COLUMBIA TAI CHI CENTER

A word from Wesley Adams, Founder and Head Instructor of Columbia Tai Chi Center

If I told you that here at Columbia Tai Chi Center you could learn a beautiful, fun, relaxing, and enjoyable form of exercise and meditation for your mind, body, and spirit that can dramatically improve your life in absolutely every way—and even give you high-level martial arts skills for self-defense—would you be interested?

Take a moment and picture what you will be like once you develop the following qualities within yourself:

The reason I’m so sure that you can achieve such wonderful things for yourself by taking classes here at Columbia Tai Chi Center is that, over the years, I have seen literally hundreds of Tai Chi students achieve exactly these things!

At Columbia Tai Chi Center, you’ll cultivate balance within yourself and in your life

I know it might be hard to believe that by simply learning and practicing Tai Chi you can gain one of the most important and sought after things in life: Harmony of mind, body, and spirit for greater balance in life.

Perhaps you have taken yoga, meditation, or martial arts classes in the past and felt that, although they were good, they were somehow not exactly what you were looking for.

That’s how it was for me. I had taken various Yoga classes and courses, meditation classes and sessions, a few different types of martial arts, and even a whole year of Tai Chi classes. While I enjoyed and benefited from them all, none of them had the really deep impact on my life that I was looking for.

But then I got lucky and had the opportunity to study complete, authentic, traditional Tai Chi under Master Eric Sbarge—the founder of The Peaceful Dragon, the Carolina’s premier center for Martial Arts, Zen Meditation, Tai Chi, and Yoga in Charlotte NC. I had finally found what I was looking for.

In our day of celebrity Tai Chi videos and cardio-Tai Chi workouts, it’s hard to find authentic instruction in the complete, traditional art of Tai Chi the way it was meant to be taught–rooted in the Chinese philosophies of Zen and Tao and based on Tai Chi’s true principles. These philosophies and principles are the very heart of Tai Chi, and without them, you will most likely never really get the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits that people come to Tai Chi for in the first place.

We are lucky in our day and age that there are still at least a few places where you can find complete training in Tai Chi so that you can attain the full life-enriching benefits of the art. Columbia Tai Chi Center is one of the best Tai Chi training centers you could find—anywhere.

Classes at Columbia Tai Chi Center are a comprehensive training program if you want reduced stress, relaxation, abundant energy, a stronger immune system, mental and physical wellness, lower body fat, long life, spiritual awakening, self-defense, better physical stability and mobility, and a balanced lifestyle.

For those who want to learn Tai Chi as a martial art for self-defense, Columbia Tai Chi Center is truly a rare find

If you are interested in martial arts or self defense, whether it’s mixed martial arts or traditional martial arts like karate or kungfu, Tai Chi Chuan (Tajiquan) is considered one of the “graduate studies” in Chinese martial arts. True martial Tai Chi—which is rarely taught and hard to find these days—is highly respected by those who truly know and understand the martial arts at a high level.

Most of the students here are mainly focused on cultivating the mind, body, and spirit through Tai Chi training, and that’s great. However, many students here wish to develop a real ability to defend themselves. Finding a place where you can learn true Tai Chi combat skills is extremely rare.

Gorgeous routines, back flips, and fancy kicks may look good in movies or win competitions, but they have absolutely nothing to do with surviving a dangerous street attack. To survive, you need to know how, where, and when to strike back. Remember, every second you are in a fight you are in great danger! Fighting is a sport. Self-defense is the art of ending a fight very quickly—and going home alive!.

But, even more important than physical skill, getting home alive when confronted with a violent attack is a matter of mental training. Though I had wrestled in high school and studied various martial arts in college, I didn’t realize that I had not developed a realistic mindset for protecting myself when in real danger. That is, until I began training under Master Sbarge at The Peaceful Dragon.

I have been practicing and refining the skills that I learned from Master Sbarge for over 15 years, and I teach these skills to those students here at Columbia Tai Chi Center who are up to the mental and physical challenge of learning to defend themselves.

While there is no doubt that a modern mixed martial arts fighter can defend himself, even in fighting sports you are operating under a controlled situation with a certain set of rules. For an average person trying to learn practical self-defense, this isn’t ideal training. Street self-defense has no rules or rounds—it’s pure survival.

Mindset, skill, and physicality all count when your life is on the line, so if you pursue training in Tai Chi as a martial art here at Columbia Tai Chi Center, you’ll likely become the most confident, disciplined, and physically fit you’ve ever been in your life.

