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At present Tai Ji Circle have ceased our normal schedule of Chen Taijiquan classes with Shifu Liu in London, and have set up regular online classes through Zoom, with the timetable below. 

We are keen to keep in touch with our taiji family of students to maintain social interaction between us and to be able to adapt and keep learning even while we are in our homes.

We also wish to honour, NHS staff and carers  by offering them our free classes along with our regular students.

It is best for a class participant on Zoom to set up a free account which will facilitate entry to the classes.

We hope that you all stay safe and well during these very difficult times, and keep on practicing and exercising at home for maintaining mental and physical health and well-being.

Check our new Online information and timetable page for Chen Taijiquan classes online. Please email us to join or with queries.

Tai Chi for Health, Relaxation and Martial Arts 

PUBLIC CLASSES • PERSONAL TRAINING • WORKSHOPS • FREE TAI CHI IN THE PARK • COMPETITION COACH & JUDGE • INDIVIDUAL & TEAM DEMONSTRATIONS •

Tai Ji Circle is a north London school and charity dedicated to sharing and promoting Chen Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) and qi gong (chi kung) practice. Our weekly tai ji classes and monthly workshops for beginners to advanced levels are directed and taught by Master Liu Quanjun and assisted and managed by Christine Jones. They are both disciples of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, the 19th generation lineage heir of the Chen family Taijiquan, that was the origin of many modern Tai Chi styles taught around the world today.

We offer:
•  A comprehensive Chen Tai Ji (tai chi) training programme
• Traditional and Modern Chen Taijiquan hand forms
• Chen style Push Hands and Martial Applications
• Chen style weapons forms
• Ongoing classes for beginners to advanced levels
• Traditional training as in China
• Friendly place to train – everyone is welcome
• Weekly classes, monthly workshops and free ‘tai chi in the park’ sessions

Benefits of Chen Tai Ji training  with us:
• Improve health and fitness
• Increase stamina, coordination, balance and flexibility
• Decrease stress and increase relaxation
• Study with a genuine Chinese taijiquan master, Liu Quanjun, 20th generation disciple of Chen lineage head, Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang
• Individual posture correction from Master Liu
• Increase self confidence and improve your quality of life

We are also very fortunate to have an annual visit from China of Master Chen Ziqiang, the son of Grandmaster Chen Xiaoxing and nephew of Standard Bearer Chen Xiaowang. Master Chen Ziqiang is a 20th generation direct descendant of the Chen Taijiquan Family. He is the Chief Coach of the prestigious Chenjiagou Taijiquan Academy and a renowned tai ji teacher and martial arts champion. Both he and his students have achieved overwhelming victories in numerous competitions both in China and worldwide. Master Chen’s Tai Ji is impeccable and he is ranked as one of the true great masters within the Taijiquan community.

Master Chen Ziqiang in the centre with Liu Quanjun and Chris

Chen Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan is the Cantonese spelling) Tai Chi (Taijiquan of the Chen style) is practiced as a sequence of slow or dynamic movements or forms, that combine ‘soft’ and ‘hard’, with ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ actions. It is performed in a relaxed, balanced and natural way that adheres to the philosophical Daoist (Taoist) principles of Yin Yang, the Chinese theory of opposites. Chen style Taijiquan has bare hand and weapon routines suitable for beginners to advanced levels, push hands and martial applications and techniques. It can be practiced meditatively and slowly in a high stance, or faster in a lower stance for increasing stamina and power, (which makes it different from other tai chi styles) but also makes it suitable for different age groups to practice.

CHEN TAIJIQUAN TRAINING for all levels
CHEN-STYLE HAND & WEAPON FORMS
ONGOING BEGINNERS CLASSES
FREE TAI CHI IN THE PARK MEETUPS
MEDITATIVE DA BEI QI GONG
HARD QI GONG PRIVATE COURSES
CHINESE MASSAGE TREATMENTS

All our usual classes, course and workshops below are temporarily closed. So see the new Chen Taijiquan Online in London for upcoming live online classes, thank you.

See TJC’s weekly class Timetable with details of classes and venues

Unfortunately our Calendar 2020 of workshops, free tai chi in the park, trips, bookings and special visits from tai chi masters, has all been postponed… We are bringing some taiji and qi gong workshops online, see the Events page.

TJC’s regular 2020 Beginners Chen Taiji Courses are postponed but we have regular online classes which new students are welcome to attend, and workshops to give us more time to assimilate theories and movements of Chen Taiji.

Coronavirus 2020
Check our link on information about Yifei Gong, created by Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang to support and strengthen immune system and lung health in the flu season following the Coronavirus outbreak of 2019-2020.

