Celebrate World Tai Chi & Qigong Day with us April 27, 2024!
This annual event takes place on the last Saturday of April from 10AM – 12PM all around the world. For every moment of this one day, people in all countries will be playing tai chi and qigong. In Gloucester, we’ll be at Stage Fort Park from 10-12. Come learn and celebrate these powerful, traditional arts. All levels welcome to this free event. Details here.
Tai Chi & Qigong Class Schedule
Tai Chi styles: Yang Style 24 (short form), The Five Moving Forces, The 5 Element Circles
Weekly Tai Chi Class Schedule:
Sundays
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Unless otherwise noted (here and via email), classes are held at The Annisquam Village Hall, 34 Leonard St, Gloucester MA. When the weather is nice, we’re usually out on the lawn within the white fence, look for us there. **
Thursdays
10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
Classes held at The Annisquam Village Hall, 34 Leonard St, Gloucester MA. When the weather is nice, we’re usually out on the lawn within the white fence, look for us there. **
**Due to occasional activities at The Annisquam Village Hall, we sometimes have to find another place to meet. Before trying your first class, please email me and let me know you’re coming in case we’re elsewhere. An email will be sent to my current class list with any location changes. If you’d like to join our class, email EnergizeBodyandMind@gmail.com for info on location.
Tai Chi Classes: $16/class drop in or $13/class with a monthly pass.
To join our classes and stay up-to-date on our schedule Email EnergizeBodyandMind@gmail.com
Learn more about our Tai Chi class below.
Qigong Class Schedule:
Tuesdays online
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Qigong online classes are $16/class or $13/class with a monthly pass.
To join online Qigong classes Email EnergizeBodyandMind@gmail.com
Monthly in-person/online (hybrid) Qigong workshops. See below for details.
Learn more about Qigong below.
Additional Classes & Workshops:
Celebrate the Year of the Wood Dragon 2/11/24
Annual Winter Solstice Qigong Celebration. 12/22/23
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Pop up In-person Qigong class December 6, 2023 3-4pm
Join us Wednesday, December 6th 3-4pm for an in-person qigong class to boost your immune system and get your Qi flowing smoothly. The cost is $20.
Annisquam Village Hall, 34 Leonard St. Gloucester, MA
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Private classes & workshops also offered, contact me to arrange your private session(s).
Sign up! Email EnergizeBodyandMind@gmail.com or call (508) 284-4769 to register for classes
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on class location and new class offerings.
What is Tai Chi?
If you are new to the martial arts, Tai Chi may seem like a graceful dance when you first see it. Indeed, those who practice move with a fluidity seldom seen in other exercise. You may not feel very graceful when you begin, but after some practice in our supportive environment, you will start to move with ease as you feel the benefits. Tai Chi is, among other things, a moving meditation. As you begin to grasp the form, you will feel the mind and body settle into a relaxed, grounded, and powerful state as you move. And it keeps getting better with time. Every martial art form is a lifetime of study and each individual can set an intention for his/her practice. It’s a wonderful thing when you have an “Aha” moment while practicing and walk out of class at ease, energized, smiling, and ready for the day.
Tai Chi (also known as Taijiquan and T’ai Chi Ch’uan) is a martial art that is gaining popularity in the United States, not only for its martial (fighting) aspect, but for its many health benefits, philosophy, and ease of use.
Tai Chi is a complete system of exercise in which the practitioner’s mental focus, breathing, and movements are connected. This focus on whole body coordination and mind-body connection trains the body to move more efficiently and reduces physical stress on the joints and tissues of the body. Incorporating the principles of Tai Chi into your daily life is where the magic happens.
Tai Chi consists of exercises equally balanced in yin yang harmony, which is why it is so effective. For example, movements consist of storing energy (yin phase) and releasing or expressing energy (yang phase). This pattern is useful in increasing the practitioner’s energy stores while releasing old, stagnant energy and can also be thought of in terms of building up energy (storing) for an attack (releasing).