Columbia Tai Chi Center is successfully the first and only full-time, professional, dedicated center for Tai Chi, Zen Meditation, and Chi Kung (Qigong) in Columbia – for four main reasons:

1. We Teach Real, Complete, Traditional Tai Chi. You will be glad you chose Columbia’s most comprehensive center for traditional Tai Chi, Push Hands, Martial Applications, Zen Meditation, and Qigong (Chi Kung).
2. We Help You Attain Your Goals. Our first step is to understand your goals so that we can guide you into the ideal program to help you accomplish them. Students here have various goals ranging from general health and wellness to becoming high-level martial artists, and may take anywhere from a couple of classes per week to almost every day depending on the student’s level, goals, and schedule. Either way, we’ll find the right fit for you.
3. We Have an Inviting, Dedicated Facility. Atmosphere truly affects how much you enjoy and benefit from your Tai Chi training. While most Tai Chi classes are at public or non-dedicated facilities such as parks, senior centers, gyms, the YMCA, or karate dojos, we are the only center in Columbia with a beautiful facility dedicated solely to teaching complete, traditional Tai Chi–and one of the very few in the Carolinas.
4. We Are Lineage Certified and Professional. I have been a professional Tai Chi instructor for over 15 years—most of my adult life. I have had the good fortune to study in the direct lineage to some of the most respected masters alive today. I do not hire outside instructors—every instructor here has been carefully cultivated and personally trained by me.

You will find a second home here at Columbia Tai Chi Center

• In addition to getting to be around some of the nicest, most positive people you’ll ever meet, you’ll love our attractive 1,500-square-foot facility, which is in perfect harmony with the quality of our classes and is kept clean and well-maintained by our students.
• We are located near the heart of downtown Columbia—just minutes away from all parts of Columbia, West Columbia, and Lexington, with ample parking, restaurants and health food stores and other shops within walking distance.
• We have classes six days a week for your convenience at an inviting location. Our facilities include two tidy and well-equipped studios, two changing rooms, two restrooms, a lounge area to drink tea and get to know other students, and all of the essential training equipment that you need.
• And our students enjoy the fact that we are right down the street from Rosewood Market, a wonderful market & deli with many healthy vegan options.

So that you get the optimum benefit from your classes:

• Columbia Tai Chi Center’s student/teacher ratio is always under 1:10—which is ideal for the best balance of energy, fun, and personal attention.
• The atmosphere is kept enjoyable but disciplined, with lots of focus and hard work, but always a little smiling and laughter.
• All levels of students are accepted, but of course we go out of our way to make sure that beginners get off to a good start in this in this life-enriching and lifelong pursuit.
• We group students within class so that everyone is working with other students at their level, yet still getting the opportunity to get to know and benefit from the experience of the more advanced students. This arrangement is wonderful for meeting the needs of individual students and also building community.

And there’s more than just great Tai Chi classes!

On top of the fun, life-enriching programs, students at Columbia Tai Chi Center have other advantages:

• Informative quarterly newsletters
• 10-50% discounts on special classes and workshops by visiting masters and out-of-town events
• Monthly advanced Mastery roundtable discussion group
• A relaxing common area where it is easy to meet and socialize with fellow students

Live longer? Probably. Enjoy better quality of life? Definitely!

The programs here at Columbia Tai Chi Center are likely to lengthen your lifespan, but what really matters is how much more you will enjoy the time you have.

You never know what the future holds, so the real question is, “am I truly enjoying my life right now?” Columbia Tai Chi Center programs help you cultivate greater Mindfulness—the quality of being fully present in, content with, and grateful for each moment.

The longer we live, the more we come to realize how precious little time we have here on Earth, and we start to see how truly important it is to make the most of every single moment of our fleeting lives. There is an ancient Zen parable that helps us understand the proper attitude of mindfulness—being fully present in and grateful for every moment of life:

An old monk was walking along in the woods when he ran into a man-eating tiger. The monk ran as fast as he could, but lost his way and ended up at the edge of a sheer cliff. The tiger was close on his heels, so the old monk made the only choice he could—he jumped! Just before he jumped he saw a stout vine hanging from the cliff not far below and was just barely able to catch it as he fell past. He looked down and saw another tiger snarling below. Then, he watched as a small mouse skittered down the vine he was hanging from and started to gnaw it through a ways above him. As he looked around, he noticed a wild strawberry bush clinging to the cliff nearby. He smiled, reached out for a nice ripe wild strawberry, and exclaimed, “Ah, how delicious.”

The old monk’s predicament may make us laugh, or make us feel sad for him, but is it so different than our predicament right now? With the past gone and the future uncertain, shouldn’t we learn to treasure the one thing we have right now—the present? Tai Chi classes at Columbia Tai Chi Center help you cultivate a state of peaceful presence that leads to real enjoyment of this moment in life.

