13-Posture Tai Chi for Harmony, Strength & Balance 2023 – Helen Liang
Experience a powerful integration by increasing your strength and flexibility, bringing calmness and serenity to your mind, and deepening inner peace and tranquility in your soul — with 13 skills that are ancient expressions of movement and energy.
Start the new year off right! After several years of daily turmoil, stress and strife living with COVID, and divisions in so many areas of our society, are you ready to focus on bringing harmony, balance, and clarity into your life?
If feeling physically stronger, more agile, and flexible sounds appealing, you may be surprised to learn that there is a practice, based on sacred teachings, that has proven over centuries to be successful at yielding profound physical benefits — as well as mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.
With Tai Chi (Taiji), often referred to as meditation in movement, the slow, deliberate movements of the body activate Qi (vital life-force energy) and balance the natural polarity of Yin and Yang, resulting in bringing your whole being into balance and harmony.
Tai Chi is so much more than physical movement.
At its heart is the empowering and compelling Taoist teaching that honors simplicity, nature, and Wu Wei (non-action).
Join us for a transformative 7-week online course with renowned Tai Chi Master Helen Liang to discover the healing, harmony, clarity, and serenity that results from her teaching of Tai Chi.
Helen will masterfully guide you through 13 postures — eight fundamental energies/principles with five stepping patterns — teaching you the movements and the sacred ancient principles of Taoism that are essential to the understanding of Tai Chi.
During this highly interactive and experiential Tai Chi course, you’ll:
- Explore how to maintain emotional balance and harmony in the midst of change and chaos
- Perform essential Tai Chi postures, learning new movements and poses every week
- Learn how to adapt the poses when dealing with physical limitations… and still receive substantial benefits
- Experience the peace that results from single-minded concentration on the precise movements
- Work with the notion of perfect timing during your practice — and explore how the whole universe is involved when something happens with perfect timing
- Practice the 5 stepping patterns that are responsible for moving the body smoothly with stability and balance… and integrate them with the 8 energy skills
- Discover how each pose influences certain organs and parts of your body, empowering you to select the proper posture to heal your current concern
- Learn the short-form of the 13 postures, which takes only 5-10 minutes but yields the benefits of a full-body workout
- Dive deep into the Taoist teaching of non-action and how to apply it to approach difficult situations in your life in fresh new ways
- Discover how to gracefully accomplish more with minimum effort, and maintain inner tranquility in your everyday life when you go with the flow in a state of Wu Wei
- Experience ways to cultivate Qi with slow, fluid motions
- Explore how to correctly move through a Taiji set or form with awareness, embodying physical principles that mirror universal principles of the Tao
Each week, Helen will teach you new movements. You’ll begin each session by reviewing the movements you learned in the previous sessions, delving deeper into the details and practices. After Helen’s repetitions and gentle corrections, you’ll move onto the new postures you’ll be learning that week.
As you’ll discover, each pose requires a change in breathing, concentration, and balance — while helping you cultivate inner peace.
While the movements are slow and gentle in Tai Chi, the practice addresses the key components of fitness — building muscle strength, flexibility, and balance — while also providing aerobic conditioning. When practiced regularly, Tai Chi is comparable to resistance training and brisk walking.
Helen will show you how to apply the principle of Wu Wei in everyday life — in personal relationships and in stressful work situations — so you can go with the flow of what each day brings, adapt to change, and let the universe play itself out through you.
Master Helen Liang is the eldest daughter of Grandmaster Liang Shou-Yu, and began training in traditional Wushu at the age of four, under his strict tutelage. At the age of 11, she was chosen to train with the Sichuan Provincial Professional Wushu School in China and since then, she has won many gold medals in competitions throughout the world. She immigrated to Canada in 1985 and has become one of the most revered Chinese martial arts experts in North America. Her deep wisdom and compassionate teaching style are grounded not only in her family lineage and extensive training, but also in her personal history of overcoming severe illness.
“This course was so enlightening.”
This course was so enlightening. I loved learning Tai Chi with Master Helen. She’s a wonderful teacher and really broke things down so they became rewarding to learn. The pace was perfect and I’m walking away with a beautiful experience of Tai Chi. I will look for ways to keep integrating the practice into my life.
