Shifu Quan Jun Liu Director and Senior Instructor of the Tai Ji Circle

Shifu Quan Jun Liu, has studied traditional Chinese martial arts, tai ji quan (tai chi chuan), gong fu (kung fu) and qi gong (chi kung) since childhood, and began teaching in China in 1991 and since 2001 in the UK.

Shifu Liu originally studied Chen Tai Ji Quan (as therapy, martial arts, philosophy) from Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei when in China. Since living in London, he is now the disciple of 19th generation lineage heir of Chen style Tai ji Quan, Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang (foremost Masters of Chen tai ji quan in the world today). Shifu Liu and Chris Jones regularly attend Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang's workshops in the UK and are grateful for his incomparable teaching, endless patience and generous spirit in sharing his phenomenal knowledge and skill with students around the world.

Other masters that Shifu Liu has studied with in China include, Shifu Ji Po for Da Bei Qi Gong (a powerful qi gong – with active and meditative forms) that was unknown until Shifu Liu brought it exclusively to the UK, and Shifu Kong Jian for Ying Qi Gong (Hard Qi Gong, an internal/external steel jacket training programme, originating from Tibet).

Shifu Liu is also a practitoner of Chinese medicine, an expert in Dian Xue Tui Na, (acupuncture point and traditional Chinese massage) and martial arts therapy.

During his years in China, teaching students of all ages from the very young to the elderly, Shifu Liu also coached students for competitions in Tai Ji Quan, Wushu and Sanda (competative gong fu sparring), in 1992 he was voted Exceptional Coach Award by the Bole Martial Arts School. Liu himself won a gold medal for Sanda and later 2 gold and 2 silver medals for Chen tai ji quan, hand and sword forms, and from 1994-95 he was a National Competition martial arts judge for Henan Province as well as being the senior Tai Ji instructor and judge for the Kui Tun Tai Ji Association in Xinjiang province. A group of his senior students won 9 gold, 7 silver and 3 bronze  medals in Tai Ji and Tai Ji Sword, in 'All Xinjiang Martial Arts Competitions'.

Shifu Liu, already a very experienced martial arts instructor, was invited to the UK in 2001 to teach Shaolin Gong fu, Chen Tai Ji Quan, Baduan Jing Qi Gong and Meditation. Now he lives and works in London. As director of the Tai Ji Circle, he brings unique skills as a teacher and healer to his classes and workshops, where the focus is on relaxation, developing energy and helping maximise students’ potential so that they can reach competition level standard.

Tai Ji Circle students entered four different UK Championships 2006–2007 after  special coaching sessions from Shifu Liu and won medals in Tai Ji Quan hand and weapons forms, a total of 17 medals, 5 of which were Gold, 3 Silver and 9 Bronze. Shifu Liu has also been a judge for the Traditional Forms Division at the BCCMA British Championships 2006 and The London Wushu Open Competition held at SENI 07, and the 4th London Competition for Traditional Tai Chi Chuan inb2011. In 2010 one of our dedicated students won 5 medals,(3 gold) at the Tai Ji Championships held in Oxford.

The Tai Ji Circle’s range of classes are suitable for students at all levels and ages. Shifu Liu teachers the classes and aims to share his wide knowledge of Chen Tai Ji Quan, Gong fu, Buddhist principles, Chinese massage, and Qi Gong healing, to enable students to help themselves, their families and friends to gain better health and happiness in their lives. In classes Shifu Liu focuses on the essentials of postural alignment and understanding of the flow of energy and the philosophical and martial meaning that underlies all the Chen forms and practices.

   Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang with Shifu Liu.

Shifu Liu of the Tai Ji Circle is an 'A' Graded Instuctor Member of the Tai Chi Union of Great Britain, an Instructor Member of the BCCMA, and is an Associate Member of the ACTM, Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (UK) for the practice of Tui Na (Chinese Massage).

You can see Shifu Liu perform several Chen Tai Ji Forms on the Youtube link below.

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Shifu Liu performing Chen Xinjia Form (Chen New Frame) with Tai Ji Circle
students at the SIED Conference at the Mermaid Theatre, London, September 2007

The Tai Ji Circle

For Chen Tai Ji Quan, Qi Gong and Dian Xue Tui Na (Chinese pressure point massagetherapy), the traditional Chinese arts of relaxation, fitness and health

Our Aims

• To provide a high standard of tuition in Chen Tai Ji Quan, to enable students to reach their personal best, to achieve self-fulfillment and win medals at competition level
• To spread the benefits of the ancient Chinese systems of health preservation
• To offer free qi gong classes to the seriously ill who wish to participate
• To help the local community by providing a wide range of classes for everyone at reasonable prices

The Tai Ji Circle is a full Member of the BCCMA, the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts and we are also members of the Tai Chi Union.

