Phyllis has been involved seriously in tai chi for more than 25  years and has travelled  to the east to experience training there. She is a senior student and assistant instructor to Sifu Edward Jardine who heads the International Tai Chi Society. The International Tai Chi Society is the oldest Tai Chi organisation in South Africa and has branches across Gauteng, and in Durban, Cape Town, England, Canada, the United States, Australia and Finland.