Tai Chi 4 Life cooperative
Discovering our energy-being through intention, breath and movement
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Instructors We trace our Tai Chi and Qi Gong heritage to a sacred lineage of Masters with whom we spend hundreds of hours (thousands of hours, collectively!) studying and practicing. To see more about our lineage, go to our Tribute page.
We have an instructor training program. To become an instructor, start with our classes. LEAD INSTRUCTOR |
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DR. MICHAEL JAMISON. My patients and martial arts students call me Dr. Michael. I have been a licensed chiropractor since 2000 and have studied and practiced natural medicine and martial arts for the past 50 years. I am a strong proponent of exercise physiology, sports medicine, and martial arts. In my practice I have seen first hand how movement can transform the landscape of one’s life at the level of structure, chemistry, energy and emotion. I have witnessed amazing and wonderful results in my patients, students, friends, and family who have been able to help themselves through movement that nourishes their unique constitution and body composition. Movement has been a powerful tool, helping them to recover and rehabilitate idiosyncratic limitations in their bodies as well as stave off the progression of disease. My interest in martial arts began at a very early age along with my participation in various team sports including soccer, gymnastics, track and field, tennis, and swimming. The need to heal from injuries became a necessary focus and so simultaneously, I began to pursue an education in the field of medicine and healing. It became clear to me that when the musculoskeletal system fused with breath, recovery from injuries occurred quicker and a foundation for transformation was created. Think in terms of a new dimension of development to optimize health, fitness and longevity through coordinated movement and breath. This is what I share with my students and patients and what I would like to share with you. |
INSTRUCTORS
| STEPHEN DORAGE has studied T’ai Chi and Qigong for over 40 years with a variety of Masters, and more intensely over the past 25 years with Dr. Michael Jamison. A major focus of his practice is on the many health and longevity benefits of T’ai Chi/Qigong and the energy flow. Once an avid soccer player and runner in his 20’s and early 30’s, Stephen began to notice lower back and joint pain more often. He moved away from running and began T’ai Chi practice and in a short time these pains disappeared. Stephen teaches various Qigong forms, Dao Yin, T’ai Chi Yang Style 24 Forms, Wild Goose Forms, and Kwan Ping Forms. |
 | ERICH B. HARVEY Originally from Schenectady, NY. Erich has worked studio crew for Inside the NBA on TNT, crafting strange props, running show hi-jinx, and adorning the set. Before working on the little screen, Erich spent decades in various capacities in Theatre for several companies. As an artist, he has designed the outdoor public art installation known as Reynoldstown Alcove Memory Park on Atlanta’s BeltLine. Erich has also contributed to the look of TCM’s studio set in the form of its dining room triptych, often seen behind host Ben Mankiewicz. He has played percussions as a member of The Roots Ensemble, The African Cultural Dance Company and Barbara Sullivan’s Atlanta Dance Theatre. While a teenager, he was exposed to Shotokan Karate, Gung Fu and Tai Chi, through films, classes and demonstrations. “I always said that I would start studying Tai Chi when I turned 50. Well, Ok. I was ten years late. As one of my French teachers used to say Mieux vaut tarde que jamais. Thanks to an invitation from one of his colleagues in the arts & theatre world, Tony Loadholt, he has been able to realize this dream and more (Qigong!). He is pleased to continue his studies with the Tai Chi 4 L.I.F.E. Cooperative and offer what he has learned. |
HEIDI SIGNS Heidi has had a fascination with Qigong since the late 90’s, when her interest in the healing arts began. She has kept a daily Qigong practice for well-being and a healthy lifestyle. She has studied and trained with high level instructors and medical professionals in Qigong, T'ai Chi, breath work, somatics, internal martial arts, occupational therapy, sensory integration and trauma, and many other healing modalities.
Heidi's training credentials include Level 1 Qigong Teacher Training at the Institute for Integral T'ai Chi and Qigong (IIQTC) and Back to the Basics for the Experienced Parkinson’s Exercise Professional, approved by the American Exercise Council.
Her other favorite fitness activities include swimming, yoga and dance.
| NEIL NORTON started exploring martial arts and meditation practice 40 years ago. To help bring balance and vitality back into his life after being diagnosed with cancer in 1998, he developed a Qigong practice with the guidance of his Teacher, Dr. Michael Jamison. Neil teaches Tai Chi, Wild Goose, Tree Gong, Four Season, Five Element Medical Qigong, and Dao Yin. Neil is a Certified Arborist since 2002 and holds a Masters Degrees in Business Administration and Latin American Studies from Tulane University. Neil is passionate and active around issues of tree conservation and education, both locally and nationally. He has taught Qigong and Taichi since 2008. |
| BOB WELLS Bob is a founding member of Yellow River Center. He began his Tai Chi in 1990 with Emory University's Grand Master Tingsen Xu, Ph.D. Dr. Xu's pioneering research for the National Institutes of Health had just demonstrated that practicing Tai Chi reduced injury from falls for seniors by almost 50%. Together they produced a video entitled “Tai Chi: The Gift of Balance." Dr. Xu asked Bob to assist in teaching Tai Chi to students at Emory and to Mrs. Rosalyn Carter. Research published in 2012 led Yellow River Center to focus on teaching Tai Chi to people with Parkinson's Disease. Learning, teaching and playing Tai Chi has become a life-long passion that Bob loves to share. |
