by Jocelyn Watkin | Mar 7, 2019 | Information |
This is a post from March 2019.
Kia Ora Tai Chi has partnered with Cornwall Park to offer four FREE tai chi lessons at their Park Life event, which will be held on Saturday 30 March, 2019, 11am – 4pm. (If wet, the event will be held on Saturday 6 April).
The tai chi sessions will be:
- 11 – 11.45am: Tai chi for beginners – Learn easy, flowing steps of this ancient Chinese martial art. Low impact, fun, family-friendly and ideal for all age groups. (Note: This will be the same tai chi that we taught at the “Summer Tai Chi in Cornwall Park” sessions.)
- 12 – 12.45pm: Yang-style tai chi – Join in to do the 24-step and combined 42-step forms. It is fun to watch or jump in and have a go in the spirit of “Let’s play tai chi together”.
- 2 – 2.45pm: Tai chi as moving meditation – Learn how to relax and de-stress with special tai chi movements. Once learned you can do these anytime, anywhere. Gentle on your joints and ideal for beginners of all ages.
- 3 – 3.45pm: Tai chi for beginners – Learn easy, flowing steps of this ancient Chinese martial art. Low impact, fun, family-friendly and ideal for all age groups. (Note: This will be a repeat of the 11 – 11.45am session.)
Location: Same as for “Summer Tai Chi in Cornwall Park”. Under the big trees on the left-hand-side of Pohutukawa Drive (as you come up from Greenlane Road). Look for the tai chi signs and the Kia Ora Tai Chi team wearing red shirts.
What to wear:
- Comfy clothes and shoes
- A sun hat, sun block and insect repellent
- Bring a sweatshirt or jacket in case of cool weather. Please bring a water bottle, too.
No need to RSVP. Just come along and join in with your friends and family. A big thank you to the Cornwall Park Trust Board for funding these sessions so everyone can enjoy learning tai chi for free.
Get that summery feeling back with tai chi in Cornwall Park
More about Park Life
This is a free event celebrating nature, exploration and all the things you can experience in the park, which will be closed for motorised traffic. With no cars, you will be able to freely roam the 425 acres of land while discovering activities, games, performances, food and more that will be spread throughout the park!
When: Saturday 30 March, 2019, 11am – 4pm
Bring your friends, whānau, a picnic, and your walking shoes for a free fun-filled day in the park.
Find out more:
by Jocelyn Watkin | Feb 19, 2019 | Information |
Note: This workshop has taken place. Contact Kia Ora Tai Chi to find out when the next workshop will be.
Worried about stress or your health? Struggling to find time to keep fit? Sign up for a tai chi workshop which will help you.
In just three hours, you’ll learn how you can reduce stress and increase your strength and fitness. Tai chi can be done at work, at home and almost anywhere. You won’t need fancy shoes, special clothes or any equipment.
At the workshop, you’ll be taught a very special form of tai chi called: Tai Chi for Arthritis (TCA). It is safer and easier to learn than other tai chi programmes. Clinical and medical studies confirm that TCA helps to relieve stress and pain, reduce falls, increase strength and improve the quality of life.
You don’t have to have arthritis to feel the health benefits of this amazing programme. But, if you do have arthritis, it is more likely you can do this type of tai chi than any other. Dr Paul Lam, of the Tai Chi for Health Institute, developed this programme with the help of a team of medical and tai chi experts. Come along to have a go for yourself.
Your instructor will be Jocelyn Watkin.
This workshop is open to anyone, even if you’ve never tried tai chi before and is ideal for high school students and adults of any age, who are any of the following:
- First time beginners.
- Need to get fitter and/or stronger.
- Feel stressed or worried about their general health.
- Curious about tai chi.
- Are missing Jocelyn’s Summer Tai Chi in Cornwall Park session and are keen to learn more tai chi.
- Jocelyn’s current students (those who attend her evening classes at Clayton Park School), who want to incorporate more depth into their practice of TCA.
You won’t be on your feet for the whole 3-hour workshop. There will be the chance to rest and sit down several times to listen and learn about the medical background to TCA, why it works and also to watch a demonstration. You can also do tai chi while seated at any stage.
When: Sunday 3 March, 2019: 9.30am – 12.30pm
Venue: The Mercy Spirituality Centre, 104 The Drive, Epsom, which has free parking on site. Refer to map.
Price: $40 per person, payable before the workshop.
Please register/RSVP by Tuesday 26 February, 2019: send a text or phone text or phone the instructor, Jocelyn Watkin on 027 493 9851 or use the Contact Form
Places are limited to no more than 14 participants
Cancellation policy: Full refund if you cancel by 26 February 2019. 50% refund if you cancel between 27 Feb to 1st March. No refunds after 1st March.
This workshop is for you if you want to learn how to reduce stress and to improve your flexibility and balance and to increase muscular strength and fitness with tai chi.
Find out more
by Jocelyn Watkin | Jan 27, 2019 | Information |
Please note: This is a post from February 2019:
Free tai chi classes for beginners on Monday 11 February and Wednesday 13 February 2019, 6.30 – 7.15pm in Manurewa.
There is lots of free parking. Click here for more information and a map.
After the free classes, a new beginners class will start on Monday 18 and Wednesday 20 February 2019. Same time and same place.
Tai chi is enjoyable, easy on your joints, flowing and will help you increase your fitness, reduce stress, improve your balance and stay stronger for longer. It is ideal for complete beginners and suitable for adults of any age and high school students. Seated tai chi is also available.
