NEW SPRING-SUMMER CLASSES

Interested in learning about tai chi? Great River's spring beginners' class on Sunday evenings from 6–7 pm, will accept new students until May 4th. Learn the basics of this fascinating Chinese art! Improve your health--balance, breathing, relaxation. (No class Memorial Day weekend.)
Summer classes will start Sunday, June 1st, with a free introductory talk "Tai Chi" at 7 pm. A new 10-week Beginners' class will start the following week, Sunday, June 8th, 7–8 p.m. (No class July 4th weekend.)
Great River classes are held at the Jawaahir Dance Studios at 1940 Hennepin (at Franklin), above Burch's Pharmacy. For more information, call us at 612-822-5760, or see our main website.

World Tai Chi Day 2008---Twin Cities

Celebrate World Tai Chi Day at Normandale Community College on Saturday, April 26th, 2008, from 9–1.
The day's events, which are free and open to the public, start with a welcoming speeches, Lion Dance, group practice and demonstrations, Spring Forest Qigong, and is followed by one-hour sessions on topics such as acupressure, fengshui, alternative medicine, I Ching, tai chi for arthritis, and many other interesting topics. The event closes with more tai chi practice opportunities and closing ceremonies. (Click on the Normandale link above for the schedule.)
Along with other groups,Great River T'ai Chi Ch'uan will be demonstrating T'ai Chi, and director Barbara Davis will give a talk on the I Ching (Yijing), the Chinese Book of Changes. Also, come visit Taijiquan Journal's booth, where you'll be able to purchase back issues, books, and other items, including "I Love Tai Chi" bumperstickers.
Normandale College is located at 9700 France Avenue South, Bloomington, Minnesota. (952) 487-8200. Hope to see you there!

April Practice Tips

Spring is a good time to reflect on the ways in which energy moves. As you practice, use the trees and other plants around you as a model of the whole-body energy dynamic of ch'i. The ch'i moves up and down from the root, moving the sap and fluids and nutrients from the air and soil, that then spread through the branches and into the buds. These processes slow down in the winter, but as the sun lingers longer and the temperature rises, the ch'i moves more—a time of growth!

"Tai Chi for Your Life" —Free Class April 6

Great River spring session starts Sunday, April 6th at 6 pm with a free class "Tai Chi for Your Life,"Cheryl Powers. Learn how Tai Chi practice can enhance your daily life at this free, one-hour class.
Improve your health, balance, coordination, and much more!
The following week, our spring session beginners' class, starting Sunday, April 13th at 6 pm, will give you a solid introduction this fascinating art. Tuition is $150 for ten weeks.

Registration for beginners class is at door. Call 612-822-5760 for further details or you can find more information about Great River at our website. 1940 Hennepin Avenue South (at Franklin) Minneapolis.

Great River Director's Book Reviewed

Great River director Barbara Davis' book The Taijiquan Classics: An Annotated Translaton is reviewed by Chinese martial arts historian Stanley Henning in the Fall 2006 issue (published Fall 2007) of China Review International. He writes, "Davis' chapters on the language and literature and ideas in the taijiquan "classics" provide the "icing on the cake"—the insights into Chinese culture, from which to savor her translations....I wholeheartedly recommend this book not only to taijiquan practitioners but also to anyone interested in Chinese martial arts and their place in Chinese culture."

Signed copies of the book are available; write to editor "at" taijiquanjournal.com for ordering information. For those who already own a copy of the book, an errata page can be found at the The Taijiquan Classics website.

Keep Warm this Winter--New Tai Chi Classes

Warm up with Tai Chi! Join Great River T'ai Chi for a NEW BEGINNERS Tai Chi class starting Thursday, January 17th. This 10-week session will give you a solid foundation in Tai Chi practice and ideas. Tai Chi is an excellent and fascinating lifetime exercise, packed with practical skills, interesting ideas, and numerous health benefits. Tuition is $150, and you can register at the door.

Great River is located at 1940 Hennepin Avenue South (at Franklin), 2F. For further information, call 612-822-5760, or see our website .

New Video and Book on Cheng Man-ch'ing

Two wonderful new items about Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing have recently been released. The first, the long-hoped for "Shr Jung tapes." These were shot in New York City in the late 1960s and have only been shown at special events. Through great effort, these were edited into a coherent, thematically arranged set of four DVDs titled Cheng Man-ch'ing: The Master Tapes. Disks are Form, Push Hands, Sword, and Ch'i (encompassing informal Q & A with students, calligraphy, and flower-arranging. The DVDs, though expensive at $149, are an incredible boon for any serious student, as you are able to "be in the room" with Professor Cheng, watch him teach, and see him interact with students. Ed Young and Tam Gibbs provided translation in the original videos, and you can see many familiar faces among the participants: Maggie Newman, Ken Van Sickle, Lou Kleinsmith, Natasha Gorky Young, and others. New commentary by Ed, Maggie, and Ken make this a very meaningful presentation.


Douglas Wile has come out with another valuable book Zheng Manqing's Uncollected Writings on Taijiquan, Qigong, and Health, with New Biographical Notes (Sweet Ch'i, $11.95), this time combining Professor's own short works with those about him by Chinese students, articles from Taiwan newspapers, and Wile's own extensive essays that focus on historical and cultural context. This is a very intriguing book with much fresh material that will give food for thought.

"Tai Chi for Your Immune System" Free Class at Great River in Minneapolis

Sick and tired of being sick and tired and buffeted by winter colds? Try Tai Chi to help strengthen your immune system. Join Great River T'ai Chi for a free class "Tai Chi for Your Immune System" Thursday, January 10, 2008 from 6–7 pm. Come learn some simple exercises that can help stave off colds and flu this winter.
Research studies have shown that Tai Chi favorably influences the immune system, enabling people to fight off the flu, colds, shingles, and many other maladies, as well as improving balance and coordination. This multi-faceted exercise had its origins as a Chinese martial art, and is often referred to as the "physical therapy" of traditional Chinese medicine.

Get in shape for World Tai Chi Day April 28 by learning some moves! NEW BEGINNERS Tai Chi classes start Thursday, January 17th. This 10-week session will give you a solid foundation in Tai Chi practice and ideas. Tai Chi is an excellent and fascinating lifetime exercise, packed with practical skills, interesting ideas, and numerous health benefits. Tuition is $150, and you can register at the door.

Great River is located at 1940 Hennepin Avenue South (at Franklin), 2F. For further information, call 612-822-5760, or see our website..
(This class space is not accessible). Contact us for opportunities to have this presentation at other locales. 612-822-5760.

Also, look for Tai Chi soon at the Minneapolis Uptown YWCA, taught by Great River advanced students! This class will be accessible.

Great River Tai Chi Featured at Associated Bank

Great River Tai Chi will be featured in a display at the IDS Center branch of Associated Bank December 10–21. Stop by to enter your name in the drawing for a free 10-week beginner's class (value $150)! Associated Bank is located on the skyway level, 7th Street side of building, by the skyway to Barnes & Noble.

For information on upcoming classes, click here.

December Practice Tips—Walking on Ice

It's that time of year again, when ice and snow become a constant presence. If you've grown up here in the northern climes, you've learned the hard way to navigate these wintery surroundings. Lo and behold, the methods that work are the same as the tai chi exercise called "Walking on Ice."
Here's how Walking on Ice works. The key is to step with a flat foot. In "normal" walking, we step heel first, and then push off from the back toe. On ice, those methods will quickly land you on your back. It helps to keep relaxed and upright, of course, and to keep the feet sensitive to the contours of the ground.
Practicing t'ai chi will help you hone your ability to walk on ice. Join us for a class!