We have a new 2024 classes starting Monday March the 18th. Classes are twice weekly Mondays and Wednesdays from this date at 6.30pm to 8pm. Classes are held at Onehunga Community Hall.

It's recommended to come and watch a class before starting. You can see what a class is like as well a ask any questions you have after the class. OR join our introductory class (at no charge) Monday the 26th of February 2024 at 6.30pm to 8pm (Onehunga Community House  83 Selwyn St Room 5

For more details see the 'Taiji Onehunga Auckland' page

Mark Wallis

Principal Instructor for The Taiji School (Auckland)

A student with Patrick Kelly since 1982 and instructor at Patrick's Auckland school since 1992, Mark has spent most of his teaching time at the St Benedicts St school, taking beginners, intermediate and advanced classes. 

He finds a deep attraction to the art and strongly appreciates the systematic, structured approach to the Taiji path. 

Onehunga 2023

Our latest beginners classes started on Monday 21st August. Please contact us for more details. Please attend two classes per week to give the best chance at reasonable progress.

• Weekday classes | Mondays & Wednesdays | 6:30pm-8.00pm

• Cost | $120 per month for 2-3 classes per week (no increase in price between 2 & 3 classes)

• Location | Room 5, Onehunga Community House, 83 Selwyn Street, Onehunga (free parking onsite)

Contact info

• Email | TheTaijiSchoolAuckland@gmail.com

• FB | www.facebook.com/TheTaijiSchool  

• Instagram | TheTaijiSchoolAuckland

Additional information

• None at this stage

• Usually people describe the benefits of Taiji as revolving around more robust health - G.M. Zheng Manqing was sickly as a child (he'd improve with Taiji practice, but deteriorate again as he stopped the practice), and suffered lung issues until he committed to maintaining his Taiji practice. As they get older, many students start to notice their non Taiji peers suffering illness or accidents that don't befall them. Often people practising Tajji long-term are assumed to be younger that their actual age. M. Huang would say that we are all in a slow march to our deaths, but Taiji allows us to move further back in the line.

• Traditionally Taiji is described as being very supportive of the body's circulation. This can be carried further as the gentle movement and rhythmic wave of pressure and movement through the body are ideal also for the stimulation of the (passive) lymphatic system.

• Health benefits of Taiji are gained by its gentle movement, deep breathing and quiet concentration of the mind. People commonly attest to an increasing clarity of mind, and a fuller more continuous sense of awareness and connection to the present.

• Long term practice also brings with it a balance and perspective to the challenges of life. 

• For many of us whose interest lies in the deeper aspects of the art. This is the inner evolution of the practitioner, the health benefits are a happy by-product of good practice. 

Two classes per week 

• Two classes per week is the basic requirement to join classes. Experience has shown this to be the minimum required to make progress/integrate the teachings into your everyday life. Unless you can commit to this, it's best not to start until you can give the practice the attention that progress requires. 

Clothing 

• There is no special requirement. Generally loose fitting clothes are more comfortable than tight clothing.

• Non-marking footwear is important for the venue, and flat footwear that allows the ankle joints to operate naturally is recommended.

Watch a class

• Usually a prospective student is asked to watch a class before joining, but as there is no existing class, we'll get right into it. 

• If the class is already running, please sit in on one to see what the class is about before committing to it. 

Fees 

• Fees are paid directly on a monthly basis, there is no cash handling facility at the class. There is no extra charge for a third class in the same week. 

• Payment will need to be by bank transfer. 

• The structure evolves over the initial few weeks.

• The first few classes introduce the five loosening exercises and begin learning the Tajji short form. At about 4 weeks, two person 'pushing' or 'sticky hands'  is introduced. Meditation is added soon after.

• As the class progresses beyond the first month, it settles into a regular routine of

  • warm ups

  • form practice

  • two person practice; and 

  • is completed with meditation.

• As intermediate classes are added (typically after one year of practice), the Taiji long form and further pushing hands exercise are given. As students reach their third year, Taiji quickfist, moving or stepping push hands, and further meditation is included as needed.

• In terms of choreography, these three forms are enough to reach an extremely refined TaiJi practice. 

• It's an unfortunate but not uncommon mistake to just learn more and more forms, this doesn't lead to good depth in any form.

