Styles of Tai Chi in portland

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Styles of Tai Chi

One of the biggest issues that those who are thinking about learning Tai Chi must deal with is the number of different styles and forms of Tai Chi being taught in cities such as Portland, Oregon. The fact that there are so many different styles might seem a bit confusing at first, but before you can get started in Tai Chi classes, you need to choose one style to learn. What you will find is that the most important differences lie in both the pace and the speed of the regimens as well as how you will be holding the different form with regard to your posture and your intent.

Of all the different styles of Tai Chi Chuan being taught today, Chen is considered to be one of the oldest and features coiling movements that highlight fast transitions in the speed of these movements. The transitions themselves alternate between fast and slow, while the forms combine stamping moves along with explosive releases of power. The other and more commonly taught style is Yang which is much slower paced and uses flowing evenly paced movements between forms.

You will find that most people in the West prefer to study Yang style Tai Chi as it offers all of the health and mental benefits of Tai Chi Chuan without massive amounts of physical exertion. This makes it the perfect exercise for any age group and especially for seniors who have health issues. You will of course find there are a number of variations, including the original five family versions that were named after the family that taught and in many cases still teaches it in China.

These five family styles of Tai Chi Chuan are Chen, Yang, Sun, Wu Hao style from Wu Yu-hsiang and Wu style from Wu Ch’uan-yü and Wu Chien-ch’uan. However, you will find that even these family styles have their own variations that individual masters have created in order to meet certain needs. For example there is the Cheng Man-chin 37 style short form version of the original Yang style Taiji. Changes are still being made to the original teachings as the need to save time; practice in a smaller space or to target specific healing qualities arises.

Tai Chi Example

A perfect example of this is the Tai Chi that is being taught to those who have arthritis. This particle style is actually a combination of the forms used in Yang and Sun style Tai Chi Chuan. This new style is used because it relieves much of the pressure that is normally felt on the joints and can help provide much better mobility. The most important lesson here is that you need to talk to an instructor and tell him what you are trying to accomplish, he can then work with you to find the right style of Tai Chi Chuan to help you achieve your goals.

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