New London T'ai Chi Classes

My teacher, Mark Raudva, is starting a new beginner's class in London very soon, all the details are below.

The T'ai Chi Centre T'ai Chi Beginners Course
Sundays 3.00pm - 5.00pmStarts: 12th June, 6 classes, £80
Venue: 'Surya Yoga', Welmar Mews,154 Clapham Park Road, London SW4 7DE.Tube: Clapham Common, Northern line.http://www.suryayoga.co.uk/pages/homepage/contents.html

The T'ai Chi Beginners Course consists of 6 teaching classes. Class dates: 12th, 19th, 26th June, 3rd, 10th, 24th July. All classes are from 3.00pm - 5.00pm except 19th June 1.00pm - 4.00pm. Course fee: £80. To book your place on the course contact: 07944 880072 or email taichicentre@aol.com. Please notify, in advance, if you are going to miss one of the teaching classes - a convenient catch-up session can then be arranged.

When correctly taught, the practice of T'ai Chi can significantly reduce the amount of stress and anxiety that we meet in our daily lives. By the end of the course students will have an understanding of the basic principles of T'ai Chi in relation to solo practice and partnerwork, as well as some useful relaxation techniques and improved posture.

The 2 hour class is divided up into 3 sections:
Pushing hands.This is the part of T'ai Chi that allows us to work on the principles in relation to another person.
Warm-up exercises or Chi Kung. A set of exercises to relax the body, calm the mind and stimulate one's natural energy.
The Solo Form. Each week the form is learnt posture by posture. By working from the mind, through natural movements of the body, we learn to understand relaxation, to interpret energy and to apply this knowledge to our everyday life.

T'ai Chi Ch'uan is the ancient Chinese art of moving meditation, it is based on the Taoist understanding that all things are comprised of the harmonious interplay of two complimentary forces - Yin and Yang.

Through the practice of T'ai Chi we learn not to rely on external strength and hardness in order to overcome opponents and obstacles, but rather we apply principles such as the yielding overcoming the unyielding, the soft overcoming the hard. As the body gradually learns to soften and yield, the mind follows suit by becoming more open and flexible. With regular and sincere practice, the habitual actions of mind and body - which at first seem natural - begin to fall away and one is left in a natural state. In this natural state one is able to respond to each situation as it develops, unhindered by memories of the past and conceptions about the future. A clearer perception of the 'heart of the matter' develops.