Here & Now - Koh Tao

We want to give you some information about Koh Tao and the "Tao on Koh Tao".

"The Rock" is a 21 sqkm island in the Gulf of Thailand, roughly 70 km northeast of Surat Thani, 45 km northwest of Koh Phangan and 70 km southeast of Chumphon.

If you are coming from the South, check out the ferry line Surat Thani-Koh Samui-Koh Phangan-Koh Tao. There is also a nightboat from Ban Don (Surat Thani) directly to Koh Tao.
From the North the easiest approach is from Chumphon. At Kao Sarn Road in Bangkok they will probably tell you that there is no nightboat from Chumphon. This is simply wrong. There are even two: one is equipped with matrasses and leaves, except for Sundays, at 11 pm, the other one leaves at midnight. Both arrive at Koh Tao around 5 am.

You can get joint tickets bus/boat from Bangkok to Koh Tao with Songserm, but sometimes you arrive in Chumphon as early as 5 am and you have to hang around until the boat leaves around 7 am.
The most comfortable ferry is the Catamaran (online-booking: Lomprayah Catamaran), running 7 am and 1 pm. They also have a bus from Bangkok, but I think it is more comfortable to take the night train no 85, second class sleeper, leaving Bangkok at 7:15 pm. The ferries have buses awaiting you at the train station in Chumphon.

After three years at Koh Tao's Sairee Beach Here & Now moved to the northern end of the main road in May 2002, taking over CFT-Bungalows, which was converted into
"Center For Taijiquan".

The Qigong/Taijiquan Courses are conducted by the experienced teacher Martin from Germany; if you'd like to join him in his morning meditation, you are welcome.
His wife Ron and her daughter Gung have attended several massage courses at different schools in Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand), which is a center for the study of Traditional Thai Yoga Massage. Their status as a well kept secret starts to falter, as more and more satified customers talk about them quite enthusiastically.

Further information about Qigong/Taijiquan Courses, Meditation and Traditional Thai Yoga Massage (HERE & NOW's first massage workshops in the beginning of 2003 have been a great success) can be found on the other pages of the HERE & NOW website.

Most people come to Koh Tao because the island is famous for the cheap diving courses. Actually, Martin came to Koh Tao in October 1995 to work as a Diving Instructor. After spending two months during the rainy season of 1997 at Suan Mokkh, a monastery close to Surat Thani, he could not connect to this business any more, decided to turn his hobby into profession and started HERE & NOW in March 1999 to teach Qigong and Taijiquan.

Health, Art, Spirituality... in Thailand ( www.wisdomlight.org )

The Evolution of the Yang School
of Taijiquan
by Gu Liuxin

Yang FuKui (1799-1872), better known as Yang Luchan, was born in Yongnian County in Northern China's Hebei Province. Because of poverty, he had to leave his home village at the age of ten for Chenjiagou in Wenxian County in Central China's Henan Province to make a living. He served as an attendant in the Ch'en family there and learned the "Lao Jia" (Old frame) style of the Taijiquan as well as "Push Hand" and combat with weapons from the famous Chinese boxing master Ch'en Ch'ang-hsing (1771-1863) After thirty years of industrious study and practice, he returned to Yongnian. Before his departure to his home village, Ch'en Ch'ang-hsing told him that since he had become a skillful martial artist, he would not have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of his life.

The local people in Yongnian County held Yang Luchan in high esteem and praised his Taijiquan as "cotton boxing", "soft boxing" or "solvent boxing" for its wonderful effects in overcoming the strong and beating the adversary without injuring him, and for its flexible attacking and defending tactics.

When Yang Luchan returned to Yongnian County, he put up at the Tai He Tang drugstore, which was run by the Chen family of Chenjiagou. The house belonged to the Wu brothers (Wu Chengqing, Wu Heqing and Wu Ruqing) who were all enthusiasts of the folk martial art. They admired Yang Luchan's superb skill and learned martial art from him.

