Tai Chi Chuan & Chi Kung
I teach Yang style Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Kung. I only offer private lessons and classes in Randburg at a cost of R350/hour. For further information please feel free to contact me.
One of my senior students, Damon Tasker, teaches classes in Lambton, Germiston on Mondays & Wednesdays from 6:45pm-7:45pm; and in Parkdene, Boksburg on Saturday mornings from 7am-8am. Classes cost R150/month for one lesson a week and R250/month for two or more lessons a week. For further info contact Damon on 084 482 6869.
Saturday class
Parkdene, Boksburg.
GPS co-ordinates:
26° 14’ 16” S
28° 15’ 12” E
(Click image to enlarge)
Monday & Wednesday Class
Lambton, Germiston.
GPS co-ordinates:
26° 14’ 44” S
28° 10’ 2” E
(Click image to enlarge)
Yang Short Form DVD
The first form I teach is the Yang Short Form. For those of your who have been looking for a DVD which breaks down the movements individually combined with complete instructions on doing the movements correctly but have had no luck finding something decent, then look no further. Click HERE to find out more.
Inner Circle Chi Kung System
The inner circle chi kung system is an online system that I subscribe to that I have found to be an excellent source of information on the inner workings of one's chi and how to grow it effectively. I highly recommend this system to anyone who is serious about cultivating their chi.
What is Tai Chi Chuan?
The following information on Tai Chi Chuan was extracted and summarised from Wikepedia online encyclopaedia; as I find it an accurate description of Tai Chi Chuan. If you would like to go directly to the website, click on the link above.
Tai Chi Chuan is an internal Chinese martial art often practiced with the aim of promoting health and longevity. Tai Chi Chuan's training forms are well known as the slow motion routines that groups of people practice together every morning in parks around the world, particularly in China. Medical studies of Tai Chi Chuan support its effectiveness as an alternative exercise and a form of martial arts therapy. Tai Chi Chuan is considered a soft style martial art — an art applied with internal power — to distinguish its theory and application from that of the hard martial art styles. There are many different styles of tai chi chuan, but most modern schools can trace their development to the system originally taught by the Chen family to the Yang family starting in 1820.
The Mandarin term "Tai Chi Chuan" literally translates as "supreme ultimate boxing" or "boundless fist," but may better translate to "great extremes boxing," with an emphasis on finding balance between two great extremes. The concept of the "supreme ultimate" is the symbol of the Taijitu meant to show the principles of Yin and Yang duality of Taoist philosophy. Thus, tai chi theory and practice evolved in agreement with many of the principles of Chinese philosophy and Taoism in particular. Tai Chi Chuan training first and foremost involves learning solo routines, known as forms. While the image of Tai Chi Chuan in popular culture is typified by exceedingly slow movement, many tai chi styles (including the three most popular, Yang, Wu and Chen) have secondary forms of a faster pace. The other half of traditional tai chi training (though many modern schools disregard it entirely) consists of partner exercises known as pushing hands, and martial applications of the postures of the form.
Some call it a form of moving meditation, as focusing the mind solely on the movements of the form purportedly helps to bring about a state of mental calm and clarity. Besides general health benefits and stress management attributed to tai chi training, aspects of Traditional Chinese medicine are taught to advanced tai chi students in some traditional schools.Tai Chi Chuan schools do not generally require a uniform, but both traditional and modern teachers often advocate loose, comfortable clothing and flat-soled shoe.
The physical techniques of Tai Chi Chuan are described in the tai chi classics (a set of writings by traditional masters) as being characterized by the use of leverage through the joints based on coordination in relaxation, rather than muscular tension, in order to neutralize or initiate attacks. The slow, repetitive work involved in the process of learning how that leverage is generated gently and measurably increases and opens the internal circulation (breath, body heat, blood, lymph, peristalsis, etc.).
The study of Tai Chi Chuan primarily involves three subjects. Traditional schools cover these aspects of tai chi practice simultaneously, while many modern schools focus on a single aspect, depending on their goal in practicing the art. These subjects are:
Health An unhealthy or otherwise uncomfortable person may find it difficult to meditate to a state of calmness or to use tai chi as a martial art. Tai chi's health training therefore concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind. For those focused on tai chi's martial application, good physical fitness is an important step towards effective self-defense.
Meditation The focus and calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of tai chi is seen as necessary in maintaining optimum health (in the sense of relieving stress and maintaining homeostasis) and in application of the form as a soft style martial art.
Martial art The ability to use tai chi as a form of self-defense in combat is said to be the most effective proof of a student's understanding of the art's principles. The study of tai chi chuan martially is the study of appropriate change in response to outside forces; the study of yielding and blending with outside force rather than attempting to meet it with opposing force.
Health benefits of Tai Chi Chuan
Before tai chi's introduction to Western students, the health benefits of Tai Chi Chuan were largely explained through the lens of traditional Chinese medicine; which is based on a view of the body and healing mechanisms not always studied or supported by modern science. Today, some prominent tai chi teachers have advocated subjecting tai chi to rigorous scientific studies to gain acceptance in the West. Researchers have found that long-term tai chi practice shows some favorable but statistically insignificant effects on the promotion of balance control, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness and reduced the risk of falls in elderly patients. The studies also show some reduced pain, stress and anxiety in healthy subjects. Other studies have indicated improved cardiovascular and respiratory function in healthy subjects as well as those who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. Patients that suffer from heart failure, high blood pressure, heart attacks, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's may also benefit from tai chi. Tai chi, along with yoga, has reduced levels of LDLs 20-26 milligrams when practiced for 12-14 weeks.
