Testimonials
"After suffering from a trapped nerve in my leg for many weeks and multiple visits to a physio I started one-to-one Tai Chi sessions with Jan Golden, and within a few sessions and home practice I was pain free and feeling generally much healthier! " - Karl O’Hanlon
"After suffering from anxiety and panic attacks I found Tai Chi and Chi Gung the perfect antidote to the stressful, hectic life in which we live. Jan's in-depth teaching and general insight to a more relaxed existence has been invaluable." - Helen McMann
“Starting to learn Tai Chi (with Taichi Ireland) has proved to be a wise decision. I started to feel the benefits
after only a few classes. I've become more relaxed and have more energy and a greater sense of well-being. The teacher, Jan Golden, makes things easy to follow with a patient attitude and a straightforward, down-to-earth approach. His enthusiasm for and knowledge of Tai Chi is obvious and this inspires you to discover more about this fascinating martial art.”- Dave Murphy
"Jan Golden’s Tai Chi classes are a great way of relaxing and keeping fit at the same time. Jan is a truly dedicated and talented teacher with an ever expanding knowledge of Tai Chi and Chi Gung, which greatly enhances my practice." - Liza Cauldwell
“I first started doing Tai Chi two years ago. At that time, I suffered
from some back pain which was one of the reasons I joined the class.
Practising tai chi has strengthened my back and improved my posture. I
rarely suffer from back discomfort now. The class is really enjoyable and fun. Jan is a great teacher, patient
and attentive. Learning progresses at the students’ pace and it's easy to follow.Tai Chi is very relaxing and you can do it anywhere.You don’t need to be fit or young. I would recommend Tai Chi to anyone who is interested in improving their physical or mental wellbeing or who just
wants to learn something different.” - Tess Tattersall
“Jan’s Tai Chi classes are remarkable. Before starting, I had a vague idea of Tai Chi being ‘gentle’ and relaxing’ but didn’t expect the class would be so invigorating physically and mentally – or that I’d have so much fun into the bargain! Since I started in 2005, I’ve noticed a definite improvement in my co-ordination, posture, strength and ability to relax.”- Mia Gallagher
“I started Tai Chi in September 2008. It was recommended to me to
help me concentrate, focus and increase body awareness. So, I gave
it a try. I have to say I enjoy the sessions a lot. Jan Golden explains the moves very patiently and his respect for Tai Chi can be felt all through the session.Till now I only got a tiny glimpse of the benefits of Tai Chi. My posture has improved, I am more able to relax, my deeper muscles are becoming stronger and I met interesting people that like to
improve their health and well-being in a relaxed atmosphere. Well,
I just have to practice a bit more!”- Anne Stoekert
“Tai chi is a way of stepping back from the hassles of the day and removing myself to an area of inner peace. It’s seriously beneficial for stress relief and also for relieving back pain which I used to suffer a lot from and now don’t experience at all, thanks to Jan.”- Martin Kelly
“I have been a student of Jan Golden’s since 2006 and started Tai Chi with the aim to make some time in the week to relax and meditate. However life gets in the way and through a series of sports injuries
I developed an autoimmune disease. From that point on,Tai Chi has not only been my escape from the rest of life, it's been my pathway to regaining flexibility and long term health. How do I know? Simple, if I miss 1 or 2 weeks of classes, by the time I come back my body has reverted to 'sitting at a desk all day posture' and 'inflexible joints'. For me Tai Chi Ireland offers the fundamentals of Tai Chi without frills, covering a range of Tai Chi and Chi Gung forms and safe in the knowledge of the original lineage. I wouldn't train Tai Chi anywhere else in Dublin, as practising the true principles of Tai Chi are a
life necessity, not a luxury." - Nicola Jones
“Chi Gung is an integral part of my week. I look forward to each class and always expect to feel recharged and great after every practice.
I feel so lucky to have such a fantastic instructor on my doorstep.
I see Chi Gung as an investment in my health and wealth as it allows me to work hard, stressful, long hours and still have a smile on my face.” - Stephen Forsythe.
