One of the most iconic buildings in Birmingham is Moseley Road Baths in Balsall Heath. A fabulous Gothic-style building, it has been at the heart of the local community for many years. A big reason for this is the range of activities they host – although this has been affected by COVID-19 lockdown rules in recent times.
As a result, Central Tai Chi will be providing some online taster sessions via Zoom every Tuesday for the baths. This will enable people in the area to get a feel for what Tai Chi is about from the comfort of their own home. The hope is that these Zoom taster classes will then develop into physical classes at Moseley Road Baths for people to attend.
Of course, if Tai Chi is totally new to you then you might want to know what it’s about and what benefits it can bring before trying the taster sessions. With this knowledge, you will feel more confident in signing up for them and any subsequent physical classes that take place at the baths.
What is Tai Chi?
In simple terms, this is an ancient Chinese martial art that not only teaches self-defence skills but can also improve your health. It is known as one of the main ‘internal’ Chinese martial arts (along with XingYi and Bagua). This means it uses slow, gentle movements and does not rely on pure muscular strength to work. Less stress is placed on the body when practising Tai Chi due to this, which makes it ideal for all ages. As well as practising sets of movements known as forms, typical instruction in this art also involves Chi Kung exercises and standing posture practice.
What benefits can Tai Chi bring?
This fascinating art has two major benefits – teaching you self-defence skills and helping you to become healthier. Do not worry if self-defence is not something you are interested in learning. Tai Chi is just as much fun and just as enjoyable if you learn purely for the health benefits.
In terms of self-defence though, this art enables you to build up up your internal power (through the practice of forms, standing postures and Chi Kung exercises) and teaches you how to release it. Along with the self-defence techniques which the forms themselves contain, this can help you protect yourself in daily life with diligent practice.
How else can Tai Chi improve your life?
For most people, it is the health benefits of this art that are most attractive. Tai Chi is superb for helping to improve your balance due to the gentle movements involved when practising it. It is also great for improving your coordination, as often you will be doing different things with each hand/leg at the same time.
Many people also find their posture improves after practising for a while and this can help alleviate neck, back or shoulder pains. Tai Chi is also very effective at calming the mind, making you feel relaxed and promoting mindfulness. By focusing fully on the movements as you practice, it enables you to get away from any troubles or problems in your life for a while.
Zoom taster sessions for Moseley Road Baths in Tai Chi
If you live in and around Balsall Heath and want to dip your toe into the water of this wonderful art, why not sign-up for our Zoom taster sessions every Tuesday? As noted previously, we hope to put on physical classes at the baths shortly. Taking advantage of these online taster sessions enables you to try Tai Chi from your own home and decide if you wish to carry on with physical classes at Moseley Road Baths, should they happen. Sign-up now or get in touch with our main instructor Steve at steve@centraltaichi.co.uk with any questions.