by Jocelyn Watkin | Jul 8, 2019 | Information
Sadly, there is no magic, instant cure for the common cold.
Depending on your immune system, plus how much time and rest you can give yourself, most people will overcome a cold virus in just over a week or so.
However, being aware of the risk factors of catching a cold and reducing those risks can help avoid or reduce the severity of a cold.
There are five broad risk factors:
- Lack of sleep
- Stress
- Age
- Season
- Smoking
Tai chi can really help with the first three.
Sleep: Rest and getting enough sleep is vital for good health. Nearly everyone who attends my tai chi classes mentions how they always get a better night’s sleep after class. It’s not just the exercise that helps you to sleep. It’s also the calming effect of the deep breathing and the slow, smooth continuous movements of tai chi.
If you do get a cold or other illness, try to rest and sleep as much as possible as it will help with your recovery.
Stress: Relieving stress goes hand-in-hand with rest and a good night’s sleep in terms of helping to reduce the risk of catching a cold. Numerous studies and clinical trials have proven the tai chi can reduce stress
Studies at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh suggest that psychological stress can raise your risk of developing a cold. They suggest it affects how the stress hormone cortisol works. This hormone regulates inflammation in your body. When you’re under stress, cortisol may be less effective at managing your body’s inflammatory response to the cold virus. This may cause you to develop a cold. Read more about this
To minimise stress Carnegie Mellon University recommends a number of techniques, which include tai chi. Discover these techniques
Click here to read an article I wrote on how to use tai chi breathing to bust stress in just a few minutes per day.
Age: Children and older people are more at risk of getting a cold. In children, this is because their immune systems are not fully developed. In older adults, it is because their immunity levels drop as part of the ageing process. Clinical trials have concluded that regular sessions of tai chi may boost the immune systems of older adults and could also help to improve the effectiveness of vaccines, including the ‘flu vaccine. You can read more about these trials here:
Season: Just because the weather is cold, doesn’t mean you’ll get a cold. However, you’ll probably spend more time indoors in the winter months and that means more ‘rubbing shoulders’ with other people. You can lower your risk with good hygiene like washing your hands and lower the risk to others by staying home when you are sick and covering your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough.
Smoking: Smoking compromises your immunity levels and second-hand smoke can disrupt immunity in others. If you smoke, talk to your health professional about how to quit.
While some risk factors are hard to control, others can be managed. Regular practice of tai chi could lower your chances of catching a cold.
Read more about the risk factors for the common cold here
Related information: A cold fact: High stress can make you sick
by Jocelyn Watkin | May 17, 2019 | Information
Your brain while meditating – calm, clear and confident. Your brain doing tai chi – calm, clear, and confident. This is no coincidence. Even my newer students notice how the more experienced students ‘get in the zone’ when doing tai chi. They want that, too. Don’t we all??
Ah, mawhitiwhiti iti (little grasshoppers), the key is in the breathing. With tai chi you learn how to match your breath with your movements.
I’ve dug out a great article to help you understand how it works:
“… Both tai chi and mindfulness meditation focus your attention on the breath. That single focus may help your brain make lasting changes that impact the way you see (and cope) with things.
Research has found that both tai chi and meditation have a powerful effect on the mind, cultivating a stillness that serves to increase focus, reduce stress, and boost cognitive skills.” Read on
Wait there’s more! This research has also shown that tai chi can train your brain and improve your life in three ways. This is because tai chi:
- grows the size of your brain, even when you are no longer a child (or even young)
- improves your memory and ability to stay focussed
- shakes off stress.
Keep practising and you too will enter the zone. Click here to discover more about this research into tai chi.
by Jocelyn Watkin | Mar 7, 2019 | Information |
This is a post from March 2019.
Kia Ora Tai Chi has partnered with Cornwall Park to offer four FREE tai chi lessons at their Park Life event, which will be held on Saturday 30 March, 2019, 11am – 4pm. (If wet, the event will be held on Saturday 6 April).
The tai chi sessions will be:
- 11 – 11.45am: Tai chi for beginners – Learn easy, flowing steps of this ancient Chinese martial art. Low impact, fun, family-friendly and ideal for all age groups. (Note: This will be the same tai chi that we taught at the “Summer Tai Chi in Cornwall Park” sessions.)
- 12 – 12.45pm: Yang-style tai chi – Join in to do the 24-step and combined 42-step forms. It is fun to watch or jump in and have a go in the spirit of “Let’s play tai chi together”.
- 2 – 2.45pm: Tai chi as moving meditation – Learn how to relax and de-stress with special tai chi movements. Once learned you can do these anytime, anywhere. Gentle on your joints and ideal for beginners of all ages.
- 3 – 3.45pm: Tai chi for beginners – Learn easy, flowing steps of this ancient Chinese martial art. Low impact, fun, family-friendly and ideal for all age groups. (Note: This will be a repeat of the 11 – 11.45am session.)
