Tai Chi Symbol Tracing

Tai Chi symbol-tracing hands is a foundation for silk-reeling training — improving internal energy flow and cultivating Qi. This training offers a valuable tool to delve deeper into the inner workings of Tai Chi.

Silk-reeling exercises train the whole body to move as one continual spiraling unit, driven from the waist through the feet and legs. How you move in silk reeling is how you move in the Tai Chi form — one informs the other, and it’s a lifelong skill for improving your practice.

Over three classes, we learn the Tai Chi symbol-tracing hands patterns on both sides. Understanding how these patterns harmonize with the body’s integrated movements builds a deeper foundation for Tai Chi form practice. This class is most suited to those with some foundational Tai Chi experience, though no specific form is required.

Cheri Maffei-Wolff has been teaching Tai Chi in Richmond for nearly two decades. She has trained extensively in several Tai Chi open-hand styles including Yang, Sun, and Guang Peng, and has competed in national tournaments in Open Hand form and Push Hands, earning multiple gold medals. Cheri sees Tai Chi as the continual process of looking within for mental, physical, and spiritual balance, as well as for vitality and longevity.