Tai Chi Chuan as a spiritual practice reveals the wisdom of the ages. A timeless philosophy from China based on living and acting in accord with nature's cyclic patterns of change.

History

For over 2,000 years, Chinese have practiced Tai Chi for health. The ancient Taoists invented this system of exercise to preserve their health, mind and body to prevent aging. Today Tai Chi is practiced to cultivate physical fitness and spiritual harmony within oneself and as a system of defending oneself against disease or "defend oneself from oneself". Only with correct instruction can one benefit fully from the healing aspects of the art.

Tai Chi and Your Health

Tai Chi enables students to cultivate "Chi", the intrinsic energy of life force of the body. In Traditional Chinese Medicine many ailments are considered to be signals of a temporary fault in the flow of Chi and are treated by carefully manipulating and balancing this flow.

• Respiratory - Common colds, coughs and asthma.
• Digestion - Nausea, weight problems, indigestion, ulcers, irritable colon. Tai Chi balances energy and massages internal organs, reducing disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Nervous System - Manage stress, anger, worry, insomnia, listlessness, depression, anxiety and fear. Increase mental focus and clarity of thought, improving memory and concentration.
• Circulation - Helps to normalize high and low blood pressure. Reduce palpitations and heart murmur. Increase vitality and stamina.
• Bones, Muscles, Ligaments and Tendons - Relieved: arthritis and back pain caused by tension and fatigue. Improves flexibility of muscles, joints and connective tissue.
• Immunity and Regeneration - Increased T-cell count enhances the immune system. Increase in Chi retards aging.

Tai Chi creates beneficial changes in breathing rate, oxygen absorption, blood circulation, digestive activity and metabolic rate. During Tai Chi practice energy is generated and stored, not consumed.

Training

The objective of the introductory class is for students to: Achieve an innate understanding of the essence of Tai Chi and Chi Kung(Qigong) Learn and understand basic Chi Kung breathing. Learn the basic 24 movement Tai Chi form. History and philosophy are also discussed. Tai Chi classes run on a regular schedule and class schedules at different training loactions can be viewed here.

A typical class begins with 10 to 15 minutes of gentle warm-up exercises. The next 10 to 15 minutes is devoted to Chi Kung(Qigong) practice which teaches the students to identify and control their Chi. The remaining class time is spent learning the Tai Chi form. Instruction emphasizes a relaxed mind and body while guiding the student through the physical motion of each movement. Combat applications are demonstrated with each new step of the form to enhance student understanding of the movements; however, self defense is not taught in the introductory class, but will be the focus of future courses. Classes are informal and casual, yet structured. Although no prior experience is necessary, students need a certain amount of self discipline and self motivation. Best results are achieved with 10 to 15 minutes of daily practice at home.