Tai Chi Tai chi is the martial art practice that brings the focus of the mind into its slow, controlled, powerful and graceful movements. It is classified as an internal martial art because of the mental intent that drives every movement from within. The goal of tai chi is to achieve balance in all aspects of posture and movement, ultimately being one with nature. Tai Chi training teaches us to look inwards to achieve calmness, balance and awareness that can help improve our health physically, mentally and emotionally. Mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of bringing one’s attention to the ..read more

Luo Ji-Hong A Life Through Tai Chi My father was born on August 12, 1920 in the village of Xing Ning, Guang Dong Province in China. His people were Kejia (visitors) who had migrated from Central to Southern China over a hundred years before. When my father was three years old, my grandfather fell ill and died while away on one of his trading expeditions, leaving his family destitute. My grandmother worked tirelessly farming a small plot of rented land to feed and clothe her son. Because the Kejia settled in the poorest areas of Guang Dong Province, life was a constant struggle just to survive ..read more

In Part 2 of our 2-part Tai Chi Basic Principles blog series, we will delve into the principles introduced in our basic exercises four, five, and six, which are more physically demanding and require a wider, lower stance, as well as better coordination between the body, arms, and legs.  These principles are based on the foundation of those already introduced in part 1 of the blog series. Even though they are being taught separately, they do not conflict or contradict each other, every single principle is an important piece of the puzzle and they all eventually fit together to provide a ro ..read more

Hello, my name is Claudia Dixon and I LOVE Qigong. I have always been attracted to Energy practices and even though my career was a stressful one in Western Medicine, I am more attracted to Chinese Medicine. Through the years I have become certified in Reflexology and Reiki. In 2007 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and just one year into retirement (2020) my cancer had returned and now had metastasized into my lungs. I did a total lifestyle change and started to take Qigong lessons. Much to everyone’s surprise my tumors started shrinking. I took 2 years of Qigong when I decided that this hid ..read more

Five Bow Theory One of the first theories that we learn in our Tai Chi Basics class is the Five Bows, where we treat our body as if it is made up of bows, similar to those used in archery. The most important one, the main bow starts from the crown of the head (“Baihui” 百會) and runs down your spine to the tailbone. The two lower bows or leg bows, starts from the “Mingmen” 命門 (located directed opposite the navel), runs to the hips and down the legs to the centre of the feet (“Yongquan” 湧泉). The two upper bows or arm bows, starts from the base of your cervical spine C7 (“Dazhui” 大椎), runs to the ..read more

Tai chi is an internal martial art that combines philosophy, martial arts, well-being and self-awareness. It is known for its slow, graceful movements and health benefits. If you are interested in getting started with tai chi, here are a few suggestions. Find a school or instructor Tai chi is best learned with the guidance of a qualified instructor. Look for a school or instructor that can offer different levels of instruction, from beginner to advance. Visit the premises, talk to the students and instructor, ask for a complimentary trial class to experience first hand whether the class is sui ..read more

There are many variations of the Chen Style double hands push pattern, but the basic structure and stance remains the same. The two partners face each other at a 90 degree angle, forming an L shape with their stances. Both arms and one leg are in contact with the partner at all times, both sides shift, turn and maneuver to lock or destabilize each other in a continuous cycle. The close proximity of your partner in this exercise requires precision in the movements to successfully navigate the pattern without losing the flow or your own balance. Therefore it is one of the harder patterns to exec ..read more

Among the three styles of push hands patterns that we practice, Chen style is the most intricate, and physically challenging. Not only are you in contact with your partner with your arms, you are also connecting with your legs. This means that your partner may potentially push you off-balance via the legs if your stance is not strong enough. Unlike Yang style and Wu style push hands where the patterns are typically more straight forward, Chen style push hands patterns are spiral-like with more emphasis on turning of the hips. The stances for Chen Style Push Hands are also different, instead of ..read more

There is no doubt that most people prefer in-person classes but there are many benefits to online exercise programs such as: Saving time for not having to commute to the exercise studio Not worrying about the dress code Saving money as most online programs are more affordable There are of course many disadvantages to online classes, so in choosing an online exercise program we want to minimize the drawbacks. To help you discover why we think Qi Gong is the best exercise to be done online, we have put together the top 3 reasons. 1. SAFETY In general any exercise is good for our health, but an ..read more

These days, more and more people are practising tai chi. People take up tai chi for a variety of reasons. Some people want to have a better understanding of internal martial arts. Some people learn tai chi for personal self development. And still, there are others who want to reduce stress. There are so many reasons why people practice tai chi. At the top of the list, health is the most popular motivation which gets most people involved and learning tai chi. Tai chi is well known to provide a huge amount of health benefits without any need to be at the top of your physical health to get starte ..read more