— Lisa, Richmond, Virginia
What You’ll Discover in These 7 Weeks
In this 7-week transformational intensive, Helen will guide you through the fundamental Tai Chi skills and competencies you’ll need to successfully cultivate physical strength, mental clarity, and inner contentment.
Join the Livestream — or Stream Later to Watch at Your Convenience
You’ll connect with Helen and experience her teachings through livestreaming video via any connected device. This connection is easy to use and will enhance the impact of her transmissions. Can’t make it live? After each class, you can stream the video and audio recordings to enjoy anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
Weekly Sessions Thursdays at 1:00pm Pacific
This course will feature LIVE teachings, interactive training sessions, experiential practices, and Q&A with Helen. Each session will build harmoniously upon the previous ones, so you’ll develop a complete holistic understanding of the practices, tools, and principles you’ll need to activate the vital life force within you… your Qi.
Module 1: Your Transformative Journey Into the Exploration of Tai Chi’s 13 Postures Begins With the Fundamentals to Build Your Body’s Optimal Alignment, Strength & Balance (January 12)
The practice of Tai Chi is the physical interpretation of the Tao philosophy — a teaching built upon the belief in unity of all things found in the universe.
In this opening session, you’ll learn the pivotal, spiraling, coiling force of Tai Chi as it first emerges in form. You’ll learn how this opening Tai Chi movement activates the Yin and Yang energies of the body and moves Qi throughout your being… and dive deep to discover the role of the mind in harmonizing the Yin and Yang polarities.
Helen will teach the fundamental elements of Tai Chi Standing Posture (Zhan Zhuang ), which is essential for building proper body alignment and cultivating your reservoir of energy.
In this session, you’ll:
- Learn what the 13 Principles (Ba Men Wu Bu ) are… and the history behind the form
- Be introduced to Tai Chi fundamentals — Zhan Zhuang (Standing Posture) for building proper body alignment; releasing constriction in the shoulders and spine; strengthening muscles of the extremities, the core muscles of the abdomen, and the back; and activating important acupuncture points to allow smooth circulation of Qi in the major meridians and vessels
- Explore the role of the Dan Tian, the seat of life force in the body
- Learn the pose Mao Bu and how to step gently and gracefully to improve your leg strength, balance, and coordination
- Be introduced to the first posture, Tai Chi Bao Qiu (Embracing Tai Chi Ball), to activate the Yin and Yang energies of your body
- Learn the second posture, Wild Horse Parts Its Mane, and the important Tai Chi principle of Shang Xia Xiang Sui, coordinating the upper and lower parts of the body
Module 2: Discover the Power of Stillness — The Source of Movement & Potentiality to Align the Cervical Vertebrae, Increasing Blood Flow for Clearer Thinking (January 19)
You’ll review the Standing Posture, the first and second posture that you learned last week, and be introduced to the third posture — Ba He Liang Chi (White Crane Spreads Its Wings). As part of this posture, you’ll contemplate the image of the crane… in Taoism the red-crested white crane is a symbol of immortality and wisdom and is associated with heaven. The third posture helps bring clarity and calm to the mind and spirit. When you have a calm mind and you’re in a state of Yin, you generate fluid movements and power.
The third posture also contemplates the energetic skill of Peng — the first and foremost energy principle of the 13 postures, which allows the entire body to feel strong and solid, yet flexible and energized with springlike vitality.
In the fourth posture, Lou Xi Ao Bu (Brush Knee Push), you’ll explore the classic Tai Chi teaching of Wu Guo Bu Ji, meaning “not excessive” or “deficient,” and you’ll learn how balance and harmony can be maintained in your life when you don’t let things reach a critical point.
