Skip to content

Martial Arts · Taijiquan

Cultivating the Civil and Mastering the Martial: The Yin & Yang of Taijiquan

The internal principles, classical forms, and martial applications of Tai Chi Chuan.

Lessons
19 lessons in 7 modules
Format
Online, self-paced
Start your free 7-day trialAlready a student? Open course

Monthly: $0 today with a card, then $34 on day 8 unless you cancel before then. After the trial, 30 days' notice applies. Active on-campus students have academy access included. Check your existing student account before buying another subscription.

About this course

A reading course on the principles of taijiquan, the art that unites the civil and the martial, the yin and the yang. It draws on Andrew Townsend's study under Master James Huang and Grandmaster Jesse Tsao. You will learn the theoretical foundations (Taiji, Five Phases and Bagua theory), the Taoist philosophy behind the art, and a training sequence: song, preparing the body, cultivating and circulating qi, the postures, jin and pushing hands, weapons, and spiritual practice. The course has no video demonstrations, so learn the movements themselves from a teacher.

Course outline

Module 1: Foundations

3 lessons · 32 min

The theoretical and philosophical roots of taijiquan: Taiji, Five Phases and Bagua theory, and the Taoist worldview behind the art.

  1. What Is Taijiquan? The Civil and the Martial10 min
  2. The Theoretical Foundation: Taiji, Five Elements, and Bagua10 min
  3. Taijiquan and Taoism12 min

Module 2: The First Principles

2 lessons · 20 min

Song, the release, openness and sinking that is the first principle of taijiquan, and the fundamental principles the masters set down.

  1. Song: The First Principle10 min
  2. The Fundamental Principles of Taijiquan10 min

Module 3: Cultivating the Body

4 lessons · 42 min

Preparing the body through stretching, loosening, silk-reeling and zhan zhuang standing, so that it can become song and root.

  1. Stretching and Loosening the Body10 min
  2. The Five Loosening Exercises12 min
  3. Silk-Reeling: Chan Ssu Jin10 min
  4. Zhan Zhuang: Standing to Enhance Root10 min

Module 4: Cultivating Qi

3 lessons · 32 min

What the tradition means by qi, and how this course approaches cultivating and circulating it.

  1. Understanding and Cultivating Qi10 min
  2. The Eight Pieces of Brocade12 min
  3. Circulating Qi: The Microcosmic and Macrocosmic Orbits10 min

Module 5: The Form

2 lessons · 20 min

Learning the individual postures, their structure and transitions, and the shared principles beneath the Chen, Yang, Wu and Sun family styles.

  1. The Individual Postures of Taijiquan10 min
  2. One Art, Many Styles10 min

Module 6: Mastering the Martial

3 lessons · 34 min

The martial side of the art: defensive and offensive jin, the sensitivity of pushing hands, and the applications of the postures.

  1. Defensive Jin: Listening, Sticking, and Neutralizing12 min
  2. Offensive Jin and Fa Jin10 min
  3. Pushing Hands and Martial Applications12 min

Module 7: Weapons and Spirit

2 lessons · 20 min

The classical weapons, and taijiquan as a spiritual practice that refines the Three Treasures.

  1. The Taiji Jian (Sword) and Taiji Dao (Saber)10 min
  2. Taijiquan as a Spiritual Practice and Taoist Alchemy10 min

Traditional Kung Fu

Hand forms, animal forms, weapons, Chin Na, and partner drills on video.

67 lessons
Get helpStart 7-day trial