
Tai Chi Classes in Basildon
Move Better. Feel Stronger. Find Your Balance.
Traditional Yang Style Tai Chi for health, movement, balance and lifelong development.
Perhaps you're finding that your body doesn't move quite as easily as it once did.
Maybe you're becoming stiffer, less mobile, or less confident in your balance.
Or perhaps you're simply looking for a way to become stronger and more relaxed while learning something with real depth.
Tai Chi can offer all of this, and much more.
At Zhen Wei Martial Arts, we teach traditional Yang Style Tai Chi in Basildon, combining movement, breathing, relaxation, balance and martial arts principles.
You don't need to be fit, flexible or experienced to start.
You simply need to be willing to learn.
Start Your Tai Chi Journey
4-Week Tai Chi Foundation Course — £34.95
A simple way to experience our approach to Tai Chi and discover whether it is right for you.
Over four weeks you'll begin learning the fundamental movements and principles of Tai Chi while developing an understanding of how the body, breath and mind work together.
No previous experience is required.
What Is Yang Style Tai Chi?
Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese martial art that is often described as a form of moving meditation.
The movements are slow, continuous and controlled, but underneath that apparent simplicity is a sophisticated system of movement.
We work on connecting:
Mind → Body → Breath → Structure → Movement
Rather than simply moving the arms and legs, you learn to understand how the whole body works together.
We explore posture, alignment, balance, relaxation, weight transfer, coordination and intention.
As your understanding develops, the movements become less about simply remembering a sequence and more about how you move.
And although Tai Chi is often practised for health and wellbeing, it is important to remember that it is also a martial art.
We therefore explore the applications of the movements through partner work, push hands and practical exercises.
This gives you a deeper understanding of what you're actually doing.
Tai Chi is both gentle and powerful.
It can be calm without being passive.
It can be slow without being weak.
And it can be relaxing while still developing strength, coordination and awareness.
How Tai Chi Can Help You?
Regular Tai Chi practice can help you develop:
Better Balance
Slow, controlled weight shifting encourages you to become more aware of your feet, legs, posture and centre.
Greater Mobility
Tai Chi takes your joints and body through controlled ranges of movement, helping you explore movement without forcing it.
Strength and Stability
Although the movements are slow, Tai Chi requires you to support and control your body throughout each movement.
Better Posture
You learn to become more aware of your alignment and how your head, spine, hips and legs work together.
Relaxation
Tai Chi teaches you to recognise unnecessary tension and learn how to release it while maintaining structure.
Body Awareness
You begin to notice how you stand, walk, breathe and move — often in ways you may never have considered before.
A Calmer Mind
The combination of slow movement, breathing and focused attention creates a moving meditation that can help you become more present.
Confidence
As your balance, coordination, movement and understanding improve, you can develop greater confidence in what your body is capable of doing.
Who Is Tai Chi For?
Tai Chi can be practised by people of many different ages and abilities.
You may be:
- Returning to exercise after years away
- Looking for something gentler than conventional fitness training
- Wanting to improve your balance and mobility
- Interested in meditation and mindfulness
- Looking for a new challenge
- Interested in traditional Chinese martial arts
- Looking for a practice you can continue as you get older
- Simply curious about Tai Chi
You don't have to know exactly why you want to start.
Come and experience it.

Your First Four Weeks
We don't expect you to master Tai Chi overnight.
Your first four weeks are about discovering the fundamentals and becoming comfortable with the way we train.
Week 1 — Discover
Get familiar with Tai Chi and begin learning the basic movements.
Week 2 — Understand
Start developing your posture, balance, breathing and body awareness.
Week 3 — Experience
Begin to feel how relaxation, structure and movement work together.
Week 4 — Develop
Start putting the pieces together and discover where your Tai Chi journey could take you next.
By the end of the four weeks, you'll have a much better understanding of what Tai Chi is and how we teach it.
Train In Class. Develop At Home.
Your training doesn't have to stop when you leave the hall.
Members have access to our online training and meditation resources so you can continue working on your development between classes.
Even a few minutes of practice can be valuable.
You don't need to spend hours training.
Consistency is more important than intensity.
Meet Your Instructor
Shifu Gary Matthews
Gary has dedicated decades to the study and teaching of Chinese martial arts, Tai Chi, movement and meditation.
He has trained directly under Master Lu Jun Hai for more than 20 years and teaches Yang Style Tai Chi alongside his traditional Shaolin Mizong Quan training.
His experience also includes martial arts competition, yoga, meditation, flexibility training and movement coaching.
But the most important part of teaching isn't how many years you've trained.
It's being able to take what you've learned and help another person understand it.
That's what our classes are about.

What Our Students Say
" Great class and friendly welcoming atmosphere. Very much recommend giving this a try if you are looking for improved balance and general well-being. Suitable for all!
"I like very much the classes as I am very much in need of learning not only about tai chi but also how to do it correctly! The benefits to me are that this helps me enormously as I am in recovery of long term illness."
Ready To Try Tai Chi?
You don't need to be fit.
You don't need to be flexible.
You don't need to know anything about Tai Chi.
And you certainly don't need to get everything right the first time.
Just come along, learn the fundamentals and see how it feels.
Start with our 4-Week Tai Chi Foundation Course £34.95
Your first step towards moving better, feeling stronger and finding your balance.
Tai Chi Classes in Basildon
Tuesdays
7:05pm – 8:00pm
Ghyllgrove Primary School
The Gore
Basildon
SS14 2BG
Wednesdays
7:05pm – 8:00pm
St Martins Hall
St Martins Square
Basildon
SS14 1DX
Wednesday is currently used for new trials and beginners.
Thursdays
7:05pm – 8:00pm
Ghyllgrove Primary School
The Gore
Basildon
SS14 2BG
Begin Your Tai Chi Journey
Traditional Yang Style Tai Chi.
Small classes.
Personal instruction.
A practice for life