PUBLIC CLASSES, PRIVATE INSTRUCTION AND WORKSHOPS

The Tai Ji Circle runs public classes and workshops in Chen Tai Ji Quan (tai chi chuan) hand and weapon forms, push hands and martial applications, Da Bei Qi Gong (chi kung), Tai Ji Gong Fu (kung fu/martial arts). We run a specialist course in Hard Qi Gong (foundation steel jacket training).

The Tai Ji Circle was set up in 2004, by Chris Jones (Managing Director and Instructor) under the guidance of Shifu Quan Jun Liu who is it’s full time Martial Arts Director and Senior Instuctor.

Chris Jones began practicing Shaolin martial arts and qi gong in 1998, and Chen Tai Ji Quan as the pupil of Shifu Liu from 2002. She has also studied with Grand Masters Chen Zhenglei in London and Chen Xiao Xing in Chenjiagou, the Chen family village in China. SInce 2003 she attends annual seminars with Grand Master Chen Xiao Wang in London and in 2008, in the Czech Republic. Chris has also gained the BCCMA judges certificate, acting as Judge and Head judge for Traditional Routines at the British Championships in 2008. Chris assists Shifu Liu teaching Beginners Chen Tai Ji Quan Courses with the Tai Ji Circle, and has also taught tai ji and qi gong; on the P&O cruise ship Arcadia, Tai Ji courses at the Triyoga centre in London's Primrose Hill in 2007, Summer classes for Hackney Council with the charity MIND in 2008, for Camden Primary Care Trust at St Pancras Hospital and also currently teaches a weekly Tai Ji Exercise class at Age Concern's Meritage Day Centre in Hendon which started in 2009.

Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang with Shifu Liu and Chris Jones of the Tai Ji Circle, at the Czech Republic Seminar 2008

Chen Family Tai Ji Quan By Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang

Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang has published a fascinating new book, Chen Family Tai Ji Quan. It is large format and packed full of fascinating family history with old photographs of the great masters from his family, such as Chen Fake, Chen Zhaokui, Chen Zhaopei, and the current 'Four Buddha warriors' (Chen Xiao Wang, Chen Zhenglei, Wang Xian and Zhu Taincai) of the Chen style as well as the upcoming generations. There are marvellous photos of Master Chen's tai ji postures, family anecdotes, details of the four major tai ji styles that in part originally derive from the Chen family style, (Yang, Wu, Wu and Sun styles) all accompanied by Master Chen's magnificent calligraphy and his clear 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. It is a terrific resource for anyone studying Chen style Tai Ji Quan.

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 quan 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 our 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.

The Tai Ji Circle

Shifu Liu and Chris Jones from the Tai J Circle aim to offer a wide variety of classes to students at all levels from Foundation for beginners to those who want to deepen their practice by studying the more advanced forms of Chen Tai Ji Quan such as Weapons forms, Laojia Er Lu (the dynamic Cannon Fist), Xinjia Yi Lu (The New Frame Form) and Tai Ji Gong Fu, as Pushing Hands and Martial Applications. Shifu Liu also teaches Da Bei Qi Gong, a complete system of energy cultivation, a meditative practice with it’s roots in Shaolin Buddhism, it helps to generate energy within the body and can be used for healing purposes to help others or oneself. We also offer Hard Qi Gong Training courses to our members.

Shifu Liu is a master of Dian Xue Tui Na, traditional Chinese massage, and is also available to give private treatments by appointment (see below).

Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei with Shifu Liu and Chris Jones, after his 2006 workshop and memeroable performances In London, arranged by the Tai Ji Circle.

PRIVATE CLASSES

• Shifu Liu is also available for one-to-one private classes in Chen Tai Ji Quan, Bagua Zhang, XIng Yi Quan, Gong Fu, and Competition hand and weapons forms

COMPETITION COACHING and JUDGE

• Shifu Liu is available for Competition coaching and Judging

DEMONSTRATIONS

• Shifu Liu and the students from the Tai Ji Circle are available for public demonstrations and displays of outstanding quality

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A student's personal view of the Tai Ji Circle, 2006 and again in 2010

  Shifu Liu adjusting the posture of student Justin

Relaxing is hard to do!

