To develop yourself, you must turn away from mysticism and mythology and the belief in secrets that you imagine will transform you. Science and nature are your true teachers, correct training is what will transform you.
~Wai-lun Choi – Taijiquan Master

Taijiquan (also spelled T’ai Chi Ch’uan) is a Chinese form of exercise originally developed as a martial art.  With its emphasis on balanced movement, proper alignment, and maintaining a calm state of mind, it was soon realized that it was also extremely beneficial to the practitioner’s health. 

To practice Taijiquan, you perform a series of slow, pre-arranged movements.  Taiji is infinitely adaptable, and can be practiced by people in almost any state of health.  It can be gentle enough to rehabilitate patients re-learning how to walk, and can also be made strenuous enough to challenge the most conditioned athlete. 

Why practice Taijiquan?

• Health Benefits:  Recent studies have shown that Taiji can lower blood pressure, increase muscle mass, improve balance, slow osteoporosis, and help patients recover from cancer.  And that’s just what’s been studied so far.
• Mental Benefits:  Practice of Taijiquan can train the mind to remain calm in the midst of adversity.  Taiji incorporates both meditation and decision-making strategies that help the practitioner to cope with the stresses of life with equanimity.
• Self Defense:  Since the ability to fend off attackers is no longer a necessity in day to day life, this aspect of Taiji is largely lost with most modern-day practitioners.  It retains its value, however, in its ability to teach us the proper way to interact with the physical world around us.  The same skills that once let us throw an opponent across a room now helps us push a car out of a ditch without injury.

Qigong (also spelled Ch’i Gung) can be translated as either “breath-work” or “energy-work”.  Based on the same theoretical principles as Acupuncture, these exercises use movements, sounds and specific breath patterns to help the patient maintain or regain health.  Qigong as a practice has a history as long, if not longer, than Acupuncture itself. Over the centuries, various qigong routines were developed to help treat specific health problems.  In modern times, Qigong is an important form of self-care, allowing patients to take greater ownership of their health and healing.

Who teaches Taijiquan at Acupuncture Health Center?

Paul Magee is a Seventh Generation lineage holder of Yang Style Taijiquan, has taught both Taijiquan and Qigong since 1996, and has written several articles for the Taijiquan Journal.  He has taught through Baldwin Hospital, General Mills, Allina Behavioral Health Services, and Northfield Community Education.  He is also a frequent guest-lecturer at the University of Minnesota on the topics of Taijiquan and Qigong.  He is currently working towards a Master’s degree in Oriental Medicine at Northwestern Health Sciences University, and will graduate by 2007.

Susan Ho has her BA and MA degrees in philosophy. After a long computer-related business career, she dedicated herself to Taiji and Qigong, studying with several prominent Masters, including Dr. Ma Xu Zhou, heir to Ma LiTang Qigong, China, Dr. Effie Chow, Founder of Chow Qigong and the White House Commissioner for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and Dr. Paul Lam, founder of Tai Chi for arthritis and a Tai Chi champion, Australia.  Susan Ho currently teaches Taiji and Qigong at Northwestern Health Sciences University.