This balancing aspect of the form brings harmony into the practitioner’s everyday life. As above, so below: when our body moves with ease, our mind is at ease. When our mind is at ease, our body moves with ease.
One of the many things that Tai Chi teaches us is that moving from a place of relaxation, with softness and awareness, overcomes moving from a place of resistance and rigidity. Moving and living in this way is more effective, efficient, and can lead to a longer, happier, healthier life.
Benefits of Tai chi
Tai Chi is an ideal form of exercise for all aspects of health care. Its benefits include:
Draw the Bow (The Eight Pieces of Brocade)
- Increased balance
- Increased strength
- Increased stability
- Increased body-mind awareness
- Increase in circulation
- Improved coordination
- Improved body awareness
- Enhanced flexibility
- Increased energy
- Improved confidence
- Improved ability to move body as a whole unit
- Stress reduction and relaxation
- Decreased pain, especially in joints
- Tai Chi may also help improve posture, boost the immune system, and increase bone density.
I enjoy bringing Tai Chi and Qigong to my community as I believe that it can increase health, mobility, calm, and help people become more aware of their bodies and mindsets.
What Suzanne’s Tai Chi & Qigong students are saying:
“That was amazing! Tension left all sorts of places.”
“Your guided “chi”-nerator exercise was great! You’re really good at that and it set me up for the rest of the session. I felt very rooted the whole time. Really need this now in these days where anxiety seems to fuel every day.”
“You’re a really good teacher with such a lovely presence!”
“I learn something new every class!”
“I loved the class ! It felt terrific to be doing Qigong. And to be connected with the class and classmates from home. I noticed that all day (I did the class at 7:45 am my time) my energy was stronger and more sustained than usual. What a delight! Thank you.”
“You have such a gentleness about you.”
“Oh Suzanne, that was so beautiful. Such cohesion from one flow to another, building up to the peak moments of holding and focusing (and sending) the arrow, followed by the centering moon bringing relaxation and hope. Thank you. I am working on a project that feels too hard for me… Scared about it all night…this helped me lighten up and let go of self doubt.”
What is Qi (pronounced Chee)?
What is Qigong?
Qi = life force, aliveness, energy. Qi is what animates us.
Gong = Work or cultivation
Qigong is the cultivation of energy and the cultivation of the skill of moving energy.
Everything in the universe is energy. Energy gives rise to our thoughts, emotions, physical body, and consciousness. It is the vital force that makes life exciting, fun, creative, joyful, and balanced. The more energy we have, the better we feel.
Qigong helps us tap into the abundance of energy in nature and all around us. Qigong also helps to create a smooth flow of energy within our bodies, feeding our organs and tissues and helping to alleviate stagnation that can cause pain, stress, and disease. Abundant flow of energy manifests in the body as better-functioning organs, more flexible muscles, suppler joints, clearer thinking, less stress, and more balanced emotions. Free-flowing qi creates a healthy mind and body.
Qigong can be considered a form of meditation. Qigong combines breath, movement, visualization, and intention so that our mind and body harmonize as one. This makes it easier for the mind to calm and focus than doing any one of those components on its own. The synergy of mind, energy, and body is what makes Qigong so unique and so powerful. Among the many great things about Qigong is that anyone can do it and tremendous benefits can be realized with minimum time commitment.
Calm mind, open heart, energized body is the qigong state of being.
Contact me or subscribe to our newsletter for updates on classes & workshops and to register.
Suzanne studied Kung Fu, weapons, and several styles of Tai Chi with Master Anthony Pasquale for 8 years before immersing herself in Yang style with Betty Pijut and Master Paul Mahoney. With Master Paul Mahoney, Suzanne continues to study the Yang style short (24) form as well as Yang style long form, matching set, Tai Chi ball, martial applications, Qigong, and more. Suzanne is ongoing in her study of Qigong, including Medical Qigong, with Lee Holden and renowned teachers such as Grand Master Mantak Chia and Ken Cohen. Suzanne has been teaching Yang short (24) form since 2016.
Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own. – Bruce Lee