Modern Yang Style Tai Chi Believed to be one of the oldest martial arts, tai chi’s slow gentleness disguises great power. Over time, practice of the Tai Chi form will promote suppleness, strength, and encourage the cultivation of Chi – the internal energy that helps ward off illness and promote health. SN Tai Chi Jazmin Velasco Classes in Stoke Newington & Islington Telephone enquiries: 0845 838 1424 or 07905 003 367 Email enquiries: sntaichi@mroe.co.uk Website www.sntaichi.co.uk Background Also known as t'ai chi chu'an or taijiquan, tai chi was developed in China several hundred years ago. At first the teaching was kept secret and passed on to only a few worthy students. Over the years, as students forgot some teachings, and added others, different schools developed. Although each style has its own characteristics, they all share the same basic principles. We study the modern Yang Style form. Tai Chi was originally developed as a martial art and breathing system that exercised all the joints and major muscle groups, while circulationg chi, the internal energy. Completely non-impact yet involving the entire body, tai chi promotes strength, stamina and flexibility. Because the whole body moves as one, Tai Chi cultivates the link between mind and body, enhancing balance and co-ordination. Three Aspects Tai Chi Students will begin by learning the Tai Chi short form - a sequence of slow and graceful movements that over time will improve posture and balance, and increase suppleness and strength. Chi Kung We also practice Chi Kung (qi gong) a Chinese system of standing and moving meditations for both the body and mind. It has been practised for more than 2000 years and combines simple movements with focused breathing. It helps to restore vitality by creating feelings of peace and tranquility, encouraging chi to flow freely through the body. Applications Although the form is slow and meditative tai chi can also be used as a devastatingly effective form of self-defence. We practise the application of movements from the form against an attacker. By performing these applications, the student learns to understand and manage the energies and forces of the form. Through gradual increase of the speed and accuracy, one learns to deal with the unpredictable nature of combat situations. SN Tai Chi Welcomes New Students - First Week Free We want you to try Tai Chi without making any commitment and to find out for yourself if the class philosophy fits in with yours. So for new students there is no charge for the first class. Classes in Stoke Newington, N16 North London Induction classes in Stoke Newington begin on the first Tuesday of the month Cost: £30.00 per month Trial: First week free for new students. Time: Classes take place from 7.30pm - 9.00pm Venue: St. Marys Community Centre, Defoe Road, Stoke Newington, London, N16 0EP (just off Church Street). Bus 73 & 476 from Angel tube Islington, or 393 from Highbury and Islington tube. Nearest overground British rail station: Stoke Newington. Booking appreciated. Please phone 0845 838 1424 or 07905 003 367 or email sntaichi@mroe.co.uk to let us know you'll be coming along and for us to confirm that your class is taking place. Classes in Islington, N1 North London Induction classes in Islington begin on the first Thursday of the month Cost: £6/£8 per week Trial: First week free for new students Time: Classes take place from 1.00pm - 2.15pm Venue: North London Buddhist Centre, 72 Holloway Road, N7 8JG (close to Highbury and Islington station) Booking appreciated. Please phone 0845 838 1424 or 07905 003 367 or email sntaichi@mroe.co.uk to let us know you'll be coming along and for us to confirm that your class is taking place. Clothing: Wear loose, comfortable clothing that allows you to stretch and move freely. Students practise in bare feet or can wear trainers. Biography Jazmin started practicing tai chi in 1993 under sifu Roberto Kwok Chee Cheung in Mexico City. She currently studies with Dr Mark Green in London. In addition to tai chi, Jazmin practices wing chung kung fu, jeet kune do and kali. She is a member of Meridian, the British Association for Chinese Arts. Health concerns? Because tai chi is practised very slowly and gently, it is suitable for almost everyone. However, please speak to Jazmin about any concerns or health problems. Further Information About Tai Chi “Discover The 300 Hundred Year Old Secret to a Healthy Heart, Strong Muscles, Limber Joints, and Inner Youth” Acclaimed American Doctor Robert Willicks MD is an enormous enthusiast of Tai Chi. “Of all the physical and mental healing arts I’ve learned, Tai Chi is the gentlest, easiest to learn, and the most rejuvenating for your physical and mental health. It lowers blood pressure, heals achy joints, stimulates circulation, builds muscle, and mobilises the immune system….all without stress or strain!” “Those who practice tai chi faithfully, have a different kind of life, well into their 80’s and 90’s. Their bones are strong not frail. Their joints are limber, not aching and stiff. Their minds do not wander; they remain focused. Their heartbeat is calm, and their bodies are internally fortified against disease. “Last month I ‘prescribed’ tai chi to treat a number of diseases and painful conditions. If you have arthritis, for example, tai chi is your best stretching exercise, because it builds the flexibility you need to mobilise your stiff joints. If you have cancer, tai chi is ideal because it improves your aerobic capacity and stimulates your immune system without creating free radical damage. If you have heart disease, practicing tai chi regularly not only lowers your blood pressure and helps you lose weight, it also defuses negative feelings, such as anger, frustration and depression which can trigger a heart attack. “Also the moves are simple, gentle and easy to learn. They need no special skill and can be done anywhere, indoors or outdoors, alone or with a group. Anyone can become a ‘master’. It takes just a little practice, focus and a good teacher. “Tai chi is ideal if you want the pleasure and benefit of exercise, but can’t subject your bones and joints to jarring, strenuous activity. “Tai chi works wonders for my patients with chronic pain caused by everything from herniated discs to osteoporosis. Some patients came to me on the most complicated pain medicine ‘schedule’ you could dream up, and still enjoyed wonderful results – from major reductions in painkillers to complete freedom from pain. Plus… It’s exhilarating! “My patients who practice tai chi have a glow about them. Amazingly, the more you give in to the ‘nothingness’, the more magnetic your physical presence becomes. Tai chi has been said to ‘tame the wild horses of your emotions.’ “Even if you think you’re not coordinated or agile, you can learn these movements at your own pace. In fact you’ll probably think ‘This isn’t exercise! It’s too slow, too easy!’ But don’t be fooled. These movements build powerful inner focus and strength. Five Major Benefits of Tai Chi ”Tai chi is the true fountain of youth. It activates your youth hormones and immune cells, strengthens your heart, trims down your waist, refines your reflexes and balance, and helps you fend off the signs of age. And for your mood? It’s like opening a window in a stuffy room --- at last! “For my patients and readers who hate to exercise and for anyone whose joints and heart can’t take a strenuous workout, tai chi is perfect. For your heart and metabolism, it’s the equivalent of walking at a four-mile-an-hour pace. But tai chi profoundly improves your health in ways ‘regular’ exercise can not… Awaken your energy, bring down your blood pressure: The breathing techniques reduce stress, lower your heart rate, and increase your level of focused energy. Sharpen your mental focus: Performing the repeated patterns of movement builds your concentration, exercises your memory and improves your ability to perform daily tasks with greater ease. Elongate your muscles, limber up your joints: The slow, curving movements decrease tension and improve muscle resiliency and joint flexibility. Improve balance and reduce risk of fall and injury: You’ll learn to turn your body slowly and walk with a more narrow stance, improving your balance and greatly decreasing your chances of falling or injuring yourself. Improve circulation: Deep breathing and sweeping motions bring a flush to your muscles as the blood circulates great stores of fresh oxygen, nutrients and immune fluids throughout your limbs. Bordering on the superhuman: How tai chi helped one man prevent permanent paralysis Spirits were high when Randy Jong, a San Francisco schoolteacher and musician, set out with his wife and four children for a vacation. But as the family minivan cruised toward Los Angeles, a rear tire suddenly blew out. The vehicle spun across the road, flipped over twice and screeched to rest, a pile of mangled steel. Jong's wife and children managed to struggle from the wreckage, but 42-year-old Randy, still conscious, lay pinned inside as gasoline poured from the tank and spilled across the highway. Rescuers used the jaws of life to extricate Jong, who was flown to the hospital and diagnosed with a compressed vertebra. His spinal cord was intact, but he had broken his neck. Doctors told Jong's family that he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Jong's family kept the news from him, however, and he worked to walk again with a diligence he says he developed from studying tai chi. On his back, he practiced deep breathing exercises and mentally rehearsed the tai chi movements he once performed every day. After two weeks he moved a finger; weeks later, he managed to move a toe. Practicing tai chi all those years before the accident helped me recover, says Jong. Not only was he in excellent physical condition, with flexible muscles and a strong cardiovascular system, but he was also in good mental shape, with a well-developed ability to relax and concentrate that helped him persevere. Jong's recovery was nothing short of miraculous. Less than six months after the accident, he appeared at his regular tai chi class and, unaided, performed the beginner's exercises. I was slow, he recalls, but I could do it. This ‘Supreme’ art has endured for over 300 years ”‘Tai’ means ‘ultimate’ or ‘supreme’ and ‘chi’ is the all-encompassing life force, the spirit of the earth and the soul. Nothing attest more to the value of this healing art than the fact that it’s stood the toughest and most telling test there is: the test of time! Tai chi has been passed down from generation to generation for 300 years. Tai chi is the optimum healing activity for people of all ages ”Today the Chinese practise tai chi every day to ensure mental and physical fitness. Medical studies shoe that even though tai chi is slow, ‘low intensity’ exercise, it still improves cardiovascular health and fitness, and even relieves depression. “According to China Sports, practising tai chi generates a sense of internal peace, as you must concentrate on the movements to the exclusion of all external distraction. And the motions, smooth and fluid, naturally cause your mind and muscles to relax and your flexibility to increase. A gentle full-body workout that takes just a few minutes a day ”For your metabolism, heart health and blood pressure, tai chi is just as effective as walking at four miles per hour. There are no awkward stretches or poses to hold, and no jumping, running or lifting. Nevertheless, when you come to the end of a tai chi session, your breathing will be deep, your muscles flushed, and your mind refreshed. The overall effect is a mental and physical fitness that carries through the rest of the day, and of course becomes even more profound, month after month, year after year. “Since you control your own pace, you can do the whole series of movements without breaking a sweat, or as you become more comfortable, you can push yourself a little harder by bending lower and stretching more. “My wife and I take tai chi classes every night. We started, just like everyone else, with a few minutes a day and built up slowly. I’m not exaggerating when I say that tai chi has changed my life. I’m stronger and more centred. I wake up happier and more refreshed every morning and sleep soundly every night.” To join the Tai Chi class in Stoke Newington or Islington, please phone 0845 838 1424 or 07905 003 367. If you get the answerphone please leave your number and we’ll get right back to you. Alternatively email: sntaichi@mroe.co.uk to let us know you're coming along.

This web page is part of N16health.com an alternative medicine and complementary health resource for the people of Stoke Newington in Hackney and Islington, north London UK and interested people worldwide.



     # TAI CHI