Jorge is an excellent instructor and has a very welcoming and helpful group of dedicated students…read more His classes are good for beginning to very experienced practitioners. The tone of the class is serious and respectful. I highly recommend for anyone interested in learning or practicing Tai Chi.

Wonderful human and instructor. Highly knowledgeable and goes the extra mile. He teaches beginners…read moreand advanced students.

Since living abroad in China, I always harbored the secret dream of waking up early one morning to…read moredo Taiji in the park with a bunch of randos. I would know all of the moves, be in sync with my fellow Taiji-ers and feel at one with the Universe. It took me quite a long time to start making this dream a reality. I additionally had entered a period of my life where yoga was no longer an option to help me find "balance" in this crazy world. Thankfully, I had a DC friend who practiced Taiji and encouraged me to join a beginner's class at his school, Great River Taoist Center. I have now been a student at Great River for 7 months and have since realized there is a lot more to Taiji than learning some pretty "moves" to do in the park. Don't expect to pick this up overnight - this practice takes time, patience and determination (i.e. it takes an entire year just to learn the sequence). Taiji is not only a martial art, it is also a way of life - one that requires full awareness of your body, mind and the present moment. Great River is not for the faint of heart, but it has woken me up to the fact that I need to work on my breathing, my body alignment, my mindfulness and my inability to "let go." Plus, if you want to learn from the best, Rodell lao shi is the best.

From the owner: Yang style taichi chuan (tai chi, taijiquan)- The complete martial system including forms, push…read morehands, free fighting (san shou), spear, and sword. From beginners to accomplished martial artists, Great River offers classes for all levels and experience.

I found Kris Brinker's Just Breathe Tai Chi classes through an online search at the beginning of…read morethe pandemic. Her demo of the Cheng Man Ching form was easy to follow and beautifully choreographed. Kris was responsive and friendly when I contacted her, and I am now completing my third live online course with her, along with subscribing to her recorded "on demand" classes that are available. These classes have made a difference for me, and I will continue!

Kris' style of teaching is easy to follow and advancement is quite rapid with each class building…read moreon the prior lesson. The class is centred around the Cheng Man Ching 37, which turns out to have 60 plus movements--the 37 refers to the number of unique movements and some repeat throughout the form. Kris also has some great relationships with other instructors who occasionally make a guest appearance and provide demonstrations. Classes are held weekly, with 14-15 classes to a session, which is sufficient time to learn the basics of approximately one-third of the form (with some practice at home). Students are also given access to videos to help their practice between classes, which helps enormously! Personally, I have found Tai Chi both rewarding and challenging. It takes some physical and mental stamina to master the moves--which is a great distraction from the rigors of an otherwise busy life. The amount of effort expended is up to the individual, students range from 13 to 83 years of age all advancing at their own rate. Tai Chi has improved my own balance and core strength which has positively impacted other sports such as skiing and cycling. I like it, and would recommend that everyone tries it!

If your looking for quality Tai Chi training in the Fairfax area I highly recommend checking out…read moreStill Water Tai Chi Center! After 26 years of training I still walk away in awe of Sifu Gilmer every time I train with him! Patrick Bast, 4th Dan DKI Ryukyu Kempo, 4th Dan Tomiki Aikido, 2nd Dan Kenkojuko Shotokan Karate

I took Still Water's Women's Defense Class with my 13 year old daughter. I highly recommend this…read moreclass, without reservation. Dante and his team taught the important life skills of developing awareness, examples of potentially dangerous situation, and how to get out of them. It was not only extremely informative, but also fun, and we left much more confident about how to deal if ever faced with such a situation. All girls/women from Middle School, High School, College, and adults should take this class. We plan to repeat at least annually to reinforce what has already been learned.

The focus is on personal development. Leg strength and balance are important but the mental aspect…read moreof study is emphasized. Meditation and breathing, recognizing your body's signals, learning to relax the body and mind, are part of the curriculum. There is no competition with others, just improvement of yourself which I find very important.

