by Jocelyn Watkin | Jul 4, 2023 | Information |
In addition to Matariki this year, July is also Mindfulness Month.
Together, they make a good combination:
- Matariki is a time of remembrance, joy and peace.
- Mindfulness Month is about finding peace in the present, while raising funds to help the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand (the foundation) advocate for a brighter future for everyone in Aotoeroa/NZ
During July 2023, I will teach three mindful and restorative sessions and donate my time as a fund-raiser for the foundation. Instead of paying me for a session, I hope you will consider donating to the foundation instead.
The sessions all have connections to the three key principles of Matariki as follows:
- Remembrance: Online, Tuesday evening 11 July 2023, 6.30 – 7.15pm, by Zoom: Mindful, restorative journaling. Remembering our ancestors/tūpuna and lessons from the past can help us to reduce stress today and into the future.
- Celebrating the present: Outdoors, Friday 14 July 2023, 11am – 11.45am, Tai Chi in the Park for the official Matariki holiday. This will be held at Kauri Point Reserve in Wattle Downs, Manurewa, which is at the end of a street called “Moor Park”. Refer to map: https://goo.gl/maps/MZHeqttC5rBeL6mu9 This session will be weather-dependent. If the ground is too wet or the weather doesn’t co-operate, please look for the cancellation notice on the Kia Ora Tai Chi facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kiaorataichi/
- Looking to the future/learning new skills: Online, Thursday evening, 20 July 2023, 6.30 – 7.15pm, by Zoom. Create a calm and centred universe within you with “Out of this World Qigong”. This date also happens to be the 54th anniversary of the moon landing (20 July 1969).
If you’d like to take part in these sessions or if you’d like to enable a friend or family member to attend, please make a donation to the foundation on my fund-raising page for Mindfulness Month: https://mindfulnessmonth.co.nz/jocelyn-watkin
My sessions usually sell for $10 – $15 per person, per session. However, any amount will be very welcome. Even just $1 will make a difference, as every bit counts.
Once you’ve made your donation, please let me know by texting me on 027 493 9851 or email me or use the contact form on the Kia Ora Tai Chi website. I will then email you the Zoom links for the two online sessions.
Of course, you can still donate even if you choose not to participate in any of the sessions.
Why am I doing this? Several years ago, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress (PTSD). I was fortunate to have full support and arohanui (lots of love) from my husband, family and friends, professional care from my doctor, and was able to fully recover.
Restorative journaling was a key part of my recovery. The mindful process of journaling enabled me to break the hold stress had on me and free my thoughts to plan for a better and different life.
Later, tai chi and qigong helped to complete healing process as I learned how to use both of these skills to reduce stress on a daily basis, rather than let it build up.
Here is the link to my fundraising page: https://mindfulnessmonth.co.nz/jocelyn-watkin
Whatever you decide to contribute, thank you so much for your commitment to the foundation and to all New Zealanders in need of support with their mental health. You can find out more about where the money goes in this link: https://mindfulnessmonth.co.nz/whereyourmoneygoes
There are some great resources available for free on the Mindfulness Month website. You can explore them here: https://mindfulnessmonth.co.nz/resources
If you need help and support, you can call any of the phone numbers listed here for free: https://mentalhealth.org.nz/helplines
by Jocelyn Watkin | Jan 12, 2023 | Information |
Free tai chi and qigong with me every Sunday morning (9am) and Tuesday evening (6pm) in Cornwall Park from Sunday 15 January until Tuesday 28 March 2023. All sessions are outdoors so are weather dependent.
Ideal for beginners of all ages and abilities, particularly those seeking a calming and nurturing exercise experience that is also effective for fitness and balance.
The linked postures and steps of tai chi, along with deep, meditative breathing (called qigong), are designed to improve your overall health and can also strengthen leg and core muscles.
Tai chi and qigong are good for your body as well as your mind and are helpful at reducing stress.
These 45-minute sessions in Cornwall Park and are free, fun and suitable for all ages and abilities, especially beginners. You are most welcome to invite family, friends and colleagues to join in.
