NJ & NY most experienced Tai-Chi instruction since 1982.

Tai-chi Chuan: The Chinese word chi (pronounced "chee") can simply mean "air," but in true Tai-chi it means much more. Chi denotes the pyschophysiological power associated with blood and breath, or "intrinsic energy." After time, chi energy will be felt accumulating for mass integration in the navel, from where it will begin to circulate throughout the body. A tornado is but a massed movement of air and a tidal wave that is water. As a whiff, nothing is more pliable than air; as a drop nothing is more yielding that water. But as tornadoes and tidal waves, air and water carry everything before them.

All movements are done with a relaxed body and a calm but concentrated mind. Walk like a cat - light and firm. In moving backward, touch the toe down first; in going forward, let the heel touch down first. Then as you shift your weight onto the foot, let the rest of the sole gradually proceed into place. Make the hands and head move as a part of the body and not independently. Almost all the movements are made circularly. This permits the reserving of energy, negates tension and enhances relaxation, quite apart from its functional benefits.

8 steps to increase ch'i awareness.

1. Relaxation practice.

2. Breath control.

3. Concentration development.

4. Coordination practice.

5. Meditation and imagination.

6. T'ai Chi meditative movement practice.

7. Two-person practice.

8. Auxiliary training.

Expert Tai-Chi Instruction.

Brush Knee and Twist Step.


