As my teacher, Tew Bunnag, noticed many times, Tai chi is like the Swiss knife. It is one object with many distinct uses. Meaning that Tai chi is a practice that you can use in different ways so as to meet the needs of every moment.
Tai chi is an ancient marshal art, an interchange between yin and yang, exploring, cultivating, and recognising the two different energies (soft and hard) within our bodies. This side of the practice uses marshal applications to rejuvenate and tonify the muscular and internal organ system. Tai chi is a therapeutic exercise for the whole body seeing soma as one organism that contains vital energy, chi, and uses exercises to ensure that the flow of energy is constant, stable and fluid. Chi Kung is the rhythmical breathings used to benefit the respiratory system, bring clarity to mind, and calm down the system. Part of the Tai chi training is learning the form (short and long), which looks like choreography of marshal applications practiced in a really slow motion. Tai chi is a dance, a shadow fight with oneself or opponent and cultivates balancing, sensitivity and centeredness. Finally, known as meditation in movement, Tai chi uses all the above parts of the practice to cultivate awareness in mind and body, and rediscover compassion and peace in our lives.
As the body develops its own awareness, the mind creates balance with external environment and slowly has time to act in peace. As we move deeper into the training the relationship with time changes, the mind recognizes and accepts simplicity, and the connection to nature reminds us our deep humanity.
This practice welcomes all different ages and body types, since it is smooth, healing and harmonious for all health conditions. There are weekly classes that we train in the art of meditation in movement and 3day seminars in nature that we deepen into the practice and the qualities that it promotes.
