Gray's Medical and Martial Arts.

New taiji class starting at La Palma acupuncture Saturdays at 10 am! No charge, but if you want to help me with my student loans that would be great!

Taijiquan aka tai chi, is a martial art originally developed to resemble the symbol known as the taijitu, which is the name of the yin yang symbol. Many confuse the terms due to attempts to Latinize the Chinese characters. The name is not referring to chi or qi as in life force energy such as in the practice of qi gong. But again referring to the symbol representing the balance of yin and yang. One story of it's origin comes from a Wu Tang monk, already highly trained in kung fu and qi gong, philosophy, medicine and Taoist mysticism. He was inspired to create a martial art that would embody the root of taoist philosophy. The story goes that he was watching a snake and a crane fight (they didn't have TV back then), when he noticed the strong balance of the crane and the flowing defending and attacking of the wings. While the snake used expert timing and cunning, as the snake retreated and coiled, this defensive move powered it's next attack. Over time taiji became famous for being the highest form of unarmed fighting or the grand ultimate boxing or taijiquan. Today taiji is considered the most widely practiced martial art in the world, however the large majority of practitioners come to the style for the benefits of the gentle exercises and movements. Regular practice of taiji improves strength, balance, coordination while being a gentle exercise that can be scaled to each persons ability. Doctors often recommend taiji for people with pain as the movements help to correct posture and offer a low impact exercise. Research shows that taiji improve density of connections in the spinal cord, supporting the use of taiji in rehabilitation of injuries including stroke. Come try a free class

Now accepting Medi-Cal patients at the Monterey location. Santa Cruz and San Jose coming soon!!

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