School of Tai Chi Chuan, Spokane

Every form class at the School of Tai Chi Chuan in Spokane is taught by a team of two or more certified instructors, so students can keep their attention on the teaching, with someone always up front to follow. The method was developed in the school's international parent school by Patrick Watson, with guidance from Grand Master Cheng Man-Ch'ing, and Watson's goal, as Cheng asked, was to train teachers. Gil Milner, M.D. brought the branch to Spokane in 1984.

Classes teach the Yang Style Short Form, the version of the Yang form that Cheng Man-Ch'ing shortened to take about eight minutes. The school traces its line from the Ch'en family to the Yang family, from Yang Cheng-fu to Cheng Man-Ch'ing, and on to Patrick Watson, one of his students. Every class includes qi-gong, breath awareness and the form, and the school's Roots & Branches qi-gong and the Eight Ways add to the practice. The teachers describe tai chi as a moving meditation for deep relaxation.

Newcomers start in Introduction to Tai Chi Chuan, for anyone new to the art and to the school. It works on relaxation through postures and slow movements, with balance, alignment and breath awareness, and the school says students go home from the first night with enough to practice on their own. The class suits people recovering from injuries or who haven't exercised in a while. Classes start three times a year, in January, April and September, and each runs for 10 sessions. After the introduction comes B1, the first third of the form, then B2, the second third; each is open to students who have finished the class before it with the school. Class days and times are set with each term, so the school's current schedule is the place to check them.

Classes meet at Yasodara Yoga Studio in Browne's Addition, where students wear socks and loose clothing and shoes stay off the hardwood floor. Birgitt Krause began tai chi in 1985 and has taught since 1992. In summer the international school normally holds week-long Tai Chi Summer Vacations in places such as Whidbey Island, the East Coast and Europe, which fit alongside the weekly classes in Spokane. The school doesn't mention a trial class, so an email to the Spokane teachers before a term begins is the way to ask whether one is possible.