White Magnolia Tai Chi School
White Magnolia’s Tai Chi school offers a way for students of all ages and abilities to learn internal martial arts, including Tai Chi, Chi Kung, push hands, and meditation. Our students come from all over the East Bay, including Berkeley, El Cerrito, Richmond, Albany, Emeryville and Oakland. White Magnolia is a member school of the Plum Blossom International Federation of Choy Li Fut.
The school offers a complete Tai Chi and Chi Kung training program, offering rigorous attention to building strength, alignment, and external power, combined with cultivation of the transformative internal subtleties of Tai Chi practice.
What we offer
We offer a complete Tai Chi and Chi Kung training program, which includes stretching, stance training, meditation and push hands practice, as well as Tai Chi hand and weapon forms and martial applications.
The greatest treasure we share at White Magnolia is our deep understanding of the transformative internal subtleties of Tai Chi practice. We share this understanding and at the same time pay careful attention to establishing solid foundations for Tai Chi practice. Our curriculum, developed by Grandmaster Doc-Fai Wong to enable deep and complete mastery of Tai Chi practice, guides us in our instruction.
At White Magnolia you will learn the 108-movement traditional Yang style Tai Chi form. You will begin with shorter forms, which can be learned in a few months’ time and which increase gradually in level of difficulty. In these forms Tai Chi movements are practiced in varying contexts, so that Tai Chi is experienced from the beginning as a living language of body, heart, mind, and spirit.
As you advance, you deepen your experience of the subtleties of Tai Chi practice though push hands practice as well as traditional Tai Chi weapon and two-person forms. Weapon forms taught at White Magnolia include Tai Chi sword, saber, fan, cane, and flute.
Classes
In our regular Tai Chi/Chi Kung classes, you learn all of the elements of Tai Chi practice. If you wish, you may formally advance through the Plum Blossom Federation martial arts ranking program. You may also attend special seminars taught by Grandmaster Wong, prepare to participate in martial arts tournaments, or participate in our instructor training program.
Our special restorative Chi Kung/Tai Chi classes are oriented to the needs of those recovering from injury or illness. Here we teach gentle exercises which can be learned by almost anyone, even if you use a wheelchair. Tai Chi movements are modified so that you can use them to correct balance problems and increase strength, circulation and endurance. These classes are also an excellent way to prepare for or begin in our regular Tai Chi/Chi Kung program.
At White Magnolia instruction in Chi Kung is integrated into our Tai Chi program; most Tai Chi classes begin with a period of Chi Kung practice. Beginners learn the widely-loved Eight Pieces of Silk Brocade medical Chi Kung exercises and the meditative I Chuan Chi Kungi movements and postures. Intermediate students learn the ancient, rigorous, and inspiring Eighteen Lohan Chi Kung form.
A White Magnolia Progression Ceremony
School calendar
Classes at White Magnolia are held six days a week. You are welcome to attend as often as you like; it is best if you attend two or more times per week. For a complete list of all weekly classes, please visit the online schedule. Six weeks per year school will be closed for vacation.
The school is closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Cesar Chavez’ birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Labor Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Thanksgiving Weekend (Wednesday – Sunday), Winter Holiday: December 22 – January 1, and two other weeks, variable, to be announced.
Wellness events with John Luna-Sparks
White Magnolia director John Luna-Sparks hosts free wellness gatherings and all are welcome. They include:
- 20 minutes of sitting meditation (no experience necessary)
- Learning and practicing an easy Qi Gong movement
- Self-massaging an acupressure point
- Tea service
- A recipe for the season…served warm
Each attendee receives a handout covering the evening’s topics and recipe. Everything is coordinated to the current season to keep us in harmony and balance inside and out. To learn more, contact john@whitemagnoliahealth.com or call 510-570-8195.
