About Stan Cohen – Founder of ChiForLiving

Stan Cohen – Teaching and loving it.

 

I have to start with a note I recieved from Elizabeth,  a student who found me by attending a group class at Bristol Glen Senior Living Center in Newton, NJ.

She wrote to me:

“It is my pleasure to recommend Stan Cohen, my Tai Chi and Qigong instructor.

I have been attending Stan’s Wednesday class for seniors semimonthly for about eight months and he is a teacher of high energy, humor, and admirable talent. He not only demonstrates and executes the moves required, but delves into the meaning and purpose of the movements. A teacher of superior talent in patience and adaptability to students of different abilities and expertise, I believe he makes the idea and immersion into Tai Chi Qigong enjoyable and beneficial to anyone who takes his classes. Stan is truly gifted.”

That sums up what Tai Chi has done for me.  It transformed me, and helped make me who I am today;

So, now to my background:

For years I was told I should be a teacher.  At age 42, I found what I was meant to teach, and what I have a true passion for.

A student of movement, a fanatic about coordination sports like Frisbee and ping pong and practitioner of Qigong and Tai Chi has led to my current path.

 

Initially I was with my sensei for nearly 10 years, with most of that time being one-on-one. It was an amazing learning journey. To this day I am still discovering things I was shown but only now ready to learn.  From him I leaned the mindset of eclectic movement form study.  He taught with the mental aspects of Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, and Tai Kwon Do.  Quite non-traditional in his approach.  And one that I carry with me.

I have since studied hundreds of hours of online video, some like everyone else, but most from courses I have taken.  I am certified in Tai Chi for Arthritis and am a Certified level two instructor through the American Tai Chi and Qigong Association.

A visual artist  and intuitive thinker, and of course a Gemini, my creative mode always lends to a unique style of  interpretation and application with any project I take on.  Learning these arts was a a project that became an obsession.  Not to learn the traditional form, family lineage models, but to learn to feel, and to move.

It led me to develop my own view, my own path and to discover what was underneath it through feeling it.

The decision to develop my movement program follows that trend.

Developing a program to teach older adults to get back in touch with their bodies, increase their physical capabilities and live a more vital lifestyle opened a lot of possibilities for creative thinking.

Mainly, how do you take a combination of Martial Arts, everyday life activities, movement theory, meditation, fun, and traditional exercise and create a program that older adults could not only do, but want to come to for more.

The main aspect of what makes the programs I create work is the teaching method and style.  Mixing in my interpretation of movement technique, presentation and personality has turned into a successful program that is generating a lot of success with the older adults taking participating in classes.. Refined by participant feedback and results over the last two years, my program has turned into a project with huge potential for growth.

Since 2007, working with seniors ranging from those with Alzheimer’s to fully active seniors has helped me tune the movements and learn how to reach and teach ChiForLiving™ to just about any group, based on their needs, abilities and expectations.

No matter whom I teach, or show my methods, it thrills me knowing I am helping make a positive change in their lives.

Who do you know that would like to increase their independence and live with increased joy?