Tai Chi Movement Workshops

The pelvis, a dynamic proxy for the ground, offers unique advantages in mobility and adaptability. By maintaining a flat and floating pelvis, we achieve an optimal balance between power generation and fluid movement. This ideal pelvic position, however, requires specific conditions and awareness to maintain. A common mistake is blocking pelvic movement by sinking too quickly and forcefully into our knees, limiting overall mobility and power potential.

In this workshop, we will:

• Practice exercises for optimal pelvic positioning

• Learn to create and sustain the right conditions for a floating pelvis

Mastering these concepts will enhance your body awareness, improving movement efficiency and power output.

Practical implications

For daily life:

• Walk with lightness and grace

• Squat safely without straining knees or back

• Sit down and stand up with greater ease

For Tuishou (Push Hands):

• Maintain power while lowering stance or shifting weight

• Move fluidly without compromising stability

• Protect your root, making it difficult for opponents to disrupt your balance

By mastering the art of a floating pelvis, you’ll not only improve daily activities but also significantly enhance your tuishou skills, creating a more dynamic and resilient practice. This holistic approach to movement will transform both your everyday life and martial arts practice.

Our connective tissue (fascia) plays a crucial role in human biomechanics, acting as a sophisticated guide system for our muscles. This intricate network serves multiple functions that go beyond mere structural support.

Key Functions of Connective Tissue:

• Power Direction: Like a complex system of pulleys and levers, connective tissue directs muscular power, often in ways that aren’t immediately obvious from the orientation of muscle fibers.

• Force Collection: It aggregates the force generated by individual muscle strains, creating a cumulative effect.

• Power Redirection: Perhaps most impressively, connective tissue can redirect force, allowing power to be applied in directions that seem to defy the structural orientation of muscle fibers.

Practical Implications

Understanding this concept has profound implications for:

• Movement Efficiency: By properly engaging our connective tissue, we can move more efficiently, using less muscular effort.

• Injury Prevention: Proper use of this system can distribute force more evenly, reducing strain on individual muscles or joints.

• Performance Enhancement: Athletes and martial artists can leverage this understanding to generate more power or change directions more rapidly.

By honing our awareness and control of this intricate system, we can unlock new levels of movement potential, enhancing both daily activities and specialized physical pursuits.

Severin Berz brings over 20 years of experience in meditation, bodywork, dance, and martial arts. A fascia and body awareness specialist, he has developed his own movement system called Origami Movement.

Severin has trained in Bagua, Xing Yi, and Liu He Tang Lang under Master Han Yanwu in Beijing, and has the privilege of studying Taiji with Ghislain de Taillandier and Master Sam Tam.

Drawing on his rich professional background, Severin has a keen ability to assess students’ physical and perceptual structures, helping them unlock untapped potential. His teaching focuses on subtle feelings, cultivating greater awareness of posture, energy, and perception, integrating these insights into students’ own technical backgrounds and daily lives. His approach offers fresh perspectives that go beyond conventional movement concepts.

Participants must sign a liability waiver and media release.

Also check out other Workshops in Shoreline, Arts events in Shoreline, Health & Wellness events in Shoreline.