History of Tai Chi Chuan
Tai Chi Chuan is an internal Chinese martial art and a graceful form of exercise that has existed for some 2,000 years. It is typically practiced for a variety of reasons: its soft martial techniques (an art applied with soft/internal power versus an art applied with hard/external power), health and longevity.
Tai Chi, in fact, is often described as "meditation in motion" because it promotes serenity through gentle movements — connecting the mind and body. Today, Tai Chi has spread worldwide. Most modern styles of Tai Chi trace their development to at least one of the five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu/Hao, Wu and Sun. The Yang family first became involved in the study of Tai Chi Chuan in the early 1800s. The founder of the Yang style was Yang Lu-ch'an (1799-1872). His grandson Yang Ch'eng-fu is largely responsible for standardizing and popularizing the Yang style Tai Chi Chuan widely practiced today.
The Mandarin term "t'ai chi ch'uan" literally translates as "supreme ultimate fist", "boundless fist," or "great extremes boxing". The concept of the "supreme ultimate" appears in both Taoist and Confucian Chinese philosophy where it represents the fusion of Yin and Yang into a single ultimate represented by the Taiji symbol (Yin-Yang diagram). As the name "Tai Chi Chuan" is held to be derived from the Taiji symbol, commonly known in the West as the "yin-yang" diagram, Tai Chi Chuan is therefore said to be a study of yin (receptive) and yang (active).
Tai Chi's theories and practice are believed to have been formulated by Taoist monks eventually combining the martial forms and breathing exercises to formulate the soft or internal principles we associate with Tai Chi Chuan and related martial arts.
Curriculum
Hand Forms• 24 Form • 8 Form
• 16 Form • 40 Form
• 108 Form
Weapon Forms
• 32 Tai Chi Straight Sword
• Tai Chi Fan
Class Times
Mondays:
5:30pm – 6:30pm
Thursdays:
5:30pm – 6:30pm
Tuition
Single class: $13
Location
THE BEAT -
Eddie Brown Center
for the Arts
2560 9th Street, #119
Berkeley, CA 94710
Map 
Photos
Contact/Inquiries
Please contact Andreas Asmus at 510.849.0892 or 
asmusa@pacbell.net