Yang Yang Biography - Center for Taiji Studies

Yang Yang Biography View Bio VideoMaster Yang Yang Curriculum VitaeA healing experience helped Dr. Yang Yang find his life's work. He was born with a congenital heart defect, and doctors warned his family that without surgery he might die. Such measures were beyond the resources of his family and, as a last hope, an uncle uncle suggested that Yang, then 12 years old, try Taiji and Qigong to improve his health. It worked. His health and strength improved quickly and dramatically. He developed a deep appreciation for these arts and a desire to teach others.Master Yang studied for six years with three local teachers, (Wu Xiubao, Yuan Shiming, and Zhang Xitang before going away to Shanghai to attend the university. During the next few years, he met and studied with Gu Liuxin, Chen Zhaokui and Feng Zhiqiang, all top grandmasters of 1970-80s era Chen taiji in China. He won first place in the Shanghai University Gongfu Tournament for three straight years (1981–1983) and was voted Best Overall Martial Artist in 1983. In 1987 he became a formal disciple of Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang.To understand the power and mechanics of Taiji and Qigong beyond traditional explanatory frameworks, Master Yang then completed a doctorate degree in kinesiology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2005. His research focuses directly on the mechanisms and benefits of traditional Taiji/Qigong with publications of several scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. Yang's detailed study of taiji/qigong enables him to clarify and/or demystify what are often obscure points of theory and practice, and to serve as a bridge between the Eastern/traditional and Western/academic fields. His traditional training also allowed him to distill the essence of various aspects of traditional Taiji training into an evidence-based program that he has refined over the course of several longitudinal studies. Dr. Yang is the founder and Director of the Center for Taiji and Qigong Studies in New York City and is also a clinical specialist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NY, where he teaches patients and staff. Yang’s book Taijiquan: The Art of Nurturing, the Science of Power has been acclaimed as an instant classic by experts in Chinese martial and healing arts, and he is in high demand as a lecturer at academic and medical research institutions. Recent presentations include lectures at the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Harvard Medical School, Weill Cornell Medical Center, the Hospital for Special Surgery, American Public Health Association, American College of Sports Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). More information about Yang's Taiji training, including personal stories of his experiences with the 18th generation Masters of the Chen Style, is provided in the magazine and journal articles. Join Mailing List   |   Search   |   Links Copyright © 2004-2013 by the Center for Taiji Studies.