by Andrew Outhwaite

Week 1 of Cheng Hsin ‘club’ at Leaning Tree Community School

Just a quick celebratory note – yay! – about starting a short 5 week course for half a dozen kids at Leaning Tree Community School in Geraldton. In many ways its such a perfect fit with the ethos of the school: Cheng Hsin nurtures students whole body-being, just as Leaning Tree nurtures the whole child.

The club last year and the PD training with teachers were really well received last year. This Term we are aiming to demonstrate a complete Tai Chi mini set for the rest of the school at the end of the course.

Already in week 1 I was surprised by a few things:

  • How much attention the children pay to your movements and cues. They literally follow everything, not knowing what is and isn’t Tai Chi. When I teach adults they already filter what ‘is’ Tai Chi or Cheng Hsin and what ‘isn’t’. In this way children are both more difficult (they don’t know scratching my nose is not part of the set), and easier (they actually watch and pay attention.  
  • How revelatory it is, and how appreciative children are, when I help them relax and learn to ‘feel’ their weight, centre, gravity, pressure and resistance. 

I’m looking forward to the next 4 weeks, and future planned course with local seniors later in the year.

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