The benefits of quality Tai Chi classes may seem miraculous, but just look at the facts…

There is an overwhelming amount of current medical research that supports the ancient reputation that Tai Chi and Qigong (Chi Kung) have for greatly improving overall mental and physical wellness. Just read:

• “Tai chi reduces stress responses, lowering the incidence of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and general mood disturbance.” (Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 1989 Vol 33(2) 197-206)
• “70% of all doctor’s visits are due to stress.” (Stress Management & Relaxation Technology, 1997)
• “Research directly comparing the practice of martial arts with other physical activities suggests that martial arts training produces positive psychosocial changes that are greater in magnitude and diversity than those produced by many other physical activities.” (Brad Binder, Phd., 1999,2007)
• “Tai chi boosts the immune system.” (Prevention Magazine v.42 May 1990, p. 14-15)
• Like yoga, tai chi can “Slow the aging process…” (QiGong, The Art & Science of Chinese Energy Healing, Kenneth S. Cohen, Ballentine Books, NY, 1997)
• Authentic tai chi “Improves postural control, while stretching toning, and relaxing the body in a cumulative way that no other exercise can achieve.” (American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1992 Apr Vol 46 (4) 295-300)

While the depth and breadth of benefits that practicing Tai Chi offers may seem miraculous, no one practice can take care of all of your mental and physical health needs. Here at Columbia Tai Chi Center you will also learn how apply the principles of Tai Chi to your whole life to achieve a balanced, healthy lifestyle. This will help you understand how to make better life decisions in every area –from diet to relationships.

Do you just want to do a little Tai Chi, or do you want to really change your life for the better by learning complete, traditional Tai Chi?

I have been a professional Tai Chi teacher for most of my adult life at my teacher Master Eric Sbarge’s school, The Peaceful Dragon, in Charlotte NC.

I moved here from Charlotte to start a center where the people of Columbia could go to benefit as much from learning complete, authentic, traditional Tai Chi training as I have personally.

My goal from day one has been to teach and pass on the art of Tai Chi Chuan in its complete form so that there is a place people can go to get the full benefit of the art, and so that the complete art is passed on to the next generation.

New students here at Columbia Tai Chi Center frequently comment on how nice it is to be among such positive, helpful, dedicated students

In Chinese traditions, the other students at your school are your brothers and sisters in the art of Tai Chi. You can really feel that tradition is alive and well here at Columbia Tai Chi Center.

I know for a fact that you will be amongst positive, motivated students because I conduct every enrollment personally – and I only encourage people to join when I feel like they are in the right place for the right reasons.

Unlike most Tai Chi classes, we don’t accept “drop-in” students that breeze in for an occasional class: Every student who is enrolled here is serious about changing their life for the better through the lifelong study and practice of Tai Chi. I could easily have twice as many students as I do now, which would make the center more profitable, but I’ve learned over the years not to sign up everyone who walks in the door.

I encourage a cooperative and close knit community of students. You will be in the fellowship of motivating, helpful students working together for the benefit of all.

I don’t encourage competition or comparison. We have different shirt colors and traditional sashes so you can tell how long a student has been here and what program they are in, but as far as learning Tai Chi, each student goes at their own pace.

I’d love to meet you and give you a free class so that you can see if Tai Chi is what you’re looking for. You’ll learn a lot about Tai Chi and the very real benefits it provides. First we will chat for a bit about what you’re looking for so I can determine which of our programs can best help you achieve your goals. I will explain all of the features and benefits of our programs, and show you around our facilities and answer any questions you might have.

Due to the amount of interest in our classes, we are pre-screening all applicants before scheduling the Free Introductory Conference and Lesson. To apply for your Free Beginners Class, simply fill out the Application Form below. We can generally respond to online applications within 48 hours or less to confirm your reservation for your Free Beginners Class.

“Few things will improve your life as much as taking classes at Columbia Tai Chi Center.”

Bring a friend or family member

Over the years, I have noticed that one of the very best ways to get started is with someone. Any friend or family member that you think might be interested in coming with you to learn about Tai Chi is welcome; just make sure to have them sign up online so that we know how many people to expect.

I hope you enjoyed learning about Tai Chi and Columbia Tai Chi Center. I look forward to meeting you and letting you actually learn some Tai Chi so that you can truly appreciate the wonderful benefits it has to offer you!

Sincerely,

Wesley Adams
Director and Head Instructor
Columbia Tai Chi Center

P.S.—There are always a thousand reasons to put off the truly important things in life—but never any good reasons! If you honestly have other things more important than your health and happiness to attend to, then so be it. But, if you understand that your health and happiness are truly important, and that you can do the most good for those you care about in your life by staying healthy and happy, then don’t waste another day!