T’ai Chi with Zelda begins with Qi gong exercises followed by instruction in the Yang style Cheng Man-ch’ing short form, the most widely practiced form of T’ai Chi. The slow, flowing movements of the ancient Chinese art of T’ai Chi offer a remarkably effective workout for people of all ages.
Zelda Stern
Zelda began studying the gentle form of exercise, meditation, and martial art known as t’ai chi ch’uan (or tai ji quan), in the 1970s in New York City with Herman Kauz, a martial arts expert who became one of the foremost teachers of t’ai chi in this country. Kauz learned t’ai chi from Cheng Man-ch’ing, one of the first Chinese masters to introduce t’ai chi to the United States.
After moving to Williamstown, Zelda continued to practice t’ai chi independently and then with instructor Scott Carrino, whose teacher had been internationally acclaimed t’ai chi instructor and educator Chungliang Al Huang. Zelda eventually taught in Scott’s place when he went on sabbatical.
Zelda’s classes consist of ch’i gong (qi gong) exercises followed by instruction in the Yang style Cheng Man-ch’ing short form, the most widely practiced form of t’ai chi. She holds a B.A. in Asian Studies from Barnard College, is the author of The Complete Guide to Ethnic New York (St. Martin’s Press), co-author and co-translator of Mao’s Harvest: Voices from China’s Red Guard Generation (Oxford University Press), and worked for many years in public relations and communications.
In recent decades, science has discovered that the slow, flowing movements of the ancient Chinese art of t’ai chi offer a remarkably effective workout for people of all ages. Regular practice has been found to improve balance, coordination, leg strength, cardiovascular endurance, pulse rate, muscular flexibility, immune system response, mental concentration, and cognitive ability.