Jamie Urquhart of Hawea’s Nook Nursery hasn’t let the weeds grow under his feet since he retired a few years ago: he has swapped trees for Tai Chi, and plans to spend the next three years studying the martial art in California.

"It will change my life - it’s already changing it,” Jamie said of his decision to begin a three year course studying White Crane Tai Chi and Qigong. He will leave for the USA in August, leaving the Nook behind for a while, along with his wife, three of his children who live close by, and seven grandchildren.

Jamie, 62, said the move will get him out of the garden and off his children’s hands. "No more pulling weeds,” Jamie said. "It’s given me a new energy, a new direction.”

His family (children Gabriel, Lochlan, Eli and WIllis) are all "a bit jealous” of his new direction, Jamie said, and Vicki, his partner of more than 40 years, is very supportive. "The easiest way to keep your relationship alive is to live in different houses, towns or countries,” Jamie joked.

Jamie spent 30 years developing Nook Nursery, which he closed in 2012. "It was a lot to let go of. It was good to let go of it,” he said. After retiring, he and Vicki travelled around Australia for nine months, but since then he had been searching for something else to do with his time. "I sort of threw it out to the universe and this is what came back,” he said.

Jamie has always been interested in the Chinese model. He first studied traditional Chinese massage in the 1980s and had his first taste of Tai Chi 15 years ago, taking lessons from Wanaka’s Sifu Glenn Hight, aka the G Man. "He gave me a really good grounding,” Jamie said.

Jamie wanted to immerse himself in Tai Chi and Qigong and thought of going to China, but was put off by the language barrier and the approach to teaching there. He first came across his teacher, Dr Yang Jwing-Ming, in a CNN interview on TV. "I was really impressed about how he dealt with the interviewer, the way he spoke, his ease,” Jamie said.

Jamie’s son Eli had hurt his back and Jamie was looking for something that would help. He came across some videos by Dr Yang on easing back pain. He googled Dr Yang and found he has a training centre in Northern California which offered - at that stage - a ten year course. Jamie emailed him to apply for entry to the course and Dr Yang emailed back suggesting he may want to attend a shorter course first to see whether the training and the environment suited him. There were a few courses available over five weeks and Jamie signed up for them all: Tai Chi form, basic Qigong, meditation and massage.

He loved the environment. The centre is in Northern California, off-the-grid, with organic gardens, chooks and great food. Jamie enjoyed being part of community learning new skills and interacting with others. One day during training he was standing balanced on bricks: a brick on its end under each foot. "I was totally in the zone. I had a wee afternoon drop-off,” Jamie said. He lost his balance, woke up and stepped back, falling with his weight on his shoulder.

The resulting injury - a grade 3 separation of the AC joint - hasn’t put Jamie off. He practices Tai Chi and Qigong for at least an hour and a half most days (he wakes up about 5am and likes to practice early) - and he’s back on the bricks. The tangible feeling of physical energy, or ‘chi’, happens only occasionally, Jamie said. "But when something like that happens it makes you want more.”

Tai Chi dates back about 400 years and Qigong dates back about 4000. Dr Yang told Jamie: "I can teach you everything I know in ten years but it will take you 30 years to learn it”. Dr Yang’s personal goal to become enlightened through meditation, Jamie said. "Most of the training is about developing the skill to ‘know without knowing’.”

Only six people are accepted for the three-year course, with the selection process taking more than a year. Candidates must be be fit, committed, and be able to get on with people, Jamie said. He’s not concerned about the very structured life he will be living (meditation starts at 6am, and students will have perhaps five hours to themselves each day) as he grew up in a structured environment. He also remembers early morning runs at boarding school (Otago Boys), ”rain, snow, whatever”.

These formative experiences have set the scene for Jamie’s early-rising, busy approach to life - one which will be focused on Chinese martial arts and energy practice, rather than tending trees, for the next three years.

PHOTO: Vicki Urquhart