The Yang family first became involved in the study of tai chi chuan in the early 1800s. The founder of the Yang style tai chi was Yang Lu-ch’an, aka Yang Fu-k’ui (1799-1872), who studied under Ch’en Chang-hsing starting in 1820. Yang became a teacher in his own right, and his subsequent expression of tai chi… Read more »
In China the sword is highly respected and is considered the “king of the short weapons”. The Jian (tai chi sword) is a narrow-bladed, double-edged sword that requires the highest of skill and spirit for one to effectively use it. In addition to it’s martial use, the tai chi sword has also been known to… Read more »
The Chen style of tai chi is the oldest and parent form of the five main tai chi chuan styles. It is third in terms of worldwide popularity compared to the other main taijiquan styles. Chen style tai chi is characterized by its lower stances, more explicit Silk reeling (chan si jin), and bursts of… Read more »
Those who teach Tai chi movements are always talking about the benefits of tai chi to the consumer public. These benefits include increased health, wellness, balance, strength, peace of mind, self-defense, etc. All of these perceived benefits of tai chi can greatly enhance a person’s ability to live a better quality and longer life. These… Read more »
For those who have never heard of Qigong for detox or for that matter just the term Qigong, it is an ancient traditional Chinese practice that involves the use of synchronized breathing and slow, deliberate movements similar to those used in Tai Chi to help restore the flow of Qi (pronounced chee) or your life… Read more »
There is nothing worse than lying awake in bed night after night praying that just once you could fall asleep and get a good night’s rest, only to realize that yet another night is going to be spent staring at the alarm clock as the hours slip by. By now you have probably tried every… Read more »
No matter how you look at it, the vast majority of us live stress filled lives. We spend our days at work trying to meet all but unobtainable goals, dealing with supervisors and coworkers, then go home to soccer games, scout meetings and more. The amount of stress many of us live under can quickly… Read more »
If you are considering enrolling in Tai Chi for beginners classes at one of your local gyms or dojos, you are going to be embarking on what can be a lifetime journey towards good health, both physical and mental as well as learning an ancient Chinese martial art. However, as with any new adventure you… Read more »
The practice of Qigong for energy and improved health has been a mainstay of traditional Chinese medicine for many centuries and has been rapidly gaining in popularity here in the US as well as many other western countries. Where once all practices like this were frowned up and treated with derision by most western medical… Read more »
For most of us reaching our senior years means a time to retire and relax, this is the time in our lives when we start to slow down and for many it becomes a very challenging time as a number of different medical conditions such as arthritis begin to emerge. It can also mean reaching… Read more »
-Becca, A happy new member of our Qigong and Tai Chi community
