Translations (译文)
Connections is available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Chinese. We are very grateful for our translators who volunteered to translate: Rubén Coirini, Daniela Famulari, Gennaro Ripa, Françoise Desagnat, Jean-Claude Miremont, Thilo Krienke, Milena Locci de Oliveira de Lazzari, and Li Mingyang. Thank you very much! Here are the links to the other languages:
Welcome to Our New Members
I would like to welcome all new members who have recently joined Yang Family Tai Chi. Thank you for joining us and welcome to our tai chi family! I am happy you have chosen to join us and hope that you feel welcome and receive great value from your membership.
I hope that all members will have a long and fulfilling relationship with our association. For those members who have been with us through the years, I appreciate that you have chosen to stay with us as we continue to spread tai chi chuan worldwide to help humankind.
Sincerely,
Yang Jun
President
Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo's Inauguration Ceremony
On March 29, on the eve of the Qingming Festival, the inauguration ceremony of Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo's memorial cenotaph was held in Yongnian, Hebei. Over a hundred disciples of the Yang family from China and abroad, filled with reverence, gathered at the Yang Family Memorial Park to participate in this solemn event.
Master Yang Zongjie officially announced the commencement of the ceremony. Masters Yang Zhifang, Yang Jun, and Yang Yong, along with family successors Fu Qingquan and Zhao Liang, President Zeng of the Hong Kong Yang Tai Chi Association, and Chairman Guo from Yongian, unveiled Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo's memorial cenotaph. Following this, Master Yang Jun, with a solemn expression, held three incense sticks high above his head and performed the traditional ritual of three bows and nine prostrations. Master Yang Zhifang and the Yang family relatives, performed the ritual of one bow and three prostrations. Disciples of the Yang family stepped forward one by one to offer flowers and pay their respects. Next, Master Yang Jun recited the eulogy, his voice passionate and heartfelt.
After the ceremony, all attendees slowly walked to the tomb of Grandmaster Yang Luchan, where they offered flowers and tributes. They also walked solemnly around the grave site in a full circle with remembrance and reverence for the ancestors.
Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo's Birthday July 14
To honor Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo and recognize his valuable contributions to tai chi chuan, our association, and the health and wellness of the world, it is our tradition to celebrate his birthday each year. This year, his birthday is on July 14. For directors and instructors, please send a short video of what you and your students do to mark this special day. While in the past we have marked his birthday by performing the 49 Form, it would be great to see creative and celebratory videos this time too. An email with more details was sent to directors and instructors on June 11. Please check your email.
Please email your full, unedited videos (under 5 min) by July 10 (yes, BEFORE the July 14 birthday) to the Yang Family Disciple Council at 304821950@qq.com.
Training Standards Department: Instructor Certification Renewal
To all instructors:
A reminder to check your instructor certificate for the expiration date. If it is June 30, 2025, or before, please send the renewal form as soon as possible, along with the required documents, to the Training Standards Department at ts-dept@yangfamilytaichi.com to keep your certification current and remain in the instructor registry. We will handle your renewal promptly. If you have any questions, need help with your renewal, or have difficulty meeting the requirements, please let us know by email so we can work together on a solution.
Ask the Master (Episode #9)
Yang Family Tai Chi has a variety of great videos on its YouTube channel. Recently, Master Yang Jun uploaded his 9th video in the "Ask the Master" video series. In this video, he discusses the five main styles of tai chi chuan.
TTM Seminar in September 2025
Teacher Academy USA is hosting a TTM (Teacher Training Methods) seminar with Master Yang Jun, September 12 - 15, 2025, at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury CT.
Program:
Yang Family Tai Chi Hand Form Techniques and Methods
Sept 12 - 13, 9:00am-12:00pm, 3:00pm-5:00pm
Push Hands
Sept 14, 9:00am-12:00pm, 3:00pm-5:00pm
Sept 15, 9:00am-12:00pm
Seminar registration and information will be available early Spring. Please contact Mari Lewis mari@yangfamilytaichi.com for more information.
Please Update Your Email Address
Have you changed your email address since you first became a member of Yang Family Tai Chi? If so, please let us know by updating your email address. As a member, you may be missing out on messages, special announcements, and newsletters because we don't have your most current email address.
Please send any updates to members@yangfamilytaichi.com or go to the Member Area of our website and select Membership Management, where you can update your information. Forgot your password? You can reset it in Membership Management too.
We encourage directors and instructors to help us by reminding students to keep their email address current.
Ranking Exam Schedule
The Yang Family Tai Chi website publishes a list of upcoming ranking events around the world. We encourage members to visit our ranking events page on our website under the heading "Events" for more information, including links to study material for the written exams.
October 5, 2025: Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
October 25, 2025: Mexico City, Mexico
Master Yang Jun's Seminar Schedule
Kunming, China
July 12-16: 6th Instructor Training Part 1
Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
August 1: Saber Form
August 2-3: Sword Form
Royal Oak & Troy, MI, USA
August 23: Sword Form
August 24 - 25: 49 Hand Form & Fundamentals
August 26: Push Hands
Danbury, CT , USA
TTM (Teacher Training Methods)
September 12-13: Hand Form Methods & Techniques
September 14: Push Hands
September 15: Push Hands (half-day)
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
October 3-5: Traditional Hand Form (103)
Rome, Italy
October 15-17: Instructor Seminar
Mendoza, Argentina
November 15-17: Traditional Hand Form (103)
Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
November 20: Push Hands
November 21: Saber Form
November 22-23 Traditional Hand Form (103)
Please visit our association's website for more information as it becomes available.
