Tai Chi Wu-dang style, relaxation. meditation, Chi gung, falls  prevention,   life affirmation, health & fitness, toning, stretching, martial applications.

Suitable for all ages and physical requirements.  

Instructor 

Gary Brighton

 Classes throughout Norfolk and Suffolk

Private 1:1 home tuition available

Beginners always welcome as each class contains 1:1 tuition

 Norfolktc@gmail.com

Phone 07952971129   

Monday   

Beck Row Methodist church 

11:20-12:30 

West Suffolk Hospital Wedgewood Unit

 2-3pm

Thetford Methodist Church 

18:45- 20:00 

Tuesday 

Zoom online Chi gung class  

10.00-11.00 

Brandon British Legion 

13:15-14:15

Swaffham Methodist Church 

3:00-4:00pm

Wednesday

Wretham Village Hall

 1:30 - 2:30pm

 Santon Downham Village Hall 

3:30-4:30pm

Zoom Online Chi Gung 

5:15 -6:15pm

Thursday

Free sessions for staff and pupils at Mundford Primary School

Friday

Private tuitions

I have had Tai Chi contracts with:

West Suffolk Hospital Mental Health Unit

West Suffolk Hospital Cardiac Unit

Mundford Primary School

Lakenheath Elementary School 

Elveden Primary School 

Brandon High School

Include SEN School

King Edward IV School

HMP Highpoint 

RAF Honnington

Suffolk County Council

Suffolk Social Services, 

Anti Falls Program  

Suffolk Falls Prevention Program  

Norfolk County Council

West Suffolk Hospital, Physiotherapy Unit

Newmarket Hopsital, Physiotherapy Unit

Aldeburgh Hospital, Physiotherapy Unit

Albany House Residential Care Home

Woodspring house Dementia care Home

Eastcotts Residential Care Home

Exning Court Residential Care Home

Newmarket Day Centre

Healthy Mind UK

MIND Norfolk

Disability Resource Centre

Thetford Leisure Centre

Bury St. Edmunds Leisure Centre

Newmarket Leisure Centre

Mildenhall Dome Leisure Centre

Brandon Leisure Centre

Norfolk Adult Education

In my 25 years of teaching Tai Chi and Qi gong I have been asked a multitude of questions concerning the aspects of what I instruct. It seemed evident that the students who attend are all looking for something new, possibly something better, or some times just an alternative.

They have been treating the illness, instead of treating the symptoms, they have bad backs from standing and walking incorrectly, or perhaps they feel so stressed that they feel they can no longer cope. Everyone has problems, but each dilemma is individual to them, because each person is unique and you therefore have the right to be treated accordingly.

We do not all move in the same way, we all have different limitations and strengths, it is improving ones limitations and growing from your strengths that Tai Chi teaches you. If you cannot stand on one leg due to hip problems, then we may have to alter your posture to attain this goal. There are no quick fixes, it all takes time, you are building strength, subtly, relearning and retraining your body to move in totally new ways. Do you remember your first driving lesson? Where you seemed to have six feet and not enough arms, having to hit the brake, look in the mirror and indicate all at the same time! It is the much dreaded word CO-ORDINATION. Your first Tai Chi class will be like that, you will realise that you do not have as much bodily control as you think you have. Many people start Tai Chi with only 40% co-ordination of their bodies, and this is one aspect the classes will build upon. You may feel awkward, tense, and clumsy to begin with, you are learning new skills, it takes time to do so. But within a month you will start to see and feel the differences.

In modern times we tend to focus on quantity rather than quality, we work until we drop, play sports until it hurts. By doing this we are running ourselves into the ground, we can only do so much before we drop either with illness or something more terminal. This is our bodies away of making us stop and listen. When was the last time you really looked at a flower, observed the patterns of light and colour? Looked at a cloud and imagined animal shapes as you may have done when you were a child? It is this quality of life that is important, the little things are the most important and easily missed in the modern rushed lifestyle.

These are the moments that are gone and will never to be repeated, missed due to you working too hard, what is really important to you? You have to make the choice, make no excuses and then stick to it, change your life for the better and see where the journey will take you.

See the quality, and if you can gain the quality, the quantity no longer appears to mater, it is this realisation of what is important that makes Tai Chi special.

Through carrying out the Tai Chi movements you are teaching your body new techniques and learning new skills, this is why Tai Chi involves repetition, by repeating the movements you are subconsciously programming a reflex action, a movement that can be carried out without any mental effort. Just as with learning to type, drive, ride a bike etc.

In Tai Chi one learns postural awareness, through exploring bodily movement you are able to feel what every part of your body is doing and were it is spatially located, you become ‘connected’ to your entire body, able to move and feel every part of your being as every part of your body is connected to another either by tendon, muscle, nerve or other means. Once you learn this control, the next stage is to co-ordinate the movements, in Tai Chi all movements are tied together, starting and stopping at the same time. This co-ordination is what gives Tai Chi its flow and graceful dance like movements. Breathing control is a part of Tai Chi, the breathing and bodily movements connected, joining into one movement, contraction and expansion of the body connected with inhaling and exhaling.

Tai Chi also builds flexibility, tone and strength, and does so on par if not better than weight training which also shortens the tendons and muscle fibres through limited stretching. You will be using all of you bodily strength to hold postures, working to your limits, building strength and muscular tone. Through the gentle stretching, muscles and tendons lengthen increasing flexibility and suppleness.

All this will burn calories, create fitness, but in a relaxed manner, relaxing the body as well as the mind, promoting the health benefits. Health from learning the move and in a better way, stopping new injuries and even curing old ones, health from learning how to stay relaxed, physically and mentally, you can think yourself better!

So what is Tai Chi? One answer is Tai Chi is about control, controlling yourself. You have to learn to control yourself both mentally and physically, because you are both a mental and physical person. In Western society we are good at compartmentalising, things are put into smaller and smaller pieces, we are always looking for the ‘source’, the fundamental thing that will answer all our questions, who we are, where have we come from , where are we going?

In Tai Chi we will be trying to answer the same questions but by you looking at yourself as a whole, a being who consists of interconnecting parts, all relating and communicating to each other. You are finding yourself by observing yourself.

By understanding yourself, you may be able to answer your questions about you, unfortunately as akin with science and religion you always ask more questions than there are answers. But Tai Chi is not a science or a religion, it is a philosophy, a way of life that you can adapt to fit you whether you are Christian, Hindu, Islamist etc. It is not looking at changing you or your beliefs, its about making them clearer.

Where the journey will take you is to make you a better person, through the task of knowing and being happy with yourself.

Regards to all

Gary