WELCOME
I live in Ottawa, Canada, where I have studied a variety of taijiquan styles and Chinese martial arts since 1975. After teaching first out of my basement and then a variety of community centres and martial arts schools, I opened The Tai Chi Studio, in 1994. Its first incarnation was on Triole Street for just over a year and then it reopened at 195A Bank Street in downtown Ottawa from June 1996 until 2010. Sadly, the introduction of a new form of taxation [HST] finished what the latest recession had started and I reluctantly closed its doors in July of that year.
Now that I am over the worst of the shock of taking "early retirement" after 25+ years of teaching commercially, it seems to be making more and more sense as I approach the age of 60 to continue doing so only for fun and not for profit. If I am honest, this is partly as I want to be free of business paperwork [I hate writing receipts, filing self-employed tax returns, etc.]. There are also insurance and by-law issues that make running even a small business out of one’s home less-than-appealing.
Now I train with a few of my former students who now become my training partners. In the old Chinese martial traditions, it was usually considered quite an honour to be asked to be an indoor student in your teacher’s house; but in a climate like that of Ottawa, it’s also partly just staying out of the humid heat or, more usually the rain, ice or snow!
If asked, I might be willing to teach the odd introductory course in slow form or qigong at a community centre, but you’ll only find out by enquiring if you are in a position to hire contract instructors. My rates are reasonable and flexible.
If you are a new-comer to Ottawa-Carleton and the local Chinese martial arts scene, you can also contact me for advice on the local “scene”. I won’t be shy about answering honestly to the best of my ability so don’t be shy about asking questions. In this regards, it is always useful to remember the advice of the late Anatole France: “An education isn`t how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It`s being able to differentiate between what you know and what you do not know.” This is as true in studying taijiquan or a related discipline as it is in studying anything.
Now that I am over the worst of the shock of taking "early retirement" after 25+ years of teaching commercially, it seems to be making more and more sense as I approach the age of 60 to continue doing so only for fun and not for profit. If I am honest, this is partly as I want to be free of business paperwork [I hate writing receipts, filing self-employed tax returns, etc.]. There are also insurance and by-law issues that make running even a small business out of one’s home less-than-appealing.
Now I train with a few of my former students who now become my training partners. In the old Chinese martial traditions, it was usually considered quite an honour to be asked to be an indoor student in your teacher’s house; but in a climate like that of Ottawa, it’s also partly just staying out of the humid heat or, more usually the rain, ice or snow!
If asked, I might be willing to teach the odd introductory course in slow form or qigong at a community centre, but you’ll only find out by enquiring if you are in a position to hire contract instructors. My rates are reasonable and flexible.
If you are a new-comer to Ottawa-Carleton and the local Chinese martial arts scene, you can also contact me for advice on the local “scene”. I won’t be shy about answering honestly to the best of my ability so don’t be shy about asking questions. In this regards, it is always useful to remember the advice of the late Anatole France: “An education isn`t how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It`s being able to differentiate between what you know and what you do not know.” This is as true in studying taijiquan or a related discipline as it is in studying anything.
All text and photographs [unless otherwise noted] on this website and blog are by Michael A. Babin, copyright © 2011. All rights reserved and no form of reproduction, including copying or saving of digital image files or the alteration or manipulation of said image files, is authorized without his written permission.
