Tai Chi

Tai Chi is an ancient therapeutic art that aims to harmonise body, emotions, and mind. It involves soft, gentle movements that helps to release tension in your body, deepen your breath, and calm your thoughts.

Tai Chi helps to regulate both the nervous system and cardiovascular system, with short term benefits including alleviating your stress and anxiety, and in the long term you can re-educate and alter deeply learnt patters in the mind and body. Tai Chi creates a new sense of confidence and control by allowing you to experience stillness within motion.

There is a substantial and growing evidence base in the medical literature showing Tai Chi to be effective in reducing anxiety and depression and assisting in the recovery from trauma.

A typical class involves:

• A short introduction to the principles and practice of Tai Chi specifically related to that week’s class
• Some gentle warm up movements designed to mobilise the joints and awaken the muscles
• The practice of Tai Chi and Qi Gong movements, or forms (all movements are done either standing up or seated in a chair and participants are invited to choose what feels right for them each class)
• A short discussion and Q&A to check in with how people are finding the practice
• Techniques for incorporating the practice into daily life