To say that one “practices tai chi” means a  great variety of things to different people.  This is where taichi already heads down a path of ambiguity before the first movement even begins.  To “practice” means that you can be standing, doing vigorous exercise, meditating, or improving fighting application.  Simple postures can be extremely demanding on your body to the point that you are sweating or can be euphoric.  To do “tai chi” can mean that you are doing concrete, tangible movements, or that you are studying the process of a simple action (breathing) and debating abstractly how the process applies to unrelated events (finances).  How TaiChi is defined is based solely on a person’s intent.

Tai Chi’s beauty lies in the fact that people of different backgrounds, ages, and body types, can come together to partake in a mutual agenda and yet achieve completely disparate goals.  A secondary advantage of tai chi is that progress that is made in “practice” invades other areas of your life.  Proper practice does not exist in a two-hour block each week but is married to other daily events such as work and familiy life.   On the surface this seems extremely lofty and not so easy to accomplish (it is!).  However, progess is made by concentrating on the minute aspects of training.

The goal of the Chen Tai Chi Association of Austin is to pursue a complete curriculum that includes many activities that improve tai chi abilities.  Many practitioners use the forms as the sole focus of their practice.  We, instead, seek practice that builds energy, stability, strength, and flexibility and use the forms (open-hand or weapon) as a measure of our progress.

Class content:

1. Warm-ups
2. Qi Gong
   1. Zhan Zhuang  (Standing Qi Gong)
      1. Standing Presented by Chen Xiao Wang
      2. Pronounciation in Pile Stance
      3. Chen Qing Zhou on Youtube demonstrating tones and Pile Stance
   2. Standing Exercises for Qi Cultivation
      1. Standing Article by Mark Chen
      2. Chen Youze Interview on Relaxation
   3. Silk Reeling
      1. Silk Reeling Book by Feng Zhiqiang
3. Technical Practice
   1. Tai Chi Sphere

   Tai Chi Sphere Video

   2. Pole Shaking
   3. 8-Energy Movements (Pung, Lu, Gi,, An, Sai, Lai, Jo, Cow)
4. Frames
   1. Lao Jia Yi Lu (Old Frame First Routine)  Chen Youze Tutorial Video Link
   2. Lao Jia Er Lu (Old Frame Second Routine, also known as Cannon Fist)
   3. Old Frame Broad Sword (Dao)
   4. Old Frame Single Sword (Jian)
   5. Long Pole
5. Pushhands (Tui Shou)
   1. Single
   2. Double (Da Lu)
   3. Fixed-step
   4. Moving

http://www.nnrs.org/cqzma.htm