Tai Chi
soft-style martial art
stillness in action
through alignment, relaxation and meditation
Tai Chi is an ancient path of somatic meditation and energy cultivation based on principles of aligning, relaxing and yielding, both in application and in daily life. Its gentle, circular movements express the underlying forms of energy and motion inherent in life, and inspire a conscious, balanced way of living.
Tai Chi is in essence an active form of meditation. Softly flowing forms integrate body, mind and energy to develop internal strength, relaxed power and stillness at the centre of activity. This offers a compelling path of mind-body awareness which enriches our being on every level.
Be Still as a Mountain, Move Like a Great River
Philosophically, Tai Chi developed from Taoism. The word ‘Tai Chi’ translates as ‘The Supreme Ultimate’ and refers to the origin of all things – that from which all else has developed. Tao is the primal force that creates all phenomena in the universe, and this cosmic force is polarised into Yin and Yang, negative and positive energies which represent the process of continual change, always moving toward balance.
Tai Chi movements are fluid like water. They represent the dynamic flow of life and the inter-relationship of Yin and Yang energies. Practice of the Tai Chi forms enables us to embrace the flow between these energy polarities. The moves are performed in a smooth, continuous and circular motion and, like flowing water, on reaching one extreme they return without stopping. This blending principle is employed to maintain a state of balance and to harmonise with the ever-changing forces of life.
As a practice for health and longevity, Tai Chi is an advanced system of energy cultivation. Its gentle circular moves are coordinated with mind, body and breath to cultivate internal strength and the genesis of movement from the body’s vital centre. Practice improves postural alignment, flexibility and balance. It strengthens the joints, bones and nervous system, and improves respiration, digestion, metabolism and circulation.
As a path of conscious movement, Tai Chi focuses and deepens the mind. Its moves are performed with a balance of inner and outer attention which deepens awareness, cultivates self-knowledge and develops our ability to listen within and act from a deeper level. As a moving meditation, Tai Chi promotes a sense of inner spaciousness with stillness at the centre of action and the seeds of momentum latent in rest. The ultimate aim of Taiji practice is to realise the self in this expanded context, to cultivate peace of mind and to harmonise with life and all existence.
I welcome all sincere practitioners to come and learn the Yang Style of Tai Chi in the traditional lineage of Yang Chen-Fu, Cheng Man-Ch’ing, and Huang Sheng-Shyan, as systemized by Patrick Kelly.
The Yang Style Tai Chi Lineage
It is said that Tai Chi was created by Chang San-Feng around 1100 AD, however its history is far longer than this. This school teaches the Yang Form, formalised by Yang Chen-Fu (1883 – 1936). The 37-step Short Form that is initially taught was designed by one of Yang Chen-Fu’s most outstanding disciples, Cheng Man-Ch’ing (1898 – 1975).
Cheng Man-Ch’ing did much to promote Tai Chi in the West. For many years he taught in Taiwan, however in the early 1960’s he established a large following in the United States, where he taught Tai Chi as a philosophical approach to life as well as an internal martial art.
One of Ch’ing’s most accomplished students was Huang Sheng-Shyan (1910 – 1992) who was a master of Taoist medical, martial and spiritual arts and a disciple of the Taoist Sage and White Crane Master Xie Zhong-Xian (1852 – 1930). In his 30’s Master Huang spent a decade training under the daily supervision of Cheng. He migrated to Malaysia in the late 1950’s and taught thousands of students in South East Asia, New Zealand and Australia.
Patrick Kelly was born in New Zealand in 1950. He was Master Huang’s closest Western student, training intensively with him from 1975 until Master Huang’s death in 1992. Patrick has formulated Master Huang’s teachings into a comprehensive system which conveys his extensive knowledge of the internal aspects of Tai Chi. It is thanks to Patrick’s expertise that we are able to gain access to these extraordinary methods for cultivating body-mind intelligence.
I respectfully share this ancient energy art with dedication and deep gratitude to all the masters, past and present, who have created the empowering tradition of Tai Chi.