Snodland (STARA)
Snodland was the first Active group to form a Tai Chi class
which has been running for well over two years, (Read tesitimonials
by accessing Article- What Tai Chi Did For Us.) meeting every
Monday at 10am Snodland Town Hall. This group has been a pleasure
for me to teach, their enthusiasm is infectious and never wavers
from week to week. The initial few months where a little difficult
at first, weak legs, wobbly postures etc., remembering the choreograph,
through a little patience and hard work the form started to take
shape. The training program for the Active Retirement members
is to stimulate their bodies muscular/skeletal system, and to
improve psycho-motor skills thus improve the quality of life in
general. The emphasis with in the Tai Chi program is health, improved
fitness' and vitality, even though there are one or two that are
fascinated by the martial art side. I look forwards to meeting
them every week, the entire group feels a lot better for training
on Monday mornings, we also inject laughter into our training
with plenty of banter, I always seem to get as good as I give.
I suppose being older in their years they are all still young
at heart.
Larkfield (LARA)
The second
Active Retirement group based at Larkfield is now up and running,
the group of eighteen students from ages of 65 plus with an average
of 70 plus are all progressing well. We meet every Thursday at
Larkfield Church Farm hall at 10am. The session starts with a
10 minute warm up followed by 6 minute Chi Kung practice (Standing
Stake exercise) encouraging the cultivation of strength, stability,
and balance which is the foundation of Tai Chi form training.
The students are already showing signs of improved posture and
a general feeling of well being, in just 15 weeks we are half
way through part one of the form, which given their age is an
achievement in itself. We have one feisty lady who I am sure would
have made a great martial artists in her younger days (would not
want to mess with her even now!) I let her have a little glimpse
at the martial art side by showing her applications.
In the first 15 weeks of training the group showed signs of
improved posture and a general feeling of wellbeing. At first
the memory was the first barrier which had to be overcome, over
the months the choreograph of the Tai Chi form had to be remembered,
this was the hardest thing for most of the students. Tai Chi is
not just about the training of the body, it trains the mind as
well.
One year on the group has finished the form and the postures
are now up and running with flow and stability being the core
source of training. We have moved from the basic postures to start
to refine the inner workings of the Tai Chi form. The more we
refine the Tai Chi form the better the benefits are. It’s
interesting when a new member joins the group the established
members take them through the first few moves. From day one to
the present the difference in the student’s posture and
movements is quite astounding.
The group have also started push hands training. Developing
sensitivity through touch reflects with a partner, this brings
out in the student a feeling of letting go of tension and relying
on the use of the subtle relaxed movements. With the arms connected
to each other shifting and rotating the waist is used rather than
stiff arm movements to achieve Tai Chi connecting and following
method.
Each group
is progressing at there own pace, the important thing is that
they are all progressing. Balance being the most obvious as is
the strength in the legs, the students have shown a remarkable
improvement in stability and movement. Rotations and range of
the body joints also have improved because of the circulation
of blood and oxygen flow. All in all everyone who has trained
regularly has noticed a change for the better in the time they
have been training. This has to be a positive thing and hope further
improvements are made.
There are a further six active retirement groups
being set up in Kent joining the already 6 groups currently training
on a weekly basis.
For more information on joining or running your own classes
please contact your Active Retirement Association secretary
or contact Shizendo on Tel 01634 720098
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Snodland group performing Tan Bien Single Whip Posture
Standing Chi Kung Zhan Zhuang
The lady in the middle is a new member, note the leg position
compared with the other students, Chi Kung over time helps to
align the posture through standing
Snodland performing double ward off from Lan Cheuk Mei Grasp
The Bird's Tail section from part one of the Tai Chi Form
Some
of the students from Snodland(STARA)
Ladies
from Larfield (LARA) at the end of their Training session performing
cool down and breathing techniques
Some of the ladies from Larkfield (LARA) group performing Bak
Hok Leung Che White Crane Spreads Wings.
End of the session
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