The TMW team

Andrea Bailey – Director and Teacher Trainer

Earlier this year, I was delighted to become the Director of TMW Training Ltd. I couldn’t wish for a more fulfilling way of making a contribution in a world with so much need. I’m excited to be working with such an incredible Team, all of whom share the same passion to create the greatest opportunity for TMW to transform lives.

My journey began 27 years ago when I walked into a Tai Chi class in Bristol. Not knowing much about Tai Chi, I somehow sensed it could help me make much needed changes in my life. My first realisation was that I had lost connection with my body…

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Charlotte Henson – Administrator

My first connection with TMW was in 2014, when I joined a weekly class with Marigold in the local town. There was quite a lot of difficult ‘stuff’ going on in my life at the time and I was looking for things I could do to support myself. TMW felt wholly beneficial, without my having to understand what was going on, and whatever state I was in. I particularly liked the way it was beyond what my analytical mind could grasp. TMW became an important anchor in my life.

When I was looking for a job in 2018, a friend spotted an advertisement in the local paper – TMW Training was looking for a part-time admin person. Brilliant, just what I was looking for! I’ve been here ever since…

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Helene Bøhler – Teacher Trainer

Of all unlikely places for a meditative practice, my very first introduction to Tai Chi began in 1998 on a winter’s night, in a car park in Glasgow city centre! My friend showed me the first few moves and following on from that, I joined a weekly class… the first steps on a long and rich journey towards my ongoing connection with TMW!

At the outset, I felt a little restless at the softness of this practice and I thought I might need something more physically challenging. However, as the practice invited me deeper in, I realised that this experience of presence, release and deep listening was truly what I needed more than anything else. And it still is many years on.

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Marigold Farmer – TMW Mentor and Teacher

Little did I know, when, in October 2009, I sat at the back of the room during the TMW Pilot Study with Hereford NHS Acquired Brain Injury Patients, that TMW would become central to my life and remain so to this day, and beyond!

I went to the class to record the sequence of sessions, so that I could produce support materials for those NHS Practitioners who might eventually train to teach TMW. Over the following 8 weeks I became more and more captivated by the effect of the sequence. Those taking part ranged in age from 18 to 80 and arrived frustrated, forgetful, fatigued, lacking coordination, and in some cases embarrassed by their limitations…

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Richard Farmer – TMW Mentor and Teacher

TMW Training was created in response to a request, to create a series of movements, that carry the essence of the Tai Chi journey, that could be accessed by a wide variety of people and needs.

This appealed to me as a Tai Chi Teacher of 40 years and student of 48 years. Tai Chi Chuan was my path, but because it was too complicated and it took too long to master, it alienated 99% of the population. And yet I knew from personal experience it was a very effective means of personal growth and wellbeing.

The issue is, what is a Tai Chi Master doing 40 years into the pathway? Are they working out what comes next?…

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Steph Fearnley – Assistant Teacher Trainer

When it came to choosing my career path I was very drawn to medicine and to movement in the form of sport science. After working in the fitness industry for many years, using movement as part of a health care plan for managing long term health conditions e.g. diabetes, high blood pressure, heart health, joint problems etc. I was fortunate to meet Richard and Marigold. They had been commissioned by the National Exercise Referral Scheme for Wales to deliver TMW to Exercise Professionals nationwide. For the first time I found the exact combination of what I had been drawn to my whole life: A movement system that was healing on all levels and accessible to a wide variety of limiting health conditions.

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Mick Tomlinson – Web and IT Support

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… It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve explored the sequence or a single movement- it is only boring if I forget to listen. The moving meditation of TMW helps me to notice where I lose myself, and where I find myself, again and again. With softness, with slow and careful listening, I feel and notice areas that easily can be hidden by my own ‘habits of survival’. And as the practice ripples and integrates into lived life, I am less caught by the surviving of life and more able to respond to, and to live, life.

