There are many different kinds of exercise and mind-body disciplines, tai chi and yoga are among the most popular. Both help limber up the body, focus the mind and body as one, improve body awareness, and lower stress. So how do they differ? Yoga's focus is on the internal life and health of a person, and in some traditions, on moral and spiritual teachings.
Tai chi does this too, but in contrast, excells at teaching you good alignment, breathing, relaxation, and movement, as well as application of movement. So, no matter if you're practicing tai chi as a meditative discipline or as a martial art, there's always a sense of how tai chi ideas (such as good alignment or balance) can be used in daily life both internally in one's own self, and externally, in interacting with other people and with tools and objects. Tai chi principles can be used equally in opening a window, for example, digging in the garden, or participating in a meeting at work, and so on.
Great River T'ai Chi Ch'uan--Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Great River T'ai Chi Ch'uan in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was founded in 1979, and is one of the oldest t'ai chi ch'uan (taijiquan) groups in the Upper Midwest of the United States. Great River is led by Barbara Davis and Cheryl Powers, both of whom have trained in Taiwan and the United States with senior students of the late Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing, including Maggie Newman, Ed Young, and since 1986, Mr. Liu Hsi-heng of Taipei, and workshops with Ben Lo. They have also worked with numerous other students of Professor Cheng's including Jane Faigao, Bataan Faigao, Wolfe Lowenthal, Ken Van Sickle, Lorie Reinstein, and Tao Ping-siang. Great River has regularly sponsored workshops with many of these senior teachers, and in recent years with Weiming Yuan (Taiwan) and Nathan Menaged, among others.
Barbara Davis is editor of Taijiquan Journal and author of The Taijiquan Classics: An Annotated Translation and translator of Chen Weiming's Taiji Sword. She is at work on a full-length biography of Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing. Barbara has been a presenter at A Taste of China, the Zhang Sanfeng Festival, International Forum on Taijiquan and the National Qigong Association. Cheryl Powers is on the editorial board of Taijiquan Journal and has taught throughout the midwest, and written many articles about t'ai chi.
Barbara, Cheryl, and Great River senior students have taught at numerous locales, including the University of Minnesota, Macalester College, Mankato State University, Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (now part of Northwestern Health Sciences University), Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Tasks Unlimited, Honeywell, Hennepin County, Minneapolis Public Schools, YWCA (Minneapolis, Duluth, and Mankato), First Unitarian Society, Minnesota Jung Association, Concordia University-St. Paul, Minnesota Psychological Association, and the Minnesota Nurses Association.
For information on classes in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Twin Cities MN area, or to schedule a workshop, call 612--822-5760.
Great River T'ai Chi Ch'uan's Studio:
We meet at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 4557 Colfax Avenue South, in Minneapolis, just east of Lake Harriet. Ample street parking available. By bus and LRT: #46 (46th Street crosstown service; connects to LRT), #4 Bryant/Lyndale. For schedules and information click on this button:
By bike: Bryant Avenue and 46th Street both have bike lanes, as does nearby Lake Harriet.
We meet at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 4557 Colfax Avenue South, in Minneapolis, just east of Lake Harriet. Ample street parking available. By bus and LRT: #46 (46th Street crosstown service; connects to LRT), #4 Bryant/Lyndale. For schedules and information click on this button:
By bike: Bryant Avenue and 46th Street both have bike lanes, as does nearby Lake Harriet.