Residents are proud of their instructor who competed in the British National Tai Chi Championships and won 4 gold medals
Yoko has an extensive art, healing, and therapy background, and her dedicated Tai Chi practice has given her a unique approach to teaching Tai Chi. As a professional Tai Chi teacher and Reflexology therapist, she runs a busy clinic alongside teaching Tai Chi.
Yoko began training in Tai Chi with Choo Poh Ong in 1999, she completed her first teacher training in 2006 and in 2018 joined Longfei Taijiquan Association. Among her achievements in 2018, 2019, and 2022 she has won a total of 32 medals, multiple gold medals at the London Competition for Traditional Tai Chi Chuan, and the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts(BCCMA) and in Taiwan.
Yoko holds two classes a week in the community’s ballroom. The classes are tailored depending on the nature and capability of the class, as she wants them to be both enjoyable and empowering for residents. Yoko believes Tai Chi has the power to help balance and works to help her pupils strengthen their legs, which in turn helps to prevent potential falls. She encourages them to be free and present in the classes, connecting with the ground to provide energy from the earth to fulfill the exercises.
Yoko’s holistic approach to her practice focuses on the mind, not just the body. Classes are proving very popular with a number of regulars attending every week and some who choose to drop in when they have the time.
Karen Rae, Village Manager, comments,
It’s an honour to have Yoko teaching our residents. They all comment how much they enjoy her classes each week and they seem to be growing in popularity as well.