I am always excited to share what I know and love about Tai Chi with others. Despite 25 years of daily practice, I remain enthralled with Tai Chi and yet still remember what it is like to start from zero–how puzzling and challenging it can be. Its apparent simplicity hides a complexity and attention to detail that can quickly frustrate the student who doesn’t put in the time to practice. I cannot teach you Tai Chi but I definitely can teach you how and what to practice and what deserves your attention, so that your skill and appreciation and (hopefully) love of this amazing art can grow and transform your life.

Those of you who are continuing know the following, but if you are new to Santa Cruz Tai Chi what I need from you prior to enrolling is a willingness to spend an hour weekly in class and at least 15-20 minutes a day practicing each week’s lesson. It is this repetition and focus that waters the seeds of each lesson so that they grow and flower in your mind and body and provide the foundation for the next lesson and the next and, hopefully, a practice that will last you a lifetime. Since each lesson builds on the previous ones, my experience is that unless the student has this expectation from the outset they will not develop their skill level or understanding, fall behind, and get frustrated. I don’t want your Tai Chi experience to be frustrating. I understand that you might miss a class, maybe a few, and you will undoubtedly miss some days of practice. That is the case with every student at all levels of experience and is why we spend part of every class reviewing the previous lessons before engaging with the new.

Perhaps your doctor suggested you “take up tai chi” to help your balance or you are simply looking for a “drop-in” class to provide an opportunity to move your body for an hour a week. If that is the level of your interest, this is not the class for you. I would suggest you look into a movement or stretching class at a gym, or a Tai Chi for Seniors program though Dominican Hospital, Cabrillo College, or a Senior Center. And there are many instructional videos on YouTube for improving balance if that is your only goal. My tai chi class will require a greater commitment of your time and energy than these, but the possible benefits will be exponentially greater http://santacruztaichi.com/?p=211. If you haven’t already, I recommend you also read some of the other articles on our website to gain a clearer picture of my approach to the art, science, and philosophy of Tai Chi http://santacruztaichi.com/?page_id=40  I regard the class as a study group rather than a one-way street from me to you. We are exploring Tai Chi together and it will be much more fruitful if everyone participates to the extent their life outside class permits. Devoting 15-20 minutes a day to learning something new, especially something as profound and rewarding as Tai Chi, is fairly manageable by most people. It just takes commitment. You definitely cannot drop in once a week and expect to derive much benefit. That would be a waste of everyone’s time.

The primary focus of the 20 weeks is the Tai Chi Form, the sequence of slow movements that is usually, for all of us upon first witnessing it, our initial introduction and source of fascination with Tai Chi. We will be exploring the entire Yang Style Short Form as developed and taught by my teacher, William CC Chen, plus the Ziranmen Qigong Form, 5 sequences known as Master Huang’s “Loosening Exercises,” another stretching regimen specific to Tai Chi, breath work, and several standing meditations (Zhan Zhuang). I will also provide you numerous printouts and links to pertinent instructional videos. Throughout the session there will be connections made to Daoist and Confucian philosophy and Yin/Yang theory. I will also introduce additional balance exercises that focus on the inner ear (Tai Chi has all the other components of balance well-covered except for the inner ear). Tai Chi can be a life-long practice and I hope it will be for you. Tai Chi is not about making the Form look graceful. It is about present moment awareness and developing, maintaining, and embodying a stable mental and physical equilibrium. The gracefulness is a by-product. Sifu Adam Mizner puts it this way: “The purpose of the Form is to perfect you…to train your body, your chi and your mind. It’s not for you to perfect the Form. Form is just an exercise. It is there to serve you.”

The first half of the next 20-week session for Santa Cruz Tai Chi will begin on Monday, September 8 and end on November 8. Then there will be a break for the holidays, an opportunity for the new students to practice and consolidate what they have learned in the previous 9 weeks. We will reconvene on Monday, January 5 until March 21.

We are happy to welcome back Sifu Ching Brodsky who returns to teach in our regular session after a long hiatus. She will be teaching classes from noon to 1:00 on Mondays and Thursdays. Sifu Mark Bernhard will again teach two classes on Saturday mornings from 9-10:00 and 10-11:00 starting September 13. Both of the weekday classes and the 10-11:00 Saturday class are designed primarily for students with limited or no experience with the Tai Chi Form. The 9:00 Saturday class is designed for the more experienced, continuing student who is familiar with the entire Form and can demonstrate it on their own. The fee for each class is $240 for the 20 weeks ($12/class). If the student wishes to take more than one class per week, it is $200 for each additional class ($10/class). So, any two classes would be $440, 3 classes $640 for the 20 weeks. Saturdays are a bit different in that if a student takes either of the Saturday classes they may take the other Saturday class at no charge. All four classes will teach the same lesson each week. After that, however, the earlier Saturday class for the continuing students, will proceed to explore and practice any section of the Form and will practice the Form in its entirety together at least once. The other three classes will only review the Form up to that week’s lesson. Continuing students also have the option of paying a $15/class fee to drop into any class. All other students must pay the full fee in advance as a commitment to engage with the entire session. Please note that it is payable upon registration and non-refundable. Al students may start with just one class per week and add on more as they have the time and desire to do so.

All classes meet in downtown Santa Cruz. There is plenty of available (free!) parking and bike racks nearby. So if you are comfortable with all you have just read and wish to be included in the session, contact me and I will send you further registration details.

Sifu (teacher) Mark Bernhard