Andrea Bugari

I am Swiss and have been living and working internationally for the last 25 years. I worked as a journalist, consultant and leadership coach for international organisations. During all my life, I have been interested in martial arts, hiking/climbing, outdoor living and connecting to nature, spirituality and personal development. I am very excited that I now can bundle some of my passions and skills to help others.
I live in West London with cats and lots of garden animals. My house is a meeting place for friends - lots of cooking, chatting, drumming and guitar playing going on here.

My passion and skills

Coaching

For the last 30 years, I have worked with international companies on leadership development and better collaboration. When coaching professionals and facilitating training seminars, I gathered a huge toolbox of exercises that I now can use within Vitality Leap to help clients create a powerful mindset and accelerate positive change.

Martial Arts

I have trained Japanese and Chinese martial arts for 25 years and hold a second-degree black sash in Tai Chi Chuan and Kung Fu. My lineage connects to Shaolin Grand Master Fu Leung. I teach people Tai Chi for better health and vitality, and I also use exercises and principles of the martial arts for my coaching: Stance, focus, breathing technique, etc.

Nordic Walking

Originally a cross-country skier in Switzerland, I have swopped over to Nordic walking when I came to Southern England and noticed: There is no snow here! As I gained so much fitness and joy through pole walking, I wanted to share it with others. I upgraded my technique and then got my instructor licence through British Nordic Walking.

Meditation

To learn about meditation, visualisation, and mindfulness, I have studied a variety of holistic health and spiritual systems. Examples are Reiki, Tao, and ancient Earth Medicine.
These systems provided me with a set of tools which I now can use to help clients relax, train their mindset and connect to their inner wisdom.

Ethno-Botany - My love of Nature

Ethno-Botany looks at the relationship between plants and humans; it covers folklore, ancient stories and faerie tales, as well as practical, medical and spiritual applications - now and in ancient times. My deep love for nature runs in the family: from my early childhood in Switzerland, I was taught by my parents and other relatives about fungi, wildflowers and alpine plants. Foraging, done in respectful and sustainable ways, was a big family spare time. Later in life, I spent time with Native Americans in the USA who taught me about the uses of some of their herbs. The rest of my knowledge came through self-study, talking to people in different regions about their experiences with a plant, and through directly relating to the essence of a plant (yes, you can indeed 'meditate' with a plant, and you will sense some of its teachings).

The Team: Tai Chi instructors

Peter Howard

Peter was shortlisted as 'Sports Person of the Year' in 2017 (Active Ealing).

Peter has been studying with Sifu Jeff Ayres and later with Andrea for almost 20 years. He started with Tai Chi Chuan and then added Kung Fu to his repertoire, mostly focusing on Shaolin Long Fist and weaponry.
In 2017, Peter received his first degree black sash and was shortlisted as "Sports Person of the Year" for the Active Ealing sports awards.
A retired teacher - and now pursuing all sorts of interesting spare times (from Jive dancing to tracking and bird watching) - Peter is an engaged and funny instructor. He often supports our Beginners Course and takes the Beginners/intermediate class when Andrea is travelling.

Lisa Orton

Lisa is a professional violinist, now retired, whose interest in Tai Chi Chuan and Kung Fu began some 20 years ago. She studied under Sifu Jeff Ayres in Perivale, and now lives in Bristol where she teaches private lessons and works with musicians on body posture and relaxation. She visits our school on occasion to teach Dragon Style and sword seminars.
With a Black Sash, third degree, Lisa is interested in how a study of the martial arts can feed into modern life, in terms of health, posture and confidence. She is passionate about the study and teaching of a variety of Shaolin styles and has been a major driver in creating new basic exercises and practice forms; among others the Iron Fan Kung Fu form, the Two Person Lightening Sword form, and a Tai Chi Chuan form called 'The Buddha and the Butterfly'.