You're Learning Tai Chi Online

Learn Tai Chi Online

Is it even possible to learn Tai Chi online? Is it even ethical to trivialize routines that are as important as religion in some parts of the world by training using a web browser?

Some would maintain that there is only one way to learn Tai Chi and that is by sitting at the feet of a master, listening to his philosophy and then practicing the movements in tandem with him. Why is it important to learn in this way? Tai Chi methods were brought to the West by Buddhist masters each who have learned techniques from a different branch of a different family who have passed down the art through the oral tradition through millions of years. As the practice is all about "finding integrity" it does seem a little strange to try and learn what is such a spiritual doctrine online.

The other reason that many people prefer to study with a Tai Chi master is that there is a principle of downloading information through telepathy or verbal teaching that comes into play. In other words you are not just learning techniques you are also accepting the burden of wisdom that comes with the knowledge of ancestry. You also become part of that lineage by learning the Tai Chi techniques that are associated with a certain family such as the Yang family or the Chen family.

Still many people who do teach live classes and very successfully are not masters in the art at all. This is not a problem unless you plan to make the study of Tai Chi part of an elaborate spiritual quest in which the details of the history or the ancestry of the movement must be explained as well.

Many maintain that you don't need a master to learn this art. All you need to do is find the favorite park of your local Chinese community. There every morning at sun up you are likely to find many people of all ages and sizes practicing the routine before you start your day. There is no registration fee, book buying or mumbo jumbo. All you simply have to do is join the group and imitate their movements.

Still if you want to learn tai chi online there are all kinds of sites out there that go through entire routines step by step that come complete with illustration or photos of live participants. You can also order e-books about Tai Chi and watch videos of people performing or teach Tai Chi in your browser window. There is absolutely no shortage online when it comes to teaching you the basics of Cheng or Yang Tai Chi.

However if you want to learn more sophisticated methods or if your motivation to learn Tai Chi is not pedestrian and more along the lines of becoming someone not unlike a character in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" then you will probably want to study with a certified practitioner. There are many of these in North American and many of them are quite good, being the product of a pilgrimage to China to learn from a real master.