Our TAI CHI
Instructors
PAUL
MAHONEY
Paul is the founder
and chief instructor of Great
Bay Tai Chi located in Newburyport and Amesbury, MA. Paul is a Tai Chi
and Qigong (Chi Kung) master as well as an expert in martial Tai Chi
which includes Pushing Hands and Chin Na. Great Bay Tai Chi offers
instruction in Tai Chi for health as well as martial applications.
Paul has been a practitioner of martial arts
for
over thirty years including over twenty five years studying
Yang
Style Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan). He was an assistant instructor of the
Dr. Yang Jwing Ming (founder of Yang’s Martial Arts
Association)
for Tai Chi and Shaolin Chin Na for many years. Finally, Paul has had
the good fortune to have trained with some of the top internal martial
arts masters in this country. He incorporates these experiences into
his teaching style. Paul has studied Qigong and Tai Chi with several
masters including Da peng, Ermei Style Qigong and Push Hands with
Master Liang Shou Yu; Push Hands, Baquazhang and Qigong with Wei Lun
Huang and has trained many types of martial and healing Qigong with
Master Ramel Rones. Paul has also studied Hsing
Yi Chuan with Tai Ngo for a few years and has now decided to focus his
attention to the study of Wudang Natural-Style Martial Arts, which
includes Xing Yi.
Paul began training in the martial arts in
1974,
with two years of Tae Kwon Do at 4th Dan, Hak Joo Lee’s
school in
Salem, MA, followed by ten years of the Okinawan Uechi Ryu Karate with
4th Dan Richard Pinkham in Haverhill, Ma.. Paul continued to train in
both Uechi Ryu and Tai Chi for a few more years and in 1987 he decided
to devote his full attention to the practice of Yang Style Tai Chi
Chuan with Master Ramel Rones. The training included Tai Chi
Pushing Hands and Chin Na, both of which he went on to master.
In 1997, Paul decided to try
competition-style
Pushing Hands at the Boston Internal Arts Tournament and took a second
place medal. This encouraged him to try his skill at A Taste of China
(ATOC) held in Winchester, Virginia, which has long been considered to
be the highest quality Tai Chi event in America at that time, and draws
competitors from around the world. At the 2000 ATOC USA Championship he
placed first in the middleweight division in moving Push Hands and he
placed second in the restricted-step Pushing Hands. He continues to
learn more about Tai Chi from training and teaching Pushing Hands and
its applications to his many devoted students.
Paul has seen first hand the health benefits
of
Tai Chi and Qigong. Many of his students have found measurable relief
from physical ailments including back injuries, respiratory ailments,
arthritis, sports injuries and other chronic conditions as well as
stress-related conditions of all kinds. He maintains that consistent
practice of the Yang Style Short Form can lead to increased health and
vigor. Tai Chi can be practiced by anyone at any age. Paul has students
that range in age from people in their teen years to seniors in their
eighties.
DAVID BODOH
David
began his study of Yang Style Tai Chi over
15 years ago. His early training included solo forms, various methods
of Chi Gong, including aspects of the Dao Yin Yang Sheng Gong medical
system and meditation. He studied the Yang Style Short Form with Sifu
Dennis Furry and Professor Li De Yin (Beijing University). In 1997,
David traveled to Beijing to study Tai Chi Sword with Professor Li. He
then began studies at Great Bay Tai Chi, with Paul Mahoney, adding
Pushing Hands, Yang Style Traditional Long Form, Yang Style Fighting
Set and Chin Na to his training regimen. Soon, it became apparent to
David his Tai Chi training was leading him on a path to teaching. David
is a lead instructor under Paul Mahoney in Yang Style Short Form
and Classical Yang Style Long Form. David also teaches Tai Chi fan and
various Qigong classes
and seminars at Great Bay. In the past year, David has added Filipino
Arnis and Wudang Tai Chi to his course of study.
