Need some stress relief during the holiday season? Tai Chi is the perfect way to end a busy, stressful day. This four-week course is perfect if you’re a beginner wanting to find out what Tai Chi is all about, or a seasoned student who wants to keep up with your practices.

In a practice that Harvard refers to as “medication in motion”, this course will provide a basic introduction to the value of Tai Chi for its 21st century practical applications to reduce stress and improve your health. Delivered with a focus on movement, mindfulness, and the power of breath, students will develop the foundation for a set of skills that will empower them to cultivate wellbeing at home, at work and at play for the rest of their lives.

Each class will begin with Meditation and Qigong to establish an aware, centered state from which to learn this ancient 18 Form Tai Chi in three parts, with a beginning, middle, and end. Students are encouraged to develop organically at their own pace, embrace their own unique considerations and evolve in the capacity to better manage the thinking, feeling and doing that influences every day of our lives. Unlike traditional exercise, Tai Chi relies on the internal power of Qi (Chi) with flowing, circular motions that have the ability to rejuvenate you rather than exhaust you from the practice.

Tai Chi will train your mind to focus and direct the internal powerful energy of Qi. The movements are performed slowly with mindful intention on expressing this energy through the body to improve your strength, balance, flexibility and range of motion. The resulting influence is a scientifically effective therapy to strengthen the immune, digestive, circulatory, skeletal, neurology, and muscular systems of the body. Each class will end with a brief meditation, questions, and discussion of that day’s experience.

Course Dates

Mondays, November 13 – December 4 (4 weeks)
Time: 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Price: $120 Members, $150 Nonmembers

About the Instructor

Henderson J. Smith, Jr. is the Founder of Living Well Therapies and specializes in teaching Qigong and Tai Chi as the exploration of applied physical, mental, and energetic self-mastery. He began the exploration of Qi (breath or energy) as a medium for healing and maximizing power with Sei Bu Do martial arts, under Grand Master Dr. Donald Swansey where he earned a 2nd Degree Black Belt. Henderson continued his study of Qigong, earning a 350 hour Professional Certification with the National Qigong Association (NQA) and a 200 hour Teacher Certification with the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC) under Dr. Roger Jahnke. Henderson recently earned advanced teacher certification as a Sr. Trainer with the IIQTC and served as Lead Assistant on a 2013 trip to China where he studied under 17th Generation Master Zhou Jin Bo. Henderson is currently studying under Master Shi Xing Hao of the Shaolin Kung Fu Academy in Houston, TX.

With a BS in Management and Marketing, 20 years of experience in the insurance and employee benefits business, and a clear correlation between medical claims and the habits that drive them, Henderson formed Living Well Therapies in 2007 on the understanding that each individual has the unique responsibility of managing his or her self. Henderson is committed to holistic wellness solutions that harness the power to exercise conscious control of our thinking, feeling, and doing.

Henderson is a founding member of the board of directors of the former Houston Wellness Association and sits on the board of the Park People. He is also a Sr. Fellow with the American Leadership Forum (ALF), graduating in 2013 from Medical Class 5 with a focus on “Disruptive Innovation” applied to improving the health care system. Henderson is also a graduate of the United Way's Project Blue Print and Leadership Houston, and he designed a nationally endorsed benefits package for the United Way of America and its agencies.

For more information about Living Well Therapies: http://livingwelltherapies.net/

Education and outreach programs at Asia Society Texas Center are made possible through generous funding from Karen Chang and the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation. Additional support is provided by Friends of Asia Society Texas Center, a premier group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing the best in exhibitions and public programming to Houston.