About Tai Chi

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese exercise form and martial art, designed to integrate the mind, body and spirit.  It is a discipline that consists of movements linked together in a form and is primarily used for health in the West, but is also a spiritual pathway and a martial art.

Tai Chi is ancient and was modified by different families through the ages.  Each family developed different aspects of the original animal based movements and held them as closely guarded secrets. We are fortunate the secrets were eventually shared with the world.  I teach the Yang Style Short and Long forms.    

Tai Chi is considered an internal martial art, which means the practices teach controlling the mind and energy (internal forces), rather than emphasizing external force to fight an opponent.  It is said the internal arts take much longer to learn, but are more powerful than the external arts.  However, that is not my focus in teaching.  

I am more interested in the health benefits and teach more about learning to control the energy in the body.  Science teaches us we are electro-magnetic beings, so this is not as woo-woo as it sounds.

The practice of Tai Chi brings the body to an alert, yet relaxed, state of being.  It is sometimes referred to as meditation in motion.  Studies show Tai Chi improves balance and produces the same kinds of results as meditation practices.  So, people will often find they are more alert, less impacted by the ravages of stress, are able to sleep better and may experience lower blood pressure.  Because of the circular movements inherent in Tai Chi, people also often find their joints move more freely.

It may take several months to learn the forms, but students will often experience benefits shortly after beginning regular practice.  Who knows, you might find a long term home in this practice as I did.