Wellness Wednesday: Tai Chi, led by Dr. Yanxi Liu

Registration is required. Registration opens 7 days before the event.

Learn basic techniques and movements of Tai Chi from instructor Dr. Liu, who will lead participants in a gentle session, great for beginners or anyone looking for a peaceful evening outdoors.

We will start with a breathing exercise called "Eight Brocades” (Ba Duan Jin), a popular form of Qigong — a traditional Chinese practice involving gentle movements, breathing techniques, and focused attention to cultivate energy flow and promote health. Each of the eight brocade movements focuses on a different part of the body and aims to improve the flow of Qi (vital energy). Before each of our TAIJI practice sessions, we will focus on 2-3 of the Eight Brocades forms.

After the body is activated and breathing is deepened, we will start practicing some basic TAIJI QUAN (fists) movements. The first four movements are: ward-off, roll-back, press, and push. These movements will be connected into a slow, smooth, gentle flowing sequence that can be practiced with music.

At the end of the session we will calm down with stretching moves, deep breathing to leave the body and mind energized, yet relaxed.

Please arrive 10-15 minutes early so the program can begin promptly at 6:00 PM.

About the Presenter:

Dr. Yanxi Liu is a professor in the school of electrical engineering and computer science of PSU. She is a trained theoretical roboticist and publishes in AI related fields since 1980s. Dr. Liu is a longtime Taiji (Tai Chi) practitioner, instructor, competitor, and researcher. She has served as a faculty advisor for PSU Taiji Club since 2007.

Wellness Wednesdays are part of Centred Outdoors' efforts to offer equitable opportunities for outdoor recreation at nearby natural spaces. The series highlights paths to wellness, engages the community, and includes local partners.