The TaiJi Symbol represents the interplay of yin and yang, captured here, as if in a photograph, while in perfect balance or right relationship.  

TaiJi means "Great Polarity."  Chuan, although commonly translated as “boxing” or “fist", in this context  literally means "to grasp"  the principles of yin and yang.

Tai Chi (TaiJi) Chuan then, is  a system of self-defense that promotes internal strength, health, flexibility and longevity. 

Properly taught, it invites us to explore the subtle interplay of relaxation and tension, rootedness and expansion, suppleness and strength.  

It is a practice of self-awareness, personal development and self-cultivation.  It is through self-knowledge that the martial aspects of Tai Chi Chuan are born.  As an internal martial art,  regular practice enhances our body's innate ability to protect, repair and reproduce on a cellular level.

Tai Chi teaches us to “Move like Water.”  The body is more than 70% water.  Lao-Tze said  “Nothing in the world
is as soft and yielding as water.  Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.”   Tai Chi Chuan cultivates the strength of our fluidity.  It teaches us to reflect and respond calmly and instantaneously  rather than anticipate and react.

Regina Gibbons  is a Licensed Acupuncturist and has been studying and practicing Tai Chi and Chi Kung for more than 10 years.   Since 2002 she has trained under the guidance of Peter Wayne, Ph.D., Director of the Tree of Life Tai Chi Center, as well as Director of  the Tai Chi/Mind-Body Research Program at Harvard Medical School's Osher Research Center.  Regina completed a three-year Tai Chi Teacher's Training Program taught by Dr. Wayne and currently teaches classes both in Somerville, MA and on the North Shore  of Boston. She also serves as a Tai Chi Instructor in a Harvard Medical School-based NIH-funded trial evaluating Tai Chi for Chronic Heart Failure.

Evidence-Based Benefits of  Tai Chi

Balance                                 Strength and Flexibility

Immune Function                 Cardio-respiratory function

Emotional Well-being         Quality of Life and Self-Efficacy