I never knew how hard it can be to truly relax. As a beginner in Chen style Tai Ji Quan, the over-riding lesson I’ve learnt so far is that true relaxation is a state of mind. This reflects the internal focus of the martial art, the basic premise being that mental focus enables you to stretch further, punch harder and balance easier. Not to mention de-stress and health benefits.

I had tried one or two lessons of Tai Ji in the past but never felt compelled enough to stick with it. It’s hard to explain what draws you to a particular class or teacher but for me, the Tai Ji Circle was different from the start. For one thing, there’s something noticeably real and honest about Shifu Quan Jun Liu’s teaching style. There are no life changing promises or ‘higher planes’ to speak of. It’s about achieving excellence and a kind that is much more than diplomas and belt grades can measure. Perhaps that’s because it’s measured by personal best, rather than beating others.

There seems to be no limit to how much can be learnt. Advanced students often attend beginner’s classes to refresh or reinforce the movements and even apparently simple details turn out to be extremely complicated and difficult to master. Each lesson is like unravelling a Russian doll – there’s always more beneath the surface.

It might be a journey without end, but this is what makes Chen Tai Ji both intensely challenging and uniquely rewarding. To adapt a phrase from a well known beer ad, it gets to parts other forms don’t reach. It’s hard to beat the post-class sensation of feeling at once deeply calm and bursting with energy: the fusion of opposites that matches the pattern of the Chen Tai Chi movements. A graceful, non-combative exterior hides an ultimately powerful martial art.

Justin 2006

APRIL 2010: Justin won 5 medals at the Oxford Championships, here is his response to the success of that day

TJC: Your success is due to your own hard work and self practice as well as training with Shifu Liu, what particular aspects of his teaching have helped you?
There are many amazing aspects of Shifu Liu's teaching. Too many to mention but I guess the first thing would be Shifu Liu's own Tai Ji. I think anyone who has been to a class will testify that watching Shifu Liu demonstrate is truly captivating and inspiring. Personally I was also drawn to his 'quiet' style of teaching and his intense attention to detail. The endless repetition of movements – at first it can seem tiresome but after a while it seems that this way of teaching works on a deeper level of consciousness. I would say it's a 'feeling' rather than a 'thinking' approach. But perhaps the most powerful and unique aspect of Shifu Liu's teaching is his holistic approach that incorporates traditional Chinese medical principles, Daoist and Buddhist principles, as well as his extensive knowledge of martial arts in general. I quickly realised that the breadth of Tai Ji Circle classes and courses covers every type of fitness helping to improve stamina, flexibility, core strength, co-ordination, balance. Added to this is the general health and well being benefits that come from relaxation and developing presence of mind. And of course, self defence.

Justin 2010

Chinese Massage – Dian Xue Tui Na with Shifu Liu

Shifu Liu with Torben Hersborg of the Central London Osteopathy and Sports Injury Clinics

at the London Back Show at Olympia 2006 (see below for contact information)

Tui Na, Dian Xue and Qi Gong are traditional holistic forms of healing used in China for hundreds of years.

Tui Na is a type of vigorous, deep massage which uses many different types of hand movement (usually about 12) to stimulate the tissues and energy circulation (known as qi or chi) and bring increased blood flow to problem areas of the body. The massage movements can vary from deep massage to rhythmic pounding or soothing circular movements over energy centres.

Dian Xue is in an integral part of Tui Na massage. It is Chinese pressure point therapy applied along important acupuncture meridians of the body and therefore works directly on the organs, it can release blockages in the energy flow and help to rebalance the energy throughout the body, the affects are similar to acupuncture, but without the use of needles.

Qi Gong is a relatively recent term applied to ancient Chinese health exercises (many different types from active to meditational) which can be done on your own (to improve one’s own energy cultivation and relaxation) or practiced as a form of healing for other people. The primary focus is on increasing one’s energy and self awareness of the internal sensations and flow of energy throughout the body. Qi Gong healing is given when the body is weak and the practitioner transmits his/her own energy into the patient as part of the massage treatment.

Chinese Massage can help sports or martial arts injuries, stress, body weakness and fatigue, back problems, headaches and other internal problems.

Shifu Liu gives Tui Na massage on the Tai Ji Circle stand at SENI 2006, to the well-known actor Danny John-Jules who played 'The Cat' in the renowned TV series 'Red Dwarf'.

Central London Osteopathy and Sports Injury Clinics can be contacted

for appointments with Shifu Liu, at 0207 739 5666, see their web site www.london-osteopath.com

or contact the Tai ji Circle directly by email or phone 07921765848

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