Hi, I’m Marian. I am really enjoying living in New Zealand with my husband and daughter.
I started my journey into the wellbeing world with yoga and karate. Then I found tai chi when looking to start a programme for children. Tai chi has given me enjoyment, balance and moments of calm in my life.
I have been in education for over 20 years and have a lot of experience of teaching children and young people who have a wide range of disabilities. The thing I like most about my work is seeing the development and discovery of new skills and abilities in the students and how this helps them navigate their world. I see how tai chi has helped them with self-regulation, physical benefits and also they have had a lot of fun while doing it.
I loved hearing from the adults in our community sessions telling me how they have found the tai chi has helped them in their daily lives.
I have a passion for movement and its positive effect on wellness. I really hope you can share some of this journey with me and join me on the pathway to wellbeing. See you there!
Some relevant bits of the past:
BA Degree and Postgraduate Teaching Qualification
Diploma in Educational Studies
Special Education Teacher
Wadō-ryū Karate Black Belt
British Wheel of Yoga Foundation Course
Rainbow Yoga Kids Instructor Training
Yoga for the Special Child
REPs Teaching Physical Activity to Children
Nutrition and Weight Management Course
1st Aid and Child Protection
Tai Chi for Health Institute Instructor Courses – Diabetes / Arthritis / Arthritis 2 / Beginners / Kids / Osteoporosis / Energy / Yang 24 Depth / Sun 73
Gold in Taijiquan Bare Hand Group Routine NZ National Kung-fu Wushu Championship
Hi, I’m Pete. I live in New Zealand with my wife and daughter. I had my first taste of martial arts as a teenager with Taekwondo, I was keen to be the next Karate Kid. After a short break… until my thirties, I rekindled my dream and I started karate with my family. This time I found enough strength to get to black belt and even did a bit of teaching. We were really keen to create a wellbeing system for schools, communities and people with disabilities. When we discovered how great tai chi can be for this, we were hooked.
The best thing I like about tai chi (and also within karate), besides all the healthy stuff, is the link between the movements in the forms to the applications. The forms are like a moving book, passing knowledge through time. Although tai chi can be used just for health and mindfulness, knowing the origins of the movements can give another layer of purpose to the practice.
I really like the fact that with tai chi, there is always more to learn and there are plenty of fantastic people to learn from. I would love to share with you what I know now and in the future what I will be learning in the present. I think that’s right, oh, also I do the humour!
Some relevant bits of the past:
BSc Degree
Diploma in Design
Wadō-ryū Karate Black Belt 1st Dan
CIT Martial Arts Certified Instructor
REPs Teaching Physical Activity to Children
Nutrition and Weight Management Course
1st Aid and Child Protection
Tai Chi for Health Institute Instructor Courses – Diabetes / Arthritis / Arthritis 2 / Beginners / Kids / Osteoporosis / Energy / Yang 24 Depth / Sun 73
Gold in Taijiquan Bare Hand Group Routine NZ National Kung-fu Wushu Championship
We set up Tai Chi Earth in the UK over ten years ago and we have now moved everything to New Zealand.
Tai Chi Earth in the UK delivered years of sessions for adults and in schools – a lot of this work was for a special education school for children with disabilities.
Tai Chi Earth was created to have a focus on spreading wellbeing and mindfulness practices in the community with the main motivation of making a difference by helping people be active – that is why we made our company motto – ‘Move through the day’.
The move to New Zealand from the UK started up the thoughts of going online with our sessions. Lots of people told us how much they would miss having the lessons. Over the last few years we have been developing a lot of our own simplified sets of tai chi and qigong inspired by traditional sets practiced in China for many many years. Our real focus with our sets, while trying our best to follow tai chi principles, is to make the sessions as enjoyable and holistic as possible. It is great to have fun while learning something new and it is even better to also have a calm relaxing experience while doing so.
The movement for calm membership is delivered online using a membership platform that we have built. An important part of tai chi and wellbeing is the social, friendship aspect and we are providing a community for you to chat in and share stories, ideas and to ask questions. We always aim to be fully inclusive and make content great for beginners and hopefully even more experienced players can find enjoyment with doing something a bit different. The programmes can be used by schools/children, people with disability, at home and in the workplace. Join us in our journey to help you to ‘Move through the day’.
Hello, I am Chi which can also be spelt qi. My name can mean ‘air’ in Chinese. Together with my friends Geo and Aqua we make up the Tai Chi Earth logo – the air or sky – that’s me. My favourite type of tai chi is Sun style. I like breathing really well because it makes me feel good. It makes me calm.
Hi everybody, I’m Geo and my name means ‘Earth’ in Greek. I’m the land in the Tai Chi Earth logo. My favourite type of tai chi is Yang style. I really like strong stances and feeling grounded. It gives me lots of energy.
Hi, my name is Aqua which means ‘water’ in Latin. I am the sea in the Tai Chi Earth logo. My favourite type of tai chi is Chen style. I really like doing flowing and spiralling movements. It gives me focus.
