Finally! After much waiting, I had my first Sun Style Tai Chi class this morning. Was great!! Nice atmosphere, nice instructor, good mix of people from 17 to 70. It was only a beginners class, but I could sure feel it on the ol' legs. My teacher said, that tai chi done properly, although highly relaxing in itself, your body should still know that it's been trained. Lots of pushing forward with the knees, low(ish) stances and fluid movement made for a great time. By the end of the class, I could remember all of what had been taught. In my opinion, it was taught at just the right pace. My teacher also mentioned that in his opinion, while it was perfectly ok for tai chi to be learned "for health", or for "self defence", it was his view that just learning tai chi will be useful for both. So, as a result, he would demonstrate at full speed, the slower movements, and the contexts with which they could be used in a fight. A really, really nice bloke too. A fiver a class is hardly a drain on the ol' funds either.
Next week, they're staging a "Tai Chi in the park" event at a local park to me. Last year it had the attention of the local BBC, so should be a good event, and useful for raising the awareness.
:ultracool