Kia Ora Tai Chi

08/11/2025

When I finish creating an earth art piece, I love to pause and explore it from different angles. Each shift in perspective reveals something new — just like the many ways we can view life.

Here’s a recent creation.
From one direction, it feels like a leafy landscape, gently inviting us to open up to the bounty of nature.
Turn it, and it becomes a cascading waterfall of leaves — calming, flowing, and helping us feel centred and connected.

I’m fascinated by how nature invites us to re-imagine, re-frame, and rediscover.

05/11/2025

Yes, it’s happening and for the 9th year in a row!! The free summer tai chi and qigong sessions with me in Cornwall Park are back for summer 2026. The kick-off will be on Sunday 11 January at 9am. More info: https://www.kiaorataichi.nz/free-tai-chi/

02/11/2025

What an amazing day at the Auckland Botanic Gardens! Our 5-Element Qigong retreat today was a journey into energy, harmony, and balance — within ourselves and with nature. Towards the end of the day, the participants made their own nature mandalas (earth art). I was delighted with how each mandala evolved to become a reflection on what that person had learned about the five elements – unity, inter-connectedness, symmetry, the circle of life, being centred, heart/love/peacefulness, life’s journey, and energy. Check out the photos. A big thank you to everyone for being part of this very special day.

17/10/2025

Woot! My annual registration has been approved for 2026 as a New Zealand Registered Exercise Professional (REPS), including for teaching group exercise classes using my own choreography.

09/10/2025

What a fabulous fan club!
Teaching tai chi at Acacia Cove Retirement Village is always a highlight of my week. The group's energy, humour, and dedication to learning is inspiring. Together, we’ve been exploring the tai chi fan form — a colourful blend of movement, focus, and fun.
Great photo, Pat, and thanks.

26/09/2025

Wobbles now, wisdom later — to be able to confidently stand on one leg, every would-be golden rooster has to start somewhere. Ah, little grasshoppers (or should I say 'owlets'), the more you practice tai chi, the easier it gets.

☯️ It’s normal for things to feel difficult at first, but everything gets easier with time.

14/09/2025

I'm excited to announce that there's a wonderful new documentary coming out soon called Quantum Qi. It features qigong (pronounced chee-gong) and tai chi practitioners from all over the world talking about qi (life force/mauri, energy) and the health benefits of doing qigong (energy work to enhance your qi). Link to the trailer for Episode 1 is below. May the Qi Be With You. (Note: YouTube might insert an annoying advertisement at the start of the clip.)

https://quantumqimovie.com, https://facebook.com/quantumqi What is Qi? How does the practice of Qi Gong help to reset the body’s entire healing system bringi...

29/08/2025

21/08/2025

Another fun SpinPoi session for seniors today. This is part of a series of Strength & Balance fall prevention classes I'm offering in partnership with the Shanti Niwas Charitable Trust in our Manurewa community. There is around 50 in the group. The photo is of the keen bunch who helped me to set out the poi at the start and then pack them up afterwards.

11/08/2025

Kia ora tai chi whānau, this is a reminder for my Wed evening students: there is no tai chi/qigong class this Wednesday 13 August. See you on the 20th.

04/08/2025

Why do I love making earth art?
It’s fun, creative and surprisingly peaceful. It draws me away from the computer, gets me out of my office and back into te taiao — the natural world/the environment.

I’m not aiming for perfection. I just enjoy the flow of creating with what nature offers — twigs, leaves, petals, shells, seaweed. No cutting, no harming — just using what’s already fallen from the trees or washed up on the beach.

It’s liberating too, especially if you’ve ever been told you’re “not artistic.” Earth art doesn’t care. It’s about joy, not judgement.

And when I’m done? I let it go. The wind, rain, or tide will take it. I call it re-wilding — a gentle return to Papatūānuku / the Earth Mother.

You don’t need hours or fancy tools. Just an open mind and as little as five minutes. You can, of course, linger for longer in creating your earth art.

Why not give it a go? I’d love to see your photos.

30/07/2025

Wow, sunshine at last! After non-stop rain yesterday, it was heavenly to feel the warmth of the sun and get creative with some earth art on the beach.
I was aiming for an elegant octopus... but the tide had other ideas and rolled in faster than expected.
So, I present the Tri-opus — part octopus, part experiment, part “oops!”
(Or maybe it’s a TRY-'oops'-us... as in trying hard... ha ha!)

Nature always keeps you on your toes (or should I say legs) — and I wouldn’t have it any other way.