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Dates
Monday 11/17/2025 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Monday 11/24/2025 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Monday 12/01/2025 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Monday 12/08/2025 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Monday 12/15/2025 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Tai Chi is a type of Qigong: “qi” means energy, and “gong” means work or mastery. Like “yoga”, there is a range from gentle to athletic. “Tai Chi” falls in the middle, blending the two extremes for balance and harmony. A definition of Tai Chi (or Taiji) is "extreme" or "ultimate." Because it is a balanced practice, it is considered the “extreme ultimate” practice. Hence the name “Tai Chi.”
While Qigong consists of standing meditation exercises (which can be done standing, sitting or even laying down - perfect for warming up or slowing down), Tai Chi ‘posture’ is a single movement, for example, like “Part Wild Horse’s Mane” or “Brush Knee.” These postures are linked together by transitions. This linking creates the Tai Chi Form.
Hailed by Harvard Medical School as “Medication in Motion,” Tai Chi and Qigong are valued as preventative practices for many health problems, including joint pain, muscle tension, anxiety, insomnia and more. It also helps build better balance and resilience.
With Cynthia, classes are based on Integral Tai Chi developed by Dr. Roger Jahnke of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi. This is an integration of many styles of Tai Chi. The form is designed to be easy to learn and practice, while staying relaxed and in the Qigong state where healing can happen. Class begins with a 30-minute Qigong warm up and balance practice followed by 30 minutes of Integral Tai Chi practices including drills, variations of the Integral forms, as well as other Yang style forms, Animal Frolics and 5 element practices, ending with 10-15 minutes of relaxation and meditation. Class meets on Zoom with recording available.
With Orit, every class begins with a warm up, followed by a walking practice and simple exercises designed to promote relaxed breathing, focused mind and a restful being. Beginner classes are open for all, and anyone can join at any time, as they are planned and structured so students are introduced to important Tai Chi principles, through symmetrical short forms and Qigong exercises. Classes meet in-person in the Fairfax studio.
Cynthia Maltenfort
Cynthia enjoys combining several ancient and modern healing systems for health of body, mind and spirit, including Yoga, Energy Medicine, Tai Chi and Qigong. She began practicing yoga in 1989, when she was working as a Landscape Architect for Sasaki Associates in Watertown Mass. “Yoga became a very important thread in the tapestry of my life, at times becoming a safety line.”
She began teaching Creative Movement for the Jewish Community Center of Northern Va in 2002, Yoga at Sun and Moon Yoga Studio in 2003 and Chinese Yoga (Tai Chi and Qigong) at Sun and Moon in 2015. She has completed Sun and Moon's 500 hour teacher training program has completed a 200 hour Teacher Training with Roger Jahnke of the IIQTC (Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi). She is now training to be an IIQTC Senior Trainer to offer teacher trainings in the DC area. She supports the community by offering several free classes for Girl Scoot troops and volunteering time for Peaceable Dragon events including World Tai Chi Day (the last Saturday in April at Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna)
She has studied yoga around the world with various teachers including Baxter Bell, Barbara Benagh, Kaustab Desikachar, John Friend, Anodea Judith, Doug Keller, Neel Kulcarni, Tias Little, Sarah Powers, Desiree Rumbaugh, Erich Schiffmann, John Schumacher, Rod Stryker and Rodney Yee. She began studying Qigong with Pauline Reid (a Peaceable Dragon Teacher) in 2012 and has also studied with Roger Jahnke, Daisy Lee, Master Lee JunFeng, Francesco Garripoli, and Brian Trzaskos of the IRQTC (Institute of Rehabilitative Qigong and Tai Chi) as well as several others at the NQA (National Qigong Association).
