Monday 30 December 2013

Review of 2013

2013 has been a very exciting year with the business going from strength to strength. Lots of new classes starting. Some of which have come and gone but there are plenty which are going strong. As well as teaching in the South of the city, I have spread my wings to Crosby in the north of the city and taken on two established groups who unfortunately lost their teacher last Christmas. It was potentially a little nerve-wracking taking over from someone else but both groups made me very welcome and I think they are well used to my way of doing things now. Some of them from the Thursday group even took part in public demonstrations during the summer in aid of Freshfields Animal Rescue Centre.
In January we held our annual fundraising event at St Charles Church meeting room. This was to prove to be our last time at the meeting room after ten years of Tai Chi classes there. We moved to a new venue down the road which was much bigger and gave us more space to develop and expand as we needed. The fundraiser was in aid of the Macular Society in memory of one of the students who had died some months before. We raised over £400 and a good morning was had by all.
At Chinese New Year we were asked to take part in the Chinese Martial Arts festival being held at the World Museum over the weekend. This was a fabulous show of different martial arts from schools around Liverpool, brilliantly put together by Mike Dunn of Liverpool Karatejutsu. We showcased last each day which was a great way to finish the whole day off.
April was a busy month as I attended my first Qigong Instructor course with the British Health Qigong Association (BHQA)and qualified in the Dao Yin Yang Sheng Gong set. It was a great four days albeit a bit nerve-wracking on the final day when we were all assessed but well worth it.
Later in the month the school welcomed a delegation from China who came and did a session on the Yi Jin Jing set. A thoroughly enjoyed session which was attended by 18 Qigong enthusiasts.
The following weekend we held our first World Tai Chi and Qigong Day in the Festival Gardens. This was the end of four months hard work with fellow instructors from England, Wales and Scotland. It was a fabulous day and we made the local press as well.
In June we had our annual day out. This year we visited Port Sunlight and one of my students Harriet Gilmour, who had just qualified as a blue badge tour guide, gave us a great day out by showing us around the village and after lunch a tour of the art gallery including some interesting stories about some of the paintings. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day. Well done Harriet:)
The classes in the summer continued as I eagerly awaited my trip to China. I had booked this with Tai Chi Link Travel. These trips are organised my Master Tary Yip who has many years of experience in delivering excellent trips to China for Tai Chi and non Tai Chi enthusiasts. A group of 21 people who didn't know each other and were from all corners of the country plus three wonderful ladies from Australia, had the trip of a lifetime. I was away for 20 days and experienced a wide variety of Chinese landscapes, food and history. It is a trip that had a big impact on me and along the way we did plenty of Tai Chi and Qigong too, including a day at the Renmin University in Beijing where Professor Li worked for 40 years. I highly recommend Tary if you wish to make a trip to China. While I was away I kept an online blog which can be viewed by clicking here. There are lots of photos if you are interested in having a look.
After that things go back to normal and the classes continued through till Christmas week. During that time I was fortunate to work with year 2 children at Dovedale School. I taught there for four weeks and had a fabulous time with the children. This year also saw the start of new out door class at Festival Gardens. This takes place every Tuesday morning at 9am and to date we have been very fortunate with the weather although now we are having to wrap up very warm but it is a fantastic experience doing Tai Chi outside and I love it. 2014 looks to be another good year and I will post shortly things that I have planned so far for the new year.

Tuesday 27 August 2013

Tai Chi in the Festival Gardens

Today was week 9 of the classes being held in the Festival Gardens. Next Tuesday is our last week although we are hoping the sessions can continue upon my return from China. The setting and the weather (with the exception of week 1) have been absolutely fantastic.

Sunday 30 June 2013

Deyin Training Camp 2013

I have had yet another great weekend at the Deyin training camp. A huge thanks to Faye, Tary and Simon for their expert tuition. As usual there was a choice for each day and I picked Taiji stick qigong but others got to do the 24 step routine or the Taiji 24 spear on Saturday. On offer today was 42 step combined routine or Sun style sword. I did the 42 step with Faye and although a lot to get through in one session we did achieve it and I have some valuable pointers to work on. The Taiji stick Qigong was great and felt much better than the first workshop I went to and I have the DVD and book now so there should be no stopping me now! The other great thing about the weekend is that I get to meet up with all my Taiji friends that I have met over previous years and seminars. The atmosphere is fantastic and we are all just like one big family. Dates are in the diary for next year (28th and 29th June) so if you want quality Taiji instruction this is a great place to go.

