Great River Taoist Center

First time at the Center and I’m convinced it’s the place for me. Considering it’s low monthly pricing for unlimited classes, the owner/​teacher is very approachable and makes a real effort to know his students.

Since living abroad in China, I always harbored the secret dream of waking up early one morning to do Taiji in the park with a bunch of randos. I would know all of the moves, be in sync with my fellow Taiji-​ers and feel at one with the Universe. It took me quite a long time to start making this dream a reality. I additionally had entered a period of my life where yoga was no longer an option to help me find «balance» in this crazy world. Thankfully, I had a DC friend who practiced Taiji and encouraged me to join a beginner’s class at his school, Great River Taoist Center.
I have now been a student at Great River for 7 months and have since realized there is a lot more to Taiji than learning some pretty «moves» to do in the park. Don’t expect to pick this up overnight — this practice takes time, patience and determination (i.e. it takes an entire year just to learn the sequence). Taiji is not only a martial art, it is also a way of life — one that requires full awareness of your body, mind and the present moment. Great River is not for the faint of heart, but it has woken me up to the fact that I need to work on my breathing, my body alignment, my mindfulness and my inability to «let go.»
Plus, if you want to learn from the best, Rodell lao shi is the best.

Great River Taoist Center stands in stark contrast to the suburban strip mall belt factories that are so common on American main streets today. It is in the heart of the DC area and it is a place where you will get to truly learn the art of Tai Chi Chuan. You will learn that Tai Chi Chuan is so much more than moving meditation. The quality, depth of knowledge and experience at Great River is second to none and covers all the facets of traditional Tai Chi Chuan training. And Great River is great community where you will develop true camaraderie with your fellow classmates. I have been a student of Great River for nearly twenty years, and now I teach classes myself. When my students come up to me and say «wow, it’s great to learn the meaning and structure of the movements», it’s because of the education I got at Great River Taoist Center.