My daughter participated in a Girl Scout program that Eastern Ways hosted and facilitated. To say…read morethat the staff was amazing, professional, and kind is a dramatic understatement. The atmosphere was amazing with positivity and empowerment radiating from the staff. The girls all had an life changing experience gaining awareness of safe choices to make and how to respond in unsafe circumstances. I can not recommend this program, and likewise, their martial arts program enough.

Here tonight for a Girl Scout event and it's been amazing. Best event we've done so far. Teaching…read moreself defense and empowering them to fight like a girl!! The leader does a terrific job with them and she created an informational, fun, important program.

Recently I started going to Anatoly's Sunday classes and they are great. He has a deep knowledge…read moreof yoga and anatomy, so his sequences are thoughtful and new each time. He gives individual correction/assistance in a gentle and kind way. His classes are deliberate in pace and will use some muscle and stretch, but are not super athletic. A lovely way to start Sunday, recommended to all levels. As in all yoga classes of course you decide for yourself how deeply to enter each pose.

Exploring the local Carmichael and Fair Oaks area I was looking for new students deals and came…read moreacross this quaint little studio. Teachers are great and connected with students, clean and nice facility and good blending of classes. I'm really enjoying this local studio!

Sifu Craig T is a hidden gem in Sacramento. The guy lives and breathes Tai Chi. He can tell you…read moreabout the major Tai Chi teachers and their contributions to the field, or explain esoteric terms like the Bubbling Well in simple terms. Personal experience informs his teaching. What I appreciate most about him though is his commitment to raising his students' skill level. Not every skilled Tai Chi practitioner can train their students to a high level, because their teaching skills may not be good enough. I studied several years with William Chen, a Grandmaster of Chen Man Ching's lineage and a remarkable teacher. I can vouch for the high quality of Craig's instruction.

The instructor, Craig Townsend, is knowledgeable, approachable, and friendly. Class is well paced…read more I especially like the adherence to tai chi principles and how forms instruction is presented along with push hands and application. Craig is always willing to take questions and provide in depth answers and advice.

I have been taking the Tai Chi class here for one month now. I couldn't be happier with it. I…read morewanted a class that not only taught me a tai chi form but also taught the reasoning behind the movements and their application in fighting and defending. This is that class and more. in the one month that I have been coming to class, we have covered form, movement, pressure points, meridians, and offensive and defensive uses of the movements. Suffice it to say, my mind is blown each week, and I am loving it!

After studying Martial Arts for 16 years in both External and Internal styles, I found my self…read morestruggling to find a teacher that had great knowledge of both . I found great teachers of Qigong and Tai Chi and great reality based JKD teachers but neither had both incorporated in the style. Knowledge of the TCM meridians, Tai Chi Chaun fighting and forms as well as Qigong is exactly what Sifu Yeung has to offer. He is by far a treasured Master that the Vacaville community should be proud and Honored to have!!! If you need Health and Wisdom then you must seek out classes with this great teacher.

My wife and I are both enjoying ourselves. We decided to take Tai Chi as a way to keep active…read more The instructor (Evi) is friendly and supportive. She make sure that the students are have a good time and learning at their own pace. Sifu Amin Wu drops in sometime to see how the students have progressed. Sifu Amin Wu is amazing in her own right. She has many awards.

Beautiful person. I had my birthday party there and invited 6 friends. She went out of her way to…read moretake Sunday which is her family day to teach us. Seh also wrote me a personal Happy Birthday card and had it hand decorated by one of her daughters and she hung a big birthday balloon banner in the studio for me. She treats me better than my own family! Taichi has a diagnostic phase; different than yoga. During the warmup phase the movement drills she teaches you allows you to diagnose where in the body you have less strength and flexibility. You can also detect loss of symmetry in balance. Very different than other forms of exercise. She also teaches you how to work on specific problem areas related to today's lifestyle like upper shoulders and lower back. These progressions are very different than traditional western based cardio and weight lifting exercise. Can develop a monitoring of your own body ad correlate it with the amount you sleep to tune your health levels. I can't get that by doing more miles on the treadmill. Very unique and talented individual. One in a million. She has world class talent; taught live in Chinese TV to millions of people and was practicing since 4. If you grew up in China you have seen he on TV. Incredible person. Polar opposite of the male powerful western martial arts instructor. Can't believe someone like this exists, very rare. Excellent teacher. Never met someone with this much range; able to customize to different groups so effortlessly. Her bio shows 20+ years of teaching experience and it shows in the sessions. She gave us 2 separate demos. Looks like what you see in the martial arts movies. When she throws a punch, the transition from standstill to fast motion punch is breathtaking. Can't replicate that on movies. They add sound effects which isn't the same as experiencing it in real life. The physical displacement and pace of the movement is not something most people can replicate, looks different when she does it. Definitely a special person. Worth the in person visit. From the awards she has won she is as famous in taichi as is Steph Curry in basketball. Very interesting. Not just the physical talent which makes a champion. Also maturity, mental toughness, and being a better person are all tools which are needed to be the best in the world. Many similarities to what Steph is like today. She is a world champion in what teaches and has won many competitions https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%90%B4%E9%98%BF%E6%95%8F/4753116 Incredible!!!