Disciple and Pre-Disciple Training - China
Master Yang Jun held a disciple and pre-disciple training in April in Zhongshan, Guangdong, China.
Disciple Ceremony - China
On April 7, 2025, Master Yang Jun held his 10th disciple ceremony in Guzhen Town, Zhongshan, Guangdong Province. In the disciple ceremony, ten pre-disciples formally joined the Yang family; eight from China, one from Canada, and one from Bulgaria. Over 90 people attended the ceremony including Master Yang's disciples, pre-disciples and students. Master Yang began by offering incense to past masters, reporting the new disciples, and honoring his ancestors. The ten pre-disciples presented their pledge letters, vowing to uphold martial virtue, remain loyal to the school and teachers, abide by rules, foster unity, and promote Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan. Stanislav Bagalev from Bulgaria spoke on behalf of all new disciples and gave a speech.
Seminar in Paris, France
In April, the YFTC Center Paris was honored to welcome Master Yang Jun for the 22nd seminar, with attendees from all over France and from other countries including Switzerland, Algeria, Portugal, and Canada. The seminar included five days of intense work on the Traditional Hand Form (103), push hands and saber.
Students also enjoyed free review classes by Paris instructors during lunch breaks, allowing them to practice and strengthen their seminar training.
Heartfelt gratitude to Master Yang Jun, for his dedication to tai chi chuan in France and for his excellent training. Thank you to everyone who attended, to the Paris instructors, and to all the volunteers who helped during the seminar.
Duc & Carole Nguyen Minh
Directors, YFTC Paris
Seminar in Berlin, Germany
To mark the 20th anniversary of Johannes Mergner's Berlin school as a YFTC Center, a wonderful special tai chi seminar with Master Yang Jun was held from April 24 to 29. The seminar took place in the YFTC Center Berlin and in a sports hall in the neighborhood in the heart of Berlin, within sight of the famous Charlottenburg Palace. Participants from Canada, the USA, Sweden, Spain, Bulgaria, Austria, Poland, and of course from all over Germany came to Berlin for this international seminar. Master Yang taught the Essential Hand Form, push hands, and sword.
Seminar in Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Master Yang Jun taught a seminar in Sunnyvale, California May 24-26 (Traditional Hand Form (103) and Push Hands). The seminar was sponsored by YFTC School San Jose. (Director: Dr. Mingyang Li)
A ranking event was also held on May 25.
Sword Intensives - New Jersey, USA
In March and April, Instructor Holly Sweeney-Hillman taught YFTC sword intensives for advanced participants in Hackettstown, New Jersey.
March
April
Disciples Teach Push Hands Workshop - USA
Under the initiative and leadership of Bill Walsh (Yang Pingfang), disciple of Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo, a team of Master Yang Jun's disciples has been carrying on Master Yang's training in push hands. At weekend workshops, students from various YFTC Centers and Schools in the New England area had the opportunity to continue practicing push hands techniques as taught by Master Yang. About 30 students trained together with the disciples on March 22 - 23 in Danbury CT. The workshop was organized by Bill Walsh (Yang Pingfang), and led by Audi Peal (Yang Yabo), Holly Sweeney-Hillman (Yang Yahui), Jason Timony (Yang Yajun), Michael Coulon (Yang Yahua), and Mari Lewis (Yang Yaju).
Lifetime Career Achievement Celebration - Italy
On May 17, Jack Cornell celebrated his Lifetime Career Achievement (see our last newsletter for the article) with 35 of his students. They practiced tai chi and qi gong and enjoyed the beautiful day. Jack gave the following speech:
Dear Students,
Today, we celebrate a special milestone: 50 years dedicated to martial arts, and I am happy to share it with you.
Looking back, I think back on the long journey I have traveled, a journey of discipline, commitment, and passion. A journey that has led me to discover not only the techniques, but also the philosophy and spirit that animate martial arts.
And on this journey, you have been precious traveling companions. Seeing you grow, improve and become passionate about Tai Chi Chuan is one of the greatest joys that this practice has given me. We have shared sweat, laughter, moments of difficulty and great satisfaction.
I hope I have transmitted to each of you not only the techniques, but also the true spirit of martial arts: respect, perseverance, the search for inner balance. I hope you have found in Tai Chi Chuan a way to cultivate your body and mind to face life's challenges with serenity and strength.
I am proud of each of you. Thank you for making this trip even more special.
M°Jack Cornell (Yang Yagao)
Director of YFTC School Vicenza (Italy)
YFTC Center Rosario at CReAR Games Fan Fest
On May 16th, the YFTC School Rosario was invited to join activities at the 2025 CReAR Games Fan Fest. These games are celebrated annually by Rosario City in Argentina.
