In a recent online Tai Chi class, an honored new student asked: "How is your style different from other Tai Chi I find online?" A very important question for anyone interested in Tai Chi. It all comes down to lineage and purpose. Martial? Meditation? Both? Read ahead to find out what makes this essential for all of us with the demands of the pandemic reality we face.

When it comes to Chinese Martial Arts, lineage and tradition are paramount. They are like the roots that form the foundation of the tree and connect it to the power and sustenance that feeds it. Lineage and tradition are the bridge that connects present and future students, Masters, and Shifus to the ancient scholars, philosophers, sages, and warriors that discovered and defined the 5000-year-old root of Chinese Medicine and Martial Arts Philosophy and Culture.

Do you feel tired when you feel happy, fit, or healthy? Do you feel energized when you feel sad, injured, or sick? Have you ever noticed your energy level when you were happy or sad? Healthy or sick? Fit or injured? It is simple, our sense of wellness reflects our energy level. When we have an abundance of energy, we feel great. When we have too little, we feel bad. When life demands more energy than we have to spend or wish to spend, we feel stressed. Most people do not associate the presence of stress with a feeling of wellness. Usually, wellness involves the absence of stress, but as we know, all the vacation in the world cannot free us from stress. Have you ever felt stressed AND well? If you have the[...]