Chen style Taijiquan Curriculum

weapon.png

The Taoist Sanctuary has been offering classes in Chen style taijiquan for over 20 years. An ancient Chinese martial art, taiji offers tremendous health benefits to people of all ages.  We teach the Laojia Yilu (Old Frame, First Form) as our first form, with an emphasis on health and gentle strengthening. You will also learn Chen Style Silk Reeling exercises, a set of basic movements that provide instruction in relaxed breathing and coordinated movement.  Once you have completed the First Form, you can then move on to a deeper level of form corrections, and start beginning Push Hands training and weapons forms. Emphasis shifts to the more martial aspects of Taijiquan. Students in the advanced classes do power training, Push Hands, and more weapons training, including sword, broadsword, kwandao and spear forms. All class levels focus on training the taiji principles of movement, which include moving with the dantian in a coordinated whole-body fashion.

You can join our classes at any time during the session! Individual and small group instruction is available for all beginning levels. Instruction is ongoing.

Instruction includes the following:

Beginning levels:  Laojia Yi Lu, Intro to Silk Reeling Exercises (Single Hand, Double Hand)
Intermediate levels:  Laojia Yi Lu continued, Intermediate Silk Reeling Training (Stepping Silk Reeling), Intro to Push Hands
Advanced levels: Corrections Laojia Yi Lu, Power Training, Intro to Weapons (Sword or Broadsword), additional empty hand forms (Laojia Er Lu, Xinjia Yi Lu and Er Lu)

All levels will build on previous knowledge.

Open Hand forms in the Chen Family curriculum:

Weapons forms in the Chen Family curriculum:

The Taoist Sanctuary offers classes in Chen Style Taijiquan as taught by the Chen family. Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang is the 19th generation Standard Bearer of Chen Style Taijiquan, which is the original style of Taijiquan. Chen family instructors travel yearly to San Diego to teach Chen StyleTaijiquan.

We host seminars with  Grandmaster Chen Xiaoxing (head instructor in Chen Village), Master Chen Zi Qiang (Chen Xiaoxing’s son),  Master Jan Silberstorff (from Germany and has studied for years directly under Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang), David Gaffney and Davidine Sim, and Stephan Berwick,  all 19th and 20th generation practitioners of the Chen family style.