Two Lakes Tai Chi takes its name from two places.
The first is Dui (☱), the Lake/Marsh trigram of the Yijing. The Yijing (or I Ching) is a book of ancient Daoist philosophy, and the Dui symbol came up when the Yijing was consulted about the school's name. Dui is associated with the image of a lake or marshland, and with qualities of openness, exchange and shared enjoyment.
When Dui is doubled in the Yijing, it forms the image of two lakes joined together, each replenishing the other, traditionally suggesting learning through mutual exchange.
The second meaning is much closer to home; Fairlands Valley Park in Stevenage, with its lakes and the outdoor spaces, where our first classes began.
Affiliations
Two Lakes Tai Chi is affiliated with the Kunlun Taijiquan Association.
Whilst the Tai Chi taught in classes comes from a mixture of inherited traditions, much of the content is rooted in Kunlun Taijiquan, a traditional approach from the teachings of Marpa Chen / Chen Yuen San.
For students, this means learning Tai Chi as a practical, living art rather than simply copying a sequence of movements.
For more about the other teachers in Kunlun Taijiquan, visit: https://kunluntaijiassociation.co.uk
Instructors
Tom has been practising martial arts since childhood and began training in Chinese martial arts at 17. He qualified as an instructor with the Hung Leng Kuen school at 23, where he also began his study of Yang-style Tai Chi and various Qigong methods. He since spent several years training in Wu-style Taijiquan. Tom has now been teaching various martial arts for well over a decade.
Alongside Tai Chi, Tom continues to study Yin-style Baguaquan and Song-style Xingyiquan (two internal martial arts, cousins of Tai Chi) as well as qigong, meditation and other traditional internal practices.
His approach is shaped by a long-standing interest in the deeper principles that connect these arts, and in understanding how traditional methods can be practised with both depth and relevance today. His teaching is welcoming and accessible, while staying true to the richness and depth of the traditional systems he has studied.