We recommend that everyone follows the government and NHS guidelines, over 70’s remain safe at home, washing the hands when entering and leaving home/shopping/office etc. We are monitoring the government guidelines and are providing online classes and workshops to keep in touch with everyone.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public

https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/eprr/coronavirus/

Shifu Liu teaching GM Chen Xiaowang’s Yifei Gong at Tai Ji Circle to support lung health in February classes. Daily practice of breathing and movement exercises at home helps to keep us healthy.

“In the beginning use the body to move the ‘energy’ – much later you can use the ‘energy’ to move the body!” Liu Quanjun

More on Chen Taiijiquan

Profile

Tai Ji Circle

Tai Ji Circle runs public London classes and workshops in Chen Taijiquan (tai chi chuan) hand and weapon forms, push hands and martial applications and Tai Ji Qi Gong (chi kung) though our Foundation syllabus. Chen Tai Ji can be practiced for general fitness, improvements to health and for internal martial arts training.

Tai Ji Circle was founded in 2004, by Christine Jones (Trustee, Manager and Instructor) under the guidance of Shifu (Master) Liu Quanjun who has been its full time Martial Arts and Executive Director and Senior Instructor since 2005. They are both disciples of 19th generation Chen Taijiquan lineage heir, Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang. In February 2012 we changed the company status to Tai Ji Circle Ltd as a not-for-profit, and on 25 March 2013 Tai Ji Circle was awarded charity status.

Tai Ji Circle is fortunate to have wonderful support from it’s trustees and student volunteers, see our team on the link below.

Our Aims
• To spread the benefits and promote the understanding, education and practice of the ancient Chinese systems of health preservation
• To provide a high standard of tuition in Tai Chi, (Chen Taijiquan), to enable students to reach their personal best, to achieve better health, strength and coordination, self-fulfillment and to be able to study at the highest level
• To offer free tai chi or qi gong classes to the chronically ill who are able to participate
• To help the local community by providing a wide range of classes for everyone at reasonable prices

Tai Ji Circle are members of:
The Chen Xiao Wang Worldwide Taijiquan Association,
The Chenjiagou Taijiquan Association,
The BCCMA, (the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts) and
The Tai Chi Union of Great Britain, and is
The London Branch of the Chenjiagou Taijiquan School

A group photo after a workshop with Chen Xiaowang
Chen Xiaowang with Liu Quanjun, and TJC students in Chenjiagou, China

Tai Ji Circle embodies authentic and traditional principles of Chinese internal martial arts and Chinese medicine. Through a wide range of weekly Chen Taijiquan (Tai Chi) classes and workshops, students of all ages and levels of fitness can benefit from the expert teaching of Shifu Liu at affordable prices. Tai Ji Circle hopes to promote a healthy way of life for their students, who come from the local community, around London and from all over the world. Everyone welcome!

Tai Chi is both an internal martial art and a form of meditation through flowing circular movements that help strengthen and balance the body and mind. The mental and spiritual focus required to perform it correctly, frees the energies of the body to flow naturally. Tai Chi Qi Gong practiced in Foundation classes is meditative and relaxing and is also suitable for those with health issues who cannot stand for long.

Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang

Tai Ji Circle Team

TJC’s Online Timetable

Chen Taijiquan Online London –
with Shifu Liu at Tai Ji Circle

Shifu Liu with Chris and students give Zoom an online test before the government lock down.

In these difficult times of Covid-19 we are unable to teach our normal range of Chen Taijiquan classes with Shifu Liu. Instead we are holding online classes to give continuity to our teaching and support the community to help us relax and keep strong and healthy.

We are also keen to keep in touch with our Taiji brothers and sisters around the world so that we can all still practice and learn together at home. Our live online classes are hosted through Zoom. As an attendee to a session on Zoom you can join in and have a free Zoom account to facilitate entry to a meeting. This adds an extra level of online security. Only the host not the participant needs a paid account for sessions longer than 40 minutes.
Please do email us and get in touch if you are interested.

Zoom – Live Online Class or Workshop etiquette – thank you 🙂
• Please identify yourself on the Zoom portal by name to enter the class, not anonymously as iPad or iPhone, so we know who you are, this is for security,
• Enter the class 10-15 minutes beforehand to set up your audio and camera, (we need you to have your camera on for Shifu Liu to watch and make corrections)
• Once the class begins we will mute everyone except the teacher and host,
• Five minutes from the end or a tea break, we will unmute everyone for any questions you have about the session.

