20+ Year Tai Chi Player/Practitioner

Barry has been a practitioner of Tai Chi since being introduced to the discipline in 1999. He incorporates the principles of this martial arts discourse into his business practices, management, relationships, and his writing. He also practices Qigong for health, balance, and well-being.

In 2020, Barry began teaching Tai Chi and through his own studies was able to deepen his understanding and incorporate more Qigong into his practice. During the pandemic shutdown of 2020, he taught himself Tai Chi Sword to put himself into a beginner’s mind so that he could be a more effective teacher for his students.

Below you will find links to a piece he wrote called Tai Chi and the Practice of Business (this also appears in the appendix of the book The Drunkard’s Path).

You will also find links to his class handouts on Tai Chi and Qigong if you have more interest.

He is not currently offering any classes. He is planning a class called Tai Chi and the Practice of Business.

About Tai Chi

Tai Chi (Chinese: 太極; pinyin: Tàijí), short for T’ai chi ch’üan or Tàijí quán (太極拳), is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training, its health benefits and meditation. The term taiji is a Chinese cosmological concept for the flux of yin and yang, and ‘quan’ means fist. So, etymologically, Taijiquan is a fist system based on the dynamic relationship between polarities (Yin and Yang). Though originally conceived as a martial art, it is also typically practiced for a variety of other personal reasons: competitive wrestling in the format of pushing hands (tui shou), demonstration competitions and achieving greater
longevity. As a result, a multitude of training forms exist, both traditional and modern, which correspond to those aims with differing emphasis. Some training forms of Tai Chi are especially known for being practiced with relatively slow movements. Something to understand is that the “Tai Chi” symbol represents balance and is not a static circle. It is actually a wheel in constant motion. In the real universe, yin and yang are always exchanging places. Yang is always shifting toward yin in the same way that day is always becoming night, and yin is always moving toward Yang, just as the darkest night is progressing toward day.

Balance in Chinese philosophy is meant to be understood as dynamic rather than static. Real equilibrium has to be “balance in motion.” The philosophy of “Tai Chi” and Tai Chi Chuan is simple: understanding the dynamic interplay of yin-yang in any given situation—and, moreover, how to work with it.  Balance and harmony is the goal because when one is in balance, everything in life just works better.

Most of the time the symbol is portrayed as two dimensional but a better illustration would be in 3 dimensions and in constant movement as seen below.

Today, Tai Chi has spread worldwide. Most modern styles of Tai Chi trace their development to at least one of the five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu (Hao), Wu and Sun. All the former, in turn, trace their historical origins to Chen Village.

Tai Chi is often described as “meditation in motion,” but it might well be called “medication in motion.” There is growing evidence that this mind-body practice, which originated in China as a martial art, has value in treating or preventing many health problems. And you can get started even if you aren’t in top shape or the best of health.

Tai Chi and the Practice of Business / Info on Tai Chi / Info on QiGong