Through years of my own Tai Chi practice in Scotland, England and Norway, it has been wonderful to witness and join in the natural unfolding and development of TMW. I have held my own TMW groups, as well as co-teaching and assisting on teacher trainings and other gatherings since 2005. I really love how the simple and accessible form of TMW makes the essence shine clearly. I find that I can share this essence in many other settings and courses that I hold as well – because of the universal truth at our base as human beings. I feel deeply grateful to have found this path in my life, to support me and to remind me to return to centre and express who I truly am.

… No. They are simply in the flow of the movement and letting their needs shape and meet this flow. They are present with it. Fully listening to their body and the movement within it. So, let us start there I thought. Let us create a simple set of movements and gestures that are easy to learn, easy to teach, that allow anyone to arrive at this point of flow and self-expression.

What we found, because it was so simple, was that those who had to sit down because of injury or physical disability could do so with those standing who were able bodied. Because it didn’t rely on technique, or remembering complex sequences, or cultural complexity, it was available to all who would give themselves this gift of coming into the present with the movements and the gestures. When they did this, they became one with themselves, not conflicted or separate from their experience, they became whole, and healing and wellbeing followed.

My original idea was to train health professionals and support staff in hospitals, and if the patients, whether in bed, sitting or standing, would follow these movements, just once a day with them as they went through the wards, recovery and wellbeing would be so much faster. Hence the very first training was within the NHS in Hereford.

However, it quickly evolved instead to inspiring others to offer this in their schools, communities, businesses as well as, yes, hospitals too.

It continues to be a wonderful gift to give others and myself too, still.

My thanks to all those who have trained with us and then offered it to the thousands who have benefited and continue to do so.

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… I instantly fell in love with TMW, and I undertook the training straight away. It very quickly transformed my life. In fact, I honestly can’t imagine life without it now and do not know how well I would cope with all of life’s challenges, especially over these last few years without it. I started teaching regular weekly classes in the leisure centres where I work. I also took any opportunities I could find to provide taster sessions sharing TMW as widely as possible. Following on from becoming a TMW trainer in 2013 I qualified as a Mindfulness teacher in 2015 and deliver regular Mindfulness courses and practice sessions.

My journey preparing/training to assist the delivery of the TMW Foundation Training has really taken placed since I became a TMW trainer. I have taken every opportunity to join the team for the annual Foundation Trainings, firstly as a practical assistant but later training to assist the delivery of the Training. I began assisting Andrea delivering the Foundation Training in 2022. This experience has been deeply fulfilling and has strengthened my desire to help people to heal. I feel very privileged to be part of such a wonderful team and everything it offers.

Currently I work as part of a multi-disciplinary NHS team providing physical activity lifestyle guidance for a specialist population and I regularly teach other movement classes. I continue to teach TMW classes in the North Wales Leisure Centres where I live. TMW enables me to juggle my family, work, home and finding time to look after and renew myself through my own TMW and meditation practice, yoga, getting outdoors and spending time with my family and friends.

 

…Gradually I witnessed them settling into TMW’s gentle rhythmic movements, their ability to concentrate increasing, their energy levels improving, and finding that they were able to manage their emotions more effectively. It seemed miraculous that these simple moves, underpinned by fundamental Tai Chi principles clearly introduced by Richard, could achieve such results. I was hooked!

For the next 10 years I co-led the annual training, developing the syllabus and producing the comprehensive range of support materials central to the success of TMW. It was exciting to see how anyone, whether they had any experience of Tai Chi or indeed of teaching, was able to embody and learn to deliver TMW sessions after a mere 8 days of input over a three-month period, including coursework in-between times. And even more exciting to witness how the training impacted the trainees, bringing them home to themselves and enabling them to live rather than simply to survive their lives.