Summer Tai Chi in the Park sessions are funded by the Cornwall Park Trust Board so you can all attend for free.
Here is all of the information you need:
- Where are the sessions? In Cornwall Park about halfway up Pōhutukawa Drive and under the trees to the left of the road. (Same place as previous years).
- Directions for those who haven’t attended before: Drive, cycle or walk into Cornwall Park from Greenlane Road West. That entry road is called Pōhutukawa Drive. My tai chi sessions will be about halfway up Pōhutukawa Drive on the left-hand-side and under the trees. Look for me and my instructors in our red Kia Ora Tai Chi shirts. If you get to the roundabout you’ve gone past us. Refer to the park’s visitor information website for a park map: Cornwall Park visitor info
- Days and times: Sunday mornings at 9am (we’ll be there from 8.45am) and Tuesday evenings at 6pm (we’ll be there from 5.45pm).
- How long are the sessions? 45 minutes
- What to bring: Water bottle, a sun hat/sun block and wear comfy clothing and footwear.
- If rainy or when there are high winds: Look for the cancellation notice on the Kia Ora Tai Chi Facebook page: www.facebook.com/kiaorataichi/ or text me on 027 493 9851. Or you can check with the park’s visitor centre (the Huia Lodge Discovery Hub, open 7 days from 10am – 4pm) https://cornwallpark.co.nz/contact
- More information: https://cornwallpark.co.nz/summer-events-programme-2022-23
I would so love to see you under those lovely shady trees in the park. I will teach a number of exciting and different tai chi and qigong forms as the sessions progress and until the last one on Tuesday 28 March.
As well as my tai chi and qigong sessions, there are lots of other free activities in the park. Check out my SpinPoi session in the park on Saturday 18 February. Find out more in this link: https://cornwallpark.co.nz/uploads/logos/Summer-Events-2002-2023-Web.pdf
Find out more
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 | Sep 17, 2020 | Information |
Breathing – we all do it automatically: approximately 18 times per minute, 1,080 times per hour and nearly 26,000 times in a 24-hour day. You would have thought we’d got it down to a fine art?
But, what if I told you that most of us could do this breathing thing a lot better? And, by better I mean having more more energy, less anxiety, better sleep, less stress, a better posture with less back ache, and that it was a way you could quickly calm your mind when it is revved up. Of course, you don’t have to do this type of breathing for all of those 26,000 breaths. Instead, you can try it for just for a minute or two and for 2-3 times per day – it could make a huge difference in your life and health.
Tai chi is an ancient, Chinese exercise programme and martial art that involves a series of movements performed in a mindful, focussed manner and accompanied by deep breathing.
You don’t have to know tai chi to learn tai chi breathing. I can show you how to do this so you can breathe your way to better health. You will be able do this anywhere, anytime at home, at work and even on a bus or train.
Let me show you how in this short, 3-minute video.
What happens when we don’t breathe properly? Journalist, James Nestor, and a friend decided to try it for just two weeks. He said on Radio NZ National this week, “We knew it wasn’t going to be fun, but we didn’t know it was going to be a bad as it was. Within a few hours my blood pressure shot up about 20 points. That night I start snoring and I had not snored before.”
Check out the RadioNZ broadcast with James Nestor in this link.
I’ve also written about WHY tai chi breathing is so good for you and how it can help you to bust stress in just a few minutes per day. Click here to find out.
by Jocelyn Watkin | Apr 3, 2020 | Information |
FREE Tai Chi for Rehabilitation (TCR) to help you boost your immunity and reduce stress and anxiety. Dr Paul Lam of the Tai Chi for Health Institute is offering the entire TCR online learning programme free of charge.
Click on this link for Lesson one (just over one hour’s duration). We suggest you jump straight to the 48-minute point of the link below to learn the 1st two wonderful steps of TCR. After that, you can watch the rest of the video for juicy and fascinating information from Dr Lam on why and how TCR works. Subsequent lessons in the series will be available in due course.
I (Jocelyn Watkin) am a qualified, board-certified and premier instructor for the Tai Chi for Health Institute. My instructor course for TCR was with Dr Lam himself.
