Thank you as ever for your continued support of the school and wishing you a very warm, relaxing and peaceful festive break.

“Practice inner peace first” Taiji Circle Lucky Dragon

Shifu Liu Quanjun continues to teach and share his knowledge of Chen Taiji, Qi Gong for healing and martial arts, and his skills as a TCM practitioner to broaden the knowledge of his students helping us maintain our health and wellbeing. See the recent gallery of pictures

Catch a unique two days of Qi Gong and Taijiquan on Easter Sunday and Monday, learn or revise practice, with posture and movement correction, Shifu Liu’s meditative, energy enhancing Da Bei practice or join us for Chen Taiji training for all levels and beginners on Sunday to more advanced Chen Taiji sessions on Monday.

Da Bei Qi Gong and Chen Taijiquan with Shifu Liu Quanjun – In Venue + Online. Click for details.

17-18 April 2022  TIME: 10:00-17:00

VENUE: Islington Chinese Association, 21 Hatchard Rd, London N19 4NG

Join Shifu Liu Quanjun with Tai Ji Circle for a very special 2-day Easter workshop. In the two mornings Shifu will teach Da Bei Qi Gong. In the afternoons, classic Chen taijiquan (tai chi chuan) both are a means to maintain health and well-being through authentic Chinese traditional training.

Saturday Chen taiji  and Da Bei Qi Gong are suitable for everyone, and Sunday afternoon for those with Chen taiji experience

Bring lunch/refreshments, local cafes in the Holloway Rd may be open over Easter.

• Tai Ji Circle will be closed for regular classes from 17-22 April. Classes and workshops resume from 23 April

Check more details in our latest April TJC Newsletter

Starting weekly London Classes every Tuesday in venue from 15 March 2022

Time 19:30-20:30
Venue: Islington Chinese Association,
21 Hatchard Road, London N19 4 NG

Tai Ji Circle’s Xinjia Yi Lu (New Frame 1) Form new classes with 6th Duan Shifu Liu are a rare opportunity to study the brilliant Chen New Frame routine, developed from Laojia Yi Lu (the oldest Chen hand long form) by Chen Fake early in 20^th Century, he is Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang’s famous grandfather. The routine contains skilful circular movements rooted in silk reeling theories and energetic fajin practice. 

These classes are suitable for those who have studied and are familiar with Chen Taijiquan’s Laojia Yi Lu (Old Frame 1) or Laojia Er Lu routines. Shifu will teach it step by step and this is the best opportunity to learn the form slowly from the very beginning!

Booking in advance from, https://bookwhen.com/taijicircle

Masks are no longer mandatory, but please respect those who wish to wear them and maintain a safe social distance.

Email any queries, thank you.

Happy New Year 2022.

Shifu Liu and the TJC trustees felt that we should reiterate our rulings to maintain safe physical classes in our venues while there is such a prevalence of Covid Omicron all around us, this is to safe guard each other and Shifu Liu or Chris who cannot really wear a mask when teaching.

• Tai Ji Circle students attending classes in venue must book and pay for these classes in advance before joining the class. Students who join a class and fail to do this will be asked to leave. 

This is normal practice for all gym classes, yoga schools and fitness centres. If you haven’t booked you won’t be allowed to do the class. The Tai Ji Circle booking system works really well and is easy to use, it’s no more difficult than creating and using a social media account. If it’s really a struggle, ask a friend to help you. 

• All students must wear masks at all times when participating in our in-venue classes/workshops. 

• If you have a medical exemption to wearing a mask, please wear the badge to class so that everyone knows you have a legitimate medical reason for not wearing a mask, you will not be allowed to join the class without a badge if not wearing a mask. 

None of us want to wear masks but we want to protect ourselves and others so we should all wear masks in class and if you don’t like it you can join the online classes from home.

• If you have been in contact with anyone who develops Covid-19 a few days afterwards, please avoid coming to class for 5 days and then do not attend class without checking with a negative lateral flow test beforehand.

 To see our full risk assessment go… http://www.legacytaijicircle.com/tjc-risk-assessment-09-01-2022/

Thank you and stay safe and well.

