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855 Educators providing Art courses in Swanley

Taiji & Qigong (London & Kent)

taiji & qigong (london & kent)

Tai Chi is both an exercise for improving and maintaining good health, as well as a martial art designed for self-defence. It is also often spoken about as a form of ‘meditation in motion’ or ‘meditation in movement’ as it promotes a sense of inner peace and tranquillity.  Whether you refer to it as ‘T’ai Chi’ (the Wade Giles method of Romanising words), or ‘Taiji’ (the Pinyin or modern way), it is short for ‘T’ai Chi Ch’uan’ or Taijiquan, which both can be translated as ‘Supreme Ultimate Fist’.  Tai Chi is a popular form of exercise for people of all ages and abilities, offering a wide range of physical, mental and emotional benefits to those who practice it. There is a range of Tai Chi benefits to enjoy, whatever your age.      Depending to a certain extent on the type of Tai Chi being practiced, it is considered very safe for people of all ages, as it exercises joints and muscles without placing too much stress on them.   Therefore, this also makes Tai Chi an ideal form of exercise for people with either rheumatoid or osteoarthritis, as well as offering a wide range of other benefits: Relief of stress, anxiety, tension and depression, increased levels of relaxation, calmness and confidence, gently improved muscle tone, co-ordination, balance and good posture.   Research also suggests Tai Chi reduces falls in the elderly Tai Chi is effectively having your own personal gym without needing any equipment (unless you’re learning movements with weapons), and you can practice it either in groups or on your own.  There is a range of Tai Chi styles to suit your needs.  Whilst Tai Chi is often talked about as being an ancient martial art, it first appeared in records from the 1700s onwards.  Whilst there are many different family styles, there are five major styles practiced throughout China and the West: Chen style, Yang style, Wu-Hao style, Wu style, Sun style to name but a few.  At Taiji and Qigong, we teach a wide variety of Tai Chi forms, as well as Pushing Hands, Da Lu, Applications of the Forms, and Fa-Jing techniques.   If you’re interested in taking Tai Chi classes in London or Kent, take a look at our Classes & Prices to find what you’re looking for.

London Longsword Academy

london longsword academy

Bromley

Everyone is welcome to train, from beginners to expert martial artists, no matter what your age, gender or background may be. Here you will have the opportunity to study diverse medieval and Renaissance weapon styles, including longsword, sword and buckler, dussack, messer, rapier and dagger, in a safe, friendly and completely inclusive environment. LLA will help you find and exceed your limits, teaching you a martial art honed and made perfect through Europe’s many centuries of warfare. SIMPLE YET SOPHISTICATED Every technique shown is the simplest answer for the threat given, and the most effective way to attack and cover in one motion. What at first appears to be more complex, you will soon learn is the simplest way to deal with a more complex threat. POWERFUL BODY MECHANICS Applicable to most armed and unarmed martial arts. This art will teach you to fight using your entire body, maximising your power and honing your instinctive responses. LOGIC AND GEOMETRY At the LLA we use a simple four step training method. Each technique is based on logic and the demands of the situation, rather than clever or showy moves; it just happens that some techniques look damned good. The method breaks down each set of techniques into four steps, each student only progressing to the next part of the technique when they have mastered the first. This means that as a beginner you can train with more advanced practitioners straight away and never feel left behind, while allowing you to advance at your own pace. Variations in the four steps allow for overlaps and cross- referencing of responses and pressures, thus building your understanding and repertoire of combat simply and quickly. INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY One thing we are at pains to point out at the LLA is the multi-cultural nature of these arts. Manuals such as I.33 & Paulus Hector Mair’s Fechbuch (amongst many others), show women and men, white and black training together and it is also known that several masters of these arts were Jewish. This diversity is part of our art and history; we feel it should be a proud part of its future. LLA has a zero-tolerance policy for discriminatory behaviour or hate speech amongst its students, and aims to be a safe and welcoming space for all.