Come along and give it a try with a friendly bunch of people at a great venue.
Classes are taught by Jocelyn Watkin, a fully-qualified, premier instructor with the Tai Chi for Health Institute. She is supported by a team of assistant instructors, who are also qualified.
Find out more on what to wear and what to expect at the classes.
To RSVP please text or phone the instructor, Jocelyn Watkin on 027 493 9851 or use the Contact Form
All of these Tai Chi for Health classes are approved with the BIG TICK for ACC and Age Concerns’ Community Group Strength and Balance Programme so you can stay “Stronger for Longer”
by Jocelyn Watkin | Nov 19, 2018 | Information |
This is a post from November 2018.
The last summer tai chi session for 2019 in Cornwall Park was on Tuesday 29 January, 2019, 6 – 7pm.
If you’re looking for more free tai chi sessions with Kia Ora Tai Chi then check out this link.
Contact us, to find out whether there’ll be summer tai chi sessions in January and February 2022.
The Summer Tai Chi in Cornwall Park sessions began on Sunday mornings (9-10am) on the 2nd, 9th and 16th of December 2018 and Tuesday evenings (6-7pm) on 4th, 11th and 18th December 2018. With the exception of New Year’s Day, the lessons continued on every Sunday morning and Tuesday evening in January 2019. Classes were approximately 45 mins. Fun for all of the family, from children to grandparents. Ideal for beginners.
All of these sessions were led by Jocelyn Watkin, of Kia Ora Tai Chi. Jocelyn is a qualified and premier instructor for Tai Chi for Health Institute, who has over 20 years martial arts experience. All of Jocelyn’s tai chi classes are also approved with the BIG TICK for the Community Group Strength and Balance Programme: “Live Stronger for Longer”.
Location: Under the big trees on the left-hand-side of Pohutukawa Drive (as you come up from Greenlane Road). Keep an eye out for the tai chi signs. Jocelyn and her fellow instructors will be wearing red Kia Ora Tai Chi polo shirts.
Summer tai chi in Cornwall Park is fun, free and suitable for all ages. You don’t need special clothes or equipment. A big thank you to the Cornwall Park Trust Board for funding these sessions so everyone can enjoy learning tai chi for free.
Please bring a bottle of water and insect repellent.
What to wear:
- Comfy clothes and shoes
- A sun hat and sun block
- Bring a jersey/sweatshirt in case there is a breeze.
If wet, please check the Kia Ora Tai Chi facebook page for cancellation notices: https://www.facebook.com/kiaorataichi/
If fine, just come along to any session. There’s no need to RSVP as all will be welcome. Ideal for complete beginners.
Described as “moving meditation”, tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial art that combines mental focus and mindfulness with deliberate and relaxed movements that are gentle on the joints.
Find out more:
All of Jocelyn’s tai chi classes are approved for ACC’s Strength and Balance Programme.
by Jocelyn Watkin | Nov 13, 2018 | Information |
Love tai chi for fun and fitness
People often ask whether tai chi can help with fitness. When I say “YES” they ask how is this possible when you don’t ‘huff and puff’ while doing tai chi?
Puffing and the ‘blood, sweat and tears’ approach to exercise is mainly propaganda from the gyms touting for business. Fortunately, there is better news for those who don’t fancy working up a sweat or can’t?
The team at “Trust Me I’m a Doctor” (BBC TV) set off to the University of Birmingham to answer the question on whether something so slow and graceful as tai chi could really give you the benefits of a more vigorous workout.
For this clinical trial, they worked with volunteers aged 65 – 75 to compare tai chi with Zumba Gold. The results (released in October 2018) surprised them: The tai chi group showed similar benefits to those in the Zumba group, with improvements in blood pressure and vessel flexibility.
You can find out more and WHY in this link: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-45799473
Numerous other studies and clinical trials have shown that tai chi improves muscular strength, flexibility, fitness, immunity, relieves pain and improves the quality of life. If you’d like to know more about this and how/why tai chi works then chick out this information from Dr Paul Lam and the Tai Chi for Health Institute: https://taichiforhealthinstitute.org/articles/life-style/
Dr Lam says that, “Hour for hour, practising a Tai Chi for Health programme is probably the most effective exercise to improve health and well-being“. To find more about the Tai Chi for Health programmes that I teach click here.
Find out more about Kia Ora Tai Chi classes.
Kia Ora Tai Chi for fitness and for health. Fun, too.
by Jocelyn Watkin | Oct 8, 2018 | Information |
This is a post from October 2018.
Free tai chi classes for beginners will happen on Monday 15 October and Wednesday 17 October 2018, 6.30 – 7.15pm in Manurewa.
After the free classes, a new beginners class will start on the following week. Same time, same days, same place (but not on Labour Day).
Tai chi is enjoyable, easy on your joints, flowing and will help you increase your fitness, reduce stress, improve your balance and stay stronger for longer. It is ideal for complete beginners. Seated tai chi is also available.
Come along and give it a try with a friendly bunch of people at a great venue. There is lots of free parking.
Classes are taught by Jocelyn Watkin, a fully-qualified, premier instructor with the Tai Chi for Health Institute.
Find out more on what to wear and what to expect at the classes.
To RSVP please text or phone the instructor, Jocelyn Watkin on 027 493 9851 or use the Contact Form
All of these Tai Chi for Health classes are approved with the BIG TICK for ACC and Age Concerns’ Community Group Strength and Balance Programme so you can stay “Stronger for Longer”
