Garuda Tibetan Tai-chi Studio in Albuquerque, NM invites anyone with an interest in martial arts, physical fitness and conditioning, moving meditation, and Eastern philosophy to join us in a supportive atmosphere of individual training for all levels.

Tai-chi  has many variants and family styles but only one original form based on the movement of animals in nature. Garuda teaches the oldest known form of Tai-chi (predating Yang, Wu, Chen, etc.), which incorporates precise methods of breathing, weight distribution, energy circulation, and fluidity. Master Liu Seong (Count Willem Reeders) brought this teaching to the West after training from an early age in China.

Marilyn Feeney (his widow, pictured below) was the first non-Asian to study Tibetan Tai-chi (TTC) and the rest of his system*. He authorized her to teach. Together, they opened Garuda Studio and accepted students.
*TTC, QiGong, Katas, Tai Son Zo, etc. No videos of these elements of the system appear online, as per the Master’s wishes.

Done properly and regularly, Tibetan Tai-chi increases energy and flexibility, normalizes the metabolism, improves muscle tone, memory and focus, and reduces stress by shifting out of the normal fight or flight mode into the healthier parasympathetic part of the nervous system. This novel method of graceful, balanced movement, optimal breathing, and attention transfers into one’s daily life and improves every aspect of experience.

Garuda welcomes new students who can commit to a serious practice of this demanding system that takes years to master while yielding immediate rewards.

The amount of time needed to learn* the Liu Siong System depends on one’s ability to integrate new movements and practice between classes. Within a week or so of learning the first move of the form, the positive effects will become apparent. Anyone who performs the first move properly will thus feel motivated to continue the practice and learn the rest of the form.
*Note: To learn does not mean to master, which takes many repetitions of the correct form. It means performing the moves in sequence by oneself with proper timing, weight distribution, breath, and focus, including eye movements.

Typical progression of study at Garuda:
>Learn the Walk of the Tiger, a simple but powerful lesson in weight distribution and balance, breathwork, focus, and posture. Just this alone can serve as a lifetime practice that transfers into every aspect of daily life.
>Learn the first moves of the first phase of TTC through individual instruction.
>Join the full class in Tai Wu (15 reps each of 2 crane moves from the 3rd phase which strengthen and mobilize the neck, shoulders, and arms).
>Upon progressing far enough in learning the first phase, the student can join the rest of the class in the circle and benefit from the collective energy and synchronous patterning.
>After learning all the moves of the first 3 phases of TTC, the 4th phase, that develops strength and endurance, is taught.
>Once the 4th phase is learned, QiGong is taught.
>The Tibetan kata is taught after one has completed the previous steps.