CReAR (Centro Recreativo de Alto Rendimiento (Regional High Performance Center)) was created in 2023 and includes a number of clubs and sports facilities located in Rosario's Independence Park, a beautiful park in the city that is about the size of Central Park in New York City. The CreAR Games annual sporting event hosts more than 30,000 local athletes from different disciplines. A fan fest is also held on the park's main street, where many sports activities are done. The YFTC School Rosario is invited every year, so they did a presentation and the students and spectators enjoyed it very much!
Celebration of 45 Years of Teaching in Mendoza, Argentina
Members of the YFTC Center Mendoza recently celebrated the 45th anniversary of their school in Mendoza! About 130 members participated in seminars and celebrations.
In May 1980, Sergio Arione, (who currently lives in Montreal, Canada and is a co-director of the YFTC Center Montreal) opened a tai chi school in Mendoza. At the time, tai chi was not well known there and the school, (Centro de Tai Chi Mendoza) was the first school that taught tai chi in Mendoza. In 2011, it officially became a YFTC Center.
Sergio travels to Mendoza every year to teach seminars and help with the management of the Mendoza center. Juan Gras is currently the main instructor and co-director of the Mendoza center. Last year, they purchased a building so now the center has a permanent base for the promotion of Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan.
Tai Chi Poem
The following poem was written by Pamela Pan from her poetry chapbook Tasting Moments which will be published by Finishing Line Press in January 2026. Pamela Pan is a member of the Yang Family Tai Chi Center Stockton, a professor of English, and a writer.
Tai Chi
When I say, "I play Tai Chi,"
my friends suggest, "Practice Tai Chi? Do Tai Chi?"
I shake my head.
The heart of Tai Chi is play.
Enjoyment, not chore.
When I part the wild horse's mane,
grasp a sparrow's tail,
stand one-legged like a rooster,
vitality blossoms within me.
I become pure joy,
as Tai Chi intends.
"But how do you play when it's not a game?"
It is a game, though the opponent remains unseen.
Tai Chi is a martial art.
Every motion involves an invisible partner.
Cloud hands perform a graceful dance,
but it pulls the adversary's hand and strikes back.
White crane spreads its wings strikes an elegant pose,
yet it positions the opponent for an offensive attack.
Tai Chi transforms
self-defense into flowing meditation,
combat into relaxation.
A game of joy.
When we play it,
we trot like stallions,
dance like clouds,
soar like cranes,
and merge with the universe.
Energy pours in like light.
Regeneration.
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day 2025
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day is held each year on the last Saturday in April. People in hundreds of cities in over 80 countries practice tai chi or qigong between 10 - 11 a.m. local time to help contribute to creating a healthier and calmer world and to educate people about the benefits of practicing these arts. This year World Tai Chi and Qigong Day took place on April 26. Many of our association's centers and schools participated. Some of them shared their photos:
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
Rockland, Maine, USA
Osasco - São Paulo, Brazil
Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
São Paulo, Brazil
Stockton, California, USA
Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
Antananarivo, Madagascar
Berlin, Germany
Rosario, Argentina
Mendoza, Argentina
Newcastle, Washington, USA
Journal Gem
"Tai Chi Outreach: Teaching Tai Chi at a Clinical Rehab Hospital" by Martin Middlewood. Issue #40 (2017), pages 23-28.
This article can be found in our Members-Only Area on our website.
Contribute to Our Journal
Volunteer Opportunities
Yang Family Tai Chi depends on volunteers who donate their time and talent to make our association a success. We currently need more volunteers to help our association as we move forward into the future. We have an immediate need for people with skills such as website updating and management, writing, translating, video editing, social media, and assisting our department heads and executive with various tasks. We also welcome volunteers in other areas.
Do you have any skills or knowledge you would like to share? If you would like to volunteer but aren't sure how you can help, please just send an email telling us you would like to help in some way and we will suggest some ways you could volunteer.
We are very grateful to all our volunteers who have helped make our association and its events successful. Building a strong group of new volunteers will help us improve our service to our members and also reach more people around the world! Please contact Pam Boyde (pamboyde@yangfamilytaichi.com) if you would like to volunteer.
Join Our Association
Become a member of Yang Family Tai Chi! For more information about membership benefits and how to apply, please visit our membership page on our website.
Posting to Yang Family Tai Chi's Social Media Pages
Want to post news on Yang Family Tai Chi's social media pages? Yang Family Tai Chi would like to keep its social media pages updated with current information from the association, centers, and schools. Ana Horta is managing Yang Family Tai Chi's social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. If you would like to share news on Yang Family Tai Chi's social media pages, please send an email to Ana at anamaghorta@gmail.com.
VISIT YANG FAMILY TAI CHI'S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES
Previous Issue
Did you miss the last issue of Connections? You can read it here.
Next Issue of Connections
Connections is published in March, June, September, and December. We publish association news and school news (upcoming events, recent past events, awards, other news) but not general school advertisements.
The next issue of Connections will be published in September 2025. Please send any announcements to me at carolyn@yangfamilytaichi.com by August 18, 2025.
Carolyn Fung,
Editor
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