MARNA BADAVAS
A long-held
fascination with Chinese culture and
Traditional Chinese Medicine led Marna to pursue the health benefits of
Tai Chi practice. After having practiced Tai Chi for several years,
Marna began her Tai Chi training with Paul Mahoney of Great Bay Tai Chi
in 2003. She continues her ongoing training with Paul and David Bodoh
in Yang Style Short Form, Classical Yang Style Long Form, Tai Chi Ball,
Tai Chi Qigong, Taiji Fighting Set, and Chinese Fan Boxing. Marna is a
firm believer that one's Tai Chi training never ends. In 2005, Marna
became an instructor at Great Bay Tai Chi in the Yang Style Short Form.
Marna also teaches the Flowing Water Fan Form to the kids of Great Bay.
In addition, Marna has recently begun studying Wudang Tai Chi. Marna is
now a popular teacher and leads the Great Bay Tai Chi class
for beginners and seniors.
Herb Crooks
Herb
Crooks is a 45-year veteran in the field of martial arts. He began his
training in the 1960’s with Okinawain Karate. He went on to
study
Judo for many years
advancing to the level of black belt. He founded the national
award-winning Newburyport Judo Club. Herb has also studied Jui Jitsu
and Aikido. Herb continues to refine his skills in areas such as Tai
Chi Pushing Hands and the Tai Chi Fighting Set (including Martial
applications). Herb is also accomplished at Shaolin and Taiji Chin Na.
He teaches several Yang Style Tai Chi for Health classes throughout the
area.
LUANNE PIGEON
LuAnne Pigeon began her study of
Martial Arts with Uechi Ryu, an Okinawan style of karate, in 1975. The
softer style of Taiji was a natural progression for her, first learning
Yang Style Short Form, 32 Step Sword Form, meditations and Qigong
practices. She came to Great Bay Tai Chi in 2001 to continue her
practice in the Yang style, learning the long form and practicing
Pushing Hands. She has been to China to study at the Beijing University
and, more recently, to study with Master Shan Guiwen in Dalian, China.
As a student of Master Shan, she practices Xingyi, Bagua and Taiji, the
three components of Master Shan's Wudang Taiji Quan.
CHRIS HIMMEL
Chris
Himmel began his study of martial arts more than 17 years ago. It was
not until he discovered Taijiquan that he truly found what he was
searching for. Currently, Chris studies the Yang Style Short, Long and
Saber forms along with Push Hands. Most of Chris's Taiji studies have
been under Sifu Paul Mahoney, but Chris has also studied and learned
from Herb Crooks, David Bodoh, Marna Badavas and many others. Recently,
Chris added the study of Wudang Natural Style Arts under Paul Mahoney
and LuAnne Pigeon, which includes the arts of Xing Yi Quan, Bagua Zhang
and Taijiquan. When not studying Taiji, Chris makes his living as a
music teacher in Salem, Massachusetts. He is also an active trumpet
player in the area. In may 2009, Chris and his wife, Erin, became the
proud parents of triplets.
DR. STEPHANIE HANCOX
Dr. Stephanie Q. Hancox, Sound Healer, Energy Psychologist
and Teacher, is an advanced student of Yang Style Taiji presently training and
teaching at GBTC. She began her studies of taiji in the early 1970’s in Boston, where her modern
dance training was strongly influenced by the principles of taiji. She has studied different Yang style forms
with various teachers, including sifu Gin Soon of Boston. Most recently she has
returned from Dalian, China where she studied Wudang natural style taiji and
Qigong healing meditations with Master Shan Gui Wen. Stephanie has incorporated
various forms of healing mediations in her work for decades and presently
teaches Qigong and Yang style Short Form Taiji at Great Bay Tai Chi.
Arnis Classes
DOUG KOZLOWSKI
This Philippine stick
fighting class is being offered by Doug Kozlowski. Doug has a very
diverse martial arts background spanning 13 years. He holds:
- -- 3rd dan rank in Kempo
- -- 1st in Arnis under Master Ben Hernando
- -- Blue belt rank in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu
under Kenny Florian
He also has multiple years experience in Tang Soo Do, Boxing, Tai Chi,
Aikido and Judo.
