Shaolin Temple Quanfa Institute
S.T.Q.I. Downtown Toronto School


Explore Shaolin Tai Chi

Shaolin Tai Chi
Shaolin Tai Chi [少林太极 - Shàolín Tàijí] is the most robust expression of human energy for physical and mental health.

Shaolin Tai Chi Class Introduction

Student Testimonial by Steve S.
The live online are very similar to in-person classes. Shifu Dao will show you how you can easily do all the same drills and forms in a small space. In some ways it is even better online. You can do the classes from the comfort of your own home. Shifu Dao teaches all the classes himself, and you can watch your own techniques and forms in your video feed to see how well you are doing.

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Shaolin Tai Chi Index

We have many Shaolin classes for adults and children! Explore them on this page to find out which ones are for you! You can click on a link below to jump to it.

Shaolin Tai Chi Classes
Shaolin Tai Chi Foundation Class
Shaolin Tai Chi Forms Class
Shaolin Tai Chi Resources
What is Shaolin Tai Chi?
The Origin of Shaolin Tai Chi
Tai Chi vs Taiji vs Chi Kung vs Qigong
Shaolin Tai Chi Blogs and Videos

Shaolin Tai Chi Classes

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Shaolin Tai Chi Foundation Class

Shaolin Tai Chi Foundation is about training fundamentals of relaxing, awareness, and qi flow, along with gentle and soft self defence techniques.

It will also help you improve your flexibility, coordination, fitness, energy, and overall health.

A typical class includes warm up drills, stretching, gentle stance training, cloud hands exercises, gentle foundation kicks, and relaxed self-defence application exercises.

The second half of class include drills for relaxed self-defence application and taolu forms.

This class is designed to make you feel your body flow with movement and lightly work on your cardiovascular endurance. The less muscles you use, the more you breathe, and the more relaxed your are, the higher your level.

You will learn and practice the taolu form called Eight Stance Gentle Fist Bābùróuquán 八步柔拳.

Target Age: Adults 16+ years old, Seniors

Prequisites: None

Shaolin Tai Chi Taolu Forms Class

This class is application-oriented and will include safe sparring drills and techniques, and advanced taolu forms and weaponry.

Some of the sparring exercises including Vertical-Rod (for managing your posture), Sticky Hands (for integrating external forces), and Cloud Hands sparring (for simulated defence against various strikes).

This class also features the art of Qinna (seizing and grappling) as it relates to the Shaolin Tai Chi style.

You will learn and practice more advanced hand forms such as Cloud Hands Fist Yúnquán 云拳, and Gentle Fist Róuquán 柔拳, as well as weapon forms, such as the Gentle Yinshougun Staff, broadsword, and sword.

Target Age: Adults 16+ years old, Seniors

Prequisites: Shaolin Tai Chi Foundation

Shaolin Tai Chi Resources

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What is Shaolin Tai Chi?

Shaolin Tai Chi is the practice of breath, qigong, and gentle martial movements to improve overall health.

Often we are not even aware of our breathing! It happens automatically throughout the day, at work or school, and when we're sleeping. If we observe our natural breathing, we find it is not optimal. Thus by practicing controlled and full breaths, and by developing new breathing techniques, we can bring in more oxygen into our bodies and have more energy.

The practice of the breath belongs to the the domain of qigong. When we use qigong in Shaolin Tai Chi, we also bring in the many benefits of relaxation and stress-relief.

By using gentle martial movements, we learn and practice interesting movements that could be used in self-defence (you need to learn how to move quickly but relaxed in order to be effective).

It is the combination of all these components that make Shaolin Tai Chi so compelling, enabling enhanced cirulatory systems and thematic exercises to heal and nourish the body and mind in different ways.

And hence the phrase "Let your breath flow with your body, mind, and spirit!".

The Origin of Shaolin Tai Chi

Shaolin Tai Chi was conceived by Master Dao in 2014. At that time, he wanted to offer Shaolin martial classes that anyone could do, including the elderly and people with mobility issues and even disabilities. He asked his master, Shifu Guo Song, for advice and his master taught him a special form called Shaolin Gentle Fist (Rou Quan).

Shaolin Gentle Fist is an ancient form that is over 500 years old, which means it predates all other Tai Chi styles today.

Chen Style Tai Chi is around 400 years old and widely known to be the oldest form of Tai Chi and predecessor of many other styles such as Yang and Wu. Could it have evolved from Shaolin's Gentle Fist? There are striking resemblences in many of the movements and stances but there is no way to know for certain.

Master Dao opened a new class called Shaolin Gentle Kung Fu which centered the program around the Shaolin Gentle Fist form. It involves many elements, techniques, and philosophies that can be found in other Tai Chi styles. Some examples of commonality are "Cloud Hands", "Silk Reeling", "Yin Yang", "Softness vs Hardness", "Grounding", and "Striking Methods". Eventually this class was renamed to Shaolin Tai Chi to better reflect the nature of the art form and to make it easier to understand.

