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Double Dragon Tai Chi Studio
is owned and operated by Ottawa Canada chief WTBA instructor for Canada, Josephine Anderson, Senior instructor Level 4
Josephine teaches in Ottawa, and hosts Eli Montaigues annual workshop in Ottawa.
For more information or inquiries, email info@doubledragontaichi.ca |
TheWorld Taiji Boxing Association
"The WTBA is an organisation of like minds from all over the world coming together in friendship and harmony (well most times). Erle Montaigue began the Australian Taiji Boxing Association back in 1979. It soon became clear that the organisation had outgrown the 'Australian' part so we changed it to the World Taiji Boxing Association.  Erle Montaigue is the head of the WTBA worldwide and we have a number of Country Representatives around the world. These are students and friends who have trained with Erle for many years and have risen to a high level of competence in Erle's system of Internal Gung-fu. We now have representatives in around 30 countries with well over 10,000 students being in some way associated with the WTBA as 'WTBA members'. There is no real hierarchy in the WTBA as this is how Erle Montaigue likes it, plain and simple without titles or bowing down to anyone, just a bunch of friends training together with a like goal of harmony and great good health and along the way perhaps some self defence. The WTBA has no uniforms or any other patches or other lofty names like 'Sensei' or Master or Loucher etc. We are simply here to help each other up the ladder." From Erle Montaigue's WTBA page - Click here to read in full.
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What is T'ai Chi?
The Meaning of the Name
The full name of T'ai Chi is T'ai Chi Ch'uan or Taijiquan. The two main spellings, based on two methods of transcribing Chinese characters into English, are T'ai Chi Ch'uan (also spelled T'ai Chi Chuan) and Taijiquan. Here it will simply be referred to as T'ai Chi, the short form most commonly known to the public.
T'ai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan is generally translated into English as "Grand Ultimate Fist" or "Supreme Ultimate Fist." "Tai" mean grand or supreme and "Chi" , in this context, meaning ultimate. "Fist" is the literal translation of chuan/quan, while the more formal meaning is "force." Thus it can also be translated as "Grand/Supreme Ultimate Force." It is generally agreed that the idea of supreme/grand ultimate is related to the Chinese concept of yin and yang, which is an expression of all dynamic dualities or pairs of opposites such as male/female, light/dark, active/passive, forceful/yielding, and infinite other such dualities. The whole of T'aichi is based on dualities and their interaction as is, according to Chinese thought, all of life. The "chuan" or "quan" aspect of the name is usually thought of as the way of achieving this yin/yang or supreme ultimate discipline.
What is it?
Variously, T'ai Chi is thought to be exercises intended for health, spiritual development, or self-defence. It is all of these.
Based on the ancient system of Chinese medicine (balancing yin and yang energies ), T'ai Chi movements were carefully developed to
- Internal/External Martial Arts
- Five Major Styles of T'ai Chi