How to Address Your Instructor
The question of how to address your instructor has several possible answers. The safest way to find out what is right for the class you enroll in is to simply ask the teacher how they would like to be addressed.
The formal Chinese term for Tai Chi teacher is Sifu (pronounced see-foo), meaning "master of an art or skill." However, many Tai Chi classes in the West are very informal. Most instructors simply go by their first name.
If a Chinese teacher asks you to call him or her Sifu, this is not because of an ego trip. Actually, this is a great compliment. This means that they consider you a worthy student, and that is an honor.
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Sage Sifu Says
You can get all the benefits from Tai Chi without straining. You don't have to memorize all the terms, or do the movements exactly like your teacher does, or read any certain books.
Tai Chi's amazing benefits will come to you by simply breathing deeply, relaxing your mind, and playing Tai Chi in class and every day at home. Play Tai Chi every day, and everything else will take care of itself.
"In doing nothing . . . all things are done."
Lao Tzu - The Tao te Ching
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"World Tai Chi and Qigong Day, takes place [the last Saturday of April] . . . To learn more, find instruction on the basics or discover a class in your area, go online to worldtaichiday.org."
-- USA Weekend
TEACHERS, this page is a great resource for your new students.
"Maybe we should have World Tai Chi and Qigong Day every week."
-- International Herald Tribune
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The information provided is courtesy of The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi and Qigong, now in fourth edition, with nearly 150 web video support videos to compliment the 300 illustrated instructions.
This overview of Tai Chi and Qigong has been heralded by Booklist Magazine, the nation's premiere library journal, by the United States Tai Chi Forms Grand Champion, Sifu Hong Yijao, and by Team USA Senior Coach, Dr. Michael Steward, Sr., who wrote that although he had studied and taught Tai Chi for over 30 years, he read this book 7 times, and found something new from it each time.
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