YANG STYLE TAI CHI CHUAN

Yang style Tai Chi as taught at Tsuru Ki is under the direction of Grandmaster S. L. Martin.   Master Cianelli is an advanced student of Tai Chi under Grandmaster S. L. Martin.  The style is taught for health benefits as well as martial arts.   Ranking/grading is not offered beyond acknowledgement of years of training defined by: Novice Intermediate Advanced

Yang family-style Tai Chi Chuan in its many variations is the most popular and widely practiced style in the world today and the second in terms of seniority among the primary five family styles of tai chi chuan.  The Yang family first became involved in the study of tai chi chüan in the early 19th century. The founder of the Yang-style was Yang Lu-ch'an, who studied under Ch'en Chang-hsing starting in 1820.

Tai Chi, as it is practiced today, can best be thought of as a moving form of yoga and meditation combined. There are a number of forms which consist of a sequence of postures or movements. Many of these postures are originally derived from the martial arts although the way they are performed in Tai Chi is slowly, softly and gracefully with smooth and even transitions between them.

For many practitioners the focus in doing them is not, first and foremost, martial, but as a meditative exercise for the body. In Chinese philosophy and medicine there exists the concept of 'chi', a vital force that animates the body. One of the avowed aims of Tai Chi is to foster the circulation of this 'chi' within the body, the belief being that by doing so the health and vitality of the person are enhanced. This 'chi' circulates in patterns that are close related to the nervous and vascular system and thus the notion is closely connected with that of the practice of acupuncture and other oriental healing arts.

Another aim of Tai Chi is to foster a calm and tranquil mind, focused on the precise execution of these exercises. Learning to do them correctly provides a practical avenue for learning about such things as balance, alignment, fine-scale motor control, rhythm of movement, the genesis of movement from the body's vital center, and so on. Thus the practice of Tai Chi can in some measure contribute to being able to better stand, walk, move, run, etc. in other spheres of life as well. Many practitioners notice benefits in terms of correcting poor postural, alignment or movement patterns which can contribute to tension or injury. Furthermore the meditative nature of the exercises is calming and relaxing in and of itself.

Benefits of Tai Chi are:

Live a Healthier Life with Tai Chi