In this session, you’ll:
- Learn the Tai Chi principle of Xu Lin Ding Jin (Elevate the Crown and Lift the Spirit) — correctly applying this principle allows you to think clearly and move with ease as you learn to align the cervical vertebrae and spine, promoting blood flow to and from the brain
- Experience how meditative body movements together with foot stance — the Empty Stance, unique to Chinese martial arts — can empty the mind of chatter, clear the mind of worry, and strengthen the muscles of the legs
- Be introduced to the first of the 13 energy skills — Peng, the energy that provides the fundamental support to all the movements of Tai Chi
- Explore how the fourth posture builds strong Yang Qi by cultivating the Yang meridians, and learn how strength and power are best generated when the opposite arm and leg are both active
- Learn how to achieve balance when performing your movements
Module 3: The Secret of Wholeness — Bringing the Opposites Together — the Dance of Yin & Yang to Express & Build Your Energy for a Life of Ease (January 26)
After reviewing the first four postures, you’ll move onto the fifth posture, Shou Hui Pi Pa (Playing Lute), and the sixth posture, Lu Ji Shi (Roll Back and Squeeze).
You’ll learn that when performing a form, your hands, legs, and feet are in constant transition between Yin and Yang in a continuous flow, mirroring the ongoing change in the universe that’s brought forth by the dance between the two opposites. You’ll also learn that inherent in every Tai Chi posture is an “opening and closing,” a powerful way to express the dance of Yin and Yang in your body.
The fifth posture is one movement that vividly demonstrates the notion of “opening and closing” and helps open up important energy gates in the body to promote smooth circulation of Qi in the spine, the Governing Vessel meridian, and out through the arms.
You’ll explore the mystic teaching of allowing and yielding through the energy of Lu. By contemplating on the energy of Lu, you’ll learn about realizing peace through non-resistance (acceptance) when you allow the events of life to unfold naturally. Once you’ve mastered the way of yielding, you’re empowered to resolve challenges by learning the technique of Ji (Squeeze).
In this session, you’ll:
- Learn how an important energy gate , Jia Ji, located behind the heart and between the shoulder blades, can be opened to achieve full Qi circulation in the spine and out through the arms
- Discover how the fifth posture cultivates the Yin energies of the arms and legs, and how energy is gathered to fill our Dan Tian area
- Explore how opening is a time for expressing energy and closing is a time for building energy as you journey through life’s ups and downs
- Discover Lu (Roll Back), a downward and sideways energy used to yield and redirect opposing energy
- Contemplate the principle of yielding as the way of the Tao — learning to use it when confronted with opposition or attack
- ExploreJi (Press), a penetrative, squeezing energy technique that empowers you to accomplish more in your daily lif
Module 4: Be as Water — Soft, Flexible & Adaptable — Cultivating Your Ability to Adapt to Different Life Situations (February 2)
After a review of the last six postures, you’ll learn Shang Bu Ban Lan Cui (Step Forward to Deflect, Parry, and Punch) and the eighth posture, Peng Lu Ji An (Ward Off, Roll Back, Squeeze, and Push).
Lao Zi teaches in the Tao Te Ching that soft overcomes hard. He uses water as a metaphor for this assertion: water is soft and flexible, but also has the power to erode the hardest materials like rock and metal.
You’ll explore the teaching of living with softness and flexibility through the practice of the seventh posture. To be like water also means that you’re able to adapt to different circumstances. The technique An, taught in the eighth posture, cultivates your ability to survive many different circumstances by adapting.
In this session, you’ll:
- Learn 2 important footsteps, Zuo Gu (Looking to the Left ) and You Pan (Glance to the Right), which form 2 of the the 13 energies
- Experience how the seventh posture balances the left and right side of your body’s energies
- Discover how timing is the key to perfecting any posture or movement of Tai Chi, just as it’s the key to the smooth flow of circumstances we encounter in life
- Learn how Yin and Yang contain each other… the hard and powerful within the gentle and soft… or, as expressed in the Tai Chi classics, “the needle is concealed in the cotton”
- Cultivate your ability to adapt to different situations in life with the energy of An (Push), a downward, upward, and forward form of energy based on the Tai Chi principle of connecting and conforming to nature and taking advantage of any situation in the moment
Module 5: Empower Your Life Through the Acceptance of the Natural Rise & Fall of Energy — the Way of the Universe — Inspiring You to Gracefully Embrace Life’s Ups & Downs (February 9)
In this powerful session, you’ll learn the ninth, tenth, and eleventh postures — Yun Shou (Cloud Hands), Dan Bian (Single Whip), and Xia Shi (Snake Creeping Down).
