Tai Chi

About T'ai Chi

T'ai chi ch'uan is a Chinese Daoist system of gentle internal exercise that originated during the Song Dynasty (10th-13th centuries) and has since evolved into a myriad of forms and styles.  Devised as a superior form of self-defense based on principles of yielding and softness, t'ai chi has come to be practiced today for many other benefits that derive from the same principles.  

With regular practice, students may achieve:

• Improved health, circulation, vitality, and stamina
• Profound relaxation, finely tuned balance, and enhanced coordination
• Sharpened attention and concentration
• A sense of one's own center and rootedness
• Cultivation of one's own ch'i, the vital force underlying all physiological processes--including longevity

The sequence of movements comprising a t'ai chi "form" is performed slowly and fluidly and can be practiced with benefit by anyone who can walk, regardless of age or state of health.

Instructor

Peter Geller, our staff acupuncturist, has been teaching Yang-style Short Form since 1977.  He studied in New York with the late American master Lou Kleinsmith, senior American student of Prof. Cheng Man-Ch'ing.  Prof. Cheng, a poet, painter, calligrapher, and renowned doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, was the t'ai chi grandmaster who developed the short form from a much longer sequence of movements.  For those with limited time to exercise, the short form permits the regularity of practice essential for obtaining the benefits of t'ai chi ch'uan.