MANILA, Philippines – At six years old, Josef Alzate was so chubby and asthmatic that his Dad encouraged him to go into sports. He soon developed an interest in Chinese martial arts from watching Bruce Lee movies.

It was after seeing Jackie Chan’s movie “Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow” as a 14-year-old that Alzate’s break came. He recognized the founder of a kung fu school featured in a local martial arts magazine as the same storeowner from whom he bought his toy model kits.

That was all the referral he needed. It was difficult for a non-Chinese to come as a walk-in student in the elitist Chin Wu Athletic Association gym then in Buendia, Makati. Alzate applied but had to wait four months before the gym took him in.

The teenager attended Sunday afternoon classes between finishing high school and never stopped until he left the gym seven years later. Because he did not speak Chinese, he had to “read” the moves and take more physical punishment in place of language to learn esoteric Chinese kung fu, a word that translates to “skill.”

It was not until after he had taken all the kung fu hard blows trying to acquire the Praying Mantis style that his teacher deemed it was time for him to “slow down” into the soft martial art of Tai Chi Chuan or Great Polarity Boxing (ch’uan literally means “fist”).

Going soft in fighting does not imply weakness, he was told. In fact it entails conserving one’s energy or chi by not using unnecessary force to overcome an opponent.

In a master-grasshopper relationship “the teacher knows best and your duty is to obey,” his teacher said, explaining his shift in style. His teacher also saw in the moving meditation technique a cure for his asthma, which was hampering his progress. Two years of Tai Chi later, the teacher was proven right. Josef’s asthma has not bothered him since.

The Filipino apprentice learned the pure ancient Wu style under Chinese teachers in the country who were descended from a line of masters dating back to 19th century China. It may take years for a “grasshopper” to master the form which consists of 108 movements that can run to over 40 minutes in execution.

Alzate recalls his initiation into the discipline: “Bring yourself at the door of knowing. The right teacher will let you in when he sees three things in you: desire, perseverance and patience.”

The ancient origin of Wu-style Tai Chi Chuan was fundamentally a fighting system designed to develop acute awareness and the ability to anticipate the opponent’s intentions. It involved practice with a partner using staffs and swords. It is a soft internal martial art that has been adapted into the hard external Kung Fu to help fighters build and focus energy, increase their strength and improve coordination.

The Wu-style Tai Chi Chuan practitioner dispels the notion that the exercise is therapy only for people who are sick and old. It must be distinguished from the broader healing art known by another name: Qi Gong.

Simply called Tai Chi today, the once closely guarded fighting system has become a practical antidote to the stresses of modern life. Practiced outside China, it has been modified to suit the times into easy-to-learn slow-movement exercises that tone and strengthen the muscles, improve blood circulation, flexibility and posture, and help to relax both mind and body.

Today’s urban reality makes Tai Chi accessible through classes that teach a starter form of 24 movements that the serious student then takes to the next level. Alzate likens pursuing it to its maximum potential to “driving a Ferrari in Quiapo traffic.”

“The ultimate benefit is holistic. You learn to relax, breathe normally, control your chi emotionally and harness it physically.” He maintains that apart from inner strength and stamina, it has helped him become kinder and more patient in dealing with life’s challenges.

Alzate recalls what his teacher said: "You never leave Tai Chi. When you come to Tai Chi, you are Tai Chi."

The best reward a practitioner of 24 years who defers to what his own teachers taught him is the complete satisfaction he gets when a session he guides, be it for one or two learners, focuses and moves in meditation as one and in synchronicity with mind, body and spirit.

To this observer, it is a delight to witness three people moving in a slow-moving dance that invites you to participate, feel the rhythm and be one with the flow.

Where to start

In Manila, inquire about Tai Chi and Kung Fu classes at the Wushu gym at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, Vito Cruz, Malate.

In Luneta, Binondo, and Greenhills, be in the sphere of Tai Chi practitioners doing their morning meditation at the Luneta and Greenhills parks. If you show sincere interest, a teacher will invite you in.

In Makati, The Good Qi Circle in Legaspi Village, Makati City offers weekly classes in Tai Chi, Qi Gong and Sheng Zhen Meditation. Call 818-1111 loc. 250 or visit www.goodqicircle.com.