Much of the Taiji on offer in recent times places large emphasis on the flowing movements of the body. Sometimes this is ok for the health of the body, but not for the inner aspects touched on above. 

The Taiji of Patrick Kelly differs from nearly all other Taiji available, in that the motive and aim is to foster the student's inner evolution (inner growth). Rather than forcing the teaching into more intangible, faith-based ideas of practice, it requires the very opposite: that we create a very stable and accurate base to the practice, so the Taiji can be refined over the further years of practice. 

To facilitate this, we teach using these four main practices:

1. The set of five loosening exercises as developed by Master Huang

   • • Each of the set of five exercise is designed to more readily correct the most common errors that the Master saw in his thousands of students. Being more repetitive than the Taiji form, they provide many opportunities per minute to investigate and change aspects of the movement 

     • The main aim of the warm up loosening 'exercises' is to change and refine the larger external movements, progressing through to smaller internal movements

2. The Taiji forms, being the 'short form' as developed by Zheng Manqing, the 'long form' credited to Yang Chen-Fu, and 'quick fist' (a White Crane form as passed on by Master Huang)

   • • These forms are the structure with which we refine our conscious body movement. We aim to discover and align our effort with the body's own intelligence. Going against the body's natural intelligence creates injury, or worse longer term health challenges. This alone is a good reason to question those who would teach you any kind of body work, checking their 'knowledge' is genuine and sound

     • The main aim of the form is to train and refine the pressure or forces produced though the body

3. Two person pushing hands (to take our awareness and sensitivity beyond our own body/mind/energy system)

   • • Many schools use pushing hands in a combative or competitive way, but this offers no real opportunity to refine the proactive, instead reinforcing the gross patterns of movement and response the student already possesses. Instead it is better used to seek the subtle aspects a student is uncovering in their own movement, and seek the same in the partner. We blend with and pay deep attention to the partner, always opening the way for a more subtle connection and experience

     • The main aim of the two person push hands is to train and refine levels of connection

4. Meditation

   • • We introduce guided meditation, initially as a standing meditation, then later as a seated (still guided) exercise

     • The Taiji practice builds and refines the body's energy creating a beneficial condition for meditation. While ideal conditions are not necessary, the resultant refined energy and depth of mind is of use in the meditation. 

     • We use meditation to grow the connection to our deeper selves beyond the body

• There are different English spellings for the same art. 

• Taiji is the modern Romanised spelling (ie: The "Hanyu Pinyin" system), while Taichi/Tai Chi/T'ai Chi are the traditional spelling (Wade-Giles system).

• The Pinyin system was developed in the 1950s based on earlier forms of romanization. It was published by the Chinese government in 1958. The International Organization for Standardization adopted Pinyin as the international standard in 1982. 

• Older generations of Chinese martial artists, who went abroad before the Pinyin system was used in mainland China, may still use Taichi/Tai Chi/T'ai Chi. They refer to the same 'inner' martial art.

Anyone who seeks a deeper knowledge of themselves will find benefit from Taiji.

What age is Taiji suitable for?

• Taiji practice is suitable for people of all ages and requires no particular standard of fitness. Each student starts with their own tensions and restrictions, bestowed by their life lived so far. Naturally the younger you are when you find Taiji, the better - Taiji learning pace is generally slow but steady. Leaving it till later in life to learn deprives you of its benefits in earlier life when it can have the most effect, as well as minimising the years available to truly deepen the practice.

• Generally, experience shows that few have the maturity to appreciate and persevere with the training as teenagers. Conversely as people get older, their capacity to be open to change can diminish, and inside they fight the very training that supports them.

• There is no upper age limit - as long as you are able to stand and complete the form, you are welcome.

How fit do you need to be to begin Taiji?

• There is no minimum level of fitness. Patrick gave us the example some years ago of a student he met in the early trips visiting the Master - when this person first started training, he needed help climbing the stairs to the practice studio, he was unable to ascend them on his own. By the time Patrick met him, he was one of the better students at the Master's classes. While not having much strength or fitness, he had a strong motive and perseverance to practice. 

• Regardless of where you start, twice-weekly classes will improve your strength and fitness over time.

Do i need good coordination to be good at Taiji?