At that time, Wu Ruqing was a councillor in the Sichuan office of the judicial department of the imperial court. He recommended Yang Luchan to teach Taijiquan in the ancient capital city of Beijing where many nobles of the Qing Dynasty learned martial art from him. The House of Prince Duan, one of the royal families in the capital, employed a large number of boxing masters and wrestlers, and some of them were anxious to have a trial of strength with Yang Luchan, but he invariable declined their challenge politely. One day, a famous boxing master of high prestige insisted on competing with Yang to see who was the stronger. The boxer suggested that they sit on two chairs and pit their right fists against each other. Yang Luchan had no choice but to agree. Shortly after the contest began, that boxing master started to sweat all over and his chair creaked as if it were going to fall apart. But Yang Luchan looked as composed and serene as ever. Then he got up, and in a gentle tone said to the onlookers: "The master's skill is indeed superb. Only his chair is not as firmly made as mine." The other master was so moved by his modesty that he never failed to praise Yang's exemplary conduct and unmatched martial skill. Later on, whenever anyone wanted to try his power with Yang Luchan, Yang would throw the challenger to the ground without injuring him. In this way, Yang Luchan gained great fame and high prestige and was nicknamed "Yang the Invincible". He was later appointed martial art officer in the Qing court with rank higher than a seventh grade official. When he paid a visit to to Chenjiagou to see his old friends, he received a warm welcome.

At that time there was a martial arts master named Liu who had taught thousands of students. One day, he challenged Yang Ban-hou (1837-1892), who was Yang Luchan's second son, to a contest. Yang Ban-hou, who was then in the prime of his youth and a bit bellicose by nature, accepted the challenge without hesitation. During the contest (which attracted hundreds of people) Yang Ban-hou sent his opponent reeling to the ground several metres away with a stunning blow of his palm. Since then, Yang Ban-hou was also called "Yang the Invincible".

The number of people wishing to learn Taijiquan began to increase. To meet popular needs, Yang Luchan gradually deleted all the difficult movements from the series called the Taijiquan solo form such as jumps and leaps, explosions of strength and vigorous foot stomping. After revisions by his third son Yang Chien-hou (1837-1917), this series of movements came to be known as "Zhong Jia" (medium frame). Later it was again revised by Yang Ch'eng-fu (1883-1936), the third son of Yang Chien-hou, which finally developed into the present "Da Jia" (large frame) style because of its extended and natural posture and slow and even movements. It was different from his uncle Yang Ban-hou's style which was known under the name of "Xiao Jia" (small frame). "Da Jia" is now the most popular Yang school of Taijiquan.

The Yang School of Taijiquan was born out of the Ch'en School Taijiquan (known as "Lao Jia or "Old Frame"). The Yang Style movements are relaxed, even and graceful like the drifting clouds and flowing stream, quite unlike the Ch'en Style which alternates slow with quick movements, and vigorous with restrained and controlled actions. The performance of the Yang Style of Taijiquan is terse and simple and always moves in a circular path, just like "reeling off raw silk from a cocoon". The movements are naturally combined with breathing which should be deep and should "sink to the Dan Tian" (the point in the lower belly slightly below the navel). Here again, it is quite different from the Ch'en Style which combines "sink deep breath to the Dan Tian" with "breath circulation in the lower belly".

Good for the health and known for its curative effects, the Yang School of Taijiquan which is easy to learn has caught the fancy of an increasing number of people, and that is why it is more popular than the Ch'en School.

The magnificent skill of three generations of the Yang family won them great renown throughout the capital. What was noteworthy was the fact that they unstintingly passed on their skill to many young people, which is perhaps one of the reasons why there are so many followers of the Yang School of Taijiquan today. In 1926, Yang Ch'eng-fu was invited to teach Taijiquan in the South successively in Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Hankou. Thus the Yang School of Taijiquan spread throughout the country.

Noted for its extended and natural postures, well-knit and steady movements, the Yang Style of Taijiquan combines vigor with gentleness, with its actions following a circular path. Each and every form or movement contains the technique of countering and overpowering the adversary.

The Yang School of Taijiquan has three frames (form): high, medium and low. The learner may determine the amount of exercise in accordance with his or her age, physical condition, objectives and specific requirements.

