Welcome to the Tree of Life Tai Chi Center

Overview

The Eight Active Ingredients of Tai Chi is a three-year program featuring 87.5 contact hours spread over five 17.5-hour weekend modules (each module offered annually).

It is a thoughtfully designed program that centers on traditional, easy-to-learn individual tai chi and qigong movements, which allow students to quickly access and benefit from inherent, deeper therapeutic principles. The format of the program parallels protocols effectively employed in dozens of medical research studies of tai chi.

Key features of our program that distinguish it from other tai chi teacher training programs include:

Emphasis on core tai chi principles, a.k.a. the Eight Active Ingredients of Tai Chi, as outlined in Dr. Peter Wayne's book, The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi. Focus on these essential qualities, versus complex choreographies, helps trainees understand and experience the deeper principles of tai chi in an extremely accessible way, and provides a clear framework for teaching others.
Learning how to teach. Explicit instruction in the art and practice of teaching -- including how to plan individual classes or entire programs; the importance of language, imagery and metaphor; and the integration of scientific research into curricula -- is integrally woven into each of our four training modules.
The length. Unlike many other tai chi teacher training programs which award certificates in relatively short periods of time, our required three-year period of training allows time for trainees to absorb and embody the Eight Active Ingredients of Tai Chi, while also developing their teaching skills. This prepares our graduates to be confident, knowledgeable instructors capable of teaching diverse populations in a variety of settings.

Trainees are also exposed to foundational training in qigong, Push Hands, and meditation. Each weekend intensive module also features lectures on tai chi medical research and reading and discussions centered about the health benefits of tai chi.