Tai Chi Classes London

Regular beneficial physical activity is clearly pivotal to maintaining good health but our busy lives limit the opportunities to pursue this. As modernity crept into the Chinese world in the last century, it was this aspect of life that concerned Cheng Man-Ch’ing (1901-75), an accomplished T’ai-Chi exponent. He clearly saw the health benefits of making T’ai-Chi available to a mass audience, where hitherto it had remained fairly exclusive, access often being dependent upon familial connections. Reaching the West in the sixties, it is now widely practised internationally, with increasing research evidence of its benefits in areas of health such as circulatory regulation and balance function.

I have studied T’ai-Chi since I first became interested in 1987 and my first and principal teacher is Adrian Murray who I still study with ( www.dakuai.co.uk/who-is-adrian-murray.html ). My journey has not been especially linear: One characteristic of T’ai-Chi is that the focus of my interest has shifted over the years. Early on, I had a teenage fascination with its function as a martial art, being especially intrigued with stories of elderly practitioners getting the better of much younger opponents in the peak of their strength and fitness. As my practice developed, I grew more interested in the sophisticated physical ‘mechanics’ that underpin the exercise, these being quite different from anything I have encountered elsewhere. The movements are founded upon the Chinese Taoist YinYang model, following the precept that softness overcomes rigid strength such as may be seen when rocky cliffs are pulverised to sand by the loose power of the sea. They nurture a focus of attention and help develop better posture, leg strength and flexibility, upper body relaxation, and general agility.

My classes offer a firm foundation in T’ai-Chi practise, providing participants with both the equipment and understanding to engage with the art and pursue their own individual agenda. I teach a small group weekly allowing plenty of individual attention which facilitates swift learning, greatly enhanced by a little home practice. There are many different styles of T’ai-Chi – I initially teach the Yang style form as abridged by Cheng Man-Ch’ing, which comprises 7 minutes of continuous movement. This provides a basic toolkit to maintain and improve health and explore a very different exercise paradigm.

Please email me if you are interested in joining:: aspencer.osteopath@gmail.com