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Mike Hart, principal instructor at Swansea Tai Chi

WHY T’AI CHI?


Is your body sore, aching, and in pain?

Do you feel discomfort in your body when you move or get up in the morning?

    If you experience these things or fear them, read on, because this will be the most important message you’ll read today…

  Many people in their 40s and 50s experience a variety of aching body parts, general soreness and outright pain when doing simple everyday tasks, the top 3 of which are…

  1. Difficulty putting on socks (or even underwear), getting in and out of chairs, lifting your arms above your head, feeling pain and tightness even when lying in bed, unable to play with the kids or take the dog for a good walk

  2. Bending or squatting down to pick something up, maintaining the garden, turning your head or body to reverse a car, unable to walk without soreness or aches, you can no longer do what you used to enjoy

  3. You generally feel weak and ineffective, have poor balance, shallow breathing, rock-bottom energy levels and you grunt and groan doing simple everyday tasks

    You’re stuck in a vicious cycle of aching joints and a body that’s always sore somewhere

Life has suddenly lost it’s sparkle..

And you’ve lost your mojo.

    Dire straits, to be sure.

    The good news? (yes, there is good news)

    This is not the normal aging process…

    …and you can discover how to move correctly so you have less or no pain and can move effortlessly and effectively every single day.

    The human body is designed a certain way and when we move in accordance with its design, our bodies and its systems are strengthened and made more robust and resilient.

    On the other hand if you move your body in a way not consistent with its design you cause wear and tear and all your movement literally begins to break your body down - hence the aches, pains and soreness.

    Ancient Chinese 'scholars' studied the human condition intimately, and learned what would make it stronger and what weakened it so it broke down (sometimes irreparably). They developed a series of movements based on the body’s natural design which would undo any imbalances and bring the body back to its original state. These same sequences would also be preventative.

    These movements incorporate your body’s natural structure and principles of effortlessly-effective movement.

    Learn and practice these movements consistently, and you’ll begin to unwind your body, create space, dissolve tension and relieve the stresses and strains that are breaking your body down.

    Not only will your body be comfortable to live in physically but your internal systems (digestive, respiratory, lymphatic, circulatory, urine-genital etc) will also become more efficient and streamlined.

    Want more?

    How about becoming more emotionally stable and enhancing your mental faculties so you can handle whatever comes your way…

    Of course, this kind of thing takes commitment and consistency on your part, but nothing good comes without some effort, right?

    If your doctor told you to take a pill twice a day for rest of your life and as a result you’d be in the best health ever, would you do it?

My guess is ‘yes’.

    Well, I’m offering that pill to you TODAY.

Who Am I?    

Image shows Mike Hart with his teacher Gordon Faulkner in Stonehaven

Mike Hart (left), with Laoshi Gordon Faulkner

    I’m Mike Hart and I’ve been practicing and teaching Chinese health arts for over 40 years and I’m also a Chinese massage therapist to boot. I’ve taught hundreds of students how to move better, stop breaking their bodies down and enjoy their lives to the full.

    I’ve especially applied it to my own lifestyle when I was diagnosed first with atrial fibrillation and then congestive heart failure in my mid-50s, my Dad’s side of the family having a history of heart disease. These arts have made a huge difference to my life particularly with the congenital weaknesses, and I’ll show you how they can do the same for you.

     And I can help you put the brakes on the ageing process and get you back to doing or keep you doing the things you love to do.

    To accomplish this I offer classes in various venues in Swansea and after running tai chi classes for well over 20 years, I’ve always pondered the problem of how to integrate new beginners into an established class.

    The obvious answer is to have a dedicated beginners class but eventually, because that day and time is convenient, this becomes another established class and it’s not for beginners anymore. So, I’ve come up with dedicated start times for all beginners

    Beginners can start in our classes on the first class day of January, May or September. That is, if your preferred class day is on a Wednesday, you’ll begin on the first Wednesday of January, May or September along with other beginners

Your body, mind, and energy systems will all begin to open up and your health and well being will improve. I’ll guarantee it.

   One of the first things you’ll learn is Calibration Conditioning and Full-Flow Flexibility, a series of warm up and stretching exercises designed to reset your body’s skeleton back into its natural position by releasing physical and emotional tension and stress from your tissues and mind. It helps remove a lot of the wear and tear to your body

    Effortlessly-effective movement, structure and power will come from practicing the tai chi set, a short twelve move routine based on Yang style tai chi which will help you become intimate with the essential structures and principles of movement in your body.

    Breathing is essential to physical and mental health and in these arts there’s a large focus on this aspect. These movements are usually referred to as Qigong or Daoyin exercises. You’ll discover the correct method for changing your breathing naturally, without force. Over time, this will begin to release more tension and make you more stable both physically and mentally. This is covered in the Shed Stress program.

    Inner Tranquility for Vibrant Vitality will show you how the mind, breath and body come together to create a strong, resilient and robust health. This ’Inner Skill’ or Nei Gong practice is simple, but not easy. Don’t worry though, I’ll guide you through the theory and practice step by step showing you the pitfalls and traps along the way.

     And if all that isn’t enough to be going on with, you’ll be introduced to the basic principles of Chinese medicine and health including the meridian system and internal organ functions, receive personal correction from me and get the full benefit of my 40+ years in the Chinese and Daoist arts.

But there's one more important thing...

    These classes are not for the faint-hearted. You will be busy for a number of weeks learning the core practices. This will engage your mind as well as your body and will be challenging to begin with, but if you put some work in the rewards will unfold…

     For that reason, if I think you’re a good fit after we’ve chatted via email, I’ll arrange to talk to you via zoom or over the phone and if all goes well I may offer you a place in a class of your choice if I think it’ll help you.

Your classes include...

  • Essential Tai Chi (ETC). The complete guide to our tai chi set, step-by-step.
  • Shed Stress (S2) . 8 breathing exercises based on Chinese medical theory to help prevent stress aka the Stress Prevention Qigong Set
  • Full Flow Flexibility (F3). Stretches to target tight areas and get you moving with grace and power
  • Inner Tranquility for Vibrant Vitality (ITV2). The essence of internal work. Learn to correct your breathing and build your Qi or bio-electrical energy to improve health
  • Calibration Conditioning (C2). Warm up calisthenics to reset your body and make sure your structure is correct before you start to practice
  • Opportunities to ask questions in every lesson and via email
  • Tips and tricks to help with your own personal practice (which you are expected to do in your own time)
  • Uniquely taught skills and theory to enhance your training
  •     To enrol in a class, we’ll need to have a quick chat via email first to see if I can help you. Alternately, if we’ve already had a chat and you know this is what you really want, you can secure your place with a payment at the “Enrol Now” link below.

    What’s the cost?

       The fee for one class a week is £24 per month (Direct Debit) or £9 per session (cash)

    If you’re willing to put in the work and want to kick off the conversation just fill in the short form below and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours with a couple of short questions so I can get you moving better soon…

     

        Mike Hart

    If you’re ready to sign up now, just click below to go straight to the checkout (will invite you to set up a Direct Debit for £24 per month).