Hello world!

- "I’d suffered with sciatica for over 10 years and working at a desk bent over a computer screen really didn’t help. I had to have expensive back manipulation and decompression once a month, just to reduce the pain enough for me to function. Tai Chi was suggested to me as something that may help, so I thought “give it a try, what’s the worst that could happen”. By the end of the first month my back pain diminished, and I’ve never needed any treatment since starting.

It worked for me, but I didn’t stop then because I thought, “what else can this do for me?”. I look at Tai Chi as an insurance policy for health and wellbeing as I get older. Don’t believe for one moment that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, or course you can, as an old dog myself I can vouch for that. I’ve been learning Tai Chi for over 4 years and every lesson opens a new door to understanding how I function now, and gives me the tools to become better.

The classes are structured but with no pressure on you and you learn at your own speed. Every teacher I’ve met, including my fellow students, who I also learn from, have been friendly and supportive.  People at the classes are not judgemental on how well you perform, because we are all still learning. Every lesson has left me feeling good and given me something to think about for the next week.

The best bit is that you can do Tai Chi whenever you want, where ever you want. When I’m standing in queues, I’m training. Waiting for my wife while shopping, I’m training. Sitting at the desk, I’m training. Taking the dog for a walk, yes I’m still training. Now it’s a part of my life, and in a good way. My posture is much better, I’m steadier on my feet and feel healthy and well-balanced as a person.

If you feel old and want to feel younger, groan getting up or sitting down, or take longer to straighten your back, or you can’t remember the last time you stood upright, or you think that you’re too old to learn anything new, give Tai Chi a go, you will not regret it. There are over 250 million people doing some form of Tai Chi, so give it a try to feel what they feel" - Steve Milsom

- "The classes have taught me to sit, walk and generally hold myself up properly. They have helped to ease tension especially in my back and to relax my body."

- "I am more aware of the correct way to bend, sit and stand and have learned how to control balance."

- "My reason for choosing Tai Chi was that I needed to reduce the tension my body would store as a result of normal daily activities and I felt that Tai Chi would be the answer. I needed to persevere in the early months as it was quite a difficult concept to relax and let go of tension by moving with tiny adjustments to my posture. Now it is almost second nature to check and recheck my posture in order to relax and ease the tension.

Looking back to the early months of Tai Chi I learnt how to listen to my body as it told me the discomforts that I had to release and work to ease. When I started I had a knee injury and a lower back niggle which was frequently needing adjustment by a practitioner. My knee is no longer an issue and my back is kept comfortable by small and regular positional checks throughout Tai Chi sessions and exercises and in daily living" - Sheila Biscoe

- "I was rather apprehensive when I attended my first drop in Tai Chi session! I was made very welcome and found I enjoyed participating in the gentle exercise under the tuition of Ian. Tai Chi has helped my posture and balance, especially when walking" - Janet Hill

- "I find it much easier to bend and move about."

- "I have had a bad back for years – but it hasn't hurt since I started Tai Chi – and I saved money on a Physio."

- "I hold myself a lot better."

- "I feel more relaxed and my posture is better."

- "After a fall years ago, I have developed difficulties with balance and I now walk with a stick. These classes have enormously developed my sense of balance. It follows now that, instead of expecting a near future of less and less mobility, I anticipate to be mobile as long as I live."

- "My handwriting has improved – my hand used to shake but it is much steadier now."

I have discovered something marvellous. This morning I had a sore throat, felt slightly feverish and was out of sorts because I hadn't slept very well. Then I went to a session of Alexander technique, mixed with Tai Chi. (At Letchworth Centre for Healthy Living). I came away feeling absolutely marvellous. I still have a sore throat and a bit of a high temperature - but my sense of wellbeing is so great that it really doesn't seem to matter. Thank you Ian Deavin and Judy Hammond for a great Sunday morning! - Julie Furnivall

 

- "I feel more agile."

- "I am more aware of my posture – by doing the exercises it has helped with my backaches. My knees are also much improved….I have suffered pain for several years."