▲ Principal Um Ki-young

2 to 3 billion people are estimated to practice Taichi. Taichi is a Chinese martial art that trains body and mind to be healthy and sound. It is known to be first introduced around the border between Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty in the name of ‘Jinga Taichi’. It then developed into Muga, Yanga, Ohga, Sohnga and Holryo Taichi. It was in the 20th century that Taichi turned to a body and mind training rather than a martial art. 

Taichi Academy was founded by Park Jong-gu in 1988 and currently is managed by the principal Um Ki-young. Its goal is to promote love of our body and heart and to brighten up the world in harmony. In 1999, the academy opened a training center from which it secured an effective and efficient training system to train and foster normal people and instructors alike. 

Kim has 20 years of knowledge and experience of Taichi as well as mental and body training. Some of the popular programs of Taichi Academy are Taichi for healing, Taichi for health as well as energy training taken place in nationwide centers including Seoul headquarters, Changwon, Iksan, Jeonju, Jeju and Yecheon. The academy also has held 70 times of special training by inviting master Taichi teachers alongside sharing theories on yin and yang and Huangdi Neijing. 

“Taichi is good for brain health and arthritis. We started to develop ‘brain up Taichi’ in 2014 and have drawn a substantial result from elderly with symptoms of dementia. The result was published at an academic conference of the Korean Dementia Association in April 2017” says Um. 

Taichi Aacademy is in partnership with the Seoul Wushu Association and it introduced Taichi for arthritis in 2017 and Taichi for brain up in 2018. “The founder Park once said that Taichi values naturalness and naturalness means not to be stubborn. I would say it’s about flexibility both in body and mind. Taichi is a good body and mental training that will bring a balance to our life.”