Lao Zi teaches in the Tao Te Ching that everything around us undergoes a constant flow of transformation and change. All things obey the law of rhythm — expansion and contraction, rising and falling. This is the constant of nature, the Tao.
The continuous flow of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh postures mirrors the cyclic nature of the Tao’s endless motion and constant change, inspiring you to gracefully embrace life’s ups and downs.
These postures and movements help build coordination, flexibility, strength, and balance.
In this session, you’ll:
- Discover how to relax deeply by “sinking” through your feet into the ground like a tree with deep, strong roots while waving your hands like clouds
- Learn the meaning of “pulling silk,” a phrase that describes Taiji’s slow, gentle, and continuous movements
- Discover how to use mental focus Yi — instead of physical force Li — to move your body with a continuous motion, so you never break the thread of Qi
- Learn how posture 10, Dan Bian (Single Whip), activates the heart and lung meridians, strengthens the arms, and increases circulation to the fingers
- Explore how the posture Xia Shi helps open the biggest joint in the body, the Kua , strengthens the other stances in Tai Chi through its maxim opening, increases circulation, builds the muscles of the legs, and strengthens the lower body
Module 6: Balance & Harmony Created Through Unification of the Inner & Outer So Your Body Feels Perfectly Connected (February 16)
You’ll review the postures you learned in the past five weeks, then learn two more — Shi Zi Chui (Cross Punch) and Shang Bu Qi Xing (Step Up, Seven Stars). You’ll also learn the first two techniques of posture 13, Cai Lie Zhou Kao (Pluck, Split, Elbow, Strike)
A fundamental teaching in Tai Chi is internal three-unification and external three-unification. Internal three-unification refers to the heart unifying with the mind, the mind unifying with Qi, and Qi unifying with force.
External three-unification refers to the shoulders aligning with the hips, the elbows aligning with the knees, and the hands aligning with the feet. Through posture 12, you’ll learn how to harmonize, unify, and align the body.
In this session, you’ll:
- Discover how the posture Step up, Seven Stars is a metaphor for the seven parts of the body in the order of the body structure
- Learn about how Tai Chi’s external three-unification and internal three-unification is manifested through Shi Zi Chui
- Understand how to feel integrated as a whole, with every part of your body harmoniously connected to every other part
- Explore the technique ofCai, a downward energy that cultivates grounding and rooting
- Explore Lie, a split energy that contemplates the importance of the waist power that is essential to all Tai Chi movements
- Learn Hou Tui (Retreating), one of the five footwork movements that make up the 13 principles — and uncover the power of these movements when applying the techniques of Cai (Pluck) and Lie (Split)
Module 7: Integrating the 13 Postures — Supple as Water, Strong as the Mountain — So You Can Accomplish More With Minimum Effort & Maintain Inner Tranquility in Your Everyday Life (February 23)
In this final session, you’ll review all the postures taught in the course and learn the final two: Zou (Elbow — Strike) and Kao (Body — Strike). The techniques of Zou and Kao demonstrate two distinct kinds of power that cultivate a calm, grounding centeredness.
Tai Chi is founded on a teaching that harmonizes opposite energies. “Movement starts from the stillness and tranquility of the mind; the Jin (power/strength) should be rooted in the feet, generated from the legs, controlled by the waist, and expressed through the fingers,” these are the lines most often used to describe how power should be expressed in Tai Chi.
Helen will teach that the above sequence should be followed when you emit power (Fa Jin ) and that suppleness and relaxation is the source of power and strength.
After learning the last two techniques, you’ll practice the form from the beginning to the end, weaving together the essential features of Tai Chi 13 Postures to experience a free flow of the entire form.