Feedback from a happy participant:
“That was fantastic. My first virtual live class. If you do it everyday at 8 I’m in every day! Pleeeease do it” 👏👏👏

Online Chen Taijiquan in London: classes with Shifu Liu
• Monday – Fridays 8:00-9:00 (All levels)
• Sunday mornings 10:00-12:00noon,
• Mondays 18:00-20:00 and Thursdays 18:00-19:00.
Taiji with Chris (All levels)
• Tuesdays and Fridays 11.00-12.00noon.

Classes are Free to NHS staff, carers, and anyone needing support during these difficult times. We will send you out the new urls regularly. TJC Term 2 started from Sunday 11 May, we would ask our members and regular and new students to consider payment for classes if you have paid work, or buying new Term Two passes to take you through to August holidays. THANK YOU.

When we get to the end of May we will see what happens and whether we can start normal classes again at our venues, but until then it’s online only!

Thank you for supporting us with Donations, Weekly, or Subscription Payments, the payment buttons are at the bottom of the page. Chris will send you out the URLs after payment, thank you.

TJC Weekly Online Chen Taijiquan Timetable

Monday
8:00 – 8:45Chen Tai Ji Mornings – Warm ups and Yifei Gong – All levels
18:00 – 19:00
19:00 – 20:00		Chen Tai Ji Foundation or Forms – Level 1
Taiji Ball training – (not taiji ball form)
Tuesday
8:00 – 8:45Chen Tai Ji Mornings – Warm ups and Yifei Gong – All levels
11:00 – 12:00Chen Tai Ji Foundation and Qi Gong with Chris – All levels
Wednesday
8:00 – 8:45Chen Tai Ji Mornings – Warm ups and Yifei Gong – All levels
Thursday
8:00 – 8:45Chen Tai Ji Mornings – Warm ups and Yifei Gong – All levels
18:00 – 19:00Chen Tai Ji Forms Foundation or Forms – Level 1
Friday
8:00 – 8:45Chen Tai Ji Mornings – Warm ups and Yifei Gong – All levels
11:00 – 12:00Chen Tai Ji Foundation and Qi Gong with Chris – All levels
Saturdays
10:00 – 13:00Chen Tai Ji Online Workshops  – See our Events page
 Sundays
 09:00 – 09:45Shifu Liu’s Private Class: Da Bei Qi Gong* Still to be arranged
 10:00 – 11:00Chen Tai Ji – Foundation – All levels
 11:00 – 12:00Chen Tai Ji – Chen Form – Level 1

• All levels – classes are suitable for everyone to try
• Level 1 indicates that Foundation taiji experience is helpful before learning Chen routines.

If you are new to Tai Ji Circle please purchase a weekly pass or subscription if you would like to join all Shifu Liu’s 9 classes as well as Chris’s 2 free classes.
Please pay by credit card or Paypal below in advance by Friday midday, so that we can send you out the new URLs for the coming week.

If you wish to donate towards the cost of running the free online classes please select:-

DONATIONS

Donations are optional and help support our online classes during the Covid-19 outbreak – thank you.

If you wish to purchase a weekly pass or subscription to attend all online classes available please select from the TJC Members or Non-Members choice below:-

ONLINE WEEKLY PASSES – from April 15

Payment Fees and Free sessions
All classes free to Tai Ji Circle Members and those with Term One Passes – until 9 May.
• All Shifu Liu’s classes can be paid for by weekly pass, or weekly or monthly subscription
• Chris’s Classes free or by donation

Weekly Online Passes to everything
When we receive the Paypal payment notification – you will receive your weekly links. You can select more than one week if you wish!
• £20 TJC Member per week
• £25 Non- TJC member per week

TJC Member or Non Member

ONLINE CLASS SUBSCRIPTIONS

TJC Members‘ Weekly & Monthly Online Subscription Passes for all online classes.
New urls to be issued when students have subscribed by Paypal.
• £20 Member per week
• £80 Member per month

Payment Options

Non-Members Weekly & Monthly Online Subscription Passes
New urls to be issued when students have signed up by Paypal.
• £25 Non-member per week
• £100 Non-Member per month

Payment Options

*Shifu Liu’s private Sunday Qi Gong Class Fees:
TJC Members £8.00, Non-Members £10.00 to be arranged

We hope that you and your families and friends all stay safe and healthy during these very difficult times, and keep on practicing and exercising at home for maintaining mental and physical health and well-being. If you have any queries, please do contact us.

