"Tai Chi Chuan” is a gentle meditation in motion. It is both an exercise and martial art.
Quick Links:
Spring 2025 Sessions:
Dates & Times
Time: Noon–1 p.m.
Days/Locations:
- Mondays & Fridays: Zoom option or in-person at Hoagland Hall, Room 130 (Davis Campus)
- Wednesdays: In-person at Hoagland Hall, Room 130 (Davis Campus)
How to Join
Drop-in at any session you wish and/or sign up for the email listserv.
Receive the Zoom link and stay up-to-date on potential class cancellations or changes to class delivery mode.
Sign up for our email listserv
About the Instructors & Questions
Meet the instructors. Questions? Please email Ron Bynes at rmbynes@ucdavis.edu and Erika Strandjord at ecstrandjord@ucdavis.edu.
Resources
- Read more about the health benefits of a taiji (tai chi) practice
- Qigong is a related practice, focusing more on coordinating movement and breath to cultivate relaxation and health. This 20-minute Qigong practice is easy to follow and relaxing
- View this guided, 50-minute Yangjia Michuan Practice led by Erika Strandjord
- If you'd like different perspective, view this recording of the front view of 13 Postures and Section 1 led by Erika Strandjord
The structure of Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan:
- Warmups: the warmups prepare you for practice both physically and mentally, and teach you basic principles of movement that you will use.
- 13 Postures: this is the foundational set of movements in the Yangjia Michuan style. Three sets of movements are each repeated four times, teaching the practitioner both basic movements and 360-degree awareness.
- Sections 1, 2, and 3: each section is a choreographed series of movements, one movement flowing into the next. Each section is longer and more complex than the previous one.
- Weapons forms: the three basic weapons in Yangjia Michuan are the staff, sword, and fan. These forms teach the practitioner to use objects as extensions of their body and help build strength and balance.
- Pushing hands: these partnered exercises help teach the application of taiji in a martial context and also help practitioners build awareness of how their movements affect others and how they respond to others.