Tai Chi
Tai Chi is more than an exercise to relax and find balance. As part of the training, we learn to control the mind and body and learn the connections between the two. In this process, students learn self-confidence, will power, virtue, discipline, humility, harmony in the self and in nature, and many more positive character attributes. Tai Chi classes at the Wei Tuo Academy also include philosophy, basic Traditional Chinese Medicine, meditation, nutrition, and other useful knowledge that will take a person far in life.
This class is reserved for seniors who want to learn Tai Chi but who do not want to learn the martial arts of the regular Tai Chi course. This is a special class for seniors to focus on health, balance, and relaxation. These three things are a main focus for most people, but for many seniors, it is important to focus on these aspects for a healthy life.
Learning Tai Chi takes years, but 'a thousand mile journey starts with the first step'. Where you end up depends on which direction you follow. Therefore the Beginning Tai Chi class focuses on the basics, the foundation of everything taught later. The basics are posture/alignment, breathing, stretching, lower body strengthening, shifting of the weight, and tai chi walking, all the while learning about how qi flows.
In Intermediate Tai Chi, we learn the movements that are specific to Tai Chi movements. Here we learn how to move succinctly to the natural movement of the body. There are many movements to learn, but there are only a few underlying basics in the many movements. We practice them in laps, similar to swimming laps in a pool. This allows each person to focus on what they are doing and can take time to become fluid in the movements. While we are doing this, we also learn the martial art applications of movements to help us understand balance, relaxation, softness, and qi flow. Then we learn the Yang Style Tai Chi 24 Step.
Tai Chi is actually called Tai Ji Quan. Tai ji means the ‘extreme ultimate’ or in more basic terms ‘yin/yang’ and quan means fist. It is the martial art of balancing yin with yang and vise versa. Tai ji quan is a very philosophic exercise, martial art and a way of living. Every movement has the beauty of the depth of the universe.