One instructor. One student. Every session designed around your body, your history, and your goals — with 28 years of clinical experience behind every movement.
If you have a specific injury, condition, or goal, there is a ceiling to how far a group setting can take you. Private 1-to-1 sessions with John are different.
Every warm-up, every sequence, every correction is chosen for your body on that particular day. There is no one else to keep up with. No one else to fall behind.
In 28 years of teaching, the fastest transformations I've seen have always happened in private sessions. The body responds to precision. And precision requires attention.— John Ward, LFA Certified Instructor
Hip replacement, knee surgery, spinal issues, Parkinson's, osteoporosis — John adapts every movement to your exact situation, working within your safe range throughout.
No room full of people watching you try something new. Just you, John, and the time to learn at your own pace without pressure or comparison.
Private sessions compress months of group learning into weeks. You are corrected immediately, not when your turn comes around in a class of ten.
Sessions are arranged around your diary, not a fixed weekly timetable. Morning, afternoon, or evening — in person or Zoom — you choose what works.
Improving balance after a fall. Recovering strength post-surgery. Managing chronic pain. John builds the entire session around your single most important goal.
Private sessions can include a partner, spouse, or friend — still tailored to both individuals, not a general group programme. Just let John know when you enquire.
| Feature | ✦ Private 1-to-1 | Group Classes |
|---|---|---|
| Instruction focus | ✓ 100% on you | Shared across 10 students |
| Adapted to your injury | ✓ Every single movement | General modifications offered |
| Session timing | ✓ You set the schedule | Fixed weekly slots |
| Pace of learning | ✓ Your pace, always | Class pace |
| Real-time correction | ✓ Immediate, every movement | When John reaches you |
| Speed of progress | ✓ Dramatically faster | Standard progression |
| Comfort & privacy | ✓ Just you and John | Group environment |
| WhatsApp access | ✓ Between sessions | Not included |
Every session begins with a brief check-in. How does your body feel today? What's worse or better since last time? The session is planned from your answers.
Not a generic sequence — a warm-up designed for your specific joints, your specific stiffness, and your specific goals that day.
John watches every movement and corrects immediately. In a group class, a correction might come once. Here, it comes every time it's needed.
You leave with a short, specific daily sequence — tailored to exactly what your body needs between sessions. 10 minutes a day compounds everything.
A question on your home practice? Something feels off? You have John's direct number. He responds personally — no assistant, no delay.
After every session John sends you a brief written summary — what you worked on, what improved, and what to focus on before next time.
Most private students commit to an initial block of 6 sessions. Here is what a typical journey looks like — though John will adapt this entirely to you.
John evaluates your posture, movement patterns, and specific pain or restriction sites. You begin the foundational LFA stance and breathing. Most students feel noticeably less compressed by the end of this first session.
The two sites where most people carry accumulated tension. LFA-specific hip-opening sequences, sacral joint work, and lower back decompression — all adapted to your range of motion.
Deep stabiliser activation, slow weight transfer, and proprioceptive re-training. The fear of falling often begins to ease at this stage as your nervous system registers a new baseline of control.
Targeted sequences for the joints most affected by arthritis, surgery, and age. John works within your specific safe range — no strain, no compensation patterns, just clean, therapeutic movement.
LFA Qigong breathing sequences that activate the parasympathetic nervous system, restore daytime energy, and meaningfully improve sleep quality within days of consistent practice.
A complete flowing sequence drawing together everything you've built. John designs your ongoing home practice and, if you'd like to continue, your next private block or group class pathway.
I'd done group yoga for years and always assumed private tuition was just for people who were advanced. It's the opposite — it's for people who actually need something to work. My lower back has not felt this free in eight years.
After my hip replacement my physio recommended gentle movement. I was terrified of a class. With John it was just the two of us — he could see exactly what I could and couldn't do, and we worked with my body, not against it. I'm now walking without a stick.
The WhatsApp access alone is worth it. I'd try something at home, not quite feel right about it, message John, and have a voice note back within the hour. That level of care is not something you find easily.
John trained within the LFA Tai Chi Family Association lineage — one of the most respected and clinically-studied Tai Chi systems in the world, rooted in Chinese medicine and developed over generations for therapeutic effect.
Over nearly three decades he has worked with hundreds of students aged 40 to 95 — many arriving after surgery, physiotherapy discharge, or a life-changing diagnosis — and helped them rediscover a relationship with their bodies they thought they had lost for good.
His private students often describe the sessions as the first time a practitioner has truly listened to their body rather than applying a formula. John doesn't teach a programme. He teaches you.
"Private sessions are where the real work happens. When I can watch every single movement and respond immediately — that's when I can give someone back something that matters."
Transparent, simple pricing. No hidden costs. No packages you don't need.
Credit applied if you continue to a 6-session block
John responds personally to every enquiry within 24 hours. No booking system, no assistant. Just a direct conversation about what you need and how he can help.
Private sessions are limited. John keeps his caseload small to ensure the quality of attention every student deserves.
If you've been considering this, don't put it off for another week of waking up stiff when you don't have to.