Because the movements are extended and natural, gentle and lissom, graceful and unique in style, as well as simple and easy to learn, the Yang School of Taijiquan has won the favor of a large number of martial arts enthusiasts.

Yang Ch'eng-fu, one of the founders of the school, was a great martial arts master of his time. Whenever he practised Taijiquan, he strictly followed the routines and was never lax in his movements. The movement of his entire body exemplified the quintessence of Taijiquan exercises. Yang Ch'eng-fu once said: "Taijiquan is an art with strength concealed in the gentle movements, like 'an iron hand in a velvet glove' or a needle concealed in cotton". He cautioned learners to always keep to the roundness and relaxation in their movements which, he said, must be gentle, natural, flexible and smooth as well as synchronized with one's mind. Actually, this is a summing up of his own experience and attainment.

After Yang Ch'eng-fu came to the southern part of China, he gradually realized that Taijiquan had the efficacy of treating chronic disease, building up one's health and bringing longevity. When he gave Taijiquan exhibitions in the "Zhirou Wushu Association" during his early days in Shanghai (which were set up by his disciple Chen Weiming, an editor working in the "Qing Dynasty History Institute"), he performed the movements of kicking with speed and force. Later, however, to suit the needs of treating chronic disease, he changed them to slow movements with inner exertion of force. In such movements as punching downward and punching the opponents pubic region, he made only imitations instead of manifest exertions of force, thus making the set of movements continuous and evenly paced.

Yang Ch'eng-fu was a stalwart and handsome man. Creating a style all his own, he had mastered extraordinary skill in "Tui Shou" (Push Hands) and was good at both attack and defense. Though his punches were delivered in a gentle manner, they were as hard as steel bar wrapped in soft cloth. He could deliver a stunning blow with only little action, and no sooner had the opponent felt that he was attacked than he was flung several meters away without being hurt. While other schools might regard injuring the opponent as the main objective, Yang Ch'eng-fu merely overpowered the opponent without hurting him, thereby blazing a new trail for the art of attack in the martial arts. It is small wonder so many learners not only wanted to master the skill but enjoyed doing so.

Yang Shao-hou (1862-1930). Yang Ch'eng-fu's older brother, was also a famous Taiji master who learned most of his skills from his uncle Yang Ban-hou. Like his uncle, Yang Ban-hou was bellicose by nature. His Taijiquan "frame" style was originally similar to his brother's, but later it gradually changed to the style of high "frame" with lively footwork and well-knit small movements, alternating quick and slow actions. He was swift and powerful in delivering his blows and, with eyes blazing like torches, a grim smile on his face and roaring and howling as he darted back and forth, he was held in awe by others. The technical features of this kind of Taijiquan were: overcoming strong attacks with soft movements, adapting oneself to others' movements and following up with quick attacks, using the motion of "sudden connection" to defeat the opponent with suprise attacks. The hand movement included catching, pushing and capturing, injuring the attacker's muscles and harming his bones, attacking the opponent's vital points and "controlling" his arteries and veins, using "continuous" and "sudden connection" force to throw the attacker to the ground with lightning speed.

When teaching his pupils, Yang Shao-hou would attack them without pulling his punches. His attacking movements were swift and ferocious, and his facial expression changeable and varied. All of this made it difficult for his trainee to imitate, which was why many of them dropped out halfway. And that was also perhaps why Yang Shao-hou's style of Taijiquan was not as popular as Yang Ch'eng-fu's, though the two brothers enjoyed an equally high reputation during their lifetime.

Yang Shao-hou followed his brother to the southern parts of the country and gave lectures in Shanghai and Nanjing. Many officials and rich merchants vied with one another to learn from him.

Yang Ch'eng-fu's techniques improved and matured with the passage of time. In his middle age, his Taijiquan reached its apex, and his performance had that touch of magnificence and gallantry as few masters could acquire. In the book 'T'ai Chi Chuan Techniques' written by his disciple Chen Wei Ming in 1925, there were 37 photographs showing Yang Ch'eng-fu in different postures and four photographs showing Yang Ch'eng-fu doing Tui Shou (Push Hands) exercise with Xu Yusheng. In the book 'A Manual of T'ai Chi Chuan' compiled by Cheng Man Ch'ing in 1934 for Yang Ch'eng-fu, there were 104 photographs. Although Yang's weight was 290 pounds at that time, his movements were natural and relaxed, combining vigor with gentleness. It could be said that he had attained the acme of technical proficiency.

