by Jocelyn Watkin | Jul 26, 2021 | Information |
Kia ora and thank you for your interest in Kia Ora Tai Chi and in learning tai chi and qigong.
Due to demand, the beginners’ tai chi and qigong evening classes are now full. A new beginners evening tai chi and qigong class will start in 2022, possibly in February.
If you’d like to be placed on the priority waiting list for next year, please text or phone Jocelyn Watkin: 027 493 9851. Alternatively, please use the Contact Form to get in touch.
In the meantime, there are still three very good opportunities to learn tai chi with Kia Ora Tai Chi.
- Learn tai chi online
The Tai Chi for Strength, Balance and Mobility online course has been designed and developed by Jocelyn (of Kia Ora Tai Chi) and can be completed at any time that suits you. You can learn at your own time and pace as the course is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and anywhere you have a computer, tablet, mobile phone or data capable big screen TV.
It is ideal for beginners and also for tai chi instructors who teach strength and balance classes. Check it out.
2. For those who prefer a face-to-face opportunity to learn tai chi
Half-day tai chi retreat to relieve stress, sleep better and create a calm and centred universe for you
Come along to Kia Ora Tai Chi’s out-of-this-world mini retreat at the Stardome to learn how to relieve stress, sleep better and create a calm and centred universe for you with tai chi and qigong.
Date and time: Friday 17 September 2021, 1.30 – 7.45pm.
Venue: Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, One Tree Hill Domain. (This retreat is designed and organised by Jocelyn (of Kia Ora Tai Chi), not the Stardome itself.) Discover more about this mini-retreat: https://www.kiaorataichi.nz/stardome-retreat/
3. Free classes on Thursday mornings, any age and ability
Tai chi at Turuki on Thursday mornings, with co-instructor Aria
With co-instructor Aria, Jocelyn also offers a tai chi class on Thursday mornings, which accepts beginners at any time and of any age and ability. These classes are free and are held from 10 – 10.45am at Turuki Health Care in Mangere No need to RSVP, just come along. Click here to find out more.
Please text or phone Jocelyn Watkin for more information about any of her classes, courses, workshops or retreats: 027 493 9851. Alternatively, please use the Contact Form to get in touch.
by Jocelyn Watkin | Jun 15, 2021 | Information |
Join in with the Kia Ora Tai Chi team for a free tai chi and qigong session to celebrate Matariki and the wonderful Māori New Year.
Have fun, breathe better and make new friends with 5-Element Qigong, which is a meditative breathing programme to harmonise your mind and body. This is a great chance for a new and healthier you for the New Year.
You will also learn the beautiful and flowing Hikitia te Hā (“uplifting breathing”, also known as Māori Tai Chi).
Ideal for beginners of all ages and abilities. The whole session can easily be done while standing, seated or a mixture of both.
When: Saturday 3 July 2021, 2 – 3pm, please arrive from 1.45pm onward
Where: The theatre building, Nathan Homestead, 70 Hill Road, Manurewa, Auckland. There is plenty of free parking at this venue, which is close to the motorway. Refer to this map
RSVP: Yes please, as places are limited to just 16 people. Please email or text/phone me: 027 493 9851 to reserve your spot. (Note: there is a limit of two people per booking)
Cost: Free (A big thank you to Nathan Homestead and Auckland Council for providing the venue at no charge).
Click here to learn more about tai chi and qigong
Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. It rises in midwinter and is the start of a new year in the Southern Hemisphere.
In 2021, Matariki will be observed Aotearoa/New Zealand between 19 June to 11 July.
More about Matariki
Find out more about the Kia Ora Tai Chi team.
by Jocelyn Watkin | Mar 7, 2021 | Information |
March 2021
Evening tai chi classes restart tomorrow (Mon 8 March 2021) as Auckland is now in Alert Level 2. I am so happy that I’ll see you all again on both the 8th March and Wednesday 10th March, 6.30pm.
I’ll be in the Manurewa South School hall from 6.15pm on both Monday and Wednesday evenings. There’ll be hand sanitiser available and plenty of room to keep at least one metre apart for social distancing. The lovely Ken will record your attendance in the register.
New beginners are welcome to join the beginners class (in the evenings, 6.30 – 7.15pm) up until Wednesday 10 March 2021. Please arrive no later than 6.25pm. Your first class is free. If you’d like to come along, please text or phone Jocelyn Watkin on 027 493 9851 or please use the Contact Form.
Find out more about the classes and to view a map of how to get to Manurewa South School: https://www.kiaorataichi.nz/classes/
by Jocelyn Watkin | Feb 6, 2021 | Information |
This is a post from February 2021.
Here’s your chance to fall in love with tai chi and qigong. Your heart and health will thank you you for it.
If you want to feel healthier, live stronger for longer and get fitter without puffing, then tai chi and qigong can help you.
The team at Kia Ora Tai Chi are looking for adults of any age and ability, who are keen to make a regular commitment to their health. Come along to learn tai chi and qigong in our new classes for beginners . You can join any time up to (and including) Wednesday 10 March 2021, 6.30 – 7.15pm. Please arrive no later than 6.25pm.
We will be in the Manurewa South School hall, on Totara Road Manurewa, Auckland 2102 (refer to the map further below). Please note that the entrance to the hall and free parking is off Totara Road, which is a different street to the main entrance to the school.
If you’d like to try tai chi, there’ll be a warm welcome at one of the free introductory sessions on Monday 22nd and Wednesday 24th February, 6.30 – 7.15pm.
