About This Course

The Chen Style Tai Chi Ch'uan video course is a step-by-step guide to the Chen Style Tai Chi Short Form.

This course contains detailed explanations of each movement sequence as well as walkthrough videos that students can reference and follow along with.  This is an excellent resource for currently active students, as well as new students who wish to dive into Tai Chi training.

This course is designed with clear, easy to follow instruction on the Tai Chi form, with each new movement shown from multiple different angles and a full description of all hand postures, footwork, rooting and basic application.

Tai Chi training is excellent for further developing foundational skills along your Qigong and Internal Martial Arts journey at the Tao Institute.  We highly recommend all students learn the Tai Chi form at some point, as it provides an excellent foundation for stance training and Tai Chi principles that are applicable to all other training in our system.

Tai Chi practice should be partnered with all of the foundation skills included in the Qigong Foundation Course, and so it is highly recommended to include that course work in your daily practice as you learn Tai Chi. 

The full Tai Chi form is divided into 3 sections.  This course contains only the first section or "Short Form."  This is a shorter, simpler Tai Chi practice suitable for beginners.  There is no obligation or pressure in online learning -- so please feel free to take your time as you make your way through the course material.

The full Tai Chi form course has not been completed yet.  It will eventually be available on our Online Resource Membership, and as its own a la carte course.  If you are a student who has learned the whole form and is looking for the full form Walkthrough video -- you will need to access this via the Online Resource Membership.  This course ONLY contains the first section (short form) instruction & walkthrough.

About Tai Chi Ch'uan

The Chen Style Tai Chi Ch’uan first form is an essential foundation form training in the Tao Institute system.  This form builds upon all that is learned in the Qigong Foundation Course, and further develops the practitioner by establishing the fundamentals of alignment, posture, internal cultivation, mind directed energy, meditation and Tao philosophy as it is applied through movement.

Developed over 300 years ago, Chen Tai Chi Ch’uan is known for its use of spiraling movements and the principles of yin & yang which balance and integrate body, mind, and spirit for greater health and martial power.  The continuous focus of Tai Chi practice calms and centers the mind, and attunes the practitioner’s awareness to more refined, subtle energies within and without.

Tai Chi training will provide all students with an excellent foundation in stances, rooting, Tai Chi Principle, and basic hand & foot techniques.  This training is ideally paired with daily practice of the Silk Reeling Spiral Power Qigong Exercises, Stances & Standing Meditation exercises seen in the Qigong Foundation Course, which is a pre-requisite for this course.

This course contains step-by-step lessons with a full breakdown of movements, and walkthrough videos to make regular practice easy.  Additional lectures on Tai Chi related topics that help illuminate and deepen understanding and practice may be added over time.


Benefits of Tai Chi Training

  • Improved coordination, circulation & balance
  • Increased internal awareness
  • Develops subtle strength and suppleness
  • Balances yin & yang energies in the body, mind & spirit through the application of Tai Chi principle
  • Excellent for health & longevity
  • Strengthens our vital energy and by keeping energy flowing 
  • Nourishes the internal organs
  • Greater calmness in daily life
  • Increased mental clarity, intuition & creativity
  • Develops and deepens fundamentals of stance training
  • Deepened relationship with your spirit and the Tao


Images from the Video Course:



Pre-Requisite Training

The Qigong Foundation Course, which contains the full sequence of Silk Reeling Spiral Power Qigong exercises, Stance Training & Standing Meditation postures is required before learning Tai Chi.  This course contains all of the fundamentals for movement needed to properly learn Tai Chi or any other form in our system.  It is highly recommended that all students continue daily practice of the Qigong Foundation Course material, even as you pursue additional training in our platform.

The Qigong Foundation Course is included in enrollment to the Online Resource Membership program of which this Tai Chi course is a part — so you don’t have to worry about purchasing an additional course if Tai Chi training is your primary interest.  You will have access to all courses on the membership program as long as you are subscribed to the website.

Course curriculum

    1. Greetings & Introduction to the Course Curriculum

    1. Lesson 1: Opening & Pound the Mortar Explanation

    2. Lesson 1: Walkthrough Video

    3. Lesson 2: Tie the Belt Around the Coat Explanation

    4. Lesson 2: Walkthrough Video

    5. Lesson 3: Push Down & Single Whip Explanation

    6. Lesson 3: Walkthrough Video

    7. Lesson 4: Strike Low, Deflect with Wrist, Snake Spits Out Tongue

    8. Lesson 4: Walkthrough Video

    9. Lesson 5: White Crane Spreads Wings to Shoulder Stroke

    10. Lesson 5: Walkthrough Video

    11. Lesson 6: Spiral Down, Swimming Blocks, Dragon Palm

    12. Lesson 6: Walkthrough Video

    13. Lesson 7: Play Guitar & Brush Knee

    14. Lesson 7: Walkthrough Video

    15. Lesson 8: Palm to the Well to Brush Knee

    16. Lesson 8: Walkthrough Video

    17. Lesson 9: Horse Stance Sequence

    1. Full Short Form Walkthrough Video

About this course

  • 19 lessons
  • 3 hours of video content

Which option is right for me?

Many of our courses & online resources are available to access either through the Online Resource Membership, or as a single course purchase option.  Here is how this works:


Online Resource Membership:

The Online Resource Membership is a monthly subscription that grants you access to the many resources currently available in our online library.  This library continues to expand and grow as time goes on.  Membership includes early access to courses as well as exclusive content that is not available in the "a la carte" section.  Currently there are two Tier options for membership.  Please visit the Online Resource Membership page to learn more.


Purchasing the Course:

Purchasing a course will give you continuous access to a single course.  There is no monthly fee after the initial purchase.  At this time, all courses are only accessible via our website and are not downloadable.

Instructor

Mela Carreira

Assistant Instructor

Mela is a dedicated student and assistant instructor to Sifu Paolillo. A martial arts practitioner since 2001, Mela was called to the internal arts and Asheville area in 2011, where she first began training at Tao Institute. Over the course of her training, Mela has come to understand, live by and deeply respect the philosophies of the martial arts and Tao in every day life. Mela teaches the entry level classes at Tao Institute and is a main assistant under the direct supervision of Sifu Paolillo in classes throughout the curriculum.