Yang Ch'eng-fu's eldest son, Yang Zhenming (Yeung Shou Chung), has been teaching Taijiquan in Hong Kong since 1949. Yang Zhenji, his second son, is at present the chairman of the Wushu Association of the city of Handan in Hebei Province. Yang Zhenduo, the third son, is now teaching Taijiquan in the city of Tai Yuan in Shanzi Province and is also the chairman of the Research Association of the Yang School of Taijiquan in that province. In November 1961 he went to Shanghai to give a Taijiquan exhibition which caused a great sensation. Many Taijiquan fans made a special trip to Shanghai to watch him perform.

Yeung Shou Chung has three daughters living in Hong Kong: Amy Yeung, Mary Yeung and Agnes Yeung, who carry on the family art of Taijiquan. His first disciple, Ip Tai Tak, is retired and living in Hong Kong. The second disciple, Gin Soon Chu, has been teaching Taijiquan in Boston since 1969, and his third disciple, K. H. Chu, has been teaching Taijiquan in England and Europe for the past ten years.

Author Notes:
Mr. Gu Liuxin was born in 1908. A Taijiquan specialist in mainland China, in the last three decades he represented China many times as a taiji teacher overseas. In 1977 and 1980 he taught taijiquan in Japan where people were amazed at what he could do.

His martial arts training began in 1919 at the age of 11. In the last 60 years, besides practicing on his own and teaching students, he searched out many excellent taijiquan teachers and combined their teaching and knowledge in his taijiquan research. Currently he is the VP of the Sports Medicine Institute, Wushu Research member, President of Shanghai Wushu Association and Editorial member of China Great Encyclopedia Sport Section. He has written or co-authored the following books:

Chen Style T'ai Chi Chuan 1963
Research in T'ai Chi Chuan 1964
How to Practice T'ai Chi Chuan 1974
The Art of T'ai Chi Chuan 1982
Pao Tsui Chen Style T'ai Chi Chuan #2 1983

Cheng Man Ch'ing
Professor Cheng Man Ch'ing was called "Master of the Five Excellences": Taijiquan, painting, calligraphy, poetry and medicine. His favorite of the "five" was Taijiquan, which he learned from Yang Ch'eng-fu.
When Cheng Man Ch'ing was very young his body was extremely weak and in his twenties he contracted a lung disease. The medical doctors were unable to help him but his friends introduced him to Master Yang Cheng-fu and he became the last disciple of Master Yang. For six years he studied Taijiquan with Master Yang every day and his body became healthy and strong. Feeling that Taijiquan could benefit everyone, Professor Cheng was anxious to spread this art to all, following the proverb, "The good doctor cures people before they become ill." and in 1947 he wrote the &quotThirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan".
In the mid-sixties Professor Cheng Man Ch'ing opened a Studio for Taijiquan in New York.
In 1975 he travelled to Taiwan where he passed away. ( www.chengmanching-forum.info )

William C.C. Chen
William C.C. Chen was born in 1935. His father took him to see Professor Ch'eng Man Ching, who asked him if he would like to learn Taijiquan and so he became Cheng's youngest student. In 1953 C.C. Chen started teaching in several places and this earned him the title &quotBaby Master", since all those he instructed were older than himself. From 1954 on he took part in tournaments and in 1959 he was invited to teach Taijiquan in Singapore, Malaysia and later in Bangkok.
In 1962 C.C. Chen moved to Hawaii and was honored to teach as head instructor at the Honolulu T'ai Chi Ch'uan Association. Professor Ch'eng Man-Ching wrote him during 1965 several times, asking him to teach in Springfield and in New York. After arriving in New York William C.C. Chen decided against these offers and opened a studio on his own.
The Martial Art Magazine &quotInside Kung Fu" has chosen Grandmaster William C.C. Chen as the &quotMan of the year 2000", who will go down in history as one of the finest and most influential traditional internal stylists of his generation. ( www.williamccchen.com )

