Well there are many factors and to begin, as I understand it, during aging cellular replication slows down around 50 or so, that is the number of stem cells in our body start to run down. The 115 year old woman who died a while ago was found to have only two types of stem cell left in her bloodstream – greatly down on a younger person.

Then the cells that do not replicate do not die, they enter a lower energy state of senescence where they are not so efficient or effective at converting the energy of blood sugar work. Consequently we become weaker cell by cell, muscle fibre by fibre. The same of course happens with our internal organs which consequently become likewise as capable!

Now perhaps many things including Tai Chi, exercise in general, good diet, a low stress lifestyle etc. can prolong that period of decline extending the onset of senescence some years, but ultimately, unless we die by trauma, then we all die the same way, by gradual aging.

The difference is that Tai Chi offers a way of developing skill in body usage – Tai Chi people age and die like everybody else – they have simply learned how to deal with it better than most. They learn how to manage their body and if you have not learned Tai Chi by age 50 then this is when you probably still have enough energy left to learn.

The connected movement of Tai Chi allows the whole body to act together, supporting and enhancing the weaker parts. Like a convoy protecting and supporting the slower weaker ship. We need to get the whole convoy home – the whole body – with as little damage or loss as possible.

So, like a team who organise themselves so that the strong support the weak and the quick cover for the slow, the clever for the not so clever – of which each individual will exhibit a range of attributes that need to be meshed together so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts and ensuring that the weakest link does not fail.

As they grow old Tai Chi people learn to do this with their bodies, minds and emotions so that by developing relaxed integrated movement, the body organs and consequently the cells of which they are comprised are less stressed and for any action the whole body is brought to bear – thus compensating for developing weakness.

Check out our classes here

Covering exercises, spiralling movement, Qigong, mindfulness, meditation, Tai Chi principles and Alexander principles.

The seminar will be run by Ian Deavin and Judy Hammond and participants will be engaged in a fascinating mix of meditation and movement, creating inner body awareness and developing a practical and spiritual mind/body link of considerable strength.

Qigong is a basic training method of Tai Chi coupled with body spiralling, also found everywhere in the movement of dance and the natural world. Principles of Alexander Technique posture and relaxation aid in achieving good balance and relaxed easy movement – developed by Tai Chi practitioners into a way of creating powerful body centred action.

Venue: The Letchworth Centre for Healthy Living
Rosehill Hospital, Hitchin Road, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, SG6 3NA
13th November 2016, 9.30am – 12.30pm
Cost: £45 per seminar for bookings up to 1 week before the seminar. £55 after

To book contact The Letchworth Centre for Healthy Living on 01462 678804

Please wear suitable loose clothing and flat soled trainers or similar

Covering working with a sword, exercises, the Chen broadsword form
Venue: Shefford Community Hall, 60 High Street, Shefford Bedfordshire, SG17 5AX
5th November 2016, 9.30am – 12.30pm
Cost: £30 per seminar

To book telephone 01462 621970 or email: [email protected]

Please wear suitable loose clothing and flat soled trainers or similar

Each year on the last Saturday of April the World Health Organisation recognises World Tai Chi and Qigong Day – so for 2017 we are planning a Tai Chi festival at the newly refurbished Shefford Community Hall.

Entry will be free for all with plans for demonstrations, taster classes, falls prevention discussions, etc through the day as well as a number of guest demonstrations by teachers from other classes held at the hall – such as Yoga, Pilates, Taekwando, Tai Kick Boxing, – we are also expecting Alexander Technique and Massage to be available.

Tea and cakes will be available by donation.

We intend that there will be no charge for participants or visitors as we are seeking to promote local community activities related to Tai Chi – anybody wishing to be involved should contact Ian Deavin on 07860 218334 or e-mail [email protected]

Recent research has apparently demonstrated that creativity is enhanced by mundane activity – something the Zen meditators have long suggested.

Too little activity and the mind stagnates, too much and the task overrides the creative process.

So, unsurprisingly, I get many ideas while jogging – so long as I am not too focused on competing with myself.

It makes sense then that we practice our Tai Chi in such a way that it becomes mundane as this facilitates not only observation but also the creative thought process that enables us to learn for ourselves.

An interesting simile is the idea of water – sometimes it is entirely appropriate to rush toward a goal with much left unconsidered, at other times it is good to just be still but too much rush or two much stillness results in disconnection or stagnation. Just the right amount of energy enables the water to flow gently into all the crevices without losing contact with the main body of the stream. Too much – we get disassociated eddies. Too little then no new connections can be made. Just the right flow and we can be connected and energetic – promoting creativity.

It has been lovely to meet the class at Haynes over the past few weeks and of course finally to say goodbye to Andy and Denise last night – good luck to them with their new Sangha House venture in Taunton.

For the moment I am looking forward to our class on Monday next week – same time – 8.00 pm, same place – The Mission Hall Haynes, same cost – similar banter!

New students are very welcome – please see here for further details.

A small group of us with widely varying interest and background in Tai Chi had an interesting weekend at the Belsey Bridge Conference Centre near Bungay in Norfolk – the theme was around the whole idea of movement and how Chen Tai Chi forms and partner work can help us to develop this in a strong resilient way whatever our level of interest or ability – we focused on the principles of relaxation, movement from the centre and connectedness. This was approached by looking both at releasing the body so that it can move according to these principles – and on how the forms provide a structure to help us study use of the principles in movement with empty hand and with weapons – in this case broadswords.

There was also a good deal of socialising and some personal contemplation in the pleasant grounds of the centre and the nearby convent.

We are now looking forward to the Alternative Health Exercises weekend in May with my friend and colleague Judy Hammond – who brings her wealth of expertise and experience of Alexander Technique – along with a considerable amount of dance and other movement understanding.

We seem to start often from a position of tension when we cannot feel much of what is going on in our bodies because it is both clamped down and swamped by the tension.

When more relaxed we begin to feel the movement of our muscles and skeleton.

Further relaxed this movement quietens and we start to feel the background internal activity of our body.

Still further on does this background also calm down leaving only the soft flow of our movement?

For those who come to the process already relaxed but unconnected, then phase 2 is probably the starting point – I don’t know, it’s just a guess, but a logical one