The Green Prescription team recently stepped out of our comfort zone and onto the Tai Chi floor to experience first-hand what participants can expect from a class. We spent an enjoyable hour with Tai Chi instructor Tony Carne, who guided us through a variety of movements while sharing the fascinating stories, meanings, and origins behind them. It was a great opportunity to learn more about this gentle form of exercise and the many benefits it can offer for balance, flexibility, mindfulness, and overall wellbeing.

Tony's knowledge and passion for Tai Chi made the session both informative and engaging. He explained that, as Tai Chi was developed as a martial art, Tai Chi practitioners need to learn great balance, with nimble and stable footwork. In contrast to many other martial arts, Tai Chi requires relaxed muscles, sensitivity and calm, rather than fast and aggressive movements. Its focus on balanced footwork, correct postural alignment, and slow deep breathing, reduce stress and make it a great low impact workout for anybody, but particularly suitable for seniors.

It is hard to believe that the soft, slow, almost balletic movements of the Tai Chi form all contain effective, and often brutal, kicks, strikes, joint locks and takedowns, but understanding the purpose behind the movements give a much deeper appreciation of how to perform them and understand why it is such a valuable activity for people of all ages and abilities.

Of course, no team activity would be complete without a few laughs! While Tony moved gracefully from one pose to the next, some of us discovered that coordination is not necessarily our strongest skill. There were plenty of mixed-up feet, forgotten sequences, and amused smiles around the room, but that was all part of the fun. Overall, it was a fantastic experience that has given us valuable insight into what we are recommending to participants, and we're confident that anyone considering Tai Chi will find it a welcoming, supportive, and enjoyable activity.

If you would like to try a Tai chi class, Tony’s beginner tai chi classes are on Monday mornings from 10:10 to 10:40am and Friday from 11:15 to 11:45am at Kensington Fitness. However, you are welcome to stay on for a further hour, as the intermediate class joins for qigong (chi kung) exercises and learning the Yang-style long tai chi form. After class the ‘stayers’ retire to Refuel Cafe upstairs for refreshment and chat and, we understand, first timers may even get a free tea or coffee.

A big thank you to Tony for sharing his expertise and patience with us. We might not have mastered every move, but we certainly left feeling inspired, informed, and ready to confidently recommend Tai Chi to our participants!

At Sport Northland, we exist to enrich Northlanders’ lives by inspiring and enabling more movement. One of the ways we do this is through Green Prescription—supporting people on their journey. If you’d like support with your activity or nutrition goals, give us a call on 0800 ACTIVE. We’re here to help.

Article written by Natalie Wood and Tony Carne