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.

Traditional Tai Chi taught by the best Shi-Fu. The REAL deal. When done correctly, the impact on…read moreone's health is amazing. It takes at least a year of hard work and frequent practice before you start seeing changes. Now after almost 2 years my back is stronger, my posture much improved, I feel more energetic, and overall feel YEARS younger! The more you put into your practice the more you get out of it. They are very attentive to the students and always thrive to teach the correct form, breathing, posture and movements, no shortcuts. Shi-Fu Wong is truly dedicated to teaching his art and helping all his students improve. Highly recommended.

From the owner: The Tai Chi Mantis Institute provides traditional Chinese Martial Arts instruction for students of…read moreall ages: Tai Chi Chuan and Qi Gong (Internal) as well as Praying Mantis Kung Fu (External). Traditional training principles are employed to deliver a balanced program that includes excellent physical and technically accurate training in movement and technique, as well as training of character traits such as Integrity, Generosity, Self-discipline, Respect and Humility. Training is individualized according to each student's development, capability and level of effort and students are continually assessed to better direct their training program. The Tai Chi Mantis Institute was established in 1974 by Sifu Wong Lam Ling who continues a long lineage of Chinese Martial arts instruction. The School is also a founding member of the US Chuk-Kai Tai Chi Praying Mantis Federation.

I want to say something about my teacher, whose name I know in English as Patty Li. I've been…read moretaking the Friday taiji class at the Berkeley YMCA for about a month and a half My name is Rick, and I have neuropathy in my hands and feet, but Patty who I met at the Y suggested that I come to the Friday Taiji class. I use a walker for balance, and sometimes need to lean against the wall so I don't just tumble over But Patty invited me and I came. Since I started the class I have noticed a marked improvement in my balance, my strength and my ability to focus my breath and my attention in my body Patty is an incredible teacher, a master of her arts, who has been doing martial arts, since she was a child in Beijing. I didn't know any of this when she invited me to class. Most people when they see me and my walker write me off as being unable to do things, but Patty didn't see any of that, she just saw another human being with a willingness to learn, I think she's incredibly perceptive person. So I started coming to the class and have only missed once in about two months I've been going to the Y every other day for swimming and some weight training, but Friday has become my favorite day I do the taiji class at 10 AM, and then I follow it up with a swim It was very clear to me from the beginning that Patty is an incredibly disciplined person, but what I really love about her, is her grace, and the humor with which she teaches... in other words she makes it really fun. Regardless of different peoples capability in class, she works with each of us so that we can become stronger, more balanced, and more able to practice this beautiful moving meditative art form She is a treasure, and I am blessed to have her as my teacher, and the YMCA is blessed to have her as part of this community 老师，谢谢 Thank you teacher

Are you a parent looking to encourage your kids (especially Chinese-American kids) to start martial…read morearts? Have cash to spare? Great! Are you an adult who learned some wushu as a child, fell out of practice through your teens, and want to pick it back up as an adult? Try a drop-in class for $35, and then see if you want to continue here. In my case, after two classes, I found another school to practice with. I hesitated leaving a poor review because why bother with all these 5 star reviews stacked against me? But I remember why I use Yelp: to consult legit reviews before I spend money on any establishment. Hence, I feel the need to pen this review, especially if there are fellow adults considering wushu here. That one review that says Wushu West takes adults seriously and caters to them too? Maybe that used to be the case, but from my experience, not anymore. Flashback time! My brother and I were wee elementary students enrolled in Wushu West. I remember enjoying the class. For unknown reasons, my parents stopped enrolling us. However, that experience (along with kung fu class in Chinese school) built the foundations of kung fu stances, kicks, and flexibility that I have carried on to this day. My biggest regret was that I never advanced far enough to work with weapons. Fast-forward to present day. I am a young professional who can do pullups & deadlifts. For several years, I kept eyeing Wushu West through the internet, promising myself I'd go back. Stars aligned, and I made my first visit back with a drop-in class. The class was filled with kids younger than me. Where were the adult students that were said to be attending this class too? For a good half hour, Shifu Patti (mind you, I'm only calling her Shifu out of respect) lead the class through warmups, which frankly feel like a huge waste of time, something that should be done before class starts. It's just jogging, jumping jacks, some kicks, and LOTS of stretching and counting in Chinese. I'm here to learn, not to do warmups that I can do by myself. Even when you're doing wushu exercises (various kicks, spins, stances, etc), Shifu doesn't lead them. It's her kid students leading the exercises. They go so fast, I can't keep up with forms and sequences I'm supposed to maintain and follow, so I flounder along while watching with a mix of admiration for the kids, and frustration that I can't keep up nor am I taught properly on how to keep up. Yes, the cool student leader will stop and walk through it with you a few times at most, but then it's on to the next cool move...that I can't keep up with. Meanwhile, Shifu sits on the sidelines. I came back one more time to see if it was an improvement from the first class. The oldest student I saw here was a man, but everyone else was a kid, with the eldest one maybe in high school. My gripes: 1) Shifu does NOT take into consideration my experience and skill level. I am either doing kiddie exercises or floundering with being unable to keep up with advanced moves. 2) My second visit here, I was assisting moving furniture, when my shin slammed into a wooden part of a furniture. It hurt like a MF-er, to the point that I felt the impact down to my shin bone. I had a deep cut on my shin. Although it clotted quickly, it swelled up to a huge bump. Shifu kept repeating, "It's just skin, you'll be fine," when I told her that I could feel the pain in my bone too. Way to be sensitive. 3. Shifu had me sign a release form after I was hurt. Whenever I sign anything, I take a photo of it on my phone so that I can have the form for my records. Shifu Patti gave me attitude and said, "We don't do that here, you don't need this record." I explained I do this whenever I sign a form. She said, "Why do you need a copy of this record? It's no one's business." Excuse me, this is MY BUSINESS. As a customer, it's my absolute right to take a photo of anything I sign for my records. She gave me major attitude. I really could not believe I had to argue for a copy of my records. 4. When I said bye to her (after she had a conversation with a kid's parents and nicely said bye to them), she wouldn't look at me and then barked that I can't pay drop-in prices anymore, I have to commit to a monthly plan if I wanted to continue here. I simply asked her to remind me of pricing, and she just waved me off, snapping, "You already took a photo, isn't that what you took that for?" Bless San T for his Yelp review from 2013, when he said, and I quote: "when it comes to business and money, she is downright horrible. and cheap...the way you run your business is part of the practice.  And you can't ignore a shady businessperson no matter how great of a teacher they are." I wonder how many other people have left with a bad experience, and just don't want to write Yelp reviews. Maybe my parents took me and my brother out of this class because of their experience with Shifu Patti. I'll never know.

