tai-chi

New Push Hands Course Where Form Follows Function

New for Late Spring: Tai Chi Push Hands
with Don Ethan Miller,
4-Time National Tai Chi Push Hands Champion
Tuesday, 6:00-7:30pm
$210 ($180 for members)

Form Follows Function

The roots of the vast majority of Tai Chi movements and qualities lie in 2-person practice. "The Form," which becomes a meditative and healing process, derives originally from the Function of interacting optimally with an other person's energy and physicality.

Breathing in Tai Chi and Chi Gung

In this office hours clip, BTC Instructors Dan Kleiman and Nate Hribar discuss different ways to approach integrating breathing into Tai Chi and chi gung.

Initially, Nate asked about some specific places in his Tai Chi and qigong practice where it is challenging to maintain smooth, continuous breathing. Drawing on his yoga background, he was asking if there is a similar emphasis on driving movement from breath in Tai Chi.

Watch this clip for a complete answer.

Open Practice Evening with Dan Kleiman

On Tuesday, February 21 come join Program Director Dan Kleiman for some Tai Chi and chi gung practice.

From 6:30-7:30, Dan will lead a Short Form practice session, including warm-ups, and form work. This is your chance to meet people from other classes, get in an extra evening of practice, and learn about some new dimensions of the Tai Chi Form. There is no charge to attend and this open practice is available to anyone who was enrolled in a Winter Tai Chi class.

October 25-26: Flow of the Form with Robert Tangora

For two evenings, Tuesday and Wednesday, October 25 and 26, from 7 to 9:30pm each night ($160, $130 for members), come work on the flow of your tai chi form. Whether your primary practice is the short form or long form, there is a specific way to loosen up the body built into the movements of tai chi. When you begin this loosening process, you start to develop much greater flow.

October 24: Push Hands and Martial Applications with Robert Tangora

On Monday evening, October 24, from 7 to 9:30pm ($80, $65 for members), Robert will lead a one-night workshop on Push Hands and Martial Applications. This is a continuation of material Robert taught in previous seminars at BTC (although you are welcome to attend whether or not you participated in the past).

October 22-23: Tai Chi Cat Walking with Robert Tangora

Cat Walking is a traditional tai chi method for bridging practices like sitting and standing meditation and the form. The simple, natural movements allow you to focus on coordinating the internal work you develop while sitting and standing, without the complexity of the full form.

Tai Chi Leg Power in Short Form Level 4

This fall, we are going to begin offering a new Short Form Tai Chi class focusing on "Tai Chi Leg Power". You are probably familiar with the way we currently structure our short form courses. In Level 1, you learn the basic shape of the form. Level 2 courses are devoted to helping you find more rhythm and flow inside the movements. In Level 3 Details, you break your form down into its component pieces again, refining the shapes of the movements. Traditionally we've taught Level 3 Details as a bridge to the Long Form. This is still the way we plan to structure that part of the curriculum, so you might be wondering, "how does Level 4 fit into my learning progression?"

Short Form Instructor Training, Summer 2011

Wondering what your tai chi instructor has been up to this summer? For a month this summer, seven BTCers where in Brighton, UK, training with Tai Chi lineage holder Bruce Frantzis. Our newly minted short form instructors are bringing back lots of new depth to their teaching this fall, so be sure to ask them about their experience in a month-long intensive environment. Below, Program Director Dan Kleiman talks about his experience each week at the training.

Tai Chi and Chi Gung Workshops with Robert Tangora [Feb 19-23, 2011]

Robert Tangora returns to BTC this February to upgrade students in past workshop material and introduce an exciting new topic as well.

Robert will be teaching over a five-day period, as follows:

  • Saturday and Sunday (2/19-20): Tai Chi Cloud Hands -- Open to all, but special emphasis will be placed on review and refinement for those who attended previously.

Integrating Your Energy Arts Practice

Facilitated discussions on how your practice can support your life

For many students who are trying to develop their practice routine, says Allen Bourque, there’s “an internal stream”: ‘I don’t want to,’ ‘too much work,’ ‘no time now,’ ‘five minutes isn’t worth it.’