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Tai Chi Classes in Montreal

From Yang to Wu to Chen

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Montreal Living

Drop by Sun Yat-Sen Square in Montreal's Chinatown on a given morning and you might just spot residents practicing tai chi, a discipline adopted by millions in China and around the world. And it's more mainstream than ever in North America --maybe a little too mainstream at times -- as a form of low impact exercise and as a stress reduction technique suitable for nearly everyone of every fitness level, including athletes, young children, seniors and people unable to participate in moderate to intense aerobic activity.

What is Tai Chi?
Tai chi or tai chi chuan, when written in Chinese characters, is roughly translated as "supreme ultimate force" or "grand ultimate fist" and is in many ways a form of meditation in motion, commonly described by western folk as a mix of yoga and meditation. Inspired and derived from ancient martial arts like kung fu, tai chi was originally devised as a combative form of defense. Several tai chi styles are taught worldwide, with Chen style as the oldest and Yang style as the most popular.

Tame the Force
Of central importance in Tai Chi, as well as in Chinese medicine, acupuncture, feng shui, and Qigong is the concept of force (not that force), more specifically chi or "life force." An invisible ethereal energy believed to animate the body as well as pretty much everything in the outside world, Tai Chi aims to direct and align one's chi to reduce stress and improve balance, stamina, flexibility, circulation, energy levels as well as muscle strength, tone and definition. Research has even suggested the practice of Tai Chi plays a role in minimizing the effects of:

diabetes
attention deficit disorder
high blood pressure
heart disease
osteoporosis
insomnia
anxiety
depression
Parkinson disease
brain injury

(Sources: Mayo Clinic, About Martial Arts, Students of Master Lee Shiu-Pak, American Fitness, tai chi abstracts at Touch Research Institute)

Tai Chi in Montreal
Mostly Yang and Wu styles are featured in the Montreal tai chi classes listed below, with the exception being Hai Yang teaching the dynamic Chen style at Wudang Internal. And if you want to find out if tai chi is for you without investing a large sum of money, sign up for a semester of extremely affordable classes at Concordia University, where 3 months of classes will set you back as little as $30 (costs even less if you're a student at Concordia). Details are just below.

Académie Shaolin White Crane Kung Fu

Style(s):

Classes available in:

INFO:

Chinese Cultural Association of the Kai Leung Institute

Style(s):

Wu style