Tai Chi
Tai Chi Chuan for Relaxing our Mind, Body, and Our Lives
Just as we flow through the changes of life, our life energy, or Qi, flows through us. Qi is the energy of life and flows through all living things. Qi animates, heals, and nurtures life. When the stress of change makes us tense, we squeeze off the flow of life energy. Physically, this feels like tension. Tai Chi and Qigong are easy, simple, yet sophisticated relaxation exercises that encourage the muscles to let go of tension, the mind to let go of worry, and the heart to let go of anxiety. Tension, worry, and anxiety all block our Qi flow.
Tension, worry, and anxiety are usually the result of our mind, heart, or body being unable to “let go” of something. The goal of Tai Chi is to move through a series of choreographed movements like a slow martial arts routine, but very slowly and in a state of absolute relaxation. In order to do this, we have to let go of our mental/physical tensions, grudges, prejudices, and anything that keeps us tied to the past. This enables us to flow more easily into the future by clearing our mind and body of old stress so that we constantly get a “fresh” perspective on life.
Tai Chi is simple and easy to do, yet benefit us on many deep and complex levels. Tai Chi’s slow, relaxed movements incorporate breathing and relaxation techniques that cleanse our mind, body, and emotions each time we go through the gentle movements. Tai Chi is designed to uncover and release every single place we hold tension or blocked energy. When our mind or heart holds onto issues (fears, obsessions, angers, and so on) our body literally squeezes itself with tension. Going slowly through the movements is like doing an internal scan of the entire body to clear and release any place the body is gripping onto tension.
Tai Chi Chuan for Health
This is not a system for building up muscles. By perfecting the movements one learns both coordination and relaxation of the entire body. The resulting control leads to a very high degree of physical proficiency. The general level of performance of everything you do is improved. With better breathing and better circulation comes better health.
Tai Chi Chuan for Serenity
Mind and body are indivisible. Control of both is essential so that they may act in harmony. Tai Chi Chuan has been called "meditation in movement". When the movements have been well learned, there is a noticeable increase in one's powers of concentration. This training teaches one to have an open mind. Since a relaxed state is absolutely necessary before you can learn the movements properly, all stress and tension must be left behind.
Tai Chi Chuan for Self-Defense
"Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water, yet nothing can better overcome the hard and strong. The yielding conquers the resistant and the soft conquers the hard is a fact known by all men, yet utilized by none”, Tao Te Ching. Tai Chi Chuan develops the ability to know when the opponent is going to attack. Speed, sensitivity, and flexibility are built up, rather than brute force. If you learn to see danger before it reaches you, it can be neutralized. As the old Tai Chi saying goes, "Four ounces can move a thousand pounds." Mitchell, Stephen (Translator), “Tao Te Ching”, 1988
No one is too young or too old to start and benefit from learning Tai Chi!
-
Styles offered:
Yang Style for beginners and intermediate.
Chen & Bagua for advanced.
- Tai Chi Program Curriculum:
In this program, MJA Coach Karim-Ben Saunders will teach you the fundamentals of Tai Chi Chuan: Tai Chi Walk, Tai Chi Stances, Relaxation, Proper Body alignment and Qigong. The word Qigong (pronounced chi kung) is a combination of two ideas: "Qi" means air, breath of life, or vital energy of the body, and "gong" means the skill of working with, or cultivating, self-discipline and achievement. The art of Qigong consists primarily of meditation, physical movement, mind-body integration, and breathing exercises. Practitioners of Qigong develop an awareness of qi sensations (energy) in their body and use their mind to guide the Qi.
After learning the Tai Chi basics, we will begin your Tai Chi training. When working on Tai Chi, we will focus on the Thirteen Principles of Tai Chi, the Eight Energies of Tai Chi and the Six Harmonies. As you progress, you will learn more complex Tai Chi forms, Tai Chi Weapons and Pushing Hands.
We will also teach Chen Style Tai Chi and other Internal Arts such as Xingyi Chuan and Bagua Zhang. These styles are taught to advance students.
-
 Taught by Instructor Karim - Ben Saunders
- Karim-Ben Saunders has been studying various martial arts since the mid 1980s. Starting with Tae Kwon Do, he gravitated towards Kung Fu and Tai Chi in the early 1990s. Since 1997 he has dedicated himself towards studying Tai Chi and other internal martial arts. He has competed and won gold medals in Tai Chi and has been training in other internal arts such as Bagua Zhang and Xingyi since the late 1990s. He has sought masters far and wide in his search for knowledge. In his search, he has trained locally at Boston Kung-Fu Tai Chi Institute and at Chinese Martial Arts, a division of Athletic Balance, as well asabroad in Hong Kong.
With his experience, Karim-Ben hopes to promote his enthusiasm of Tai Chi and internal arts and help the development of spiritual growth and body awareness to others. In addition to his extensive training in Tai Chi and other internal arts, he is also an elite athlete. He was trained as a world class sprinter. In the mid 1990s he was ranked amongst the top 100 fastest runners in the world in both the 100 and 200 meter events. From his track training he brings modern training methodologies and understanding of physical conditioning to the MJA Martial Arts Tai Chi program.- Affiliation
Karim-Ben is currently a member of the International Wushu Sanshou Dao Association – Black Belt Level
Serving the following areas in Worcester County, Massachusetts:
Spencer, E. Brookfield, Leicester, N.Brookfield, Paxton, Rochdale, Charlton, Oxford, Sturbridge, Southbridge, Worcester, Brookfield, Shrewsbury, Millbury, Auburn, Holden, Rutland, Barre, Webster, Dudley, Brimfield, Oakham, Warren, and Princeton
|
|
