Could not be more impressed! The first activity my 10 y/o son has stuck with (we've tried many he…read moredid not feel safe or comfortable with). The respect, cleanliness, discipline, and safety that is felt is truly special.

My son Jax has been taking lessons here for a few months and absolutely loves it. It's the first…read morething I've been able to get him into. He is seven years old. He looks forward to his classes, he enjoys them, and they wear him out. He even begged to go to an additional class this week on Saturday for Halloween. It's a great environment and the teachers are caring and encouraging. I'm really glad we found this place. Hope we can be a part of this for years to come.

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 have been practicing with the Taoist group since 2008. Tai Chi makes me feel good! It is a very…read moregentle exercise. Friendly people in the classes, too. Plenty of parking at our current practice location, the parish hall at Faith Lutheran Church on Arnold Drive.

Slow, forgiving tai chi. They have periodic beginner classes which most of the beginners take…read moreseveral times. It's not about the getting there, it's about the journey. Thoroughly enjoying the voyage.

Had my last day of the beginner class today that started in February 2017. Was better than I had…read moreever thought: Gentle movements, great eye-body coordination training, a lot of emphasis on balance and strain-free Tai Chi. The organization that supports each local branch such as the Oakland branch is the Taoist Tai Chi Society with an open-minded culture and the aim of bringing these structured soft and gentle movements to people of all ages and nearly all health conditions - Tai Chi is a meditative exercise for everybody who wants to relax the mind and gently exercise the body. Thanks to teachers with a soft and understanding approach to learners there is never any competition or exhaustion - Thank you to Shaina, Monyee, Joan and Hingman for wonderful three months of learning - and of course I will be part of the now starting continuation class.

This is a great Tai Chi form for improving balance and body flexibility. As a senior, I've had an…read moreextra benefit of improving my mental acuity and concentration. I've been attending for several years, and the instructors and classmates are a wonderful group. I encourage anyone looking for a tai chi class to visit the Yulupa location to give Taoist Tai Chi a try.

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 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.

It's a fun and welcoming place. I love the tai chi exercise, and it's helping to ease my arthritis…read morehip pain. And there are many flexible weekly classes available that you can attend as often as you like with a reasonable monthly donation.

This is one of 5 centers in the greater Bay Area. Good instruction, good people. I have been…read morepracticing at the Oakland center for a year and highly recommend checking out this tai chi practice