Since 1983, the practice and wisdom of T’ai Chi Ch'uan have improved my quality of life physically, psycho-emotionally and interpersonally.
When I began, I could never have guessed how much this movement system has to offer, and to this day, T’ai Chi continues to surprise and inform me.
It’s an honor and a joy to be able to share this, and to see the many surprising benefits of T’ai Chi unfold in others.


I began my study of the simplified Yang style T’ai Chi Ch’uan of Professor Cheng Man Ch’ing in the parking lot of the Bethesda, MD YMCA, under the direction of Mr. Robert W. Smith and Mrs. Alice Smith. Mr. Smith was the first western student of Professor Cheng Man Ch’ing. Professor Cheng was a senior student of Yang Cheng-fu, of the Yang family from whom the Yang style of T’ai Chi gets its name.

Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and learning from many wonderful and renowned T’ai Chi Ch’uan and Qi Gong teachers, including Benjamin Lo, Maggie Newman, Ed Young, Herman Kauz, Carol Yamasake, Wolfe Lowenthal, Lenny Friedland, Yuan Wei Ming, Jeff Herrod, Julian Chu, Lenzie Williams, Bart Ingram, Warren Conner, John Lang, Margaret Beatty, Michael Ward, Paul Cote, Carol McGonegal, Peter Kay, Zhang Yun, Clayton Chu, Dainis Jirgensons, Lloyd Gore, Tony Baker, Jim Stubblefield, Steve Goodson, Shuren Ma, Bob Shapero, Ted Cibik and Yang Yang.

I’ve had the honor of introducing newcomers to the depths and delights of T’ai Chi Ch’uan since the year 2000.

My practice and teaching are additionally informed by work in human development and education, which focuses on Kinesthetic Learning, and my ongoing studies in biotensegrity. Biotensegrity is an emerging scientific theory of biologic structure and function which Stephen M. Levin, MD originated in 1975. I have found that studying biotensegrity provides an understanding of human movement that harmonizes with the Classic T'ai Chi teachings in a way that traditional biomechanics and anatomy does not. As such, biotensegrity informs, grounds and demystifies my ongoing and ever-developing understanding of T’ai Chi Ch’uan.

If you want to learn more about biotensegrity, the best place to start is Dr. Levin’s website: biotensegrity.com. Since COVID times, I have been co-producing and co-hosting weekly BiotensegriTea Party events on the Biotensegrity Archive YouTube channel, and the channel also has several other instructional videos about biotensegrity, including talks by Steve Levin, Graham Scarr, and me. These BiotensegriTea Party events have essentially become an online global BIG (Biotensegrity Interest Group), and for the time being are taking the place of in-person meetings of the European BIG, our local DC BIG (the Washington, DC Biotensegrity Interest Group), and several other BIGs.

If you're interested in reading up on biotensegrity, consider getting my book, Everything Moves-how biotensegrity informs human movement, available from Handspring Publishing and on Amazon. The three other books on biotensegrity are by my dear friends and colleagues Graham Scarr, Danièle Claude Martin and Maren Diehl. All are excellent and very highly recommended.

If you’re a philanthropist looking for a great cause, please consider contributing to the Levin Biotensegrity Archive.

T'ai Chi Ch'uan is a martial art, but the way it protects us may seem counter-intuitive at first. It's a method that teaches us a 3rd option as an alternative to our habitual fight or flight responses to aggression. We learn to be more centered, relaxed, integrated, mindful, soft, compliant, open and attentive, and all this improves our position in a way that restores balance to interactions and provides optimal protection all around.

For the last few years, I and my sister and sisters-in-law have collaborated to apply the self defense philosophy and wisdom of T'ai Chi to how we verbally manage social situations. We call this system The Soft Answer Verbal T'ai Chi for sociable self defense. You can get a sneak peek or purchase our 24 lesson course ebook from Amazon, or from our Sot Answer website.

Community and citizenship are important to me. This has played out in a number of ways.

I’m a member of Voice for Hope and I’ve participated in several of their Hope on the Hill and Health on the Hill events. I’m an active member of, and newsletter contributor for the American T’ai Chi and Qi Gong Association. I have provided free classes for the DC community at various branches of the DC Public Libraries (in T’ai Chi, in The Soft Answer: Verbal T’ai Chi and in biotensegrity. I’m a co-founder of The Washington, DC Biotensegrity Interest Group, DC BIG, and co-founder and board member of The Stephen M. Levin Biotensegrity Archive. I was a principal organizer of the 1st Biotensegrity Summit held in Reston, VA, 17 Sept, 2015, and I represented the Biotensegrity Archive at the 4th International Fascia Research Congress. From 2010 - 2015 I ran a volunteer literacy program at The McClendon Center, a mental health day program in downtown Washington, DC where I also facilitated groups in T’ai Chi, Musicking, The Soft Answer Verbal T'ai Chi, and Action/Reflection. I have happily donated T'ai Chi lessons and seminars in The Soft Answer Verbal T'ai Chi to local schools for their auctions (Murch, Janney, Lafayette, Eaton, Hearst, Oyster, Key, The Feynman School, The Oneness Family School); please contact me if interested!

Tenleytown T’ai Chi is about to begin its 6th annual Holiday Giving Initiative, which over the years has yielded thousands of dollars in donations from our students to fabulous good causes such as Bread for the City, Friendship Place’s Winter Warm Day sock drive, The Environmental Working Group, Food and Friends, Martha’s Table, SOME (So Others Might Eat), the USO, the United Nations’ World Food Programme, The Washington Animal Rescue League, The Wounded Warrior Project and Wikipedia’s Wikimedia Foundation

For non-profit organizations, and as my schedule permits, I continue to offer 1-2 hour inservice sessions in T’ai Chi, biotensegrity, Kinesthetic Learning and The Soft Answer—Verbal T’ai Chi at no cost.

Previous and current clients & locations include:
• AARP • The Center • DC Public Libraries • DC Convention Center • Dept. of Labor • DISA • EPA • FOH • GW University • Government Printing Office • HHS • Inova Health • Lincolnia Senior Center • Malta House Assisted Living • McClendon Center • McLean Racquet & Health Club • Montebello • Oneness Family School • President’s Council on Physical Fitness • Revival Homecare • Smithsonian Institution • STG International • USDA Forest Service • USPS • Virginia Theological Seminary • WIC • Woods Academy • YMCA • YWCA

Click here to register for classes


Certification & Education
• Level III teacher certification, ATCQA
(American T’ai Chi and Qi Gong Association)
• Certified FlexAware teacher
• First Aid, CPR/AED
M.A., Human Development and Education (Kinesthetic Learning); Vermont College of the Union Institute, 2006 B.A., Hampshire College, 1979

TheSoftAnswer.com is where I have my Soft Answer Verbal T'ai Chi course and information
I share my work in kinesthetic teaching/learning (KT/L) at kinestheticplayground.com
I’m a co-founder of the Washington, DC Biotensegrity Interest Group, DC BIG. Our website is DCBIG.org