Tai Chi Philosophy Crash Course: Knowing the philosophy and history behind the art of Tai Chi is essential for developing a deep practice. There is common misconception that the name Tai Chi (taiji) is referring to the same subject as the word Qi (Chi). The first part of the art name Tai Chi Ch’uan, “Tai… Read more »
Tai Chi Chuan is sometimes referred to as Thirteen postures or “Thirteen patterns”, these patterns include “Eight Jin Patterns,” also called the “Eight Doors” and five foot work patterns referred to as the “Five Strategic Stepping patterns”. According to the Tai Chi Chuan classics the eight Jin patterns are related to the eight trigrams (BaGua)… Read more »
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 »
-Becca, A happy new member of our Qigong and Tai Chi community
