50 years of love
It’s been 50 years today since Bob and Gloria McIlroy (above) tied the knot in North Queensland, having first met in 1966 in Townsville.
Specialised tai chi institutes or fitness training organisations will provide nationally certified instructor programs, some of which may provide credits toward other courses with companies like Fitness Australia. Courses usually compose of theoretical and practical components. To become an Instructor and be registered, you are required to pass both the theory and practical components of the certified courses you undertake. Many tai chi instructors maintain an avid interest in health, dietetics or sport and go on to complete other courses or qualifications in those areas. Other qualifications are often obtained in order to allow for teaching regular and corporate classes, senior citizens, as well as children in schools. Martial arts is often a complement to the practice and instructors continue their training for many years, rising in the ranks. ALICIA NALLY benefits. The ancient Chinese tradition is a way of alleviating stress and anxiety.
“Martial arts got me into tai chi and I think what initially got me into martial arts was a desire to feel self-sufficient and competent in my own safety,” Ms Thoren said.
“Tai chi used to just be my hobby and as I started teaching it it became a passion and as of last year I gave away my paid job and now teach and run a health clinic.”
The job continually pro- vides a classroom for Ms Thoren to learn more about the body and the mind.
“I would recommend to people if you want to do it, find a good teacher and become a good student,” she said.
“You have to be a student of the art for a number of years before you can become a competent instructor.
“But it’s hardly a lucrative business. You wouldn’t say, ‘I want to become a tai chi instructor to get rich’.
“And you can’t do a week- end workshop and become a tai chi instructor.”
Her job took her to Wudang Mountain, the birth place of tai chi in China, twice. On the second visit, her now husband proposed to her.
Ms Thoren has also studied shiatsu massage and teaches tai chi six times a week.
“The only other downside I could possibly think of would be that sometimes I’m tired. When you’re teaching you’re not doing, expending mental energy,” she said.