Saturday 15 June 2013

Festival Gardens 1st Anniversary

Next Sunday, 23rd June the Festival Gardens will be celebrating their first birthday. Angela's Tai Chi School held demonstrations in the Chinese Garden at the opening and are pleased to announce that they will be there again this year as part of the Big Lunch that the gardens have organised. As part of this I will be there taking bookings for anyone who wishes to take part in the newly agreed Tai Chi weekly classes that will be starting from July 2nd (see website for further details). I am thrilled with this news. If you need an excuse to come and visit the gardens next weekend just take a look at some of the photos I have taken there over the last twelve months.

Thursday 13 June 2013

Port Sunlight Day Out June 2013

Yesterday we had our annual day out. Tai Chi was left at home and we took trains, buses and cars to gather at Port Sunlight on The Wirral. We enjoyed a guided tour by one of my students Harriet Gilmour who is a qualified blue badge tour guide. The morning was a walkabout tour from one end of the village to the other taking in sights such as the factory, Bridge Cottage, The Diamond with its amazing sun dial. Unfortunately the sun didn't shine so we weren't able to test it out. Harriet reassured us that it does work! After lunch we enjoyed a tour of the Lady Lever Art Gallery. A magnificent day. Below are a very small selection of photos from the day.

Thursday 25 April 2013

Another Successful Qigong Workshop

Professor Yang Bai Long oversees Professor Zhuang Yong Chang hanging up the banner before the start of the Yi Jin Jing Workshop held on 24th April at The Florrie. In total 18 people attended the workshop from as far away as Wrexham. The evening was led by Professor Zhuang who with his humour and excellent knowledge took us all through a thorough workout of this health qigong routine. Professor Yang was on hand to correct postures and Master Tary Yip (Deyin Taijiquan Institute) made sure he got plenty of photographic evidence! I took some shots myself and here are a small selection.

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Less than a week to World Tai Chi Day

I managed to talk my family into coming down to the Festival Gardens on Friday for a photo shoot. Michael from the Land Trust had arranged to get some photos to send to the press ahead of the free event on the 27th April. Here are a few of the shots.

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Assessment day has arrived

How quick have these few days gone? Now the day of reckoning is upon us. We will each do a ten minute teaching slot as part of the assessment but that is so hard to stick to. I have tried a couple of times already this morning to keep within that time frame. Failed on both occasions although the second attempt was better. I'm not going to stress about it. I've been in this situation before with Faye and Tary so at least I know what to expect. Everyone is very supportive and we will help each other through. We don't find out today whether we have passed as the Chinese professors have to agree the decisions. They would have assessed us if they were here but instead we will be videoed and they will watch that when they arrive later in the month. We will however get feedback which is always useful. Also looking forward to being taught by my peers as there is always some useful tips to take on board for my own teaching. Wishing everyone good luck for today.

Monday 8 April 2013

Day three of course

I think we all had a great day yesterday. We got through another six moves, so still three to cover today. The explanations and in depth knowledge of Faye is fantastic and is certainly taking my practice to a different level. Last night we all went out for a Chinese buffet. Not sure I need to eat for another week but I'll give it a go! I wrote up my lesson plan this morning and will check with my little group what moves they are covering for their assessment when I get there later this morning. I think there will be some nerves around today as the big day looms. There is something about that word "assessment" that sends shivers down otherwise calm and rational people! It is still a better word than "test" though. Thank you to Anne and Jane who are doing my classes today and I'm looking forward to getting back to Liverpool tomorrow evening to see my family.

Sunday 7 April 2013

Qigong instructor course

Waking up to a lovely sunny day in Wolverhampton. This is day two of the instructor course and there are 19 of us on the course being led by Master Faye Yip and Master Tary Yip. They had hoped for the Chinese masters to be here but due to visa delays this has not been possible. Yesterday was great with introductions from everyone. Great to see familiar faces and also to meet new people too. A well thought out course, plenty of information and excellent tuition. Can't wait to get stuck in to today's session. It is going to be full on. Yesterday we did three moves, today we are completing the set which means another nine moves.

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Promo Video

I have had a promo video made about the school and you can view it here

Updates

It has been ages since I last posted on here but hopefully you have kept up with things on the website and twitter. Since the last post I also have a Facebook account. You can search for it typing in Angela's Tai Chi School. Several of my venues have changed since the new year and details can be found on the website. I am hosting another Health Qigong Workshop on April 24th at The Florrie. This workshop will be delivered by a Chinese Delegation brought over to England by the BHQA. World Tai Chi and Qigong Day preparations are well under way. The date is 27th April at the Festival Gardens between 10 - 12. This is a free event for everyone to come along and try out some Tai Chi and Qigong. Master Faye Yip is coming to Liverpool in October for a day workshop on the 24 step form. This will be held at the Aigburth Community Church on October 12th. If you want any further information or to book a place on any of the workshops please contact me