Tai Chi Chuan classes and experiences for New York, Long Island, and beyond.
About Your Instructor
Master David B. Alexander has had a lifelong involvement with Tai Chi Chuan. His teaching methods enhance health and well-being, and are based on the dynamic energy that is central to Tai Chi Chuan. He received his teaching certification and advanced diploma from the renowned Grandmaster William C.C. Chen, and continued to practice and assistant teach alongside GM Chen for over 40 years, while also running his own teaching practice in Long Island, NY.
Students experience simultaneous health benefits, improved mind / body harmony, and stress reduction. The principles practiced are also the foundation of all sports, dance, and martial arts. That is because we focus on the internal connections that lead to flowing, spontaneous and fully-embodied responses to all the challenges and opportunities of life—which include sports, dance, and martial arts.
A key principle is that we activate deep energy not muscles, and as a result the muscles flow freely to accomplish actions, guided by our brain through clear intention. This focus is excellent for mental and physical health.
Master Alexander attended nearly every Short Form class taught in NYC by GM Chen starting in 2011, and was assistant teacher in those classes, while also continuing to teach in Long Island. The NYC engagement gave him an excellent opportunity to witness the way GM Chen explained various principles, made corrections, and provided a positive experience for students.
When GM Chen was traveling for workshops, Master Alexander was frequently invited to run the scheduled NYC classes as teacher. He has also assisted by invitation of Grandmaster Chen at various workshops, and has run additional classes, at workshop intensives held in Eastover MA, Washington DC, and Saratoga NY.
Master Alexander is also an active psychotherapist and psychoanalyst practicing in Roslyn Heights, Long Island, and via online teletherapy. Read more here.
About William C.C. Chen, and Recommendations for Home Practice
Grandmaster William C.C. Chen innovated Body Mechanics as a way to enter deeply into the brain / mind / body connection, a unique and valuable contribution to the understanding of Tai Chi Chuan, and of movement in general.
Find out more by watching classroom and instructional videos by Grandmaster William C.C. Chen through our alliance with Content Galaxy. Subscriptions are available at a very reasonable cost; I recommend this for those who want a wide variety of thorough videos featuring Grandmaster William C.C. Chen demonstrating the form as well as teaching the movements, boxing, and push hands. Additional videos with Cheng Man-Ch’ing and others are also included.
Since students often ask me what resources I recommend outside our class time, I recommend the above subscription, which provides online videos including the Short Form. I also recommend a print book that matches well with what I teach and that has excellent annotated photos of the various movements, namely Brain Aerobics of Tai Chi Chuan. My preference as a learning aid for new students is the printed book, which is easy to refer to while practicing the form, but for those who prefer videos, the option of having the online videos, or both the book and videos, is available.