introducing linda Aarts.

 
Born in 1962 Eindhoven, The Netherlands, Linda first learned about the Chinese way of looking at health in 1980 through Macrobiotics health food. She learned about Yin and Yang, the 5 elements and how you can influence your health yourself, with what and how you eat, how you move. The key-words are: ‘balance’ and 'independence', you can do much good for yourself, by yourself!

When she started Tai Chi in Amsterdam in 1998, she thought it was magic. To relax standing up, was something she thought would be impossible. She learned that there was something between feeling ‘tense’ and ‘limp’, which is called ‘structure’. Tai Chi is not just about learning a form (a pattern of movements in a certain order), it is mostly an Internal Martial Art, that made her so much more aware of the energy (Chi or Qi) in her body and the way to move it. The method she uses most is Chen Man Ching Style. 

Linda was very lucky to be surrounded in Amsterdam by many excellent Tai Chi Chuan teachers as: Ans Rodenburg, Rob and Erich Völke, Daan Hengst, Henk Janssen, Pim van den Broek, Judith van Drooge, Jacqueline Ansem and Wee Kee Yin. Also, most every year, she joins the North Sea Tai Chi Festival, The Netherlands. Also she enjoyed the International Pushing Hands Festivals in Hannover, Germany, to train Tui Shou (Pushing hands) and to do workshops with Ronnie Robinson, Roberto Benetti, Lauren Smith, Wilhelm Mertens, Cornelia Grüber, Ruud Raaijmakers, Barry McGinlay, Helma Vinke and many other international teachers. Tony Ward's workshops in June and October 2013 in Amsterdam were very inspiring. Linda learned the 37 form of Chen Man Ching, Tui Shou, the 8 Silken Excersises or Brocates and of course, a lot of Qigong movements. In 2014 she is introduced to the 'tai chi bone', by Henk Janssen and Lau King. In 2015 she learned the Long Stick Form and Fan Form with Judith van Drooge.

Her working career started as a sales representative and that's where her communicating skills were developed and improved. She studied Interior Design and enjoyed working in that area. Linda made a career switch in 1997 and in 2001 she recieved a (HBO/Bachelor) degree in Health Education as a part of her study of Pedagogics. She worked about 5 years as health expertise instructor. 

From 2004 - 2011 she was trained in Healing Tao, by Ilona Botterweg, Inge Maassen and Mantak Chia, in The Netherlands and Czech Republic. Healing Tao is (related to) Chi Kung and focuses on healing. 

During the same period she practiced meditation.She learned different techniques. For learning Vipassana meditation, she went in retreats, in total silence for 10 days, in a Budhist Monastery in Belgium, in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Linda started teaching meditation in Amsterdam in 2009 and Tai Chi, reluctantly, in February 2011 in Doha and is enjoying teaching people from an amazing amount of  different nationalities she has seen in her classes since then. Her horizon has widened with that of her students. She grew confident and balanced in teaching in Doha over the last 8 years.  

For balance, the Chinese say the combination of yin and yang is important, active training should be followed by meditation. So besides Chi Kung and Tai Chi Chuan, the lessons include short meditations. Later in the course Tui Should or Pushing Hands is introduced. In Tui Shou training you can test your level and improve your communication qualities. If you train with Linda, you will find these elements in the lessons. In a relaxed and balanced way. And fun too!