The Tai chi class I attend has a very friendly atmosphere, all the ‘pupils’ are friendly with nobody getting pretentious. The class is instructed by Andrea Kocache who is very encouraging to all. As well as being a natural teacher, Andrea is very graceful in her presentation which helps when trying to interpret some of the moves and positions. If there is a question or query about anything to do with Tai Chi, Andrea will answer to the best of her knowledge…Always..
I have been learning Cheng style Tai Chi with Andrea for many years. Her dedication is inspiring and she is a patient and gentle teacher, never allowing you to think you can’t so that eventually you realise to your surprise that you actually “can”. I was a late starter but I can honestly say that at 83, my balance has improved and my bones are stronger than they were when I began 10 years ago. I owe much to Andrea and absolutely recommend her Tai Chi classes. You are never too old, nor too young to benefit.
I started taiji and qigong when I was 14 years old and have learnt with a variety of different teachers. Since starting to learn with Andrea 5 years ago, I realised that most of what I was doing before was ‘waving my hands in the air’ without really knowing what I was doing and having no real whole-body connection. The fact that Andrea doesn’t exclude the martial arts aspect keeps things real (she can demonstrate a purposes for each movement and test how well we really move), because without this I found it easy to get deluded e.g. about personal progress, or imagining all sorts of energetic sensations.
Andrea has been a great friend and mentored me to also start teaching. She has total integrity and professionalism in her work and a very healthy dose of common sense! I come to her classes whenever I can – sometimes 9 times per week – and always admire how she adapts the class to include and benefit everyone, no matter what their abilities and disabilities are – including arthritis, parkinson’s, partial sightedness etc etc. I also started coming with her to Master Wang Haijun’s seminars in London, which is an incredible experience to see how we are linked to the Chen lineage in the most genuine way. Master Wang is also a living example of Tai Chi, very humble and a generous teacher and I feel so fortunate to have found such great teachers so close to where I live!
For the best part of four years, I have attended Tai Chi on Wednesday morning. For me, T’ai Chi is about connections. Apart from the friendships and a warm welcome, attending Andrea’s classes has heightened my awareness of space, balance and posture and how physical position has immediate impact on both body and mind. T’ai Chi is about general well-being and Andrea nurtures a positive outlook through encouragement and explanation. An investment for life.
Tai Chi with Andrea
The most effective teachers possess passion for their subject and the patience to impart their knowledge to students. Without a good teacher, the deceptively simple art of Tai Chi Chuan can baffle and deter the keenest learner. Andrea’s classes are an uplifting experience in which much more is taught than ‘a bit of arm-waving’. They encompass valuable lessons for life shared in a relaxed and positive environment.
Andrea pays great attention to detail and has seemingly endless patience. Her dedication to her own development is inspirational.
I have been learning Tai Chi with Andrea for nearly two years, and the form she is teaching us is Cheng Man-Ching’s Tai Chi Chuan – Short Form.
I have found Andrea to be an extremely patient and enthusiastic teacher, she shows a very obvious and deep dedication to Tai Chi and works hard to convey to us the physical and mental benefits which can be achieved. The hour long class is also fun, and always full of laughter.
I try to practise a couple of times a week, and although I haven’t yet reached the end of the form I find that the quiet concentration needed to bring to mind the movements of the form and the other exercises which I have learnt is very calming and relaxing.
Ranna Hurst, Yang style
I have had the pleasure of attending Tai Chi classes with Andrea for several years now.
I appreciate the way she teaches, making adjustments with illustrations from her own extensive experience of martial arts and regularly revisiting, reinforcing and fine tuning what has been learnt. All is done with kindness and good humour. I am so glad to have found her as a teacher.
Susan Tosoni
It is so easy to recommend Andrea’s classes because she is not only an excellent Tai Chi teacher but she is also a wonderfully kind, patient and understanding person who is ready and willing to help all her pupils achieve their full potential.
Carolyn Laurie
Practising Chen style tai chi has made a big difference to my mental health – it has drastically reduced my anxiety, making me much more relaxed, centred and focused than I was before. Over the past few years, Andrea has skilfully provided advice and hands on adjustment that has allowed me to deepen and improve my practise. Tai chi makes me feel at ease, and with more inner strength and grounding. The classes are also all very friendly and good fun to attend.
Alistair Benn, age 19
T. C. has improved my posture, walking, and climbing stairs. I am learning how better to use my left leg and hip again and not totally rely on my right hip which I experienced when walking. I can now walk up and down the stairs without needing the banister to lean on any more.
I find Andrea’s support and guidance just that! Supporting and guiding. I feel like a young women again.
Barbara, Yang style & Chen style
Andrea is very knowledgeable about tai chi with its benefits and uses. She teaches Tai Chi for everyday use and is always happy to teach the more technical aspects if you are interested. Her classes are friendly and welcoming, catering for all abilities. She demonstrates the uses of the different movements in the forms which make the classes interesting and more than just an exercise routine. I have attended her classes for a number of years and always leave with a feeling of wellbeing and over time have noticed a distinct improvement with balance, flexibility and posture. Although having had some long breaks due to other commitments, Andrea always welcomes me back to her classes and is happy to go through all I have forgotten. I would highly recommend Andreas classes.
Di Waghorn, Yang and Chen styles
I have now had 5 monthly massage sessions with Andrea since July. I started after suffering stiffness in my back since having a hip replacement last year. I notice a great improvement in my back and shoulders and after each session I have a general sense of well-being.
S.
“For someone with such seemingly small and delicate hands, Andrea has a wonderfully firm and deep touch. This is enhanced by her tai chi training which means that she uses her whole body rather than just her hands, when working on a client, enabling her touch to go deeper and cover more ground more effectively.
Due to a chronic condition, I have a foot that can become clawlike with cramp and Andrea is fantastic at unknotting it and at stretching out other stiff contracted muscles, so that a massage brings instant relief and makes a real physical difference.
Quite simply, Andrea has healing in her hands.”
Ros K.
I started Tai Chi in September 2015. Initially I did Yang style and then moved on to Chen style, which for me is more challenging. Andrea is the epitome of a good teacher. Shame I did not have teachers like her at school. She is patient to the nth degree, full of humour, all backed up with a great knowledge and enthusiasm. I have never heard anyone (other than myself!) use so many analogies to explain things, but boy, do they stick in the mind because of that.
I started Tai Chi as a form of exercise that I could take into my older age and it is, but it is so much more than that. I feel that I am on a wonderful journey to which there is no definite end, but it is the journey that counts. I am really looking forward to all of the places that I am going to visit on the way, both physically and mentally. With Andrea, I have the perfect tour guide to help me understand what I am seeing and feeling.
I wish I had found Tai Chi years go, but it is never too late.
Laurence