Benefits of Tai Chi Ch’uan
Nothing under heaven is more pliable than water.
But when amassed, there is nothing that can withstand it.
That the soft overcomes the hard and the yielding
conquers the rigid is a fact known to all men yet utilized by none.
– The Tao Te Ching, Ancient Taoist Canon
Tai Chi Ch’uan is a traditional Chinese method for cultivating health, martial prowess and meditation. Its slow graceful movements convey its inner stillness, yet its true beauty is hidden inside its outward grace. Within the external movements is an entire universe of internal experience and it is the internal experience which forms the foundation of Tai Chi Ch’uan and what distinguishes it from external calisthenics. The primary purpose of practicing Tai Chi Ch’uan (whether for martial, health or meditation) is to cultivate chi, or life energy.
This energy is manifest in many forms,. the most common are increased vitality, improved balance, improved immune system, circulation and metabolism. For all these benefits, at a more advanced level it generates formidable power without external effort, the capacity to assist others in healing themselves and to reach clarity and quiet in our day to day lives.
Robert teaches Tai Chi Ch’uan and related internal arts with the goal of integrating the multi- dimensional aspects of the practice. His focus is broad enough to incorporate meditation with martial arts, healing within meditation and healing within martial arts.