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.

My new favorite spot to visit for late night boba til 10pm. So many boba spots open til 8pm or 9pm…read morebut the extra 1 hr helps. . I got the peach oolong milk tea with almond milk. So glad to see almond milk options. Tea was frgrant and refreshing too. . Love the black garlic oil ramen which if you are hungry they got real food too. The broth is fragrant and love the soft noodles. . Love the ambiance here which was bright, simple, lots of seating too. Parking was easy and has a parking lot too. . If you are looking for snacks the menu here is big. Also the milk tea and boba menu here is solid. Thanks for reading, hope this helps. Have a yelptastic day.

Taichi Bubble Tea is located in a small plaza. The entrance and parking is behind the building away…read morefrom the main street. The parking is a bit tight here. Not much service - the employee at the counter was not that helpful and I had to figure out myself that I needed to fill out a form for the Sushi Burrito. I ordered their Icy Jasmine Tea Latte with boba and Sushi Burrito (you fill out one of the forms on the side for what you want in the burrito and hand it to an employee at the counter). The tea latte was good, I like the creaminess to it with a subtle tea taste to it, but I wished they gave more boba, especially for a tall cup. The sushi burrito was a bit small for the price point, but they do not charge for some toppings that other poke spots charge for, which is a plus. Quality of toppings was decent, but the salmon could have had been more fresh. It was a bit unorganized here and it seems like some of the employees do not know what to do or what they are doing. At one point multiple people were making sushi burritos and they were making all these other orders, while I was just standing there for at least 20ish minutes. I was finally noticed by an employee and asked for my order number. She made my food, while the other employee was supposed to make my drink, but I guess he just set up the cup with the boba in it, but never made my drink, so I had to wait even longer. Overall, they have a good concept with having a variety of drinks, food items, and snacks, so it is good for groups to come here to eat and makes it easy because there should be something on the menu for everyone. It seems like they have too much items on their menu without enough employees or at least a more organized setup / system.

I first went to Tai Chi in 1969 and have been returning there periodically ever since. The food…read morethere is consistently delicious, Services is fine and prices are reasonable. In a city with so many terrific restaurants I think the fact that I continue to go there over several decades is a statement in itself.

Order: Sesame…read morechicken: tender boneless pieces of chicken in a mixture tangy and spicy sauce. lettuce on the bottom for the base. Employees in front are friendly and provide fortune cookies. There are tables for dine in, and place is clean. chicken is tender. food gets expensive each year, but the taste is the same

I have been studying tai chi for more than four years with Lenzie Williams and his student Jane…read moreSharp. Tai Chi turns out to be surprisingly challenging. And if the number of returning students of Mr. Williams are any indication, it is still challenging after 15 +years. Tai chi moves very slowly yet it proves to me again and again that it is a really good workout. I like the philosophy of tai chi which is taught as a part of the movement instruction. Somehow I have taken some of the tai chi philosophy and applied it in my work life. And my husband points out that since I started regular tai chi practice, I have gotten no colds. Instructor Lenzie Williams says of his work: "This school represents an environment where people are carefully taught the important basics and fundamentals of the art, then are encouraged and supported in working at whatever level and pace they choose". You have to learn tai chi from the beginning and in a certain sequence, so check out the web site to learn when the next sessions begin.

Lenzie Williams, tai chi instructor (& student of Laoshi Lo Pang Jeng --Mr. Ben Lo for 3 decades)…read moreis outstanding. He practices/teaches and embodies tai chi. While the studio, one among many within this complex (8th & Dwight), needs a paint job & some clutter busting, I suspect its unkempt nature filters out those of us only attracted to shiny surfaces. You can study tai chi all over the bay area, but Lenzie Williams is authentic. After my 1st class I looked for youtube videos so I could practice what I'd just learned. But, as Lenzie predicted: I found that youtube didn't deliver. This lineage isn't just about physical movement, though neither is there any dogma expressed. It begins from within and then gets expressed in beautiful movements-- a slow, yet powerful dance. Learning this kind of path from a video is akin to eating a rich, gently -tended-all-day broth with a plastic fork. If you want to learn tai chi, why not go straight to the real deal: Lenzie Williams ?

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.

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.

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!