Discover the Power of Tai Chi and Qi Gong
Our Three Programs
Begin The Transformation
Tai chi is a path of transformation because it changes us in body, mind, and spirit. Tai chi starts with cultivating awareness and intention, resulting in strength from the inside out. These layers of development build upon themselves and improve your performance in all facets.
At R1 we call this concept full-stack wellness. It is the power of resilient system design and we can help you apply it at any scale.
Traditional Cheng Man Ching Tai Chi
The simplified Health & Wellness Exercise
Fit-150
A fitness system designed to keep all of your bodily functions healthy and strong well past 100
Heaven Man Earth Martial Arts
The most complete tai chi system publicly available.
Free Chapter of “Healthspan”
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About Tai Chi
Tai chi is a traditional Chinese exercise practiced for health, relaxation, meditation, and self-defense. The exercise is performed slowly and continuously, taking about ten minutes to complete one “round” or “set.” It requires no special equipment and can be done in a small space.
Basic principles, followed during the tai chi exercise, gradually release tension from the mind and body. These principles can also be practiced during any activity, and even while resting. They include correct posture and skeletal alignment, intentional relaxation, and use of the whole mind and body to accomplish even simple movements.
Tai chi is an excellent system of exercise for young and old alike. The weak can become stronger, the strong can become more gentle, the distracted can become more present, the present can regain ease and naturalness.
Course Structure
Step-by-step introduction that takes you through the gateway into tai chi practice with a strong foundation in the principles, benefits, and physical and energetic movements of the short Yang form.
Mark Thompson is committed to his students’ success in this course. As a resilience enthusiast and tai chi instructor since 1983, he has been on the trail of what the Chinese call wu-wei or “effortless effort” and embodied cognition for 35 years. Mark now seeks to share these keys to health, happiness, and sustained high performance with a broader audience.
What’s included:
- 9 weeks of step-by-step video instruction
- Supplemented by local tai chi on Lady Bird Lake in Austin, TX on Sundays
- Weekly live Q & A session on Zoom with Mark Thompson
- Private Facebook group to connect and learn with peers
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In 82% of studies, tai chi greatly improved mood and reduced anxiety
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Adults who practice tai chi 1 to 3 times per week are 43% less likely to fall
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In 39% of tai chi participants with chronic non-specific neck pain, over 50% experienced a reduction in neck pain
The Eight Active Ingredients of Tai Chi
Awareness
Tai chi emphasizes awareness of the body, mind, spirit, and world around us. It teaches one to pay attention to posture, movements, and transitions. This awareness carries over to your daily activities as you are more cognizant of negative habits such as posture or unhealthy movements.
Intention
Tai chi movements are primed by intention. The connection between one’s thoughts and body is a principle often stressed in tai chi. Studies have shown that simple visualization of a technique can help you enact it. These benefits of “motor imagery” have been extensively researched and used in applications ranging from regaining motor skills in physical therapy to athletic training at the highest level.
Structural Integration
Tai chi views the body as an integrated system — more than the sum of its parts — with qi (energy) moving freely between parts of your body for health and fitness. Blockages of this flow are thought to lead to physical and mental imbalances. Tai chi also focuses heavily on connective tissue, fascia, ligaments, and tendons. These often-neglected connective structures impact your health and ability to remain mobile.
Active Relaxation
Tai chi is a moderate exercise described as “meditation in motion.” It offers many health benefits that are often attributed to more intense forms of exercise while being kinder on your body. This allows for training to be effective at any health or age. Tai chi’s deliberate movements allow for your tissues to stretch rather than tear and heal. This is important for people recovering from injury who shouldn’t stress their bodies any further.
Strengthening and Flexibility
Tai chi offers many benefits often attributed to more intense forms of exercise: Burns calories, lubricates joints, improves cardiovascular health, improves flexibility, improves bone density, and improves muscle strength. These combined benefits greatly reduce the risk of falling, which is a leading cause of death in the elderly.
Natural, Free Breathing
Tai chi’s focus on posture allows for more mindfulness in the way one breathes. You can breathe in a greater volume of air when your frame is upright, relaxed, and open as opposed to slouched, tensed, and closed. Tai chi allows for deep, relaxed breathing which is believed to be an internal massage which improves blood flow and reduces pain.
Social Support
Tai chi is often practiced in a group setting. As a communal activity, it encourages people with shared interests to train and improve together. Even when training at home, one is part of the tai chi community at large. Numerous studies conclude that feelings of isolation and lack of a social support network are a leading driver for depression, low self esteem, and anxiety. Furthermore, rates of illness and recovery also strongly correlate with one’s perception of their support network.
Embodied Spirituality
Tai chi’s highly structured and integral nature, the eastern philosophy that birthed it, and the ritual of regular practice and community all lend to a more spiritual framework.
Are you ready to start the transformation?
Tai Chi Q & A
Who can do tai chi?
Tai chi is low impact and puts minimal stress on muscles and joints, making it generally safe for all ages and fitness levels. In fact, because tai chi is a low-impact exercise, it may be especially suitable if you’re an older adult who otherwise may not exercise.
Do I need special equipment to do tai chi?
Tai chi does not require special equipment and can be done anywhere, including indoors or outside.
What are some general benefits of tai chi?
Some general benefits of tai chi include:
- Decreased stress, anxiety, and depression (ScienceDirect)
- Boosted cognitive function (PsychCentral)
- Improved night-time sleep quality (NCBI)
- Improved mood
- Improved aerobic capacity (Plos)
- Increased energy and stamina
- Improved flexibility, balance, and agility (ScienceDirect)
- Improved muscle strength and definition (Harvard Health)
What should I wear for tai chi?
We recommend wearing loose-fitting clothes that do not restrict your range of motion. You can practice barefoot or in lightweight, comfortable shoes. Ideally the shoes should be non-slip but with soles thin enough for you to feel the ground.