What is Yang Style Tai Chi?
This is the Tai Chi that most people envision when they think of Tai Chi. Slow, gentle movements that promote good health. Tai Chi originated in Chen Village in the mid 1600s as a martial arts style off limits to outsiders. Yang Luchan was the first outsider to learn in the early 1800s. He became very proficient in Tai Chi and was given permission to teach it freely to others provided that he removed the fighting aspects from it. Yang Luchan recognized the great health benefits that come from a regular Tai Chi practice and created his own style named Yang Style Tai Chi. His long form, the Yang 108 form, consists of 108 movements and is based off of the Chen Laojia Yilu form. Yang style Tai Chi is appropriate for people of all ages to study.
In recent years there have been many studies on the health benefits from a regular Tai Chi practice. Many of the results from these studies can be found in the National Library of Medicine. Some of the results include releif from stress, anxiety, and depression. Increased recovery time from stroke, heart attack, and long covid. It also has been shown to alleviate symptoms from age related illnesses such as Parkensin’s, Dementia, and Osteoporosis.
Tai Chi for Beginners - Yang 10 & 24 forms
In the Beginner Tai Chi class, the focus is on the Yang 10 and 24 forms as well as Qigong exercises for health. The Yang 24 form was created in 1956 as a way to create a simplified form of Taiji as exercise for the masses, this is the form many people perform in parks across the world. The reason for its creation was to give the beginner an introduction to the essential elements of Taijiquan, yet retain the traditional flavor of traditional longer hand forms.
Class includes Qigong warm up techniques such as shaking, tapping and vocalizing. We will then practice a Qigong form such as the Five Treasures. Following that we will play with Tai Chi basic techniques such as weight shifting, stepping, opening and closing, continuous movement. To finish the class we will practice Yang Style Tai Chi, beginning with Yang 10 and progressing to longer forms.
Beginning Yang Tai Chi classes are held on Mondays and Thursdays from 11:30 - 12:30 and are taught by Susan
Tai Chi Fan
The Tai Chi Fan class includes a short Flying Rainbow Single Fan form, partner work showing the martial application of the fans when they are used as a weapon and Flying Rainbow Double Fan form.
The Fan forms include movements from Yang, Chen and Sun styles of Tai Chi. Videos are available if you wish to practice at home.
Fans will be provided for class if you don't have your own and if you want to purchase a pair for yourself they are reasonably and easily available online.
As we practice the forms we focus on the Tai Chi principles. There are opportunities coming up to join in activities for Chinese New Year celebrations.
Beginners are welcome!
Tai Chi Fan is taught by Liz on Wednesdays from 1-2
Listening Push Hands
Push Hands is where Tai Chi practitioners get to practice with a partner. It teaches sensitivity training and helps to teach the martial aspects of Tai Chi. Partners work to learn how to stick, adhere, and follow another person’s movements. We learn how to feel another person’s center of gravity while better understanding our own. Through Push Hands we better learn how to understand the first four methods of Tai Chi; Peng (ward off), Lu (roll back), Ji (press or squeeze), and An (push). We teach martial push hands in some of our other classes where the object is to make the other person move their footing, but this class focuses more on the gentle side of push hands. The objective is not to overpower another person, but rather to move as one with them. This class is appropriate for all ages and skill levels.
This is a free class and is held on Sunday afternoons from 6:30 - 7:30. It is led by Tyler.
Intermediate Tai Chi - Yang 24
For students who would like to progress beyond the beginner level or who have previously studied Yang style Tai Chi. The focus of this class is going a little deeper into the Yang 24 form with more attention to details.
Intermediate Yang Tai Chi classes are held on Friday mornings from 10:30 - 11:30 and are taught by Susan
Chen Man-Ching Taiji (the Professor’s form)
The Yang 37 form was created by the Tai Chi Master Chen Man Ching (The Professor), a student of Yang Cheng-Fu, in 1946 as a way to make the longer Yang form easier to learn for newer students. It shortens and balances the Yang 108 form, removing many of the repetitious movements and focuses more on health benefits than martial application. This class is a step up from the Beginners Class and is a great class for those who have studied Yang 37 or would like a form that is a little bit more involved than Yang 10 or 24. The Yang 37 class includes Qigong exercises as well as meditation.
Our Yang 37 classes are held on Saturdays mornings from 8:30 - 9:45 and are taught by Ken
Martial Tai Chi
The focus of this class is on the martial side of Tai Chi. Students will utilize a wide array of internal energies for striking, kicking, joint locking and throwing an opponent --all in one move. When there are no longer “gaps” expressing your internal energies and your form is smoothed out over a period of months, then you will embody the classical principles found in the Book of Changes (I Ching), go beyond them to appropriately respond to an opponent, yet adhere to the classical nei jia principles for expressing internal energy.
CHEN PAN LING’S 99 POSTURE TAIJIQUAN -A Combined Form with Xingyi and Bagua Extrapolations
As taught by Mark Small, Chung (Loyalty) level inner door student in Chen Yun Ching’s Family Systems (Ling Yun Pai)
· “Middle frame” stances at a relatively even and slow pace.
· Eight basic energies of: Peng, Lu, Ji, An, Tsai, Li, Shou and Ko.
· Silk reeling (Chan Si Jin) or classical spiraling energy training.
· Separating Yin from Yang in your upper and lower body (Cross-lateral Associations)
· Col. Y. W. Chang's Chen Pan Ling’s Original Tai Chi Chuan Textbook - 1998 will be our main resource.
This is a Curriculum class and is taught on Wednesday nights from 7-8:30pm by Sifu Mark Small
