FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT T’AI CHI

• What exactly is T’ai Chi?
• T’ai Chi is an art that is practiced for many different reasons.  First and foremost, it is moving meditation.  It is commonly practiced with benefits of improved health, relaxation, greater spiritual awareness, and increased chi flow as goals. It is a set of many single physical movements, or forms, that are eventually grouped together and generally performed in a slow moving and relaxed manner.  Eventually, through practice, students learn to listen to their internal energy as well as the energy of others.  As students progress, they learn to drive the movements using their internal energy rather than by using physical force. 

• I’m not in the best of shape.  Can I start T’ai Chi now, or do I need to shape up first? 
• Please-start now!!!  T’ai Chi ‘s slow moving emphasis on relaxation rather than external strength is designed to work best on normal folks who are not necessarily athletic.  One of its greatest features is that it works on our bodies in subtle ways, making slow and gradual progress.  With regular practice, you can expect your physical, mental, spiritual, and energetic health to improve!

• I have always thought of T’ai Chi as a Martial Art.  Will there be fighting? 
• At its beginning stages, T’ai Chi is not taught as a Martial Art.  There is no fighting.  Even at its more advanced levels, when practitioners elect to practice in a more martial fashion, emphasis is on evading and neutralizing any incoming energy.  Even at that point there is no fighting or sparring.  One of the attributes of the T’ai Chi System is that no matter why you take T’ai Chi, and now matter what results you are looking for, the practice is the same.

• What if I start classes, and other students advance faster than I do?
• Everyone is unique.  All of us have strengths and weaknesses.  What I am good at, and what comes easily to me, may present a tough challenge to you.  Just the same, what is hard for me may seem simple to you.  Every effort is made to keep the class as a whole moving forward at approximately the same pace.  If you are “Getting It” and someone else is struggling, you will be asked to be patient.  Next week it may be your turn to “Not Get It.”  Every effort will be made to tailor each class to the people attending.  It is important to note that there is no competition in T’ai Chi, everyone progresses at their own pace.  You must learn to be comfortable with your own learning pace and style.  Very soon, everyone learns to work together!
•