Tai Chi Chuan

Tai Chi can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. It's great at gently improving your balance, breathing, and supporting healthy blood pressure, but can also be a catalyst for deeper internal transformation. After many years of research and practice, The Breathing Tree has synthesized all the essentials into five fun, low-impact, high-benefit programs. We approach this ancient art as a vehicle to calm the mind, support physical health and open our heart. Discover better health and well-being with The Breathing Tree Tai Chi Health Program today!

The Breathing Tree Tai Chi Health Program

Tai Chi Meditation

Our Tai Chi Meditation Program focuses less on moving and more on breathing. Primordial Qigong exercises and several standing meditation practices enhance relaxation and focus the mind. This outwardly simple but internally powerful movement helps the student connect to and feel their own healing energy. Proper body structure, internal awareness and hand-on training are always abundant to ensure safe and effective development.

Tai Chi Workout

Our Tai Chi Workout Program focuses on practicing the individual movements of Tai Chi with greater repetition, vigor and fun. Individual movements of the forms are broken down into solo drills where memorization in the mind sinks down into the body. We also incorporate stepping patterns and line drills to harmoniously challenge our heart rate while keeping energy in our core. The Tai Chi Workout is a fun way to experience Taichi more dynamically, feeling whole body power and a focused mind in every movement.

Tai Chi Circle - Short Form

Our Tai Chi Circle Program teaches the foundation form. With roots in Wu style Tai Chi, this flowing sequence is exercised in four directions on both left and right sides of the body. Practicing this low-impact, high benefit exercise takes about 20 minutes of your day. It develops proper alignments so the lower body harmonizes with the upper body while the wave-like movements stimulate both hemispheres of the brain, increasing blood circulation.

Tai Chi Line - Medium Form

The Line Form Program is also known as the Yang 24 Step form. This standardized form includes many more Tai Chi body patterns, such as "playing the peapod," "fair maiden shuttles," "snake creeps down" and "high pat the horse." It is practiced by millions of people around the world and has proven to be a safe and effective way to stay healthy and vital. By adding more weight shifting and balance postures, the line form greatly stimulates our lymphatic and cardiovascular systems, positively supporting blood pressure and helping to reduce falls. Although there are many more postures in this form, it only takes about 15 minutes of your time doing it on one side.

Tai Chi Chuan - Long Form

The Tai Chi Chuan long form is initially learned as a single sided 25 minute form with three sections that progressively challenge the practitioner's ability to focus, soften and sink. This traditional form can take up to a year to learn and is the final form in our Tai Chi Health Program offering years of energy cultivation, self-discovery, health and happiness.

Aaron Stiles, L.Ac. - Lead Instructor

Aaron has been practicing Tai Chi Chuan since 1998. He began in college with Sifu Matt McCormick learning a Yang Style 36 step form. After moving to New York City, he continued his study with Master Derrick Trent where he learned, taught and competed with the Yang Style 24 step, straight sword and push hands. Over the next 15 years, besides Bagua Zhang and Xingyi Quan, Aaron learned Master Chia's Tai Chi Qigong form, Taichi Warmups from Dr. Lisa VanOstrand and Chen Taichi 5 Posture Standing from Karin Sorvik. Yet, the bulk of Aaron's Taichi is greatly influenced by Sifu H. Won Gim of the H. Won Taichi Association. For over 7 years, he trained in the Yang family medium frame tiger long form, staff, qigong and dynamic power pushing.