Location: Same as for “Summer Tai Chi in Cornwall Park”. Under the big trees on the left-hand-side of Pohutukawa Drive (as you come up from Greenlane Road). Look for the tai chi signs and the Kia Ora Tai Chi team wearing red shirts.
What to wear:
- Comfy clothes and shoes
- A sun hat, sun block and insect repellent
- Bring a sweatshirt or jacket in case of cool weather. Please bring a water bottle, too.
No need to RSVP. Just come along and join in with your friends and family. A big thank you to the Cornwall Park Trust Board for funding these sessions so everyone can enjoy learning tai chi for free.
Get that summery feeling back with tai chi in Cornwall Park
More about Park Life
This is a free event celebrating nature, exploration and all the things you can experience in the park, which will be closed for motorised traffic. With no cars, you will be able to freely roam the 425 acres of land while discovering activities, games, performances, food and more that will be spread throughout the park!
When: Saturday 30 March, 2019, 11am – 4pm
Bring your friends, whānau, a picnic, and your walking shoes for a free fun-filled day in the park.
Find out more:
by Jocelyn Watkin | Nov 19, 2018 | Information
This is a post from November 2018.
The last summer tai chi session for 2019 in Cornwall Park was on Tuesday 29 January, 2019, 6 – 7pm.
If you’re looking for more free tai chi sessions with Kia Ora Tai Chi then check out this link.
Contact us, to find out whether there’ll be summer tai chi sessions in January and February 2022.
The Summer Tai Chi in Cornwall Park sessions began on Sunday mornings (9-10am) on the 2nd, 9th and 16th of December 2018 and Tuesday evenings (6-7pm) on 4th, 11th and 18th December 2018. With the exception of New Year’s Day, the lessons continued on every Sunday morning and Tuesday evening in January 2019. Classes were approximately 45 mins. Fun for all of the family, from children to grandparents. Ideal for beginners.
All of these sessions were led by Jocelyn Watkin, of Kia Ora Tai Chi. Jocelyn is a qualified and premier instructor for Tai Chi for Health Institute, who has over 20 years martial arts experience. All of Jocelyn’s tai chi classes are also approved with the BIG TICK for the Community Group Strength and Balance Programme: “Live Stronger for Longer”.
Location: Under the big trees on the left-hand-side of Pohutukawa Drive (as you come up from Greenlane Road). Keep an eye out for the tai chi signs. Jocelyn and her fellow instructors will be wearing red Kia Ora Tai Chi polo shirts.
Summer tai chi in Cornwall Park is fun, free and suitable for all ages. You don’t need special clothes or equipment. A big thank you to the Cornwall Park Trust Board for funding these sessions so everyone can enjoy learning tai chi for free.
Please bring a bottle of water and insect repellent.
What to wear:
- Comfy clothes and shoes
- A sun hat and sun block
- Bring a jersey/sweatshirt in case there is a breeze.
If wet, please check the Kia Ora Tai Chi facebook page for cancellation notices: https://www.facebook.com/kiaorataichi/
If fine, just come along to any session. There’s no need to RSVP as all will be welcome. Ideal for complete beginners.
Described as “moving meditation”, tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial art that combines mental focus and mindfulness with deliberate and relaxed movements that are gentle on the joints.
Find out more:
All of Jocelyn’s tai chi classes are approved for ACC’s Strength and Balance Programme.
by Jocelyn Watkin | Nov 13, 2018 | Information
Love tai chi for fun and fitness
People often ask whether tai chi can help with fitness. When I say “YES” they ask how is this possible when you don’t ‘huff and puff’ while doing tai chi?
Puffing and the ‘blood, sweat and tears’ approach to exercise is mainly propaganda from the gyms touting for business. Fortunately, there is better news for those who don’t fancy working up a sweat or can’t?
The team at “Trust Me I’m a Doctor” (BBC TV) set off to the University of Birmingham to answer the question on whether something so slow and graceful as tai chi could really give you the benefits of a more vigorous workout.
For this clinical trial, they worked with volunteers aged 65 – 75 to compare tai chi with Zumba Gold. The results (released in October 2018) surprised them: The tai chi group showed similar benefits to those in the Zumba group, with improvements in blood pressure and vessel flexibility.
You can find out more and WHY in this link: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-45799473
Numerous other studies and clinical trials have shown that tai chi improves muscular strength, flexibility, fitness, immunity, relieves pain and improves the quality of life. If you’d like to know more about this and how/why tai chi works then chick out this information from Dr Paul Lam and the Tai Chi for Health Institute: https://taichiforhealthinstitute.org/articles/life-style/
Dr Lam says that, “Hour for hour, practising a Tai Chi for Health programme is probably the most effective exercise to improve health and well-being“. To find more about the Tai Chi for Health programmes that I teach click here.
Find out more about Kia Ora Tai Chi classes.
Kia Ora Tai Chi for fitness and for health. Fun, too.
