Classes

Curious learners of all ages and abilities are welcome

Class schedule

Contact Will to enquire or enroll.

Class	Day / Time	Location
Drop-in: Tai Chi Mini-forms A great place to start and grow	Mondays 9:30am	First Congregational Church of Greenwich, (FCCOG) located in Old Greenwich
Tai Chi Principles and Key Movement Patterns	Thursdays 8:30am	FCCOG
The Professor’s Form Enrollment is open	Mondays 10:30am	FCCOG
The Professor’s Form	Saturday 8:00am	FCCOG

Class descriptions

Drop-in: Tai Chi Mini-forms

A drop-in class

This class can be enjoyed on a drop-in basis and is also appropriate for the serious tai chi practitioner. Participants learn the “Basic Moves” of the nationally recognized Tai Chi Fundamentals®” program and other movement patterns such as the “Five Animals” and “Silk Reeling” created by masters hundreds of years ago. The movements are easy to learn, introduce flow and mindfulness and form the basis of the seemingly simple, yet complex tai chi choreography practiced in public places around the world. The patterns improve balance, mental sharpness, flexibility and health. Harvard Medical School ranks Tai Chi as a “top five” exercise for any age group.

Walker and seated participants, please contact Will in advance.

Class times: Mondays 9:30am at the First Congregational Church.

Tai Chi Principles and Key Movement Patterns

Practicing the tai chi principles, like those on the homepage, develops the skills and qualities that bring tai chi movement to life. Short movement patterns provide the context in which to witness and develop the principles. This might best be called a “deep dive” class in that we explore and playfully apply our findings to our Mini-forms or Professor Form practice.

Open to those attending the Mini-forms or the Professor’s Form classes

Contact Will to attend

The Professor’s Form – deepening the journey

Regular attendance and practice recommended

Cheng Man-Ching’s 37 posture form is the most popular form of classic tai chi in the world. The Professor brought the form from Shanghai to his school in Taiwan in the 1940s and to NYC’s Chinatown in the 1960s and early 70s. A medical doctor, poet, painter, calligrapher and martial artist, the Professor emphasized health benefits and mindfulness in his teaching, while preserving the contextual awareness and precision of movement rooted in tai chi’s martial arts heritage.

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Cheng Man-Ching’s 37 Movement Tai Chi

Learning the Form is both an external and internal process that increases in depth and value over time. Learning the choreography and discovering the internal transformational dynamics go hand in hand. Both accrue and deepen with committed practice and open the body’s natural modes of healing.

This class requires a commitment. It is not a drop-in class. As outlined on the home page, the study is rich and rewarding and asks for your attention.

Registration is required. Contact Will for info.

Private Classes

I have found that group classes enable participants to learn from one another as they progress and to develop a sense of community around this new common purpose. Unfortunately, I have had to turn down many offers for private instruction.