by Jocelyn Watkin | Sep 15, 2021 | Information |
Jocelyn teaches you from her online tai chi studio
Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could learn tai chi from me without having to leave home? Totally awesome and don’t just dream about it.
Vaccination for Covid-19 is not required as this course is completed online in your own space.
My new online course, called “Tai Chi for Strength, Balance and Mobility”, has received an enthusiastic thumbs up from participants who ‘test drove’ it.
It is now available so you can learn from me at any time that suits you, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and anywhere you have computer, tablet or mobile phone.
If you want to live stronger for longer with better strength, balance and mobility, please enroll using this link: https://navigatinghealthcare.co.nz/programs/#Tai-Chi-for-Strength-Balance-Mobility
This course has six modules, each designed to be comfortably completed within one week. However, you can take longer if you like. There are easy-to-read articles and how-to videos where I show you the movements step-by-step and share the secrets of tai chi. It will be like I am right there in your home with you.
I am a qualified, premier instructor for the Tai Chi for Health Institute. Find out why I can help you learn tai chi that is safe, easy-to-learn and effective: https://www.kiaorataichi.nz/about-us/
The course is ideal for anyone who:
- is worried about their balance or who wants to help a family member or friend to improve their balance.
- wants to get fitter and stronger.
- needs something that truly helps to manage and reduce stress.
- would love a good night’s sleep.
- is curious about tai chi and how it works for strength, balance and mobility.
- is an instructor teaching tai chi for fall prevention or strength & balance classes
One participant said of the course: “The special breathing I learned has helped me de-stress and calm down. It feels like a weight off my chest and shoulders”.
Can you imagine how blissful it would be to fall into a deep slumber almost as soon as your head hits the pillow? During this course, you’ll learn calming meditative breathing that you can use anywhere and anytime you feel stressed or worried, especially just before you go to bed. Click here if you’re looking for sweet dreams
Wouldn’t it be a relief to help a friend or family member improve their balance so you no longer worry about them having a fall and getting hurt? It sure would. Click here to help that special someone to stand tall and with good balance.
How amazing would it be if you could live stronger for longer? Totally! You’ll have access to the videos and articles for at least six months so you can regularly practice and build more strength and balance. Click here if you want to become more mobile and for years longer.
Sabine, a qualified Tai Chi for Health instructor recommends this course: Thank you Jocelyn, for a very enjoyable course. I loved the step-by-step approach and I could feel the improvement of my core strength, breathing and posture. Safety was top priority through the whole course and it was achieved with very clear and easy instructions. Overall, a wonderful experience.
All this and more with my new Tai Chi for Strength, Balance and Mobility course… and you won’t have to go out on a wintry wet night to learn it. You can participate in the privacy and warmth of your own home.
For just $99 you’ll receive:
- The full online course of six sessions, with supporting articles and how-to learning videos, which are delivered to your email inbox once per week.
- Additional resources of a practice journal and checklist.
- Access to a client portal where you can ask questions and share experiences each week.
If you want to live stronger for longer with better strength, balance and mobility, please enroll using this link: https://navigatinghealthcare.co.nz/programs/#Tai-Chi-for-Strength-Balance-Mobility
by Jocelyn Watkin | Feb 3, 2018 | Information |
Please note: This is a post from 2018.
Kia Ora Tai Chi lessons have now moved to the Manurewa South School hall on Totara Road, Manurewa. Please contact us to ask about current classes and venues.
Do you want to get fitter and healthier? Do you feel stressed or have trouble sleeping? Maybe you’d love to wave goodbye to aches and pains at the gym? If so, then say hello to Kia Ora Tai Chi.
Come along for FREE 45-minute tai chi lessons on Monday 12th and Wednesday 14th February 2018, 6.30 – 7.15pm, with Jocelyn Watkin, a qualified tai chi instructor, who has been practising tai chi for over 15 years. Adults of any age and high school students are all welcome. Scroll down for more information. To RSVP for the free lessons, contact Jocelyn: 027 493 9851 or use the Contact Form to get in touch.
After the free lessons, a beginners’ class will start at the same venue on Monday 19th and Wednesday 21st February, 6.30 – 7.15pm. Prices start from $9.50 per class. If you want to be fitter and healthier or reduce stress then tai chi is for you. It is suitable for adults of any age and fitness levels.
What to wear: Please wear loose comfortable clothing and flat-soled shoes (such as sneakers, trainers or tennis shoes). Please also bring a drinking bottle of water.
Love your heart and health with tai chi
What to expect: The class will begin with a sequence of easy, flowing exercises which are low impact and gentle on your joints. Jocelyn and some of her students will then demonstrate the tai chi form so you can see what it looks like. After that, you can have a go for yourself and learn the first few steps. In just one class, you’ll be doing real tai chi.
Longer term, tai chi can help you to improve your fitness, health and balance, reduce stress and lower blood pressure. Your heart will love you for it. Tai chi is an ancient, Chinese martial art that involves mindful movements performed in a slow, focussed manner and accompanied by deep breathing.
Tai chi is suitable for adults of all ages and fitness levels. If you are unable to stand for very long, Jocelyn is also qualified to teach seated tai chi, which you can do alongside the rest of the class.
Dates/times/pricing: Monday and Wednesday evenings, 6.30 – 7.15pm, from $9.50 per class. Please get in touch with Jocelyn: 027 493 9851 or use the Contact Form to ask about current classes and venues..