Sifu Luis Molera
Luis Molera was born in Madrid, Spain in 1959. He started learning Taijiquan with several teachers in Germany in 1980. A student of William C.C. Chen since 1984 Luis received his teaching licence in 1989. Besides being a Master Student of Grandmaster Chen he deepened his knowledge in Taiwan with Master Sun, Chen Shiu Yao, Jeng Shean Chih and other Taijiquan teachers.
Luis is regularly invited to give workshops at Taijiquan schools. He teaches in Spain, the UK and sometimes at the International Push Hands Meeting in Jasnieres, France.
During the last two years Luis took part successfully in tournaments in the UK, Taiwan, Holland and Denmark.
His "Centre for T'ai Chi Ch'uan" in Bremen, Germany has hosted William C.C. Chen workshops for more than 15 years. ( www.taichi-luismolera.de )

Ralph Westermann
Ralph Westermann started practicing Taijiquan in 1984 with a friend. The following year he met Luis Molera who was, at this time, still teaching the Peking Form; Luis has been Ralph's teacher since then. Ralph attended several workshops and received his teaching license from William C.C. Chen in 1989. He started teaching in 1990 and in 1994 Ralph and Luis travelled to Taiwan. Two years later Ralph studied with Master Tan in Malaysia. Since 1996 he spend most of his time in Auroville, India and Thailand, especially on Koh Tao, teaching his long-time friend Martin.
Ralph has been five times to Jasnieres, France, attending the anual International Push Hands Meeting with teachers from all over Europe. Ralph also practices Qigong and Traditional Thai Yoga Massage and he has studied physiotherapy and acupuncture.
Ralph and his friend Andrea (she is teaching Yoga) opened a place called OMTAO in November 2004. Located on Koh Chang at the west coast of Thailand, close to Ranong at the border to Myanmar, OMTAO is open from October 15 to May 15. During the rainy season from June to September 2005 Ralph and Andrea offer their program on Koh Samui. You can find them east of the Coconut Village between Ban Tai and Mae Nam. ( www.omtao.net )

Martin Rapp
Ralph Westermann and I, who have known each other since the early 70's, met again in 1993 when he gave me an application form for a William C.C. Chen workshop. It was quite an experience to do the first Taijiquan steps with such a great Master! I then started training with Luis Molera, but was interrupted by an 8 months stay on Lanzarote, Canary Islands. Ralph visited me there and so not everything was forgotten. Because I then only stayed for 4 months in Bremen before leaving for Thailand Ralph gave me one-on-one instruction. I was on Koh Tao for 3 months when Ralph arrived and stayed for a month. Since then Ralph has visited me frequently on "the Rock", coming about three times/year.
In March 1998 I opened HERE & NOW and started teaching Qigong and Taijiquan.
At the end of August 2001 Luis Molera came to visit HERE & NOW for ten days and besides attending his workshop I got private lessons twice a day.
Being in Germany in March 2002, I have been lucky to attend two workshops with William C.C. Chen. These eight days of practicing with Master Chen have been one of the most inspiring time in my life.

Special Events
9/2001
'Specials' - that's a big word, and I have only a small place on a small Island. Events started with the visit of Sifu Luis Molera, Master Student of William C.C. Chen, who followed my invitation to give a workshop on "The Rock".
He arrived on Koh Tao on August 24 after spending nearly two months with Chinese Masters in Taiwan. So he was well tuned and not ready to stop. My three long term students and I were utterly exhausted after his demanding Push Hands instruction. But we loved it and it is the plan to do another workshop with him in 2002.
On September 2nd Ralph Westermann arrived from Auroville, India and after a break of 7 years Luis, Ralph and I were practicing Taijiquan together again. The next day Luis Molera left for Spain, where he will lead several workshops over the next two months, before returning to his school in Bremen, Germany.

There are now two regular Push Hand Meetings a week: Sundays at 1 pm and Wednesdays at 7 pm. These sessions are open for my students up from Course 3 and all Taijiquan-practitioners regardless of style.