Attended the Free Taichi and Qi Gong classes by Alex at the Civic Park in Walnut Creek two Sundays…read moreago. It was a very focused and peaceful session. Alex was very clear with his instructions. I felt that it really helped me in centering my mind and aligning my body. Thank you Alex for the session.

I've been attending this Yoga Tai Chi Qigong Class since March of this year and it's been extremely…read morebeneficial to my health,both emotionally and physically. It helps me my focus become clearer for the rest of the day & it helps reduce stress. Though I deal with chronic pain 24/7 it helps relax my muscles enough so that my body can tolerate dealing with the pain better. Alex gives really helpful instruction during the entire practice. I would highly recommend this class to anyone. Though it's quite early on a Sunday morning,it is SO worth going to! ***The title posted here of this class should be modified so that people are not confused,as it's not a Yoga class,it is a Tai Chi class.***

I've been a student at Wen Wu School and a patient at Chung Hua Clinic for over 20 years. I have…read morenot found a more authentic place for Martial Arts, qigong and traditional Chinese Medicine that teaches virtue and merit along with Chinese culture and values. The teachers are rigorously well-trained, the Masters have decades of experience in their own practices and were extensively trained as 'indoor' students of their own Masters and the doctors truly care and use their expertise to heal and help your medical needs. This establishment embodies old school, traditional values and exemplifies how to live, work, heal, cultivate relationships, and do business in ethically and successfully. Highly recommend the school and the clinic!

Legendary martial art practice located in a humble area of El Cerritos. Team of excellent staff. I…read moremyself have never taken a class there, but have met the teachers in other settings - Buddhist temples, and community service. You are in good place. Worth a visit.

Sergio is a fantastic sifu and person. He is patient and careful to provide precise instruction…read morethrough analogy. It's fun to learn from him! He explains the intention of each movement and I feel more focused and balanced as I progress through each class. He truly has a gift for teaching and I look forward to his classes at Lake Merritt. I just finished learning 9 form and am super stoked to move on to 24 form. I appreciate his passion for Tai Chi and think its really cool that he skateboards and does jiu jitsu. I feel like the practice of Tai Chi has helped me as a runner and lawyer. It's awesome when I can feel the energy come from within! Tai chi rocks!

Dorian is the most attentive instructor I know. He is always at my session on time and with great…read moreinsights! I really enjoy his calmness and dedication to tai chi. I am always so revived and informed by the end of our sessions together. I enjoy how he takes his time to explain why tai chi is the way that it is, and why it is done a certain way. I highly recommend him to all my friends!

From the owner: Tai Chi is an internal form of martial art. Each pose has its purpose. I teach the form and I teach…read moreyou the application of each move as well. A meaning full flow of consecutive movements, which will give you balance, internal strength, and you will achieve better internal health and a mind - body connection. Tai Chi can be practiced daily and you will feel the difference it can bring to your everyday life. My classes are taught for health and well being and they are not fighting classes. Starlight Tai Chi

As a competitive Olympic lifter, I was suffering from an old shoulder (rotator cuff) injury of 6…read moreyears that never went away. I visited doctors, physical therapies, chiropractors and while they were able to treat me somewhat, the pain never really went away and I was struggling in my workouts. It wasn't until I met John and received his sports acupuncture that my rotator cuff started to slowly heal. I was able to rotate and have greater range of mobility. It definitely was a slow and steady journey, but the sports acupuncture finally started the healing process for me. After a few months of consistent treatment (being consistent is key here!!), I was able to get back to what I love doing which is competitive Olympic lifting. John also offers "pre-performance" sports acupuncture where he targets activations of specific muscles that you would be using prior to your competition. And hey...it made me hit some personal best lifts and made me rank 22nd in the nation!!!! Thank you John, l'm forever grateful.

I can't say enough good things about White Magnolia Acupuncture. I had been struggling with painful…read moretendonitis in my wrist for over a year that limited my ability to function. I was feeling extremely frustrated and hopeless about how to get better. After two failed cortisone shots and on the verge of getting surgery, I decided to give acupuncture a try for the first time. It took several months, but I am now almost completely pain free and back to all my usual functioning. John is the utmost professional: full of information and willing to answer any and all questions, but also very kind and comforting. I highly recommend White Magnolia!