My experience mirrored theirs. TMW brought together several strands for me. I had trained as a Teacher of the Alexander Technique in the early 80s and was aware of the benefits of body awareness and mindfulness. I had tried and failed to learn Tai Chi, and dabbled in Chi Kung sequences over the years, none of which had grabbed me. TMW, on the other hand, made perfect sense. It took me on a journey, a logical journey, and I could remember the sequence. A miracle! I found that for the first time in my life I felt a sense of safety in my body. I felt more relaxed, more grounded, more like ‘myself’. It was exciting to discover that my learning was easefully translating from the sequence to my daily life and as a ‘seeker’ since the early 80s, TMW was proving to be the missing piece in my own personal jigsaw.

Alongside the trainings, I started to offer classes at the local community centre and taught hundreds of people over the following 10 years, until the pandemic prevented ‘live’ classes. Fortunately, we discovered that TMW can be taught effectively via Zoom, and I continue to offer weekly online classes to a cohort of students, some of whom have been with me since my very first class. It amazes them that despite their familiarity with TMW, the same sequence of movements continues to provide such rich benefit.

Richard and I have recently handed over directorship of TMW Training to Andrea, our great friend and colleague for many years, who is bringing fresh energy and inspiration to all things TMW. I am delighted to continue to be part of the TMW team, offering CPD input to our wonderful community of teachers, and providing mentorship and support where needed. Who could have imagined, back in 2009, that I would enable the magic of TMW to reach so many people, whilst at the same time reaping ongoing benefit myself. Now in my early 70s, I am blessed that TMW will accompany me into my old age, supporting my mind to be calm and my body to remain balanced and strong. TMW is a true gift for life!

…My initial role was to assist Marigold in the office, with two other people looking after some of the membership and the accounts. Over the years I have gradually taken over and allowed Marigold to step back – with her consent! I now spend roughly two full days a week working on TMW.

I love this job for lots of reasons. The people I work with are wonderful. This is a truly open and supportive environment, and it is deeply satisfying to be part of an organisation which is making a positive contribution to the world. My background is in programming and systems analysis, so I am very happy playing with spreadsheets and reconciling accounts. I also love the interaction with the community of teachers, some of whom I have met, and some of whom are still names on a list (though I have at least had a glimpse of most people online now). My role with the teachers ranges from support, through cat-herder to chief whip. All my days are different.

TMW informs all areas of my life, giving me flow and expansion when things feel easy, and tools to settle and rebalance when things get tough. I’m so lucky to work with people who think it’s perfectly ok when I go outside and do a few TMW moves!

…Once I began to feel my feet, legs, spine and body again – I immediately felt more grounded and stable. I was amazed how much difference this made and how quickly I then began to experience myself as a more relaxed and calm person. As time went on, Tai Chi taught me to how to feel more comfortable in my own skin and consequently more confident out in the world. I felt empowered to make big changes in my lifestyle and began truly enjoying life.

Enthused, I started studying more intensively, becoming an Assistant Teacher and finally qualifying in 2005 as a Teacher with the Rising Dragon Tai Chi School. Sharing Tai Chi over the next 7 years, I witnessed the positive impact it had on other people, regardless of what issues they were needing to address. However, I was also aware that it was often difficult for people to learn, especially if they had physical issues, low energy or problems with memorising the lengthy sequence of complex moves.

So, I welcomed the emergence of TMW. It had all the richness of the Rising Dragon School teachings, but in a much more simple vehicle than Tai Chi. And it took less than 5 years to train to be a teacher!

I began working for TMW Training in 2014, both delivering courses with Marigold Farmer, and developing further trainings for our teachers and other organisations. I thoroughly enjoy the process of training people to teach. I believe the TMW Teacher Training programme to be exceptional, both in its ability to bring people with little or no experience to a high level of understanding and to gain the essential teaching skills so that it can be shared with competence and compassion.

The TMW Training Team is committed to ensuring that TMW continues to be delivered by high-quality teachers, and we intend to achieve this through a comprehensive Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme. I have the privilege of working with every one of our 100+ teachers. I am enormously proud of their work, allowing thousands of people to benefit from TMW each week.

TMW is simple yet powerful. The TMW Team is small yet passionate – I look forward to seeing what force for good can come from what we have.