that t’ai chi is an inclusive form of exercise: whatever our health issues and aches and pains, we can still take part.” (Val)
“For me t’ai chi practice creates a calm ‘time-out’ space. I always feel better afterwards, and happy.” (Lesley)
“Totally non-competitive – I do what I can as well as I can and hope to improve for my own sake. Marie takes time to correct positions which ensure I achieve the most benefit from the movement and learn for the future. Surprisingly, after the class I find I feel as though I have had a workout when I wasn’t conscious of it in class.” (Wendy)
“I do thoroughly enjoy the sessions and feel that I achieve varying degrees of success. Firstly, it does make me stop for up to an hour and concentrate. This is difficult for me and the thoughts do keep trying to rush into my head. Depending upon what they are, I sometimes manage it, sometimes not. Remembering about not locking my knees to let the ‘qi’ flow does lead to greater stability if I am feeling at all out of balance – several occasions when this has worked. By doing the exercises various joints are more flexible and I hope to keep them this way. There are a couple of moves that do cause me discomfort and as long as I don’t go past my limitations, it’s fine. I really like it when we are told ‘not to beat ourselves up’ and ‘just accept it’.” (Shirley)
“A form of exercise that is both physical and mental; gentle approach; based on martial arts but in a non-combative way; it’s not competitive yet is challenging in a gentle way; it’s therapeutic. Can recognise and feel my “qi” at times but it needs more work!” (Geoff)
“It generally gives me a calm feeling after the lesson. It is good to feel I am doing some form of exercise. It has made me aware of my stress and I now have the ability to relax much more easily because of that awareness. I had not appreciated the extent of my stress before coming to t’ai chi and, combined with acupuncture, it has been good in becoming calmer. (Peter)
I have had enormous benefits from t’ai chi, many of them quite unexpected! I love the peaceful and friendly atmosphere of our classes under Marie’s guidance. The opportunity to switch off my busy brain and explore a hidden world of calm is also very valuable. Physically, it’s made me feel much more connected to and aware of my body – it’s also improved my balance a great deal. Since learning a bit about chi, I have begun to find it elsewhere too, not just in the classes. I’m so glad that I stumbled upon Marie’s class, and would really encourage others to give t’ai chi a try! (Catherine)
My wife and I are relative newcomers to T’ai Chi, only starting in 2015. I am 75 years old. Although we do enjoy walking as much as possible, neither of us is keen on regular exercise in the strict sense of the word. However, with increasing years we decided we would like to do something which would help our bodies and feeling of well-being without involving anything too strenuous. Having heard of T‘ai Chi we decided to give it a try; we found straight away that it was exactly what we were looking for. Each session starts with a series of shaking and loosening movements before moving on to the more ‘regulated’ movements. We enjoyed doing these exercises straight away, and have taken to doing them at home, each morning, immediately on rising. They only take about 10 minutes, and both of us are certain that we are benefitting both in body and mind, as a result. Like everyone, some days we feel we can’t be bothered, but we make ourselves do them, and immediately benefit from having carried them out. If, for whatever reason, we can’t do the exercises, we feel quite cheated. We certainly intend to carry on with T’ai Chi, and because it is a smooth gentle routine, there is absolutely no reason why we should not continue to do so. As our Leader, Marie says, ‘Listen to your body.’ You don’t have to push yourself to extremes; it doesn’t work like that. We only feel positive results from the routines, and suffer no aches or stiffness, unlike many other so called exercise routines. We also enjoy the comradeship of the others in our group. (Patrick & Jennifer).
Testimonials after practising t’ai chi for 5 years
“At the end of the class, I feel better, more awake and energised. I enjoy the challenging physical Bagua exercises which are helping me to a greater fitness.”
“T’ai chi helps me to cope with my anxiety; it calms me down. Shaking and Breathing is one of my favourite exercises”.
“My improvement on my mobility and balance can be attributed to t’ai chi. I know that my mind shoots all over the place; when I am panicking or getting out of my depth I do use the breathing techniques we have learned to. I also enjoy the challenges you set”.