Ongoing Classes in Stroud

 

'Be sure to stay relaxed about the whole thing' - Wolfe Lowenthal.

Class Schedule
(Class location maps are below the text)
​
Monthly Partner Work Class - the last Sunday of each month - 10.30am to midday
There is a Partner Work Class on the last Sunday of each month from 10.30am to midday in the Gold Room, on the ground floor at the Centre for Science and Art, Lansdown, Stroud, GL5 1BB (map below under 'Monday Class').
This class will be for students who have learned the hand form (i.e. students from the Monday and Wednesday evening classes).
Cost - £5 per class.

After studying the hand form, the  next step is to learn Sensing Hands, which enhances the understanding of the form.
This class is to learn and practise the Cheng Man-ching fixed step Sensing Hands, and the moving step Da Lu, along with subsiduary exercises to explore basic partner work principles such as sticking, following, neutralising, relaxing (sung) and sinking (chen).

In Long River, the partner work is practised softly and co-operatively. Therefore it is suitable for all levels of fitness.
The emphasis will be on developing the correct form and the correct touch to aid the understanding of internal energy (ting jin and dong jin) in the interaction with another person.

'The heart of the exercise - what it means in terms of health, in terms of martial ability and as the foundation for enhanced spiritual understanding - all is mainly in the doing. Practicing over a considerable amount of time, with the principles of softness, relaxation, non-competition' (Wolfe Lowenthal, Tai Chi Thoughts May 2018).

Weekly Classes
All the weekly classes below teach the Yang style short form of Cheng Man-ching. The evening classes also teach sensing hands, sword form and fencing (after the sword form is learned).
​ 
Wednesday and Thursday Morning Classes - 11.30am to 12.30pm
These two classes teach the short Yang form of Cheng Man-ching.
The first class is free, after that it is £5 per class. £5 covers up to 4 classes per week (£7 if you additionally study sword).

Monday Evening Class - 7.30pm to 9.30pm
The Monday evening class has an additional half hour for partnerwork, followed by a further half hour to learn sword form and fencing. The first 45 minutes will be for the study of the form. There will be a tea break, followed by half an hour of partnerwork, and half an hour of sword study.
Cost of the class for the first 90 minutes is £5. For those staying on for the full two hours the cost is £7

Wednesday Evening Class - 7.30pm to 9.00pm
The first hour of the Wednesday evening class is for study of the hand form, with a short introduction to sensing hands. The last half hour of the Wednesday evening class is to learn the sword form.
Cost of the class for the first hour is £5. For those staying on to study sword the cost is £7

Please note that the partnerwork (sensing hands and da lu) and sword study part of classes is only open to students who have learned the hand form. If in doubt please ask me. ​

Wednesday 11.30am - 12.30pm

Started January 31st 2018 - Form Class
Venue: Lansdown Hall, Lansdown, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 1BB  ​(in hall on 1st floor)​

Wednesday 7.30pm- 9.00pm

  Started September 2016 - Form, Sensing Hands and Sword
Venue: Centre for Science and Art, 13 Lansdown, Stroud, GL5 1BB  (in Blue Room at top of stairs)

Monday 7.30pm - 9.30pm

Started January 2016
​Venue:  Centre for Science and Art, 13 Lansdown, Stroud, GL5 1BB  (in Gold Room on the ground floor)

Thursday 11.30am - 12.30pm

Starting January 2019
Venue: Lansdown Hall, Lansdown, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 1BB (in hall on 1st floor)

These include beginners' classes to learn the 37 posture Cheng Man-ching hand form (Wednesday and Thursday mornings). And more advanced classes, that have been running longer, to study and refine the hand form (Monday and Wednesday evenings). In each class we will begin with some warm ups based in qi gong, and then learn the form. 
 
It is recommended that you wear comfortable loose fitting clothing, and flat soled shoes if you have them (tai chi slippers are ideal but not essential).
 
When students have learned the Cheng Man-ching form and would like to deepen their practice and learn sensing hands and Da Lu (moving step sensing hands), the evening classes and monthly Partnerwork class provide this progression.

​Currently there is a partner work and sword study class on Monday evenings, an introduction to sensing hands and sword class on Wednesday evenings, and a monthly partner work class on the last Sunday of each month.