Practice
Learning t'ai chi in Southern California
Southern California is a good place to learn a slow outdoor art. Mild winters, long dry seasons and plenty of open parkland mean that practice can happen outside for most of the year. What varies is the kind of class you find, and knowing the landscape helps you choose.
Do Tai Chi is an independent reference. It is not affiliated with the Northwest T'ai Chi Ch'uan Association, the Chinese Tai Chi Chuan Association or any school, teacher or college. Current class information for the association's Southern California chapter is published at taichifist.com.
The kinds of classes you will meet
T'ai chi in the region is taught through several quite different channels, and each has its own character.
Recreation and community programmes
Many towns run t'ai chi through their parks and recreation departments or adult-education programmes. These classes tend to be affordable, open to anyone and scheduled in fixed terms. The teaching can be excellent, but the format often favours a short, simplified form taught to a mixed group over a few weeks. They are a sensible way to find out whether you enjoy the practice at all.
Community college and continuing-education courses
Some colleges offer t'ai chi as a physical education or continuing-education course. These usually follow a written syllabus, meet at regular times for a whole term and sometimes lead from a beginning course into intermediate and weapons courses. The structure suits people who like a clear path and a set rhythm.
Park groups
Early-morning groups in public parks are one of the oldest ways the art has been passed on anywhere. Some are informal gatherings of experienced players who welcome newcomers; others are classes led by a teacher who has practised in the same spot for years. Watching a park group for a few mornings before you join is perfectly acceptable, and often expected.
Private schools and small groups
Private schools and small lineage groups are where you are most likely to find the full traditional curriculum: a long form, partner work, weapons and qigong. The commitment is greater and the teaching more individual. This is also where questions of lineage and certification matter most, and the page on choosing a teacher covers them in detail.
Beginning, continuing and weapons classes
Most traditional programmes are layered. A beginning class teaches warm-ups, basic stances, stepping and the first section of the solo form. A continuing class completes the form, then polishes it, and usually introduces partner work such as pushing hands. Weapons classes normally come later, because the sword, sabre and staff forms rely on body mechanics learned first without a weapon; the page on weapons and specialty training explains why. If a class promises the sword in the first month, ask what the students will be building it on.
Practising outdoors in a warm, dry climate
The same climate that makes outdoor practice so pleasant asks for a little care.
- Go early. The first hours after sunrise are cool, quiet and usually free of wind. By late morning in summer, paved areas and open lawns can become uncomfortably hot.
- Find shade and even ground. A level patch of grass or packed earth under trees is ideal. Check for sprinkler heads, roots and holes before you start stepping, especially in low stances.
- Bring water. Slow practice still makes you sweat in dry air, and it is easy to underestimate how much you have lost over an hour.
- Protect yourself from the sun. A hat, sunscreen and loose, light-coloured clothing matter more than any particular uniform.
- Mind the weather. On very hot days, or when the air quality is poor, a shorter session indoors is the better practice.
The MedlinePlus page on exercise and physical fitness suggests building up activity slowly and checking with a health care provider before starting if you have trouble moving or balancing, or worry that exercise might not be safe for you. That advice applies to t'ai chi as much as to anything else.
How to judge a class
A good class feels calm and attentive rather than rushed. When you visit, notice:
- whether the teacher watches and corrects individual students, not only leads from the front;
- whether newcomers are given simpler versions of postures, higher stances and time to rest;
- whether questions are welcomed and answered plainly;
- whether the teacher can tell you where the form comes from and who taught them, without grand claims;
- whether the experienced students seem relaxed, friendly and still learning.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes tai chi as slow, gentle movements with a meditative state of mind and controlled breathing. A class that leaves you tense, hurried or in pain has lost sight of that, whatever its style.
Finding current classes
Class times, venues and teachers change from term to term, so this guide does not list them. Local recreation catalogues, college course listings and the websites of lineage associations are the places to look, and a phone call or a visit will tell you more than any description. For what to expect once you arrive, read New to t'ai chi?