About Kin San Tai Chi

Kin San Tai Chi - Kin San being Chinese for Total Health - is a gentle art of health and well-being for people of all ages and health conditions. Its gentle movements, originally derived from Yang style Tai Chi Chuan, convey to the modern world the essence of a tradition once born in ancient China.

Kin San Tai Chi came to us through the teachings of Master Moy Lin-Shin. He was a Taoist monk who studied Tai Chi, Lok Hup, Hsing-I and Bagua in Hong Kong. After he emigrated to Canada in 1970, he began teaching martial arts in a small studio.

Master Moy Lin-Shin (1931-1998)

When he found that his students needed to regain their health more than they needed to learn how to fight, he changed his teaching to better serve that need. He modified the Yang Style Tai Chi 108-move set by emphasizing turning, stretching, rising and falling. In addition, he borrowed principles from BaGua, Lok Hup and Hsing-I to modify the set and supplemental exercises.
Master Moy was always attentive to the needs of each student. He would change his methods to suit the students’ needs, paying close attention to students with health problems. We aim to follow his example, helping each student follow his or her best path to the common goal of health improvement.

Master Moy passed away in 1998.

The slow, graceful movements of this particular style of Tai Chi increase strength and flexibility and improve balance and circulation. This style of Tai Chi emphasises greater stretching and turning in each of the movements in order to gain these benefits more effectively.
It can also be described as a form of 'meditation in motion' where the continuity of its movements, combined with the devotion of one's undivided attention, heal and revitalize both the body and mind.

The physical component of Kin San Tai Chi consists of the basic principles known as the 'foundations', and 108 movements, which constitute the 'set'. Some of the principles reflected in the movements are summarized by the following key words: relaxation, balance, lining up the body, correcting angles, 'squaring' the hips, controlling the step and the transfer of weight, turning constantly in spirals, 'opening' and 'closing', centring the trunk, and stretching and relaxing the spine. The movements are gentle, continuous and circular. Practice of the set is to be done with a relaxed state of mind.

The prime spiritual aspect of the Kin San Tai Chi is the adoption of a spirit of self-sacrifice, generosity and the elimination of self-centredness. Kin SanTai Chi is meant to be taught and practised in a spirit of compassion and service to others.

The main differences which distinguish Kin San Tai Chi from other styles of Tai Chi, go well beyond the mere visual aspect. The goal of practising lies not in perfecting external forms or achieving self-defence skills, but in the recovery of lost health in the holistic sense.
For example in Kin San Tai Chi limbs are extended to the fullest extent of their range of motion, providing a stretch for tendons and ligaments throughout the body which is felt to be beneficial for health.
Another example is the emphasis on rising and sitting in Kin San Tai Chi, which helps develop balance and leg strength, and helps the practitioner achieve stretch in the lumbar vertebrae and the tendons and ligaments of the pelvis.

The perfect form is one that will maximise the physiological benefit to the practitioner given his or her condition, rather than the one which conforms to some predetermined aesthetic or technical martial arts criteria. It will therefore change with the student.
In Kin San Tai Chi, there is recognition of the unique strengths and weaknesses of each individual. The training process adapts to each individual and his or her circumstances, which can sometimes lead to great differences in external form. Progress is therefore measured in the functional status of the student, including parameters such as coordination, strength, balance, flexibility, breathing, quality of digestion, mental and emotional balance, general sense of well-being and so on.