Tai Chi
T'ai Chi Ch'uan, or "Grand Ultimate Fist" in English, is a martial art that originated in China during the 13th century. In recent times it has gained international notoriety as an attractive form of gentle exercise, characterized by it's slow and graceful movements. It is often described as "moving meditation", and is an excellent means of promoting stress reduction and overall physical health.
There are four major sub-styles of Tai Chi; ours, the Yang style, consists of 44 basic movements (called "seeds") as well as "The Long Form" - a choreographed sequence of the basic movements taking approximately 20 minutes to complete. There are also 4 shorter Forms.
In our system of Yang T'ai Chi, there are four levels of certification available to the interested student with the fourth being a Teacher's Certificate.