If you miss the introductory sessions in February, you are still welcome to join the February beginners up until Wednesday 10 March 2021. Your first class is free. After 10 March, anyone who hasn’t already joined the beginners class will need to wait until the next intake. The date is still to be confirmed but is likely to be July 2021 and/or February 2022.
If you’d like to attend, please text or phone Jocelyn Watkin on 027 493 9851 or please use the Contact Form.
After the free classes, you will be encouraged to attend two nights per week on an ongoing basis. However, if you are committed to practicing between classes then it is OK to attend just one class per week. Learning tai chi and qigong takes time but you if keen to gain all of the health, wellbeing and fitness benefits then this investment in your future good health will be worth it.
Here at Kia Ora Tai Chi, we are all constantly amazed at the health improvements that our students tell us about once they attend our classes on a regular basis:
- sleeping better at night
- feeling better all over and less stressed
- improved breathing, with less wheezing or feeling like they’ve ‘run out of breath’
- finding it easier to go up and down stairs
- playing with their children or grandchildren for longer without getting tired
- lowering their high blood pressure
- feeling more flexible and moving better with less aches and pains
- better balance/less falls
- toned muscles.
The map below shows you where to find us. Please note that the entrance to the Manurewa South School hall and the free parking is at 18 Totara Road (please don’t go to the main entrance to the school, which is on another street). Please aim to arrive no later than 6.25pm.
To RSVP or to ask questions about the classes, please use the Contact Form
Cost of classes: Your first class is FREE. After that, prices start from $9.50 per class. A discount is available for those who are referred by ACC and Age Concern for the Community Group Strength and Balance Exercise programme (“Live Stronger for Longer”). You must be aged 65+ to be referred.
What to wear: Please wear loose comfortable clothing and flat-soled shoes (such as sneakers, trainers or tennis shoes). Please also bring a drinking bottle of water.
Learn to de-stress with tai chi and qiqog
There have been hundreds of clinical studies over many years that confirm the health benefits of tai chi, especially for the Tai Chi for Health programmes that we teach at Kia Ora Tai Chi. You can read more about these clinical studies here.
One aspect consistent across all studies and trials is that none of these benefits happen overnight or after just one class. The trials take place over several weeks, sometimes several months, and the people being studied do tai chi at least 2 -3 times per week.
Kia Ora Tai Chi students attend at least one class per week, often two, and several practice between each class. Improving your health, fitness and balance is worth a regular commitment to tai chi.
Find out more about Kia Ora Tai Chi classes, how to get to the venue, and what to expect.
Discover more health benefits from tai chi.
Love your heart and your health with tai chi and qigong
Want to know even more about tai chi? Click here
Please RSVP for a free beginner’s class up until (and including) Wednesday 10th March by using the Contact Form or text or phone Jocelyn Watkin on 027 493 9851.
Come along and say kia ora. We’d love to see you. We’re a friendly bunch at a great venue that has lots of free parking.
by Jocelyn Watkin | Feb 4, 2020 | Information |
Please note: This is a post from February 2020.
If the year already feels likes it is passing in a blur, then tai chi could be for you. At Kia Ora Tai Chi, we can teach you techniques that will help slow things down, relieve and release stress, while increasing your fitness and well-being.
If this sounds like something you want then the team at Kia Ora Tai Chi would love to hear from you. We are looking for adults of any age and ability, who are keen to make a regular commitment to learning tai chi.
To find out if tai chi is for you, please come along to one or both of the free sessions on Monday 17th and Wednesday 19th February, 2020, 6.30-7.15pm, in Manurewa.
To RSVP or to ask questions about the classes, please use the Contact Form
Learning these proven tai chi techniques to clear and calm your mind won’t happen overnight. After the free sessions, you’ll need to make a commitment to attend classes once per week.
Cost of classes: The classes on the 17th and 19th February 2020 are FREE. After that, prices start from $9.50 per class. A discount is available for those who are referred by ACC and Age Concern for the Community Group Strength and Balance Exercise programme (“Live Stronger for Longer”). You must be aged 65+ to be referred.
What to wear: Please wear loose comfortable clothing and flat-soled shoes (such as sneakers, trainers or tennis shoes). Please also bring a drinking bottle of water.
Here at Kia Ora Tai Chi, we are all constantly amazed at the health improvements that our students tell us about once they attend our classes on a regular basis:
- sleeping better at night
- feeling better all over and less stressed
- improved breathing, with less wheezing or feeling like they’ve ‘run out of breath’
- finding it easier to go up and down stairs
- playing with their children or grandchildren for longer without getting tired
- lowering their high blood pressure
- feeling more flexible and moving better with less aches and pains
- better balance/less falls
- toned muscles.
Learn how to reduce stress with tai chi
There have been hundreds of clinical studies over many years that confirm the health benefits of tai chi, especially for the Tai Chi for Health programmes that we teach at Kia Ora Tai Chi. You can read more about these clinical studies here.
One aspect consistent across all studies and trials is that none of these benefits happen overnight or after just one class. The trials take place over several weeks, sometimes several months, and the people being studied do tai chi at least 2 -3 times per week.
Most of our students attend at least one class per week, often two, and several practice between each class.
We are now looking for a group of new beginners who accept that their health and well-being is worth a regular commitment to tai chi.
Find out more about Kia Ora Tai Chi classes, how to get to the venue, and what to expect.
Discover more health benefits from tai chi.
Want to know even more about tai chi? Click here
Please RSVP for the free classes on the 17th and 19th February 2020 by using the Contact Form. You are welcome to attend one one or both of these classes.
Come along and say kia ora. We’d love to see you. We’re a friendly bunch at a great venue that has lots of free parking.
A Kia Ora Tai Chi class
