You have this one life,
don’t let stress drive it.

Does this sound familiar?

Waking up in the morning with your brain already racing to the schedule for the day? Speeding around physically to care for the family, while mentally distracted with the packed schedule in your life; grabbing extra coffee because you’re not sleeping well; always trying to meet the needs of those around you, and feeling resentful that being responsible for everything always lands in your lap?

Racing through not aware of days that turn to weeks,
weeks to months, and months to years 
is an un-lived life.

These are big deal situations that happen when life is controlled by external events.

What would it feel like to be free, balanced, centered?  

Having an inner, quiet space that is always with you - no matter what’s happening around you. Carrying that space with you, feeling secure and present in your own skin. Honoring the boundaries of that space by allowing what you love to enter, and what doesn’t serve you to kindly move on.

Moving through life’s obstacles like water in a river, always flexible to care for others but strong to maintain your own boundaries.

That inner quiet, peacefully sustaining you no matter what is happening externally.

You can live this way.

This can happen.

The practice of Taiji is life changing.

Here’s what is in Taiji for Balance Level 1:

• Postures - All of the Taiji postures are shown at different angles for ease of body mechanics.  The postures are clear, repeated, and broken down in understandable ways. You don’t need more stress. You need less.
• Philosophy - Using these practices to navigate stressful situations, difficult people, overwhelming schedules from a centered presence. These movements are magic when they are coupled with simple intentions. They shift our lives gently so that we build clarity to see circumstances in a different light. That’s how they create change in our day-to-day lives.
• Meditations - Guided meditations to support the focus of the lesson you’ll learn from each class. They slough off the layers of baggage we carry from past experiences and bring a lightness and fresh perspective.  All you need is to press play, listen and breathe.
• Practice Sessions - These guide you to flowing movements together - creating the flow and ease in your own life. Taiji is a moving meditation. When you learn separate movements, you have to be able to blend them and flow them - just as you want your life to flow. These practice sessions take you through adding each additional movement as you move through the postures.
• Personal Support - I’ll be with you through the process. Each lesson is equipped with a place to ask questions and share comments. I’ll be there answering questions and guiding you through one-on-one. This is new! You should have someone available to explain any questions that might arise.
• PDF printables - printable docs full of practical information and visual documentation of the forms to carry with you wherever you go. There are times when you want to practice without an electronic device showing you a movement. But you may forget what comes next or how to transition from one movement to the next! These additional materials have photos and written explanations of the movements that will allow you to practice out in the sunshine or in a quiet room.
• Assessments with a Certificate of Completion - Each lesson has a quiz to help you retain the information. There are many layers to the practice of Taiji! We can’t remember all of them immediately. Assessments are there for you to notice what you remembered and notice what you’ve forgotten or missed. They are a guideline for you - not a definition of you. They are supportive, not a reflection of the full warehouse of knowledge you’re building.
• 24/7 Access - Through social media to a community of people who are also shifting their lives! We have an online community of people who are also cultivating balance in their lives through Taiji! There is common ground among us. We’re letting go of reacting from our egoic shell and coming back to our essential selves. And how great it is to talk, express and connect with others who are doing the same.
• Lifetime Experience: You have full, lifetime digital access to this course giving you time, space to breath through and experience ease in your life. There is no rushing. There is no test evaluating you. This is the place to begin the practice of slowing down and savoring. It’s your life and all you have is time and space. How would you like to live in it?

How does Taiji For Balance help with stress?

Taiji’s movements alone create ease. But I layer that with meditations and philosophy that bring meaning to why these movements are so empowering and how they bring awareness, peace, and contentment. Each posture will coax you into a place of peace, understanding, and rootedness. These are felt. They are cultivated within so you carry them throughout your day, present and connected.  

Will I be able to learn these movements from a video?

Yes. You will be guided through each posture from different angles. You will always be encouraged to practice what feels good in your body and allow the form to fit you - never forcing your body to fit a form. In addition, this course is about cultivating the quieter gifts. Bringing purpose and meaning back into our lives. It’s a timeless, ancient practice that offers the quiet, connected, sacred time we lost along the way.

I’d love to do this, but I need accountability

Yep. I understand. That’s why I communicate with you while you’re moving through the course. I’m there to answer questions, to provide feedback, to hear your thoughts and to share mine. And you will be included in an online community of people who are practicing the form and sharing their experiences in how taiji has helped bring ease into their lives.

How long does it take to learn taiji?

Each person learns differently so it’s difficult to answer definitively. I have been studying these arts for over 30 years and still find things to learn! What I’ve found is when I let go of having a goal, a sense of wonder appears and I have the ease of a child’s mind feeling curious and open. Yet another gift of this practice: presence.

I have fibromyalgia, is Taiji okay for me to practice?

Taiji is excellent for people with arthritis, auto-immune diseases, or fibromyalgia because of its gentleness on joints and muscles. It eases tightness in the connective tissue that is a network connecting the body and helps qi flow.

It is always important to talk with your doctor about exercise programs before beginning one if you have a chronic illness or disease.

I want to do taiji outside not with a computer!

I always recommend doing taiji (or any movement for that matter) in nature when possible! When you’re learning, generally speaking, it’s a bit easier to learn in the quiet of indoor space. However, our course provides materials to take with you when you wish to be free of electronics! Taiji outside allows us to connect to a larger picture, to feel the weather, to listen to the aliveness and to feel the earth under our feet.

 Lucy's classes and her nurturing leadership style has been a game changer for me in many ways. Every class session is a gem of content and purpose along with outright fun. She does an excellent job of making sure every student's presence is welcomed and celebrated.

-Guy Smalley

You will receive benefits from practicing Tai Chi, no matter how young or old you are. Tai Chi has helped me with my balance and self-discipline. It helps to settle the mind as well and bring balance and order.

- John Gattrell