In the session, you’ll
- Explore the dynamic power of Zou (Elbow — Strike) and Kao (Body — Strike)
- Learn how to emit power (Fa Jin ) and how the body generates Qi through ideal postures and body alignment — and how we can channel this Qi into powerful movements for self-defense, or as a way of letting go of negative energies for healing
- Experience how Fa Jin builds strength of the legs, arms, and core, promoting the smooth flow of Qi and blood
- Understand the powerful truth that suppleness is the source of power, and relaxation builds inner strength
- Explore various ways of practicing the forms and improving the joy of your practice
- Weave together the essential features of Tai Chi and flow through the form
- Explore how you can move more gracefully, accomplish more with minimum effort and maintain inner tranquility in your everyday life when you’re “going with the flow,” or in a state of Wu Wei
The 13-Posture Tai Chi Bonus Collection
In addition to Helen’s transformative 7-week virtual course, you’ll receive these special bonuses with sacred teachings and instruction from a renowned Tai Chi master to complement the course and take your understanding and practice to an even deeper level.
Essentials & Guidelines for Correctly Learning Tai Chi
PDF Guide From Helen Liang
These essential guidelines for correctly learning Tai Chi were accumulated over the centuries by masters of the ancient art. This article is a combination of Helen’s own writing and excerpts from her father’s highly acclaimed book, Tai Chi Chuan: 24 and 48 Postures with Martial Applications.
Join the Global Community
13-Posture Tai Chi for Harmony, Strength & Balance offers some of the most transformational online teachings available, within a thriving global community of learning and practice.
Join fellow students and practitioners to support and inspire each other as you integrate the teachings and practices Master Helen Liang will share in this powerful training.
You’ll join an international community on the leading edge of manifesting a world grounded in the principles of cooperation, harmony, and reverence for all of life.
Here’s What You’ll Receive
Seven 90-Minute Class Sessions With Master Helen Liang
Experience a unique opportunity to be mentored by and learn from Master Helen Liang, vice president of SYL Wushu Taiji Qigong Institute, from the comfort of your own home. Each class includes a livestreaming video option and will guide you to bring harmony to your life through 13-posture Tai Chi. Course sessions are on Thursdays at 1:00pm Pacific.
Seven Video Recordings of Class Sessions
After each class, the video will be available for you to stream in a high-quality format. You’ll never have to worry about missing a session, and you can watch anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
Seven Audio Recordings of Class Sessions
After each class, the audio will be available for you to stream. You’ll never have to worry about missing a session, and you can listen anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
Seven Transcripts of Class Sessions
In addition to the high-quality videos and MP3 audios, you’ll also receive the entire class transcription after each session is completed. You can then review, print, and highlight the most important insights and practices you were given.
Interactive Exercises and Questions for Each Lesson
Between class sessions, you’ll have the option of completing related exercises, practicing new tools, and answering questions to accelerate your learning and integrate each week’s lesson.
Online Community
Our exclusive Facebook online community is the perfect place to continue your discovery process after each class. Here, you can continue the discussion about your course materials and interact with your fellow students to take your exploration to an even deeper level.
- Essentials & Guidelines for Correctly Learning Tai Chi
PDF Guide From Helen Liang
An Unprecedented Opportunity to Join the 13-Posture Tai Chi for Harmony, Strength & Balance Online Training
We feel honored that Master Helen Liang has chosen to partner with The Shift Network to offer this exclusive LIVE online training. This is a unique opportunity to interact directly with a world-renowned Tai Chi master whose powerful insights and pioneering work are helping us heal and awaken ourselves and our world.
If you’re serious about exploring 13-Posture Tai Chi to cultivate physical mobility and mental stillness, then you owe it to yourself to take this one-of-a-kind training.
If you’re ready to take the next step in your own evolution, click the register button below to reserve your space now.
Buy Now!
Shopping Information
– We provide digital products. Most of products will come to you immediately. But for Pre-Order product, we need 3-7 days to order it for you.
– After you order, the system will create your account and send it to your email. And after your payment, you will receive the download link at the account or directly via your email. If you have any problems with your order, you can contact: .
– If you cannot find the download link, please don’t worry about that. We will update and notify you as soon as possible at 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM (UTC+8).
Let’s get things started! We will go with you!
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.