Tai Chi and Qi Gong - Meditation in Motion - Internal Martial Arts

Tai chi has been practiced for centuries in China not only for health of the body and mind, but as a martial art.  The graceful movements range from slow and steady to strong and explosive.  Relaxation of the muscles along with breath control, posture, and alignment are emphasized.  Anyone can practice tai chi and many doctors are encouraging people to practice for the many health benefits (supported by medical studies) which come with consistent and dedicated practice.  Those who are spiritually conscious will find tai chi is ideal for helping reach higher self awareness.

Our tai chi classes involve warm-ups to loosen and warm the joints, qi gong breathing exercises, meditation exercises, basic posture movements, push-hand exercises with partners, and forms which entail a sequence of movements.  Advancing students will begin to work on weapons such as fan, straight sword, and broadsword.

In the practice of tai chi, you can discover that rooting your energy into your feet and practicing good posture and strong stances will help with balance and steadiness.  The power of tai chi is generated from speed which comes from a state of relaxation.  As an advanced student, you can have control over where the energy is directed throughout your body.  The idea is to allow the energy to flow through the movements freely, like water gently flowing down a stream.  Just as the water follows the nature of the stream, the movements should be allowed to follow the nature of the body.

Over time, through the practice of the forms, you can develop a deeper awareness of the body and the way it moves.  As your coordination and awareness progress, the finer details of the movements can be worked on.  With the practice of push hands, two people become one, and you can gain awareness of another person's energy and how it interacts with your own.  By developing "listening" skills through the skin, you can learn to "borrow" another person's energy to use it against them, for the purposes of self-defense.

Tai chi is a discipline that takes patience and perseverance, but the rewards are worth the effort.    

Come and try a FREE class with us.  We hope you have fun and wish you good health and happiness!