• Most people would expect natural ability to help greatly in learning Taiji. But really it's of no importance. Other qualities such as perseverance, an openness to follow the guidance and the ability to intelligently asses the results for yourself, are of far greater benefit. Many students with 'natural ability' struggle at a certain point and stop all progress, dropping out soon after.

• Like society, Taiji evolves externally* - this may be through the advancements of a practitioner with deep understanding of the art and good connection to its source (Taiji adepts such as  Huang Xiangxian, Zheng Manqing,Yang Cheng-Fu). Or, at the other end of the scale, we see new styles or forms introduced by people with very little depth.  

• The major branches of Taiji all have these forces at play over their history and development - be they Cheng style, Yang style, Sun or another style. Now, after hundreds of years, we have many diverse teachers, with varying degrees of connection to the true art. 

• As you may expect, there is no best style or branch of Taiji. All Taiji has within it, the origins and connection to true Taiji. Internally the principles are the same, externally expressed differently. As my teacher says: "We follow my teacher's advice: "Go back to the first principles before the styles diverged."" (credit: https://taijiauckland.nz/)

• For a beginner looking for Taiji some points to consider of schools/teachers:

• Do they claim to practise the best or 'original' style? It could mean their understanding is shallow

• Can they show a continuity of achieved teachers  (lineage)? If not, it's possible their teacher may not have learned the deeper aspects of the art, and so did not pass these on

•  What is their motivation to teach? Teaching to create income, recognition, status or admiration, all speak to a poor motive. Their resulting practice may not be very refined with such motivation 

• And lastly, whatever the initial motive for seeking and practising Taiji, it can be refined. For example, the initial motive may be mostly for health or wellbeing, then after some time, this may change to a deeper motive such as seeking deeper understanding in the art

• *Taiji must "evolve externally or die internally" - Patrick Kelly. Just copying earlier teachings will dilute it, there must be the associated experiential understanding . It must evolve externally in order to nurture its internal aspect. The Master said that Taiji is like growing flowers in your window box - If you just take my flowers (copy what I do), very soon you will have nothing growing in your window. You must grow them yourself (uncover your own real understanding by intelligently processing the learning experience).

• Some who start Taiji earlier in life are still in the habit of learning, while for others it can be some time since they learned anything new. Each brings its own challenge.

• For some the challenge is in part due to the 'skill' of changing a habit of movement that has been unused or unchanged for some time - maybe it was last stimulated when learning to drive, or type. For others, learning is an intellectual effort and translates with difficulty into physical learning. Even having some natural ability in Taiji can present its own challenge, though less obvious to those observing a fellow classmate in this position. 

• No matter your starting point, the practice should challenge you, be it gently or more strongly*. You can expect the pace of learning the form to be challenging, the effort required to correct the accuracy of form postures or warm ups taking effort. 

• The teaching intentionally produces this practice environment, for it is the effort to perform these difficult things that brings about results. For example, the ability to hold another person's complete 'argument' on a discussion topic, rather than just be mindful of one or two concepts as a result of their conversation - this ability will not evolve without training the mind. In Taiji we train the body, but in doing so, we train the mind. The body then becomes our tool for training the mind.

• It is not just learning the choreography of Taiji that brings benefit (as if the postures have some secret elixir embodied in them). The key is in how they are performed. To continuously refine and be open to changing how we move, and finding the effort to do this, all require perseverance and commitment.  It's said perseverance is more important than natural ability in Taiji, 

• Once begun in earnest, Taiji should be considered a lifetime practice.

* Please do engage your teacher if you notice you are being challenged by the practice and don't see a way through it, or just need more help. This is when the instructor's (or an older student's) experience is useful. Be it physical, mental or emotional there is a good chance they have encountered a similar obstacle in their own practice. In the case of the Patrick Kelly students in Auckland, collectively we would have the relevant experience to help.

• Check out this page for more information about the teachers committed to growing Taiji throughout Auckland. 

• They are all students of Patrick Kelly for many years. 

• They have walked this path through their own human limitations, and are committed to a lifetime of continuous exploration of growth through the practice and refinement of Taiji.

• Beginners classes will restart early 2024 - for details go to "The TaiJi School | Onehunga" page.

• Contact Mark from The Taiji School for Taiji at Onehunga (as above)