Tai Chi Chuan was developed in China as an “internal” martial art. Unlike “external” martial arts, such as Shaolin gung fu and karate, Tai Chi’s effectiveness (both martial and health promoting) comes from cultivating harmony. Tai Chi techniques call up a resilient, flexible power that flows through a relaxed, centered, alert body and spirit. Because Tai Chi training depends on slow, gentle yet disciplined movements and a meditative attention to internal awareness, it also has considerable health benefits. It is a practice that cultivates focused attention on the subtle inner states of the body.  This inner attention can be applied to improving balance, blood circulation, motor flexibility, coordination, and mental clarity, all of which have health benefits and are important to the efficacy of martial applications. 

Some  people come to Tai Chi because of their interest in Chinese martial arts. Others seek out Tai Chi practice because they've heard it’s beneficial to their health. Still others are drawn to Tai Chi because of their interest in Chinese  thought, having read the Dao De Jing or other Chinese classics. 

Tai Chi is grounded in Classical Chinese thought and seeks equilibrium at the center of constant change, harmonizing the opposing yet complementary forces of nature symbolized by the yin and yang symbol. It cultivates balance, inner focus, effortless action, mutual respect, and harmony with the universe.

The roots of Tai Chi, its basic elements, go back many centuries, but the skills were closely held secrets, so the art was not widely known. This changed in the nineteenth century. Chen Changxing of the Chen family, which had been using the techniques of internal martial arts for at least two centuries, accepted Yang Luchan—who was not related to the family—as a student. Later, Yang Luchan began to teach Tai Chi skills to the public in Beijing. Yang Luchan’s grandson, Yang Chengfu, continued his work. His student, Cheng Man-Ching, was among the first practitioners to bring Tai Chi to the United States.  

One of Cheng Man-Ching’s senior students, Ed Young (who was also one of Professor Cheng’s two in-class translators), founded the Tai Chi Study Group in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. The Hastings Tai Chi Study Group continues to teach the method of Tai Chi taught by Cheng Man-Ching.