From the owner: Tai Chi classes since 1975.read more

As a child, my father was always very interested in Tai Chi so I've been familiar with the practice…read moresince grade school. In fact, my father would sometimes walk with us in the mall and stop mid-pace just to bust out a tai chi stance and movement just to embarrass us in the middle of the mall. Regardless of those family antics, I was able to develop as respect for the practice despite it not being an active part of my life. Fast forward to last month. I help to lead diversity and culture initiatives for our employee resource group at work and was brainstorming some fun and interesting ways that we could celebrate Asian Pacific American heritage. I thought tai chi on the rooftop would be interesting, fun and a great way to introduce the exercise to a young audience. I reached out to the email on the website and had the pleasure of connecting with Peter Schwartz. Although, the school does not consistently offer private classes, he was willing to work with me and was within my budget to lead a 1 hour class of tai chi at our office. Although the turn out was less than what I hoped, Peter was warm, knowledgeable, patient and literally went with the flow. Also, prior to arriving he was communicative and arrived on time, despite rush hour and a storm. Overall, I had such a great experience and would definitely encourage anyone to consider tai chi as an exercise that is accessible and inclusive to so many!

I'm a little old lady with an artificial hip and arthritis who moseys rather than walks and really,…read morereally, really hates to swim. T'ai Chi has turned out to be the perfect exercise. This School has proved to be just right. Free Introductory Class. Clear, precise, professional instructions. Bright, clean, friendly atmosphere. Reasonable prices.

I have recently started attending classes with Carol to increase my mobility and flexibility. My…read moreexperience has been excellent so far. Carol is very knowledgeable and patient. My flexibility has already improved as we work together and I am excited to go every week and learn as much as I can about movement and listening to my body and myself. I highly recommend Carol to anyone who wants a truly in depth experience to learn from someone with extensive knowledge of yoga, tai chi, and movement in general

I have gone to many different yoga classes and Carol's is the best that I've tried. It helps that…read moreher classes are small (essentially semi-private) so that everyone receives plenty of individualized attention. Her suggestions for stretching out the tight areas in my head/neck area along with posture and breathing techniques have helped me relieve the stress from my daily job. I have been attending her classes for many years now and it has really helped me deal with my back pain and arthritis. The instruction I've received has been really beneficial to me and I highly recommend Carol's class for those seeking a high quality yoga instructor! P.S. She's also has a PHD in Medical Physiology from the University of Maryland School of Medicine!

Joanne Chang is a tremendously patient teacher of Tai Chi. She teaches at two locations: In…read moreKensington and Rockville. Beginners are welcome, there is a wide variety of students and I find everyone to be very friendly and supportive of each other. Yes Tai Chi has a foundation in self-defense but it is also tremendously relaxing and energizing. If you are looking for a new way to improve your health and well-being I urge you to give this a try. There's no better teacher. Joanne's teachers are a direct lineage from Cheng Man-ching who created this "short form" style of Tai Chi. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I've been taking Tai Chi classes on and off for a number of years. These classes are the right size…read morefor me to learn and improve. Combined with a fun and supportive teaching style that focuses on fundamentals as well as advanced application means a great experience for beginners and those like me wanting form correction. I'm more relaxed and energized after each class so I always look forward to the next class. My work schedule means I have to miss some classes and they are incredibly flexible about making up classes. There is an optional Saturday session which is like a free extra class. Convenient to Rockville (Wed) and Kensington (Thu & Sat.)

US Wushu Academy has been around since the late '80s, founded by a husband-and-wife team, Coach Pei…read moreand Coach Guifeng. Both are super famous and highly-respected and -regarded in the martial arts. The academy offers wushu, sanshou free style fighting/self defense, Chen-style taiji, and Yang-style taiji classes. I've always been curious about taiji, so it was such a treat to attend a demo class and presentation of Coach Pei! He is extremely personable, hilarious with a wonderful sense of humor, has a soothing and calming demeanor, super knowledgeable, and really a master of his field. He is a patient teacher, and he really gives the background knowledge and history of the arts, showing connections and the relationships. We learned how to find our center, walk the 'correct way,' and breathe deeply. A total educational experience! I can't wait to check out more of his classes!!! +ask for Coach Pei! :D +wushu, sanshou, and taiji class offerings +family-owned and -operated +another location in Gaithersburg

I have been taking tai chi classes here for about 6 months. This is definitely a good school with…read moredetailed instruction.