I worked in Northampton University, teaching educational research and projects in education and complementary medicine. I was also the educational consultant to the Institute for Complementary Medicine (ICM), the founder and principal of the College of Chromotherapy (CCT), and president of the Complementary Medical Practitioners Union (CMPU).

I started doing Tai Chi Chuan in the 1990s to improve my health. After the very first lesson, I realised it was a whole lot more than I envisioned but decided to stick with it. My instructor, Peter Warr, has been teaching Chinese martial arts for nearly 40 years, forming the Wu Kung Federation in the 1980s. Peter studied at the Shanghai Physical Education Institute and became a judge for the International Wushu Federation (IWUF); the first European to become a IWUF Judge. He is also the vice chairman of the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts.

After attending Peter’s classes for some nine years, I began training to become a coach. I qualified as a senior coach after five years and opened classes in the UK, teaching three disciplines of Chinese martial arts: Tai Chi Chuan (hand form), Tai Ji Juan (sword form) and basic Xingyquan (fist form). I also teach Qi gong (a combination of meditation, breathing and visualisation) for health and Dai Yin, a system of simple stretches and body work used in training with Tai Chi Chuan and in combination with Qi gong.

I am a member of the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts (BCCMA.com); registered as a Commercial Instructor (27455) with Wu Kung UK.

I moved to France four years ago and now run classes here.

Dr. Jan Sofair

Cert Ed, BA (Hons)., MA, PhD.