World Taiji/Qigong Day
April 24th 2004

Building up on the first World Taiji/Qigong Day 2003 on Koh Tao the WTCCGD 2004 again was 4 hours of fun, sweat and good spirit. 10 participants from 7 countries made it an international event and all enjoyed practicing the Taiji-Qigong 18 Style. Some of them came to one or more of the 6 free training sessions which were held at the previous 3 days and so we were quite "synchronized".
Surprisingly half of the participants have been more experienced in Taiji than beeing absolute beginners. So while the first timers took a rest, the others and me have been busy with showing them some of the forms.
We were able to do the Introduction Form, consisting of the first 8 postures of the Short Form (the last 5 movements are repeated in 4 directions) with 6 people: Andreas and Philippe from Switzerland, Kathiep (Thailand), Yuki (Japan) and Ralf and me originating in Germany, but more or less living in Thailand.
Ralf just had completed the Short Form at HERE & NOW and joined Kathiep and me for a "trio". Kathiep and Philippe did a Sword Form "duo" and showed 2 different Fan Forms. I kept Kathiep busy by doing the Long Form with her. Yuki performed the "24", which she just started 8 months ago, and all of us were amazed by the grace of her movements.
Unfortunately we all have been too busy doing the "Eight Pieces of Brocade" so there are no pictures of this sweat producing activity: it was just after 12 o'clock and around 40? Celsius, April being the hottest month on Koh Tao!!! And after doing the Sword Form and a dynamic Fan Form by myself I could wring out my dripping clothes. Our World Taiji/Qigong Day on Koh Tao ended with Elody (France), Henrik (Danmark), Alex (Great Britain) and Bernhard and Fabian (Germany) joining a last performance of the Taiji-Qigong 18 Style. ( www.worldtaichiday.org )

Workshop with Sifu Luis Molera
December 2004 - January 2005
Sifu Luis Molera came to Koh Tao at the end of December 04 and stayed until January 11 to give multiple workshops. He taught Short, Long, Sword, Fan, and Broadsword Form. We also trained applications and Push Hands with him.

Workshop with Sifu Luis Molera
July / August 2005
We invited Sifu Luis Molera for the third time after 2001 and January 2005 to Koh Tao. Again for 10 days we had the chance to work on the Short, Long, Sword, Fan, and Broadsword Form. There was also plenty of time to get more into the applications and for practising Push Hands.

Meditation
Sitting meditation in the morning from 5:15 until 6:00
I am not a meditation teacher (although I can give beginners a start), but there is the possibility to do sitting meditation with me in the morning. I offer this mainly because of two nearby retreat-centers. So when you come from there and want to continue the early rising and don't like to sit on your own, you're welcome.

I did several retreats at Wat Suan Mokkh, which I think is quite suitable especially for beginners, or if you don't want to sit for ten hours a day. You find Wat Suan Mokkh on the mainroad between Surat Thani and Chumpon, roughly 50 km north of Surat Thani. All bus-drivers know it and they will drop you off in front of the door. During the retreat you have a single room, there are hot springs just beside the dormitory and the fantastic lunch easily makes up for the somewhat flat ricesoup they serve for breakfast. Retreats are every month from the 1st to the 10th, registration is the last day of the previous month. You can come some days earlier and stay for free in a dorm. ( www.suanmokkh.org )

Wat Kow Tahm is located on Koh Pangan, a neighboring island to Koh Tao. Their teachers Rosemary and Steve Weissmann have a very good reputation. Retreats are not every month. ( www.watkowtahm.org )

Qigong / Taijiquan Courses
An Overview
There are 4 sessions a day. Each session lasts 11/2 hours. I recommend to plan 10 days for Course 1. Because even if you are willing to do 2 sessions a day I cannot promise a 5-day course, although this is sometimes possible. On a tight schedule you can get up quite early and attend the first morning session at 6 am or the following session at 8 am. The late afternoon times are 5 pm and 7:00 pm.