Tai Chi vs Taiji vs Chi Kung and Qigong

The Wade-Giles phoenetic system was developed in the mid 19th century to help native English people to learn Chinese. The system is has many flaws and did not accurately reflect the pronunciation of Chinese words. As a result, the Pinyin system was created to overcome this and is now the standard.

Many words we now accept in our English vocabulary today are based on the Wade-Giles system. For example, Tai Chi, Chi Kung, and Kung Fu. In Pinyin, this should be "Tàijí (太極)", "Qìgōng (氣功)", and "Gōngfu (功夫)".

Upon closer inspection of the Chinese Characters, you would discover that the 'Chi' in Tai Chi is a completely different word and meaning of the 'Chi' in 'Chi Kung'.

As a result of this, many people think they are practicing Qigong when they are doing Tai Chi when in fact they are not. Some styles of Tai Chi include specific breathing so you could say that there is at least basic qigong incorporated.

To further the confusion, many Tai Chi styles we see today involve a group of people (usually elderly) moving slowly together for exercise. This is an adaptation of the martial form called Taiji. It is much more difficult to learn and practice (and to find a proper instructor!) because it requires specific teachings on how to move quickly, spar, and apply many Taiji philosophies.

Blogs and Videos

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Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2021
Master Dao Talks About How to Boost Vitality on theZoomer Description from visiontv.ca website: Exercise is not just for the young, healthy or already fit; it is one of the best defences against the toughest aspects of aging. On this edition of theZoomer, Marissa Lennox hosts ONETV Fitness Stars and an expert in diet & nutrition to discuss how to get back on track and demonstrate fitness tips. Our guests: Anjelica Scannura, host of Anjelica’s 22 Minute Workout, Anjelica’s Dance ... [more]
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Posted on Monday, May 24, 2021
Master Dao Talks About How Shaolin Tai Chi Benefits the Mind and Body on CHIN Radio AM1540 | 91.9FM Listen to the interview: Your browser does not support the audio element. Listen to Master Dao explain just why Shaolin Tai Chi is so great for the mind and body. He talks about how Shaolin Tai Chi compares with other forms of Tai Chi, how Shaolin Tai Chi is easier to learn, and how it is thematic and applies to different aspects of health. Master Da... [more]
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Posted on Monday, May 24, 2021
Master Dao Talks About Importance of Shaolin Tai Chi for Health on Zoomer Radio AM740 | 96.7FM Listen to the interview: Your browser does not support the audio element. Listen to Master Dao talk about why the new Shaolin Tai Show on OneTV (Get Fit) is important for mental and physical health, how it is easy to get into and learn, and how he got into the Shaolin arts many years ago.... [more]
Posted on Friday, May 14, 2021
Master Dao Teaches Shaolin Tai Chi on OneTV's New Television Program We're excited to announce that a new television program for learning Shaolin Tai Chi will be premiering this Monday on OneTV (One Get Fit TV). The show features Master Dao and his students who guide you through relaxed and flowy movements that anyone can do. Learn how to breathe better, engage your core, and heal faster. The station can be added or found in many packages on all major Canadian TV cable companies. ... [more]
Posted on Saturday, February 13, 2021
Learn How to Celebrate Chinese New Year with Good Health and a Special Shaolin Tai Chi Gentle Fist Demonstration by Master Dao Chinese New Year is an important time for Chinese people. We get together and celebrate with family and friends, and wish each other health and happiness. But what are people actually doing about their health? In this video, Master Dao offers some insights into what health means in the hopes that people will become more aware of their health goals now and in the lon... [more]
Posted on Wednesday, December 16, 2020
ZNews Highlighting Shaolin Tai Chi Shaolin Tai Chi is also known as Shaolin Gentle Fist. It's been around since the 1500s and that's over 500 years! It's not well known like Chen Style Tai Chi so it was great to have Zoomer News cover our class and educate the public. Here we are having some fun demonstrating some of the self-defence techniques learned. For many students, Shaolin Tai Chi is really about a healing art with slow graceful movements that emphasize flexibility and core strength.... [more]
Posted on Monday, December 16, 2019
Shaolin Tai Chi Rou Quan Performance by Students at the Chinatown Festival 2019 Our students perform an ancient traditional Shaolin taolu form called Rou Quan, or Gentle Fist. It's part of our Shaolin Tai Chi program (Shaolin Gentle Fist style) and a much more advanced form. It takes easily a year to learn the whole form, and that's just to get it to a basic level! Normally you learn this form after learn a couple of easier and shorter forms. This way you build up your foundation and techni... [more]
Posted on Monday, December 16, 2019
Shaolin Tai Chi Yun Quan Performed by Master Dao Master Dao takes the opportunity to demonstrate a rare style of traditional Shaolin which we call Shaolin Tai Chi. It's more formally known as Shaolin Gentle Fist style. Here Master Dao performs Yun Quan, a Shaolin Tai Chi form that he created himself. It celebrates that soft and fluid nature of the cloud hands techniques and the ability of this style to accumulate qi and then use it to explode forcefully and powerfully. This was demo... [more]
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