Master Zi always says "Your eyes follow your chi ". Especially when he spot someone in the class looking around the room or being distracted. Yes, your eyes are part of your body and therefore a vital part of Tai Chi.

When I stand in the front of the room and teach, I see what Master Zi was saying. There are people who are so immersed in what they are doing that their eyes were part of the movements.  Others were looking everywhere as if they were lost in the foreign country. For people who are still unsure of what to do with their eyes,  remember the expression "Your eyes follows the Chi"

Breath is life. We have a lungs to bring in oxygen and remove built up toxins and carbon dioxide from our body. It is said that the average person only uses about twenty percent of their lung capacity. With Tai Chi practice, you can learn to bring more oxygen into your body and improve your heath through deep breath into your stomach.

So what is "Breathe into your stomach"? If you are a singer, actor, or yogi, the answer may be obvious to your body, but for the rest of us, breathing deep into the stomach on regular basis can be a new territory in our body. (Otherwise why would so many people need to be reminded?)

Whenever I do Tai Chi, I am recalibrating my own senses and relieving any congestion in my body.  This all starts from standing straight and straightening the spine.

When I say "straighten your spine" in class, everyone becomes taller and their energy becomes focused.  This is a great start.  Once you start to get present with yourself standing straight in silence, you will notice there are so many things going on in your body and your mind.  There is so much to this simple expression "straighten your spine".  Let's take a look at it so you can get the maximum benefit from just standing around!

Yes- that is true. Tai Chi is indeed practiced at the park in China. Tai Chi does involve slow movements.  Tai Chi can be enjoyed by people of any age group - so people can do Tai Chi until they are very old. But that's not all there is to Tai Chi.

"Tuck the tailbone in" is a common expression heard in Tai Chi class. For beginners, this may give lots of "?" mark in their heads. Read on to clarify this mysterious expression...

"Tuck the tailbone in"  our teacher would say in class, and I would just sort of wiggle my hips as if I know what I was doing. For the longest time, I was not quite sure what that really meant. I had not much clue how to feel my tailbone. So if you happen to be struggling with this concept, I feel your struggle. It sounds so easy- but not so easy to modern day people who sit all day long squishing the spine.

Shakti's Elements is an art and wellness studio in Santa Monica. This is where I practice Tai Chi and Yoga. Walk into studio and you will feel instantly calm and peaceful. There is something about this place that makes you feels like coming home. People here are welcome, caring, and truthful. The best thing is to try out different classes and find the one that resonate with you.

Classes you can take:

When you read the site, you may notice I quote "Master Zi" often.  He is my teacher, mentor and role model.  The philosophy and teachings of Master Zi influenced me in a positives way throughout the years.

His real name is Nzazi Malonga, but everyone calls him "Z" or "Master Zi."  It really made me laugh when I saw the name of the grand surf master in "Surf's up".  (If you have seen that movie, everything about how "Z" is in "Surf's Up" reminded me of Master Zi... what he says and other details...)   

So now, you are ready to visit your first Tai Chi class. You may be excited and nervous at the same time. Here are some tips I have for you.

What to wear

Wear comfortable and easy-to-move clothes. Example: Loose T-shirts and comfortable pants that you can squat in. Once I wore slightly tight pants, and I was concerned about not ripping my pants when I was doing some moves.

If it's inside, you can go barefoot, if not; comfortable exercise shoes will work fine.

Growing up:

My father had a lot of books about Qi Gong and book by Kozo Nishino.  The Breath of Life: Using the Power of Ki for Maximum Vitality   I knew about the great effect of Qi and breath, but was not sure what the best way to go about learning was. I followed some exercise on Nishino's video, and felt wonderful.  I remembered 2 exercises from the video and did it whenever I wanted to feel calm.