Chen Xiaowang

Standard Bearer of Chen Taijiquan

Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang was born in 1945 in Chenjiagou (Chen Village), Henan Province, China and is currently the standard bearer of the 19th generation of the Chen family. He is a senior national martial artist and professor in the Chinese Martial Arts International Promotions Centre. Upon the solid foundation of the experience of his ancestors, Chen has not only been successful in Taijiquan himself, but has tirelessly promoted his “family martial art” throughout the world. He is direct descendent of the legendary Chen Wang Ting, originator of Chen Taijiquan in the 17th Century, and the grandson of Chen Fa’ke, renowned as the greatest Taijiquan master at the beginning of the 20th Century.

At a very young age, Chen received rigorous training in Chen family Taijiquan theory, forms, weapons, push hands, and free sparring from his father, Chen Zhaoxu, and his uncles, Chen Zhaopi and Chen Zhaokui. In 1980, he became a board member of the Henan Institute of Sport and began teaching Taijiquan professionally. He entered the National Taijiquan Competition winning gold medals for three consecutive years (1980-82). In 1985, he represented China in the First International Martial Arts Invitational Competition in Xi’an receiving the World Champion title for Taijiquan. Chen continued to compete in sizable competitions and was awarded the title of champion in Taijiquan more than twenty times.

Chen served as the sole deputy elected from Taijiquan circles to the Chinese National People’s Assembly. In 1988, he was awarded the Contribution to Martial Arts prize by the National Institute of Martial Arts, and the Chinese Government recognised him as a “Living National Treasure.” He is recognised as one of four “Buddha’s Warrior Attendants,” the four outstanding exponents of the 19th generation in Chenjiagou. Chen Xiaowang was chairperson of the Henan Province Chen Push Hands Taijiquan Association; deputy head of the Wushu Academy of Henan Province; and technical advisor and official assessor for the standardised competition routines for the Chen, Yang, Wu, and Sun styles of taijiquan. In 2010 he was honoured with the highest distinction in Chinese martial arts, the 9th duan wei.

Chen has created two condensed forms of the Laojia and Xinjia forms; a 38-posture form and a 19-posture form, and the 9-posture form for beginners. He told inside Kung-Fu Magazine in 1991, “I have tried to do away with all the repetitions and simplify the exceedingly difficult moves without destroying the characteristics of Chen Style Taijiquan, with special emphasis to attack/defense and the chansi technique.”

He has represented China sharing martial arts knowledge with people all over the world. His deep Taijiquan skill has allowed him to defeat all martial artists who have challenged him. Over many years, Chen has taught tens of thousands of Taijiquan students both in and outside of China.

Chen has held many positions of leadership in areas of martial arts, calligraphy, culture, and Chinese medicine and currently holds various positions in many international and Chinese Taijiquan institutions. He was the principal in the films on Chen family Taijiquan produced by Chinese Central Television (CCTV) and has choreographed and directed martial arts films. Additionally, he authored a number of renowned books and essays on Taijiquan. His books and videos have been translated into many languages and have been published worldwide.

Chen is also leading a project to rebuild the house of Chen Changxing, the fourteenth generation Chen family. A project made possible by the contribution of his disciples and all the students who have bought his beautiful calligraphy, (example right) “Jing , Qi, Shen”, Essence, Energy, Spirit, which TJC use the motto on our T shirt.

Chen has contributed significantly to the international promotion of Taijiquan. In 1990, he left China on a mission to promote Taijiquan to the world. He established the World Chen Xiaowang Taijiquan Association and has since been touring Europe, North America, South America, and Asia promoting and teaching Taijiquan. The distance he travels each year is equivalent to twice the circumference of the earth. In February 2003, he accepted an invitation to return to his hometown, Jiao Zuo, to author a Taijiquan book for elementary and high school students. Both the people and government of Jiao Zuo warmly welcomed him.

Chen’s big heartedness, his outstanding Taijiquan skills, and his personal characteristics make him highly respected around the world. He is truly the most outstanding Chen family Taijiquan master of his generation and a world-renowned martial artist.

Chen Xiaowang’s website

Video of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang and other masters talking about the history and demonstrating the Chen style

News

Posted on

25 April: World Tai Chi Day Online Chen Foundation Workshop

Instead of meeting up outside for training on World Tai Chi Day, we are taking our practice online with Zoom with Tai Ji Circle’s Online Foundation workshop. So come and try the traditional form of Chen Taijiquan (tai chi chuan) with Shifu Liu Quanjun. Relax and benefit health through practical Foundation training that both relaxes …

Continue reading “25 April: World Tai Chi Day Online Chen Foundation Workshop”