Newcastle Tai Chi

Our next induction course is Monday 7th September.

New starters are welcome!

Most people have never attained a level of performance in any field that is sufficient to show them the true power of mental representations to plan, execute and evaluate their performance in the way that experts do. And thus they never really understand what it takes to reach this level - not just the time it takes, but the high-quality practice.

(Anders Ericsson)

Comfort zone?

Because of free will, most people opt for the easiest course of action, which may involve no action at all. This is fine. It's human and it's your choice to make. Meanwhile, life continues and you get older.

Your body deteriorates. Your back, knee, neck ache gets worse. Your mind gets fixed and stubborn.

Consider this: Most people live lives that are not particularly physically challenging. They sit at a desk, or if they move around, it's not a lot. They aren't performing manoeuvres that require tremendous balance and coordination. Thus they settle into a low level of physical capabilities - enough for day-to-day activities or maybe even hiking or biking or playing golf or tennis on the weekends, but far from the level of physical capabilities that a highly trained athlete possesses.

The reason that most people don't possess extraordinary physical capabilities isn't because they don't have the capacity for them, but rather because they're satisfied to live in the comfortable rut of homeostasis and never do the work that is required to get out of it.

The same thing is true for all the mental activities we engage in. We learn enough to get by but once we reach that point we seldom push to go beyond.

(Anders Ericsson)

Quality of life?

Discovering how to walk skilfully is transformative. It will quite literally affect all facets of your life. Each day. All day long. You will use less effort, feel less tired, be balanced and nimble.

You will also be less prone to experience mobility, coordination and medical problems caused by a poor walking technique.

Cultivate awareness...

Tai chi teaches people to become conscious of how they use their body. The mind must be brought back to the here and now. To the immediate. Students learn to feel what is happening as it is happening.

This is not a monumental task to accomplish. It simply requires patience, persistence and a commitment to improve.

Tai chi is the one exercise that can universally help solve our growing health crisis. It has stood the test of thousands of years. We have a generation of baby boomers with increasing health problems; old people who are sick, in pain, fearful, and cranky; a middle class that is increasingly incapable of affording most of the drugs that are prescribed for their ailments; children that are flaccid, diabetic and asthmatic. People of all ages are addicted to drugs, alcohol, sugar, ci******es, and caffeine. Stress follows almost everyone like a shadow.

(Bruce Frantzis)

Ideal form of exercise?

According to the book The Blue Zones it is important to think of exercise in terms of what you can reasonably do long-term.

The ideal form of exercise is moderate enough that you can do it for the rest of your life. It needs to be joint-friendly, provide a gentle workout and be sustainable.

This sounds rather like tai chi, doesn't it?

Lifestyle change?

Aging with strength, good fitness and dignity is no small ambition. And you personally will have to all the work. Do not kid yourself.

But it need not be hard work. You do not have to force yourself. Just do things differently. Embrace change. Many changes...

Vision 120?

Instead of aiming to 'get fit' or 'lose weight', why not give yourself a real ambition? Aim to live until you are 120. Sustained good fitness for as long as you can...

Sure, you probably will not make it. But let's face it: we're all going to die at some point so you have nothing to lose.