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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Note: This event has now passed as has the International Day for the Older Person that was held on Tuesday 1 October, 2019.
Announcing a special tai chi event to celebrate International Day for the Older Person on Monday 1 October, 2018, 10am – 12 noon.
I will give a short talk on tai chi’s fascinating history and why tai chi is so good for health, strength, fitness, balance and flexibility, particularly for anyone over the age of 60.
After the talk and a short break for morning tea, you’ll get the opportunity to try tai chi for yourself. I will teach a brief section of Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention. It is ideal for beginners and can be done seated or standing. Of course, you don’t have to have arthritis to benefit from this Tai Chi for Health Programme.
Can anyone attend? Yes, all are welcome and especially anyone who is aged 60+. Places are limited so please RSVP.
When: Monday 1 October 2018, 10am – 12 noon
Where: Te Ngakau Waiora Mercy Spirituality Centre,104 The Drive, Epsom, Auckland 1023. Refer to map.
Cost to attend: $15 per person, which includes morning tea. Please pay on the day. Free, off-road parking on site.
A new beginners’ class will start on Monday 30 July and Wednesday 1 August 2018, 6.30 – 7.15pm in Manurewa.
Tai chi is a really great exercise that is gentle on your joints. Regular practice of tai chi can help you to get fitter, healthier and to stay stronger for longer.
Find out more on what to wear and what to expect at the classes.
Your first class is free. Come along and join a friendly bunch of people at a great venue, which has lots of free parking. Click here for more information and a map.
New Zealand might be the first country in the world to see the sun each day. But, not on Saturday 28 April 2018, World Tai Chi & Qi Gong (WTCQG) day. The rain really bucketed down in Auckland.
Each year on the last Saturday of April, tens of thousands of people in many cities across the world gather to do tai chi together at 10am. It is a global wave of goodwill – one human family, breathing together as one. The event’s motto is, “One World – One Breath”
Our small but determined Kia Ora Tai Chi group were one of the first in the world to kick-off WTCQG Day at 10am. We began with a warm up exercise: ‘awakening the qi’ and trying to bring on some sunbeams.
Sadly, those sunbeams wouldn’t come out to play. So, we headed indoors and created a sunny, happy atmosphere inside. Several Kia Ora Tai Chi students (in red shirts) came along to be part of this unique, world-wide event and we also attracted around 10 members of the public. Even those who had never done tai chi before were able to learn the first eight steps of the Sun-style form. Here we are doing those eight steps and basking in the sunshine of our own making:
WTCQG Day was founded 20 years ago by Bill Douglas and his wife, Angela Wong Douglas. From a small start in Kansas, USA, the event is now held in 100s of cities in over 80 countries.
This is a post from November 2018.
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”.
Note: This event has now passed as has the International Day for the Older Person that was held on Tuesday 1 October, 2019.
Please note: This post is from July 2018.