	Of all the Physical and mental healing arts I've learned, Tai-Chi is the gentlest, easiest to learn, and the most rejuvenating for your physical and mental health. It lowers blood pressure, heals achy joints, stimulates circulation, builds muscle, and mobilizes the immune system ... all without stress or strain! All across China, thousands for men, women and children of all ages gather in city parks in the early morning hours to practice the slow, graceful martial art called Tai-Chi. This "moving meditation", legend has it, engenders superhuman powers. And this legend is true. Those who practice Tai-Chi faithfully have a different kind of life well into their 80s and 90's. Their bones are strong, not frail. Their joints are limber, not aching and stiff. Their minds do not wander; they remain focused. Their heart beat is calm, and their bodies are internally fortified against disease. Tai-Chi has been prescribed to treat a number of diseases and painful conditions. If you have arthritis, for example, Tai-Chi is your best stretching exercise, because it builds the flexibility you need to mobilize your stiff joints. If you have cancer, Tai-Chi is ideal because it improves your aerobic capacity and stimulates your immune system without creating free radical damage. If you have heart disease, practicing Tai-Chi regularly not only lowers your blood pressure and helps you lose weight, it also defuses negative feelings, such as anger, frustration and depression, which can trigger a heart attack. What I forgot to tell you about this mind-body panacea is that the moves are simple, gentle and easy to learn. They need no special skill and can be done anywhere, indoors or outdoors, alone or with a group. Anyone can become a "master." It takes just a little practice, focus, and a good teacher. Five Major Benefits of Tai-Chi Tai-Chi is the true fountain of youth. It activates your hormones and immune cells, strengthens your heart, trims down your waist, refines your reflexes and balance, and helps you fend off the signs of age. And for your mood? It's like opening a window in stuffy room - at last! Many people who hat to exercise, an for anyone whose joints and heart can't take a strenuous workout, Tai-Chi is perfect. For your heart and metabolism, it's the equivalent of walking at a four-mile-an-hour pace. But Tai-Chi profoundly improves your health in ways "regular" exercise can not... * Awaken your energy, bring down your blood pressure: The breathing techniques reduce stress, lower your heart rate, and increase your level of focused energy. * Sharpen your mental focus: Performing the repeated patterns of movement builds your concentration, exercises your memory, and improves your ability to perform daily tasks with greater ease. * Elongate your muscles, limber up your joints: The slow, curving movements decrease tension and improve muscle resiliency and joint flexibility. * Improve balance and reduce risk of fall and injury: You'll learn to turn your body slowly and walk with a more narrow stance, improving your balance and greatly decreasing your chances of falling or injuring yourself. * Improve circulation: Deep breathing and sweeping motions bring a flush to your muscles as the blood circulates great stores of fresh oxygen, nutrients, and immune fluids throughout your limbs. It's ideal if you want the pleasure and benefits of exercise, but can't subject your bones and joints to jarring strenuous activity. Tai-Chi works wonders for people with chronic pain caused by everything from herniated disks to osteoporosis. Some people with the most complicated pain medicine "schedule" you could dream up, and still enjoyed wonderful results - from major reductions in pain killers to complete freedom from pain., Plus ... Its exhilarating! Many who practice Tai-Chi have a glow about them. Amazingly, the more you give in to the "nothingness", the more magnetic your physical presence becomes. Tai-Chi has been said to "tame the wild horses of your emotions." Even if you think you're not coordinated or agile, you can learn these movements. At you own pace. In fact, when you first see what these postures look like, you'll probably think, "This isn't exercise! It's too slow, too easy!" But don't be fooled. These movements build powerful inner focus and strength. Bordering on the superhuman: How Tai-Chi helped one man prevent permanent paralysis. I recently read the breathtaking story of Randy Jong, a 42-year-old school teacher from San Francisco who fell victim to a tragic car accident when his rear tire blew out on his way to Los Angeles. Randy was rescued by the "jaws of life", and though his spinal cord was intact, his neck was broken, and his vertebra compressed. The doctors told his family he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. His family was wise enough to keep this painful information from Randy. Unaware of his tragic fate, Randy lay in bed practicing the deep breathing exercises and mentally practicing the Tai-Chi movements he once performed every day. After two weeks, "miraculously", he moved a finger. Weeks later, a toe. Six months later, Randy was back in Tai-Chi class preforming the beginner's exercises. "I was slow, but I could do it." he says. Tai-Chi had kept Randy in excellent physical condition, his muscles and heart strong. Randy had developed an ability to relax and concentrate that turned out to be essential to his recovery process. This "Supreme art has endured for over 300 years "Tai" means "ultimate" or "supreme", and "chi" is the all-encompassing life force, the spirit of the earth and the soul. Nothing attests more to the value of this healing art than that it's stood the toughest and most telling test there is: the test of time! Tai-Chi has been passed down from generation to generation for over 300 years. The latest medical studies in the West and Far East prove Tai-Chi is the optimum healing activity for people of all ages Today, the Chinese practice Tai-Chi every day to ensure mental and physical fitness. Studies published in Eastern and Western medical literature show that even though Tai-Chi is a slow, "low-intensity" exercise, it still improves cardiovascular health and fitness, and even relieves depression. According to a medical assessment published in 1986 in China Sport, practicing Tai-Chi generates a sense of internal peace, as you must concentrate on the movements to the exclusion of all external distraction. And the motions, smooth and fluid, naturally cause your mind and muscles to relax, and your flexibility to increase. Tai-Chi also protects against a deadly threat to the elderly. Every year, almost one-third of people over 65 lose their balance and fall, leading to serious injury and death. But two recent studies sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, reveal that Tai-Chi improves your strength and balance, and reduces your risk of falling. In one Emory University study, participants reduced their risk of falls by 47.5 percent! A gentle full-body workout that takes just a few minutes a day For your metabolism, heart health, and blood pressure, Tai-Chi is just as effective as walking at four miles per hour. There are no awkward stretchs or poses to hold and no jumping, running or lifting. Nevertheless, when you come to the end of a Tai-Chi session, your breathing will be deep, your muscles flushed and your mind refreshed. The overall effect is a mental and physical fitness that carries through the rest of the day, and, of course, becomes even more profound month after month, year after year. Since you control your own pace, you can do the whole series of movements without breaking a sweat, or as you become more comfortable, you can push yourself a little harder by bending lower and stretching more. I do Tai-Chi every night. I started like everyone else, with a few minutes a day, and built up slowly. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Tai-Chi has altered my life. I'm stronger and more centered. I wake up happier and more refreshed every morning, and sleep soundly ever night. Many people tell me I look younger than my age. I want you to have the opportunity to experience this incredible change in your own life. In my art "Crane QiGong" , teaching Temple Style Tai-Chi. It's important to practice an exercise like Tai-Chi as a life long activity, and to do that, I will show you how you can rearrange the postures, so your practice can be ever changing and you keep it interesting. If you have a lot of time you can do the entire sequence of postures twice, once right side then again on the left side. If you have a little time you can do one posture for whatever time you have, and still get great tai-chi benefits from your practice. You will be taken slowly through the 57 postures and get specific directions on how to hold your body, where to focus your eyes, and your thoughts, and how to distribute your weight. Three hundred years and stacks of medical research tell us that tai-chi is the ideal exercise for your mind and body. I'd love to see everyone enjoy this healing art. Call me and lets get started. Sincerely, Jim P.S. Although I have over 20 years experience, I have just moved to this area. So I do not have a building yet to hold classes. Therefore I will have to come to you for your instruction. I normally charge $50.00 an hour. I will give a discount for a limited time, till I get known here. I'm offering 50% off, $25.00 an hour. In the spring there is a park near where I live, in Dumont NJ. I hope to get some people together and we can have a nice class outside, weather permitting.