Reflections for senior workshops

Learning, Laughing, and Ageing Well Together

Over the past four weekends, I had the privilege of guiding a group of vibrant seniors through two thoughtfully designed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) workshop series:

📍Healthy Ageing with TCM for Seniors
(12–13 Apr & 10–11 May 2025)
We explored acupressure techniques, food therapy principles, and simple exercises to support healthy ageing and relieve common aches and pains.

📍Seniors TCM Self-Care: Must Know for Your Body Constitution
(26–27 Apr & 24–25 May 2025)
We dived into the 9 body constitution types in TCM and how small daily habits — like choosing the right food or herb — can support balance and prevent illness.

What I Observed

The participants? Mostly well-educated, bilingual (English and Mandarin), semi-retired or active volunteers. But beyond the surface, what stood out most was their genuine eagerness to learn how to take care of themselves and their ageing loved ones.

They came ready to participate.
They asked thoughtful questions.
And best of all — not a single person was distracted by their phones. Except, of course, to snap a quick picture of my slides when something caught their eye. (And yes — that always made me smile!)

I kept them busy — from hands-on acupressure practice to group sharing to identifying their own body constitution types. And they stayed fully present.

A Surprising Discovery

One topic I love teaching is Body Constitution. In TCM, our constitution type guides us in choosing the right foods, herbs, exercises, and habits to maintain harmony.

To my surprise, almost half the class had a Neutral (平和质) body constitution — which is the most balanced and healthiest type. These are people who generally don’t fall sick easily and recover well when they do.

It made me curious.

So I asked a few questions. And I noticed a pattern.

They:
✔️ Exercise regularly
✔️ Watch their diet
✔️ Volunteer and stay socially engaged

A Personal Reflection

These observations brought me back to my gerontology studies. There’s strong evidence (both in TCM and Western research) that the three key pillars to healthy ageing are:

Exercise. Nutrition. Social Support.

And this group — they’re living proof.

They’re not just attending wellness workshops. They’re living well.
And watching them, I couldn’t help but think:

I want to be like them when I grow old.

To all the seniors who joined me these past weekends:
Thank you for showing up with open hearts and curious minds.
You’ve inspired me — and reminded me that ageing can be filled with energy, purpose, and joy.

Let’s continue to age without pain,
One breath, one step, one smile at a time.

—
Lee Hui Fang
Founder, Ouch! Pte Ltd
www.ouch.com.sg

🟠 Want to bring a TCM workshop to your community or workplace?
We’d love to hear from you. Reach out at hello@ouch.com.sg