Silent success of Tai Chi event draws more than 200 | Gatton Star

MORE THAN 200 people met at the University of Queensland\’s Gatton Campus to get fit and have fun, and yet there was near total silence.

That\’s because the group came to experience Tai Chi, in all it\’s silent glory.

The Taoist Tai Chi Society of Australia held an international workshop in Gatton for the second year in a row, attracting 230 participants from around Australia and abroad.

Instructor Sandra Wilson said the workshop allowed participants to better themselves.

\”They\’re all coming together to deepen their understanding of the Taoist arts, it helps our own development and it helps us to improve our own health,” Ms Wilson said.

The society holds this workshops annually, with this year\’s being the largest ever.

Ms Wilson said the art of Tai Chi is \”very much from the heart”, and had huge benefits for people of all ages, but particularly for seniors.

\”As you can see, it\’s not a performance art as such it\’s something that is very internal and anyone can do it. You don\’t have to be fit to start,” she said.

\”It\’s a wonderful thing for seniors – many people come and start because they have injuries, or because they can\’t do something else.

\”Everyone has their own different reasons for doing Tai Chi, but there\’s physical health benefits, there\’s mental health benefits, there\’s emotional benefits.”

About 100 of the attendees at the five day workshop were instructors, which meant the event would have wider benefits for the Tai Chi society as a whole.

\”They will be able to go back to their own branches and continue the teaching,” she said.

Ms Wilson said the society had loved hosting the event at Gatton two years in a row.

\”It\’s such a beautiful location – we love it here,” she said.

\”We were very keen to come back again this year.”

Classes are run in Gatton, Forest Hill and Laidley.

To find out more, visit www.taoist.org.au

This content was originally published here.