The class timetable is under the 'classes' menu.

NEWS: 2010

CLASS NEWS: Summer 2010

> 4 July Next Beginners Chen Tai Ji Quan Course on Sundays, see 'classes' menu for details

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> 18 & 25 July Summer Street Festivals and TJC Demonstrations

Extending a big thanks to TJC demo team, friends and supporters for their help, talent and enthusiasm. Shifu created one of his unique Chen Form combinations for the Camden New Town Festival and impressed with his powerful display of internal energy, breaking concrete blocks with hand, stick and foot. Students were great giving up their time for early rehersals on Saturday mornings and participating in the hard qi gong demos too.

The Kentish Town Festival was vibrant, after our tai ji performances out in the street, children came to try out tai ji movements on the mats.

See more photos on our FB page http://www.facebook.com/taijicircle1

> 12 June Nutrition, TCM and Cooking Seminiar with Shifu Liu

Over a kitchen table loaded with healthy foods, Shifu Liu chops and dices as he explains all sorts of TCM theories on food combinations, and while teaching us how to prepare and cook, conjures up vegetable dishes, tasty eggs with tomatoes, fish cooked with tofu, and the Xinjiang dish of chicken cooked with potatoes. A fun and fascinating time and the food was delicious.

> 15 May Grand Master Chu's Qi Gong, Martial Arts and Therapy Seminiar

Grand Master Chu was invited by Shiu Liu to hold a special Qi Gong seminar for Tai Ji Circle students at St Paul's in Camden. After introductions and information on basic TCM theory we tried several different techniques for building energy in the body. After the break GM Chu demonstrates use of many martial arts weapons, both defence and attack moves and then our students were able to try out some surprisingly simple but effective defence moves. Special calming, breathing qi gong to quieten the mind and body was follwed by individual therapy advice, while other students clarified the qi gong movements learnt earlier. Delicious food finished the day and thanks as always to those who helped make it so successful, clearing up, filming and of course to GM Chu, and Darren for coming down to London, and to Mr Young for translation.

> 13 May Grand Master Chu visits our sabre class!

Grand Master Chu down in London for our Qi Gong, Martial Arts and Qi Gong Healing workshop on 15 May (see Dairy page for booking), visits our Sabres class and afterwards gives an astonishing demonstration of disarming someone with a weapon.

Don't miss his workshop coming up this weekend, experience Master Chu's expertise in QI Gong and healing!

> 11 April Student Justin wins 5 medals at Oxford Championship

22nd FESTIVAL OF CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS &
BRITISH OPEN TAI CHI CHAMPIONSHIPS

Congratulations to Justin for winning 5 medals, including 3 golds, at the Tai Chi Championships at Oxford on Sunday, well done!

> 27 March Chen Tai Ji Quan: Theory, Practice and Observation, 19 part Form

Discussion follows the 2nd workshop in this series, this time examining the 19 part Form created by Grand Master Chen Xiao Wang.

> Winter in Xinjiang Shifu Liu teaching Dan Bian and it's -20 degrees!

Shifu Liu leads a freezing early morning class in China's North West Province, and we complain when the hall is cold or holding a posture a long time during corrections! The Chinese tradition of getting out early morning to exercise helps to keep them fit and healthy.

> 13 March Chen Tai Ji Quan: Theory, Practice and Observation

Working with the Level 1 Chen Tai Ji Quan training syllabus, Shifu Liu explained some of basic concepts underlying the practice, here he demonstrated posture correction in the 'standing post' Zhan Zhaung, which teaches us how to begin to feel the flow of energy, the root of the dantian and the correct alignment, all essential to maintain during moving practice.

There are more pictures up on our Facebook page.

28 February Festival of Yuan Xiao 2010

 
The last day of Chinese New Year festivities is celebrated eating delicious dumplings and sharing Chinese culture. Audrey Suen showed us the intricate art of the Chinese Tea Ceremony, later two other friends demonstrated their calligraphic skills, it was such fun to try it out.

> 20 February FUNDRAISER FOR HAITI

Tai Ji Circle Qi Gong workshop led by Shifu Liu raised £600 for the Haiti earthquake victims. We also sold paintings and calligraphy from China at bargain prices. Thanks everyone!

> 14 February Sunday classes begin again

> 12 December – Tai Ji Circle Christmas Party '09

The Tai Ji Circle year came to an end with a wonderful Chirstmas party for  students and friends, who joined us for tai ji practice, saw dazzling Chen tai ji demonstrations, such as double sabres, and watched in awe as 2 of the students endured breaking pavement slabs and chopping cabbage on the stomach, with Shifu Liu breaking a concrete slab with a pole. Music came from the incomparable Lascelles Jones  on sax, and Aaron Curtis on guitar, with little Alex playing Christmas carols on the piano. Another highlight was a Chinese karaoke duet with Shifu and Justin, both have fantastic voices and sang a lyrical song from the high mountain lands of Xinjiang. Thanks to everyone who demonstrated, helped, cooked, cleared up and made it so successful.