“Since forcing myself into padmasana in Yoga before my hips were flexible enough I put a lot of strain on my knees and since then had problems with them that were gradually
getting worse. It had got to the point where a couple of hours walking
around town would start getting very painful. I also had a couple of
episodes where something “went” in my knee causing excruciating pain. These problems started improving within a couple of weeks of starting Tai Chi with Jan Golden and within a few months they were gone and haven’t returned. I am still careful with my knees – but doing some of the stuff I do now as normal – low squats, sitting on my haunches, etc – were impossible before.” - Alan Peart
“From time to time I join my husband as pillion passenger on his motorbike. As it's not a regular occurrence, very quickly my legs used to get really tired from being in the same position. I assumed this was normal but when we last travelled from Dublin to Cork I noticed a big difference. I was able to sit for much longer without needing a break. And all because I had started going to Tai Chi classes with Jan and had been practicing and my legs were much stronger. And the journey was much faster!” - Mairead Hennessy
"I’ve been attending Jan’s classes for over 3 years and definitely recommend Tai Chi Ireland to everyone. My back pain from sitting all day in front of a computer is completely gone and I feel much more aware of my own body.The classes are very friendly and Jan is a great teacher with a good sense of humour and loads of patience and dedication for his students.” - Anne Madaire
"I suffer from a medically-managed chronic pain condition, debilitating when
exacerbated by stress. Then I got a frozen shoulder, disabling pain. Jan's
classes have taught me how to relax and with his, and my chartered physio's
help, no surgical ntervention, no more frozen shoulder, much fitter,
slimmer, and a much happier outlook on life. My pain management specialist
approves totally." - Estelle Feldman, 61.
Ten years of Tai Chi with Jan and Tai Chi Ireland
“I first took Tai Chi lessons with Jan Golden in spring of 1999, in Westwood Gym, we tore through the Wu style short form in an amazing six weeks and I loved it. What we were doing was so relaxing compared to the frantic activity on the exercise machines outside.
After that I didn't do much Tai Chi for about a year, but then a friend mentioned that Jan was giving lessons close to where I lived. I joined the very next course. It was clear straight away that Jan had developed
a new teaching style in the meantime, because he had broken down the form into sections and now taking four months instead of six weeks to go over the Wu short form, and he was teaching in more detail.
Jan has developed and progressively slowed down the pace of teaching and emphasises principles over memorising long sequences of moves. When he feels students have grasped the outline of the form he will often go back and give a greater grounding in the principles behind the particular posture or move, and has at different times tried to make us more aware of this by using posture corrections, static testing, standing, and cloud hands, and shown us push hands practice and some of the possible combat applications of many of the moves to convey the original intentions of the creator of that move.
Whenever he feels he has mastered a new technique of piece of Tai Chi lore he is very quick to pass it on to his students and he is never too proud to admit a mistake or to change a teaching practice when he
discovers a correction or a better way of doing it. Also, he has shared with us his growing understanding of bio-mechanics and anatomy and how the different tai chi moves affect the structure of the body. The disadvantage of this is that when some of us learned the Wu Long Form, it took almost a year to reach the end of the sequence! Over the years he has introduced us to other tai chi forms, including two different variants of Yang style, and most recently a variant of Hun Yuan style.
As a 'head person' who enjoys working with the brain rather than the body, I knew I had developed the habit of ignoring problems with the body, and I hoped that Tai Chi would help me with this.
At first, I was fascinated by the movements, and I enjoyed the intricacies that force you to pay attention and focus your mind on your practice.
However the physical benefits began to come after a few months. I found that my balance and posture improved as I paid more attention to the way I walked. Some people even commented that I seem taller.
Also I became more aware of my breathing, and noticed that it I was naturally using slower and deeper breaths while doing Tai Chi and discovered that the same breathing techniques could help me relax outside my practice.
I am healthier because I do Tai Chi – this is not just because tai chi in itself is a healthy practice, although this is true, and if you don't take care of yourself in any other way, just doing Tai Chi as a form of
exercise will help to keep you healthy.
But for me, it is the unexpected lessons that I learn that are the most rewarding.
I discovered how much we are distracted in our every-day lives and in Tai Chi you quickly learn that to get
the best out of it you must use all your attention and be completely present in the moment.This made me
more aware of my bad habits and their effects. If I didn't get enough sleep because I drank too much coffee
and stayed up too late, maybe I should try drinking less caffeine and getting to bed earlier. By being more
conscious of such things, the overall quality of my life is improved.
And finally I discovered that you can use the will to relax – Tai Chi allows you to relax without really thinking about it consciously, but you can also come to a point where you can actually order a certain muscle or group of muscles to relax. I have not mastered this, but the fact that I can do it at all when I previously
thought it was impossible is an indication that there may be further surprising rewards to be gained from continuing
to improve my Tai Chi.”
-Ian Harkin
