I created the business resilience and stress relief division of Wings of Eagles Educational Services out of my own healing experience with tai chi. I teach my corporate clients breathing and relaxation exercises to improve critical thinking and operate at peak proficiency. For my clients, improved overall health for their employees means a less stressful office climate, lower employee absenteeism, and greater overall productivity. The Wings of Eagles’ wellness program combines the ancient ideologies, philosophies, and healing exercises of tai chi with current neuroscience and modern tried and true leadership principles and resilience skills. When your team members feel better, they perform better, and everyone around them benefits!
Give yourself or your organization the gift of personal development in a unique, holistic, and effective way! We come to your office and can design a program that fits your specific and unique employee goals. Let the Wings of Eagles’ employee wellness program amplify peace in your organization, and watch teamwork, harmony, and productivity soar!
Individual workshops for yoga and wellness studios are also available.
We offer a free 30-minute strategy session to ensure our programs are right for you and your organization.
By the time I was 50 years old, I weighed 250 pounds. While trying to lose weight, I injured myself in a painful Judo break-fall accident. During the consultation with the orthopedic surgeon, he informed me that I had to find a way to reduce the inflammation on my injured knee before he could perform surgery. My most favorable option for accomplishing this was Tai Chi - a low-impact exercise focused on the gentle art of slow movement. I enrolled in a local school with zero awareness of the impact it would have on my life.
Because the injury was so serious, initially I could not do the moving forms of tai chi. My injury posed no problem for my Sifu - he pulled up a chair and taught me the Energy Gate form, a healing Qigong form he had learned in China. Qigong (pronounced “che-gung”) are standing movements designed to target certain health needs. It differs from tai chi, which is a series of choreographed, moving poses that work on the entire body in a flowing sequence. Both emphasize focusing on the breath. It made a tremendous difference in my pain, focus, and stress levels! I realized the only time I was pain-free was when practicing the Energy Gate form.
When I reached my goal of reducing inflammation, the doctor successfully performed the surgery. I integrated the qigong I learned in my tai chi class with the standard physical therapy exercises and experienced great post-surgery results. With my healing, I became a living, walking testimony to the power of this gentle but powerful art. It changed my life so drastically and in so many ways; I continued my studies and went on to earn an instructors level black sash in two schools. I eventually became an instructor in my local recreation center system to top it all off!
I invite you to "FEEL what you are missing" as we explore this ancient art together.
Lisa McMann
Fitness and Wellness Supervisor
"Michelle Caprio has been a Tai Chi instructor at four Virginia Beach recreation centers since 2019. Her passion for tai chi is evidenced by excellence, innovation and originality. For example, she developed and piloted a chair tai chi class as well as an Silver Sneakers Enerchi class that meets the special needs of many of our mobility challenged patrons.She introduced tai chi ball forms into her classes to add resistance training to her tai chi classes. During the pandemic year Michelle videotaped multiple classes to connect with Virginia Beach residents and stress management techniques alongside her traditional tai chi forms. Her rapport with the patrons is very positive and she can adapt her instruction to meet the needs of all ability levels. Her classes are well organized, structured and demonstrated. I highly endorse Michelle Caprio for any organization's stress management and resilience training needs."
Karen Anne Fasulo
BreathWork Instructor'Breathe With Me' Show Host
I am truly blessed to know Michelle Caprio. I invited her to be a guest on my show Breathe With Me, to share her journey through breathwork. Michelle talked about her resilience with the help of breathwork in the Energy Gate and worked through painful rehab using tai chi breathwork to manage her pain. I was in awe listening to her talk about how she has taken her experience and made it a part of her life's purpose to help others know the healing power of tai chi and using tai chi breathing to help others trainers and her own students live happier lives. Michelle, taught tai chi to myself and my viewers during our interview. I have never done any tai chi and she was easy to learn from and follow along with. I am very fortunate to be in the Empowered Living community with Michelle, where I get to experience her kind heart and how much she gives herself to other people.
Jill Green
Yoga Instructor
I am so happy that Michelle is opening herself to sharing tai chi on a grander scale.
I had the opportunity to attend a tai chi workshop facilitated by Michelle. Her knowledge of the art and ability to break it down and make it understandable for a beginner was incredible.
Her knowledge and ability to teach is tantamount to her passion for tai chi and its benefits."
Kamille Thomas
Author, Writer, and Marketing Strategist
Michelle's passion for her work exudes from her soul. One conversation with her will have you desiring to learn more. I was that person. I decided to learn more about Tai Chi and its benefits, and I was mind-blown! Tai Chi is an ancient form of healing exercise useful for people in every stage of their exercise or healing journey.
It is true that there is a mind-body-spirit connection. The better my body felt, the better I felt mentally and spiritually. I would recommend Michelle to anyone seeking to improve or enhance their current well-being and productivity levels. When you feel good in one area, you feel good in all of them and you see results in all areas of you life!
I was battling an injury that didn't allow me to do the moves the way others were doing them, so I had to take a different approach to exercise. While others stood, I sat, but the exercises I did were no less effective. When it was all said and done, my knee had been rehabilitated, I was much stronger, and I went on to become a Tai Chi instructor!
Tai-chi is a slow moving, very effective form of exercise. What this art form taught me is that sometimes if you move too fast, you will burn out, get discouraged, and want to quit. However, if you take your time, concentrate on the next right move, harness your energy and focus it in the right places, you will see the results over time. Life is not a race against time, it is results based. What did you do in the time that you were given?
When I realized I couldn't do the exercises others were doing, I wasn't sure how I would get the help I needed. Unbeknownst to me, my instructor didn't have a one-size fits all approach to Tai Chi. He was skilled in an area I never knew existed, but absolutely needed in my life. Being open to hearing an alternative allowed me to approach my situation with a different mindset and get results I couldn't have gotten on my own.
Initially, I began Tai Chi to help with my knee, but it ended up helping me in so many other areas of my life. In addition, my initial goal was to get physically better, but it positively impacted my mental well-being too! It sharpened my focus and built mental toughness. I began challenging myself, and pushing myself to do more, and now I teach others how to achieve their goals through the art of Tai Chi!
Everyone in my class had a goal of improving their physical fitness and strength. The bonus to working in a group was that when someone got discouraged or wanted to quit, others were there to encourage them and to remind them of their goal and the benefits of achieving it. I never felt like I was going through this alone. I always had a group of people pushing me to continue when I felt like things were getting too hard. In turn we became a tight knit group, many of which I still communicate with today.
Anyone can participate in tai chi, but as with any exercise program, if you have any preexisting injuries or health concerns, please talk to your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine. I am not a licensed medical professional, so please follow the advice of your health professional. We are not liable for any injury that occurs due to improper techniques or participation against medical advice.
The original purpose of the practice was religious in nature, but today this discipline is used in centering one's self to provide calm, to help a person enter a meditative state, and for exercise.
Regular practice of tai chi nourishes the body, mind, and spirit. As physical exercise, tai chi strengthens the legs and improves balance. Posture and flexibility in the joints are improved, so you can stand and move with less effort. The slow shifting of weight from leg to leg helps the circulation of blood through the body, improving heart health. The quality of relaxation in tai chi, as you move through the sequence of postures, helps to regulate the flow of your internal energy, your qi, through your whole body, nourishing the health of your internal organs.
Loose comfortable clothing that you can move freely and easily in. Also, don't forget to wear comfortable footwear!
Yes. I infuse leadership principles and tai chi principles together to create an environment that promotes collaboration, support, mutual assistance between team members, harmony and trust. I can customize your team building event to address the challenging areas your company or business is facing.
Email: [email protected]