For more information:
by Jocelyn Watkin | Sep 10, 2016 | Information |
Great Wall of China
What made me leave my tai chi school of nearly 14 years to become an instructor for the Tai Chi for Health Institute?
I had been stuck on a plateau for some time, due to the ‘one size fits all’ or ‘cookie cutter’ approach of my then tai chi school. I searched for more stimulation and development; I read books, trawled through the Internet and tried a couple of different tai chi schools. I even organised a tai chi tour to China in 2015 and climbed sacred Wudangshan (Wudang Mountain), the tūrangawaewae of tai chi (spiritual home and place to stand for all who feel connected to tai chi).
Other tai chi schools were iniitally helpful in my quest but they didn’t have what I was looking for long-term, or their type of tai chi aggravated an old injury I had.
On YouTube I discovered Dr Paul Lam, the founder and director of Tai Chi for Health Institute (TCHI). I was instantly struck by his openness, his formidable tai chi, his philosophy that tai chi is for everyone and the thorough medical research that he’d conducted to prove the health benefits of tai chi.
A quick search of the TCHI website revealed that one of his two master trainers for New Zealand, Tamara Bennett of Smiling Dragon Tai Chi & Qigong, offered classes at Pukekohe, only 25 minutes away from my home. I soon rocked up to her classes and was impressed.
As I am a qualified teacher for the New Zealand education system, I instantly spotted that Tamara understood teaching methodology and was following a lesson plan. This was the first time I had encountered this in my 20 years of learning martial arts. If someone is good at one skill (whether karate, tai chi, music, maths, cooking, etc) it doesn’t automatically follow that they’ll be good at teaching it. Teaching is an acquired skill that must be learned, just like any other skill. I found out later that Tamara was following the Stepwise Progressive Teaching Method, which had been devised and perfected by Dr Lam.
I was also blown away by her tai chi ability. Throughout my 14 years of tai chi, I had been told by my (now ex) instructors that people who teach it for the health benefits don’t do ‘proper’ tai chi. Well, this was ‘real’ tai chi alright. All of the essential tai chi principles were there in Tamara’s movements and form.
What’s more, she and her students were friendly and welcoming. The barriers I had previously encountered (my age, ethnicity and being female) were not held against me.
Very soon I was flourishing with TCHI’s mix of the Chen, Sun and Yang forms, especially the welcome addition of Qi Gong in the Sun style of tai chi. I loved the blend of Chinese and Western philosophy and medical knowledge. I knew that this was the tai chi school that I would like to be part of.
Tamara awarding my instructor certificates
I had not wanted to become a tai chi instructor until then. As a professional teacher, tai chi gave me a break from teaching. However, a career change meant that I was more open to become a tai chi instructor. When I discovered that TCHI had well-thought out and proven programme to teach instructors, I knew that I would take that path.
I am now a premier TCHI-Board Certified Instructor for four Tai Chi for Health Programmes (find out which ones here). I am also a member of the Tai Chi for Health Community in New Zealand.
I met Dr Paul Lam at recent instructor workshop. He is as genuine and open as he is on YouTube. His tai chi was even more formidable face-to-face than it is on YouTube.
Tamara and my fellow instructors encouraged me to start teaching my own classes. Two came along to my very first opening night to support me and, along with Tamara, they continue to be trusted colleagues that I can call on for advice. Thank you so much Tamara Bennett, Aria Tauroa and Ian Blaine.
A big ‘shout out’ to the Sunday Club guys, too. You know who you are. I could not have come this far without you so thanks for ‘being there’ for me.
I love teaching and I am able to incorporate all of my tai chi skills and knowledge, including from my wider martial arts and teaching background. My students come from all walks of life, are friendly and helpful with each other, and they all want to do well with their tai chi. I can see that they practice between classes and that’s pretty amazing when compared with my experience at other tai chi schools.
After being stuck on a plateau for so long I feel energised and excited about my tai chi and the future. TCHI has been the right move because it offers:
- A thorough teaching syllabus and proven teaching methodology, the Stepwise Progressive Teaching Method, which is backed up by teaching DVDs.
- Medical research and case studies to prove the health benefits of tai chi.
- Well-established Tai Chi for Health Programmes that maximise these health benefits.
- A TCHI Board-Certification process to become a Tai Chi for Health Instructor.
- Support from the NZ master trainers and fellow instructors (of TCHI) and through my membership of Tai Chi for Health Community in New Zealand.
- Adherence to the essential tai chi principles, i.e. this is ‘real’ tai chi
- A mix of the Chen, Sun and Yang tai chi styles, plus Qi Gong and meditation
- Tai chi for everyone including making it accessible to as many as possible, particularly those less able or who have health issues.
- Acceptance that people learn and move in different ways, according to their own style, body-shape, age, etc
- An open, welcoming and safe environment where know-how is shared and questions encouraged.
- Greater diversity and range of tai chi skills and knowledge, due to the acceptance that one person or ‘guru’ cannot know everything.
- Opportunities to advance my own tai chi, including weapons training, whether I wanted to be an instructor or not. I.e. advanced students are not held back because they are not instructors.
- Friendly people that know when to be serious about tai chi and also how to have fun with it.
- The positivity and determination of Dr Paul Lam (the founder and director of TCHI) to ensure the above points and over-arching kaupapa (guiding principles and thinking) are embedded into everything that TCHI stands for.
Find out more:
Photos from Wudangshan (Mt Wudang), Hubei province, China:
Jindian Temple at the summit of Wudang Mountain, 900 steps up
Mt Wudang summit (and the Jindian Temple) – view from the top
