TAI CHI BACKGROUND

My martial arts training began in 1992, when I was 17. After studying Kung Fu and several other martial arts, I discovered Tai Chi Chuan in 1993 and have practised it ever since.

I became a registered instructor with the Tai Chi Union of Great Britain in 2002. Although my training began with Yang-style Tai Chi, I moved to Chen-style Tai Chi in 2001, which remains my principal practice today.

I have been fortunate to train with leading masters from around the world, most notably my current teacher, Grandmaster Wang Haijun, who I have been training with for over 20 years. I have also travelled regularly to China to deepen my practice, training with masters including Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei, the current Chen-style lineage holder and Master Fu Nengbin, a 12th-generation successor of Chen-style Tai Chi. Other noted masters I have trained with include Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang. I have also studied another internal martial art, Bagua, for many years, as well as Qigong.

I have performed at Tai Chi and martial arts demonstrations and events internationally, including in Budapest and at Hong Kong Day at Royal Ascot. In 2007, I competed at the International Taijiquan Exchange Competition in Jiaozuo, China, winning silver in the open-hand event and bronze in the sword event.

Over the years, I have taught privately and at a wide range of events, festivals, gyms and community centres. These include programmes for Islington Council and EC1 New Deal, as well as classes at Virgin Active, GLL Better, formerly Aquaterra Leisure, and the Islington Chinese Association.

Although my teaching is primarily rooted in traditional Chen-style Tai Chi, I have also taught Yang-style forms, and adapted classes for wheelchair users and frail older adults. I also teach push hands and weapon classes, I particularly enjoy working with people of all ages and backgrounds, and have extensive experience teaching older adults with complex needs and people with learning difficulties through my work with Hackney Council.

I have developed chair-based Tai Chi routines and seated exercise classes, combining my therapeutic knowledge with traditional Tai Chi skills to make movement accessible, supportive and meaningful. I also work with corporate groups and offer private lessons.

For a current class schedule, please click here.

STEPHANIE FOWLER, BSc (HONS), Dip ITEC, RCST

THERAPY BACKGROUND

I began training as a therapist to complement my work as a Tai Chi teacher. I started studying Craniosacral Therapy in 2003, gained my ITEC qualification in massage therapy the following year, and qualified in Craniosacral Therapy with the College of Cranio-Sacral Therapy in 2005.

My journey as a visceral practitioner began around the same time, in 2004, as I became increasingly interested in the role of the body’s viscera, the internal organs, and their physical, functional and emotional connections. I undertook my first visceral course with the Upledger Institute before completing the full visceral modality with the Barral Institute. I have been fortunate to train directly with the renowned French osteopath Jean-Pierre Barral through both the Barral Institute and CPDO.

I have also attended a range of additional courses to develop and broaden my skills, including a qigong tuina workshop with Bruce Frantzis and training in Sharon Wheeler’s ScarWork. I approach each client as an individual, drawing on a combination of skills and therapies to support their particular needs.

In 2006, I began working as a tutor at the College of Cranio-Sacral Therapy in London, where I taught for many years. I am currently a registered practitioner with the Craniosacral Therapy Association of the UK and was the editor of the CSTA’s in-house magazine, The Fulcrum, from 2014 to 2019. I have also led postgraduate workshops through the Blue Turtle collective. These days, I seem to have more ideas than time.

When I do have some spare time, I enjoy hiking and cycling, and have done a number of self-supported cycling tours, including in my birth country of New Zealand. I love plants, especially orchids, which you will see in my Holloway clinic. I also enjoy exploring London and the wider UK with my dog, Bobby, a rescue lurcher.