Profile Nora Stewart

FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL INSTRUCTOR

STRETCH TAI CHI

Tai Chi Classes

I have designed and delivered more than 850 Stretch Tai Chi classes to music over that last 10 years for a range of audiences, including with mental health patients at the Deakin Private Hospital in Canberra, for people in residential care, with athletes training for sports and for corporate audiences via Zoom.

I began learning tai chi in 2003 in Dublin and continued on in Canberra.

I have a chronic illness myself (Fibromyalgia), which gives me an additional insight into the daily life experience of some of the people who attend the classes.

Background

I have a background as an HR and training professional in Australia and Ireland, where I had my own consulting company for 5 years.

I have worked in many contexts including health, disability and the community & voluntary sector, and also in a range of senior advisor roles for government agencies both in Australia and Ireland.

In addition, I have a passion for dance, music and the outdoors; which has included skiing, bushwalking, climbing and orienteering.

My first experience as a junior trainer 35 years ago came through outdoor experiential learning for 200 corporate employees in Sydney, and then assisting Negotiation Skills training for NSW Councils. I have designed and delivered many corporate training workshops since then.

A need to find other people to dance with led me to start teaching Irish set dancing & sean nós dancing in Canberra in 2005.

My background in training adults, ski instruction, dancing and facilitation was useful and this eventually led to teaching fitness classes 10 years later, and then creating slower movement classes with tai chi in 2016.

Qualifications

Tai Chi for Health Institute Certified Instructor.
NCIS Assistant Cross-Country Ski Instructor.
Conflict Resolution Network (CRN) training instructor.
Open Space Technology Facilitator.
B.App Science, Queensland University Technology.
Grad Dip (HRM), University of Canberra