Over the past couple months I'd found myself leaning towards Tai Chi searches on the internet. This will happen from time to time, my interest in looking up stuff on one art over another. In the art of Ninpo Chuan Fa, Wu style Tai Chi was mixed in. I always liked the two forms I was taught by John, along with the Tai Chi sword form. There's a fluidity to it that reminds me of Aikido. Wu style particularly is known for portraying more of the martial side of Tai Chi. What a lot of people don't know is that their are many varying styles of Tai Chi, with pretty much most of them arguing that they are the originator of said style. This argument gets thrown up in the air as well when it comes to other Chinese martial arts.
Nearby where I take my Aikido class is a studio set up by the Taoist Tai Chi Society. I'd always wondered about this organization, even way back in high school, but never bothered to check out what they do. This group has been around since the 1970's, started by Taoist monk Moy Lin Shin, who emigrated to Canada and created his own 108 set Tai Chi (or Taiji, take your pick), focusing mostly on the health benefits, so people of all abilities could learn.
The society has grown exponentially , even since the founder's death in '98. There are chapters in nearly every state in the US and a multitude of countries. One thing I found a little humorous: none of the countries on the list are Asian. It's a non profit organization, with all of their instructors unpaid volunteers that pass a certain certification within the group.
So I checked out their schedule to see if it matched up decently to the days I was usually down in Conway for Aikido. One day I did, a few hours before my usual Aikido class, so I figured I'd check out a class and get some more info. I emailed their North Conway branch, and was welcomed to visit and observe and/or join in on one of their classes.
When I showed up, I was impressed by their beautiful little studio. It has a nice, calming presence. I sat down and observed the class focusing on a particular section of the 108 form they practiced.
My first observation: "yup, a lot of old folks in here", which makes sense really. One of the ladies in the class sat down to take a break, telling me her left ankle was recovering from a minor injury. she told me she had been a member of the group for over 20 years, and still loved going to class. Another told me she has Multiple Sclerosis, and that practicing Tai Chi has improved her condition greatly. I also got to talk to one of the instructors, who explained their set and teachings in excellent detail. I got a brochure with class schedules and such.
Usually they have people take a beginners course over 8 weeks, once or twice a week where they learn the basics of the form in it's entirety. The other classes were continuing and other variations, like Health Recovery.
After consideration, I decided to not join... for now. My schedule only matched up with one day a week, and I figured twice a week would be more optimal to learn their form. Another reason is that Aikido overall keeps me busy enough as far as the martial arts hobby goes for practice time. It was about time that I'd finally gone in to check it out though. Nice group of people and an impressive organization.
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