Course 1
Designed for absolute beginners this is an introduction to Qigong and to the Taijiquan Yang Style. In this course you learn an 18 Movement Qigong and the first 8 postures of the Taijiquan Short Form, Yang Style, as taught by Grandmaster William C.C. Chen since 1950.
The purpose of Qigong is to create balance and harmony between body (essence), breath (energy) and mind (spirit). The mind governs the breath, and the breath supplies the body with Qi. Qigong supports the balance between Yin and Yang, which is an indicator for health, by harmonizing the energy-flow throughout the body. In China illness and sickness are seen as an imbalance of the energy-flow, which is also connected to the mental states:
e-motion=energy in motion.
This 18 Movement Qigong emphasizes the rooting and grounding of the lower body and the relaxation and looseness of the upper body. Therefore it is a good preparation for the kind of Taijiquan as taught by William C.C. Chen, as both follow the same principles. The Qigong is easier to learn, because each movement is repeated several times, whereas in the Taijiquan one movement immediately follows another. In addition to being a form of Qigong, Taijiquan belongs to the small family of internal martial arts.

In case you are staying a little longer on "The Rock" and you want to do something other than spending your time underwater, you have the chance to delve deeper into Taijiquan. In

Course 2
you will learn the "8 Pieces of Brocade" Qigong, which was created by a chinese general about 900 years ago and which consists mainly of stretching movements.
Furthermore you will deepen your understanding and practice of the "Body Mechanics of Taijiquan". This term was created by William C.C. Chen to explain how the movements are performed. After adding 12 more postures to the 8 postures of the first course you will end up with the first part of the Short Form.

If you found a job, are doing your divemaster or just got stuck on Koh Tao (you would definitely not be the first one) you have the possibility to complete the Short Form by attending.

Course 3
After finishing this course you will be able to perform the 60 Posture Short Form. You will have spent about 47 sessions, which is easily possible to do in six months (doing two sessions a week) - if you choose to do three sessions a week, the first three courses can be completed in four months. In Europe or America a comparable course would take you about a year, with sessions once a week.
Starting Course 3 also gives you the possibility to join the Push Hands sessions.

In case you have finally settled down on Koh Tao, or if you practice Taijiquan already, even when it is a different style, I also teach.

Traditional Thai Yoga Massage is good for you every day
Traditional Thai Yoga Massage is a whole body massage, based on acupressure and yoga-like stretching. To cover the most important energy lines (meridians) takes about 21/2 hours. This is not only harmonizing the energy-flow through your body but it also relaxes you emotionally and activates the self-cleaning process of the body by releasing toxins.
Ron and her friend Sun are educated in this ancient art (the roots of Traditional Thai Yoga Massage lie in India, about 2500 years ago). They offer this wonderful experience at HERE & NOW. They will provide you with this energy-balancing and relaxing massage in a natural setting accompanied by meditative music.

Site to my Taijiquan roots are:
Grandmaster William C.C.Chen (1935 - ) ( www.williamccchen.com )

Sifu Luis Molera ( www.taichi-luismolera.de )

Following are some other places in Thailand which offer Taiji. I'm sorry, but these are all I have found so far:

Ralph Westermann is now teaching at OMTAO (October 15 to May 15) on Koh Chang at the west coast of Thailand, close to Ranong at the border to Myanmar. ( www.omtao.net )

On Koh Samui Jordi Altimiras teaches Taiji. Visit his website at: ( www.geocities.com/jordialtimiras )

In Chiang Mai Keith Good gives introductory Taiji courses in the essential postures. Classes start the 1st and 16th of each month. For further information: ( www.taichithailand.com )

Throughout most of the year Taiji is taught at the Sanctuary on Koh Phangan, Koh Tao's neighboring island. Their website is: ( www.samui.org/sanctuary )

The following links I found quite informative and useful:
Long River Tai Chi Circle is the school of Wolfe Lowenthal, student of Cheng Man Ch'ing and author of the acclaimed "There Are No Secrets" and "Gateway to the Miraculous": ( www.longrivertaichi.org )

A very informative website about Taijiquan, including a lenghthy glossary, is Ron Perfettis ( www.ronperfetti.com )

Among other interresting articles there is a long essay concerning rooting at: ( www.chineseboxing.com )

Links to T'ai Chi Ch'uan and related websites: ( http://scheele.org/lee/tcclinks.html )