Programme

Tai Chi for Better Health
Community Hall, Broomhall Green

Wednesdays 2.00-300pm (fully subscribed)
Thursday 6.00-7.00pm (fully subscribed)

Introduction to traditional tai chi, initially focusing on becoming familiar with the principles of tai chi, progressing over time to traditional sets and styles.

A health Qi Gong set (Baduanjin) and a Tai Chi for Health short form (Tai Chi for Arthritis). Easy to follow along, suitable for beginners and new starters. Mindful movement combined with body and breath awareness meditations for strengthening the body, boosting immunity and calming the mind.

Tai Chi for Better Health
hybrid session: online with studio places

Tuesdays 2.00-3.00pm

Introduction to traditional tai chi,  Initially focusing on becoming familiar with the principles of tai chi progressing through short forms and adapted sets.

Tai Chi: Short forms
online
times vary

Yang 8 and Yang 10 are short traditional sets which are perfect for online learning.  Comprising the basic movements of the form, they are a great introduction to Yang Style tai chi, giving a good foundation to progress to the longer forms.  Great for practice when space is limited. We also teach sections of Sun 73, breaking the long form down into manageable ‘chunks’ for learning and practice.

Tai Chi: Sun 13
online
Wednesdays 11.00- 11.45am

The short form of traditional Sun Style tai chi.  Sun Style is well known for its smooth, flowing movements. Its gentle postures and high stances make it very suitable for use as an alternative or complementary therapy for medical disorders. 

Tai Chi: Yang Style
online
Thursdays 3.00 – 4.00pm

Traditional Yang Style tai chi. A deeper look at the short forms (Yang 8, 10 and 16) and Yang 24, plus the 13 Essentials of tai chi. Yang is the most popular and widely practiced form of Tai Chi, characterised by smooth, flowing movement and weight transfer with foot adjustment.

Deeply Moving
online
Fridays 11.30pm – 12.30pm

An immersive movement experience which acknowledges the connection between mind and body. Neither a class nor a fitness workout, it offers an opportunity to develop embodied awareness in a safe and supported way. The movement aspects are not taught, and they don’t require any experience or skill. Participants are encouraged to explore their own movement through awareness and improvisation and the session usually ends with a time of reflective relaxation.

Daily Qi Gong
online

Gentle Qi Gong
online
Monday to Thursday 12.00-12.20pm

Qi Gong is great for most health conditions, but sometimes a condition flares up and a whole session is too much. It’s important to keep moving, however, so we created these sessions with movements selected from the Ming Mu Yi Shi (Vision Improvement Qi Gong) and the Yangshen Zhang (Taiji Stick Qi Gong). The sessions are just 15 minutes. Fewer repetitions and no arms above the shoulders. Seated if you wish. You will need a smooth stick of some kind, about 120cm long. Something like a broomhandle or a walking pole will do.

Tai Chi Practice 
online

No teaching, just repetition of the sets for practice

DMP Appointments
studio and online 

Private and confidential personal therapy sessions to address deep rooted or longstanding emotional difficulties. This is Humanistic Integrative Psychotherapy, in a person centred framework and with an embodied approach.

Appointments
studio and online 

One to One sessions which you can arrange to suit your schedule.  Ideal to catch up on a missed class or to work on something in particular.

One to one appointments are included in your membership

Shibashi

Shibashi is a set of individual Qigong exercises, practiced in a fluid, continuous manner. The set combines elements from Yang style Tai Chi and breathing and movement exercises from Qigong. It is suitable for all ages and has been shown to increase energetic vitality, refreshing the mind and body and improving agility and flexibility.

Unlike many exercises which stretch and stimulate the large muscle groups, Shibashi focuses on the smaller muscles, tendons and ligaments in order to promote the strong elastic forces of Tai Chi. The gentle stretching and releasing, combined with deep relaxed breathing, encourages tension deep in the body tissues to soften and release.

Tai Chi for Health

In addition to traditional styles, we also use programmes created by the Tai Chi for Health Institute.   These programmes were developed by medical professionals who are also experts in Tai Chi. The shorter sets with adapted movements suit a range of health conditions. The upright posture and easily adapted stances will put the least amount of stress on muscles and joints. The slow, gentle stretching and strengthening of the muscles will help with balance and mobility. From time to time we offer Tai Chi for Arthritis; Tai Chi for Diabetes; Tai Chi for Osteoporosis; Tai Chi for Memory; Tai Chi for Energy

Embodied Relaxation

These short sessions help to honour periods of rest in our daily cycles, and to respect the idea that we require times of relaxation to balance our energies.Our organs need time to rest, as does each of our cells.

Embodied Relaxation aims to get you breathing deeply and aligning your body so that it doesn’t have to work so hard. The sessions will help to calm the mind and bring a sense of wellness and balance.

Something Seated

Short seated sessions to get you breathing deeply and moving your body.  We take a different approach each time, so sessions could be inspired by Qi Gong or Tai Chi, Bollywood or Ballroom Dance, Mindful Movement, or maybe Otago and FaME exercises. Sessions end with a guided relaxation.

Freely Moving

Dance like nobody’s watching!  Feelgood, free flowing dance sessions  No skill or experience required, just the willingness to let your body move.  No technique to learn or routines to remember, find out how your body likes to move.

Move for health, move for fun. Move to strengthen your body, improve balance and co-ordination. Move mindfully for a sense of wellbeing and vitality.

These movement sessions combine rhythmic movement and therapeutic dance with functional exercises to improve mobility. Simple, directed movement patterns encourage body awareness and promote a sense of connection. Embedded, relational mindfulness helps to lift the mood, calm the mind and refresh the spirits.

Each session takes inspiration from a different dance style or movement theme and playful, creative improvisation develops through guided movement.