What is Taijiquan?
Taijiquan (pronounced tie-jee-chwan) is a centuries old Chinese martial art discipline that teaches self-defense, balance, flexibility, strength, meditation, health, relaxation, and self-cultivation. It improves circulation, balance, and coordination; and helps relax and strengthen the muscular and nervous systems. The movements make the body limber, tone up muscles, and help release tension.
The Taijiquan form is composed of a series of combat postures, put together in a very flowing and precise way. In learning the postures, and how to connect each posture in a prescribed manner, one learns how to control the body and mind in harmony. Once all the postures are learned the Taijiquan form is refined.
So What Is Tai Chi?
Taijiquan is the Pinyin spelling for the art. You will often see it spelled in Romanized form as T'ai Chi Ch'uan, which has lead to the common English pronounciation of the art as "Tie Chee Chwan," which is why you will often hear people refer to the art as simply: Tai Chi. T'ai Chi (pronounced tie-jee) refers to "stillness-suddenly-moving". This concept is a core of Chinese (specifically Taoist) philosophy and is illustrated through the image of the Yin and Yang (called Taijitu in Chinese). Quan/Ch'uan (pronounced Chwan) means Fist. So Taijiquan literally means: "the fighting form that utilizes Yin and Yang harmony." The words Tai Chi have grown to represent the philosophy of Yin and Yang movment and harmony.
Why Study Taijiquan?
Taijiquan teaches, from the first lesson, how to generate and control the flow of internal energy (chi) through the body. The precise postures open and undo blockages in energy channels; the slow and gentle movements stretch these meridian channels and keep them strong and supple. The rhythmic movements of the muscles, spine, and joints pump energy through the entire body. Thus, Taiji is an exercise which gives one more energy than it uses up, so after a round of Taiji one feels relaxed and invigorated.
Despite the efforts of many new-age Tai Chee gurus, Taijiquan is a very effective combat system. It's philosophy of Yin and Yang harmony allows the practitioner to move with the flow of his opponent, rather than merely reacting. Many other forms of martial arts can be detrimental to your health, wear down your energy, and can make you hostile and aggressive. The wear and tear to your body from these types of martial arts can make fully practicing them an impossibility as you get older.
The benefits of training in Taijiquan as a martial art brings good health, vitality, and spiritual joy; and can be practiced throughout your life even after your body has slowed down naturally.
So What EXACTLY Do You Teach?
Dragon Studios Taijiquan training is broken down into teaching the Yang Style 108-movement long-form, teaching form applications (through both applications practice and pushing hands training), lessons in Taiji philosophy, and emphasis on building a Taiji "energy body" through various meditation techniques and practices.