Where and when?

Location: The Victory Hall, Parkhall Road, Somersham, PE28 3HE.

Wednesdays at 2.30 – 3.30pm. Any holiday breaks will be advertised.

Each session will be approximately 60 minutes of gentle exercise.

How much does it cost?

£5 per session, or buy a 10 class pass for £45 and receive a session free! This pass can be used over all Changing Lives classes and you are not debited if you miss a session

What does it entail?

T'ai Chi is a gentle, wholistic practise that that incorporates mind and body, breath and posture and movement and relaxation through the learning and practise of soft, flowing movements. Originating in China it is practised by people of all ages and types around the world. It has been shown to be an aid to help release stress, improve posture, stability and movement and can help us manage long term conditions of all types.

These classes offer specially adapted seated exercises incorporating the essential health benefits of T'ai Chi in an accessible but challenging format.

The classes will consist of a mixture of seated and standing exercises; the emphasis is on personal achievement and development and participants will be encouraged to work at

their own pace to develop an understanding of the principles of this diverse art, and how they can be integrated into each person’s life.

After the class, there will opportunity to have a drink and a chat with other participants.

Your instructor

Instructor: Mike Tabrett

Mike began to train in T'ai Chi in 1983 and started teaching in 1988. He teaches in a variety of contexts including traditional classes teaching sequences of movement, specially adapted classes tailored to meet the needs of specific groups of people such as people with learning difficulties and those who have survived a stroke and teaches locally in day centres, hospitals and community education and is lead tutor for a small local T'ai Chi school called Grey-Heron Internal Arts.

He has delivered training to physiotherapists and other health care professionals to help them integrate T'ai chi principles in to their own work. He has developed a special set of chair based exercises to enable people who might find themselves unable to attend a mainstream class. He has also trained T'ai Chi teachers to work in specialised environments and has been honoured for this work by being made an Honorary Vice-President of the T'ai Chi Union for Great Britain, a national umbrella group for T'ai Chi in this country.

What is expected of you?

You will need to let the instructor know of any health conditions that might affect you exercising. It is also advisable that you consult your GP before starting this exercise.

What to wear?

No special clothing is required- please wear whatever you are comfortable moving around in.