Doug has a masters degree in psychology and is a licensed mental health
counselor. He also has experience as a licensed EMT and has completed
his required hours for a massage therapy certification from the Palmer
institute.
OUR YOGA
INSTRUCTORS
TARA LaPOINTE
Tara has been a yoga practitioner and
student since 2001. She
initially practiced Bikram Yoga for several years before passionately
expanding her studies. After receiving a BS in psychology from Salem
State College, she was influenced to explore the relationship of energy
systems to emotion, cognition, behavior and health, and to further
utilize this link as a vehicle for self-transformation. Tara
is a
RYT Certified Yoga Instructor having completed her 200-hour teacher
certification from the Zarnay Yoga Institute. Tara expresses
her
deep gratitude for the guidance of teacher Debbie Zarnay and for the
support of all her mentors.
Her yoga classes blend the precision
of Hatha Yoga with the liveliness of creative flow sequences.
Through this focus she incorporates body alignment, pranayama
(breathing techniques), both Eastern and Wesstern yogic philosophy to
encourage somatic healing through the mind/body/spirit connection.
She hopes to share with students the centering force that
yoga
has been in her own life.
Tara says teaching yoga is the most
fulfilling part of each day and that to be a teacher you must always be
a student.
PAKA PATEL
Born in India, Paka
has studied
yoga for over 20 years. She is a certified yoga instructor and is
currently a student of Mr. Suddhir Parikh at the Satsang Center in
Woburn, MA. She has also studied with Guru Nagendraji Vivekananda
Kendra from the Yoga Research Foundation. In 2006, she attended the
Shibir of Baba Ramdev in Ahmedabad, India.
Paka teaches classic Patanjali yoga,
named for the compiler of the Yoga Sutras, a major work containing
aphorisms on the philosophical aspects of mind and consciousness. In
recent years. the Yoga Sutra has become quite popular worldwide for the
precepts regarding practice of Raja Yoga and its philosophical
basis. Paka brings a gentle and well-rounded yoga
class which addresses the physical, mental and spiritual energies. It
features the study of asanas, transforming the physical into mental
energy. The practice of Pranayam (control/regulation of the breath/life
force) is also an integral part of this study. Paka's
class offers yogic practices that are tailored to the
well-rounded development of the physical, mental and spiritual
components of a person. This includes loosening & stretching
exercises called Sithilikarana Vyayama which function to make the body
supple and flexible. She also instructs individuals in Sun
Salutation sequence and asanas that are designed to
conserve the energies and transform them to forms of mental energy. The
Asanas also provide a means to develop an inner awareness, thus aiding
in calming the mind. Pranayam provides a positive health
benefit at the physical, mental, emotional, and social levels.
JENNIFER
KUMP
Jennifer
Kump grew
up dancing and her passion led her to be intrigued with yoga when she
began attending Emmanual College in 1997. Her love of movement,
placement and the body grew as her understanding in yoga did. What
Jennifer loved most was the focus on self and what the individual body
could do - a concept that was quite different from the competive world
of dance and stresses on body image. Her love of yoga over the years
encouraged her to pursue her yoga certification in 2006. Jennifer is a
RYT Certified Yoga Instructor having completed her 200-hour teacher
certification with Debbie Zarnay of the Zarnay Yoga Institute. Jennifer
hopes to share with her students the passion and personal strength yoga
has given to her in practice and life.
SAPNA PATHAK
Sapna Pathak grew up around yoga,
learning its philosophy and lifestyle as a child from her grandparents. She
began her personal practice 2005 with the hopes of experiencing its benefits on
an emotional, physical and mental
level. She practices yoga daily, choosing
from Bikram, Baptiste or traditional yoga styles.
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Call
978-388-1322