I have studied with this wonderful group for 3 years now…read more There is nothing but praise that comes to my mind: The teachers are very good, patient and always there, rain or shine. The location is gorgeous, right on the lake, with loads of birds watching us. And it is free! The first class on Saturdays and Sundays at 8:30 am starts with wonderful Chi Gong breathing, stretching and meditation. Followed by the whole group doing the whole set, best they can, depending on their knowing the set. At 9:30 the group breaks up into 3 groups: Groups 1,2 and 3. For group one, you learn the first 19 moves, etc.

Have you ever wanted to go lawn-bowling without a lawn? Have you ever wanted to do something…read moreFrench without having to speak French, be rude, or eat something you normally wouldn't touch? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then pétanque is the game for you. What is pétanque? It's like lawn-bowling, but it's played on a more gravelly surface. My brother's Dutch girlfriend and her parents introduced me to it a few years ago, and then my brother figured out that Golden Gate Park has its very own pétanque courts. I couldn't get an exact location for Yelp, but if you're driving south on 36th Avenue from the Richmond District, turn right as soon as you can after entering the park (right next to Spreckels Lake). Follow this road until it dead-ends, and then turn left into the little parking lot. The pétanque courts are on the left. To play, you'll need your very own pétanque set. I don't know where you can find one, but they're pretty cool. A set comprises two or four pairs of steel balls (each pair has its own pattern etched into it so that you can tell the pairs apart), a little starter stone that has a cool French name, a measuring device, and--if you're lucky--a string with a magnet on the end so that you don't have to lean down to pick up your pétanque balls. The courts themselves aren't in the best shape, but it's really neat that there are so many of them. (I believe there are twelve total, but there may be more.) I've never seen more than three groups of people playing at one time, but it's fun to imagine the place jam-packed with people originally from the South of France. There's a kind of amateur group that you'll see playing here regularly, and they're pretty good. Then there's this absolutely amazing group filled with mostly older guys. But the star player is some young guy who never misses. Ever. And his ball never hits the ground before it knocks out the target ball. Two odd quirks about this place are the really old, cheap trophy and the cordless phone, both of which are glued (for some reason) to a bulletin board. The phone is green, and I thought it had moss growing on it, but it might be painted green. In any case, pétanque is fun, and you should play it.

I had come across Tai Chi and its benefits many times. In my mindfulness class meditation we…read morepracticed Qigong. I had kept Tai Chi in the back of my head for many months. Eventually, I decided to take classes to learn the art and form of Tai Chi and achieve some of its benefits. I started taking classes at Tai Chi Chuan in Berkeley with Andreas Asmus over four months ago. I fell in love with Tai Chi almost immediately. It was like meditation in motion. The graceful and effortless movements (not mine, but Andreas') opened up a new challenge for me. After taking Andreas' class for over four months, I can feel and see the benefits in my life: - My awareness has improved - Anxiety is "relaxing" - My body is getting stronger - Tai Chi has complemented and enhanced my mindfulness meditation - I feel sharper and smarter - After practicing Tai Chi, I get a "Runner's high". I am an ex-marathon runner, and I feel that sudden euphoric feeling that I experienced during my long runs. Tai Chi makes me happy. Andreas is an exceptional teacher. His dedication to his students and humble demeanor makes you feel very comfortable, even when you turn right instead of left or you move your right hand instead of your left foot. He does not rush through his class and spends the time to teach each student in a very personal and professional way. I highly recommend Andreas. I actually, I urge every reader to give Tai Chi and Andreas a chance. For those that are looking to shed stress and acquire awareness, peace and happiness, Tai Chi is the way to go.

I wanted to share my experience taking classes with Andreas, who is the instructor for Yang Style…read moreTai Chi Chuan in Berkeley. I've been taking classes with him for a little over a year now and plan to continue doing so. My original intent was to find a martial art which aligned both the 'inner' and 'outer,' so to speak. I had some previous experience with other martial arts, but this time I was seeking an art form that didn't just focus on self-defense or simply repeating move sets to achieve the next colored belt. I was looking for a genuine form which had a meditative aspect while simultaneously teaching the martial art. My experience in taking Tai Chi with Andreas has been exactly that. Andreas is a kind and patient man who displays a deep understanding of the art form. He does not rush on getting through the movements quickly, but rather repeats them as necessary until all of the intricacies of each form are learned. Students are encouraged to turn the mind 'off' and to 'listen' as each movement is carried out, returning awareness to the present. I know the classes are working for me because of how I feel after each class; centered, clear and calm. Classes are an hour long, and offered on a couple evenings during the week. The studio he teaches at is in Berkeley near San Pablo and Dwight. The class sizes are small, which is great because it gives everyone a chance to have the individual attention necessary for improving their form. I would recommend this class to anyone who is looking for an 'internal' art form, which has been proven to provide health benefits both physically and mentally.