> 24 October – End of 6 month early morning training

Shifu Liu with Chris and some of the Tai Ji Circle students on the last day of a 6 months rigorous morning qi gong training schedule. Congratulations to all those that made it through and came to join us every morning at 6.30am, it's a real achievment. The training was both a mental and physical challenge, a continuing test of perseverence, persistence and will power, real gong fu. The group were a great help to each other and thanks goes to everyone for their support.

> 18 July – Camden New Town Festival – TJC Demonstration

The Camden Summer Festival at St Paul's Hall was a great success, thanks to the students who gave up a Sunday to come and participate. There were demonstrations of Chen hand and weapon forms, and hard qi gong by the students. Shifu Liu also demonstrated the relaxed power of tai ji quan, in which to break a block of concrete with his hand (held by members of the audience), without apparent effort the pieces fell into 2 halves....

> 11 July – Fun day in Paradise Park – TJC Demonstration

Despite the grey weather, families turned out to enjoy a day in Paradise Park and watch Shifu Liu and students in our Chen Tai Ji demonstration, thanks to everyone for coming along.

> 10 July – Brighton day trip

Tai Ji Circle students join up with friends of Shfu Liu in a great day trip to gusty Brighton. No time for sun bathing, here we are practicing up to our ankles in the pebbles of the beach, after a fish and chip meal on the sea-front.

> 21 April – Congratulations Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang!

We are pleased to inform you that Grand Master Chen Xiao Wang has been awarded the 9th Duan Wei ranking by China’s Wushu Association. This is the highest ranking possible in Chinese Martial arts awarded to only a few people who have made very substantial achievements in their respective martial arts and made the greatest contributions and impact on Wushu development. We offer our warmest congratulations to Grand Master Chen.

> 17 April – Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang in London

Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang presents Shifu Liu with a personally inscribed copy of his new book before the London XInjia workshops. Below are some of the lavishly illustrated spreads

Grandmaster Chen has published a fascinating new book, Chen Family Tai Ji Quan. It is large format and packed full of fascinating family history, old photographs of the great masters from his family, such as Chen Fake, Chen Zhaokui, Chen Zhaopei, and the current '4 Buddha warriors' (Chen Xiao Wang, Chen Zhenglei, Wang Xian and Zhu Taincai) of Chen style as well as the next upcoming generation. There are marvellous photos of Master Chen's tai j postures, family anecdotes, details of the 4 major tai ji styles that in part derive originally from the Chen family style, (Yang, Wu, Wu and Sun styles) all accompanied by Master Chen's magnificent calligraphy and his insights into tai ji quan practice. Also included are images and brief biographies of Master Chen's disciples from around the world including Shifu Liu Quan Jun.

40% of the proceeds of the book will go to restoring Chen Changxing's house in Chen village. Chen Changxing is a most renowned 14th generation Tai Ji Quan master (Grandmaster Chen's great, great, great, grandfather) who combined some of the old shorter tai ji routines of Chen Wanting, to form the traditional 74 part long form, Laojia Yi Lu and the dynamic Laojia Er Lu (Cannon Fist), as well as teaching Yang Luchan, the founder of the Yang style.

Tai Ji Circle has some books available for sale at Camden classes, if interested please email for details. The books are large and very heavy so would need to be collected rather than posted out.

> 29 March – Chenjiagou Temple Ceremony, China

Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang 19th generation and lineage heir to the Chen family style of Tai Ji Quan, with Shifu Liu outside the Chen Temple where the ceremony took place. Within the Temple are the statues and memorials of the ancestors of the oldest style of tai ji practiced today on which many modern styles are based.

Discipleship Ceremony with Chen Xiao Wang

Shifu Liu attended his formal discipleship ceremony with Chen Xiao Wang, held at the Chen family Temple of Chen Village, other students of Master Chen from Europe and America were also there. Another disciple described the ceremony as an 'emotional experience', firstly Grandmaster Chen bowed before the ancestoral altar adorned with fruit and flowers, then followed by each of the new disciples, before being presented with their certificates. Ray a student of Shifu Liu from London, now living and teaching in Zhengzhou the capital city of Henan Province, went along and took some pictures for us.

Shifu Liu and Ray outside the gates of the Chen School of Chenjiagou, a long banner draped across the front welcomes Chen Xiao Wang's students from all around the world

> 28 February – Da Bei Qi Gong

Da Bei workshop

Shifu Liu used Chinese meridian charts to explain the relationship between qi gong practice, and medicinal theories of the Five elements and the link to the beneficial times of day to practice for the different organs in the body. This was a powerful new Da Bei practice using repeated movements over a period of time, coordinated with the breath, to root the body and feel heat and internal energy rising from the dantian, while keeping the muscles and tissues open and soft. There was empahsis placed on the necessity of daily pracitice, the 'gong' of 'qi gong' means 'hard work and perseverence', there's no 'qi' without 'gong'!

> 14 February – Valentine's day workshop

Chansi Gong and Applications workshop

Getting in close on Valentine's Day! After an hour of silk reeling exercise during which Shifu Liu made very careful posture and movements adjustments to every student, it was time to lay down the mats and find out how these apparently innocent spiralling movements could be used for defence and attack

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