Now that government guidelines have changed we are teaching live on Zoom and In Venue Tai Chi Classes and workshops with Shifu Liu. In venue we ask students to wear masks and continue social distancing to ensure that everyone in class stays safe and avoids catching Covid-19. In the photo you can see that Shifu Liu is wearing Chinese medicine herbs around his neck as an alternative to wearing a mask.

We are sorry but we do not now accept drop-in students nor do we accept cash at classes and workshops. All bookings and class payments are to be made in advance online through our Bookwhen site or through Eventbrite for our workshops.

We thank all our students and friends for your cooperation and support through these difficult times of transition.

What a year 2020 has been, a year of adaptation with the Covid-19 outbreak and Brexit to come. From March to July TJC ran our classes on Zoom and we give thanks that many students stood loyally by to support us during this time. We set up a Vimeo Channel to help our students practice, Shifu Liu taught Mon-Fri online early morning taiji/qi gong classes as well as classes on Sundays and evenings, with Online Saturday workshops and Free monthly taiji classes online.

When we could return to venue we set up online booking, wrote a risk assessment, limited our numbers, took all safety precautions whilst continuing online for those further away or shielding. It’s been amazing to welcome people from a wider circle around the globe joining us online.

Trustees and students give thanks to Shifu Liu Quanjun for his wonderful energy, sharing his skill and adapting to teaching online so brilliantly.

Despite the huge sadness and loss surrounding the global pandemic this has been a time to give thanks for the wisdom of the Chen Taijiquan practice from our Master Chen Xiaowang, to be able to share it with others and to help each of us to find patience and calm, deepen our breathing, stay healthy and be thankful to be alive.

Tai Ji Circle is now closed for the holidays. Classes will reopen online/in venue (if possible) on Sunday 10 January 2021.

At TJC’s AGM on 12 December 2020 we looked back at the changes that had taken place during this challenging year, Shifu Liu’s message seemed particularly important, so we are sharing it with you.

This year thanks to all students attending classes this year through difficult time. Wishes everyone a happy holiday season and Christmas. Reflection on 2020 is good, but consider work for next year and how to prepare. Many middle aged [people] or over 50 should consider that we should live every day as very precious. Have happiness and be fulfilled, build strong and healthy body most important. Build Nei gong, inner strength and build balance and coordination. This will remain for many years into the future. One key is to be happy inside, don’t keep stress and anger in your heart.

Shifu’s responsibility is to find the way to teach all students this, our responsibility is to practice well and learn ourselves. Importance of lower dantian, if full and strong advanced age will be good, that is the focus (in practice). Don’t rush or hurry, do the work each day to improve the dantian. Frustrations in class when can’t remember, don’t worry. This means our gong fu is not right there. You can improve strength and balance and co-ordination to achieve success in dantian.

Every type of Qigong can address different ill health. When practice go inside and the outside world is not important. Many people don’t build up high level as too many thoughts and don’t focus on the simple focus inside them. Goal is to live long and strong life and not waste the ability we have. Many don’t understand when we react with anger in response to anger we waste our energy. This can lead to using up your energy. If you practice for 3 months and don’t see a change in your body you should consider if you are following the teaching properly. 

Two goals of training
1. build up a strong body
2. help other people to get the same strength. Ying and Yang.
How do you measure success? if you can teach others successfully that demonstrates your success. When you help others you progress faster than when training yourself. First learn the correct way then transmit correct method to others. First you might feel teaching is difficult or if giving something away, but it is not. 

Questions for Shifu? –

• Hard for me to calm my mind, explain more please?

Your breath is important, it comes to your dantian and it fills it up. Pay attention to this calm connection and you will calm down. I had the same experience too. 

• Is training outside in the park which is not level ok or should I train on consistently flat surface ?

Relax and keep back straight. It doesn’t matter what is beneath your feet as long as relaxed hips and joints.

Tai ji quan, lao jia yi lu and tai ji jian (sword) important forms. Weapon training is important for development of taiji and we need to practice them all. Foundation and short form are prelude to the long forms. The practice progresses balance and movement in different situations to develop fully. The principles are the same at all stages. Schools practice their own interpretation of forms in order to develop their full understanding of the system. In beginning build up chi in body and then use it through weapons. Initially use body to move qi then later use qi to move the body. Balance ying and yang. 
Shifu Liu Quanjun

From notes taken during the meeting, thank you Matt!

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