Bay Area Tai Chi Programs for School-Aged Kids & TeensThe Way Home Institute 尊古學院
Bay Area Tai Chi Programs for School-Aged Kids & Teens
Tai Chi
for the Next Generation
AI May Have It All.
What About Our Kids?
Kids nowadays are losing touch with
focus, patience, resilience, and real-world interaction
we help our next generation reconnect with what matters
through authentic Tai Chi.
About Us
The Way Home Institute is a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and partner organization of the American Chen Taiji Society and the American Internal Martial Arts Research Academy. We are dedicated to bringing internal martial arts such as Tai Chi (Taiji) 太極拳 and XingYiQuan 形意拳, Eastern philosophy 東方哲學, cultural arts such as calligraphy and tea ceremony 書法與茶道, and mindful practices like meditation and yoga to the younger generation. Rooted in the philosophy of “ancient oriental wisdom for modern life" we see these practices not simply as exercise, but as pathways to awareness, resilience, embodiment, and self-cultivation. In today’s fast-paced, screen-driven world, we aim to offer a more grounded path for youth development, helping young people slow down, reconnect with themselves, and grow through mindful yet engaging movement and cultural practice.
Rooted in ancient wisdom
“To succeed those that came before; to enlighten those that come after; to revere the ancient Taiji.”
“承先啓後，尊古太極”
- 太極隱士陳慶州宗師
For a long time, Taichi (Taiji) has been seen as slow, graceful, even boring movements practiced by older adults in the park or at the community gym. In reality, that’s only a small piece of it.
Chen-style Tai Chi, the original form that many other styles come from, was created as a complete system: a practical internal martial art that trains the body, calms the mind, sharpens awareness, and connects to deeper within, serving as a living carrier of ancient wisdom and philosophy.
In modern times, it remains effective for non-violent self-defense practice, while continuing to follow the natural mechanics of how the human body is meant to move, which makes it especially beneficial for kids and youth, supporting both their physical and mental development.
Research & Benefits
Why Taiji Matters for the Next Generation
Instructors Network
Our instructors are part of a longstanding network of traditional Taiji practitioners and teachers who have taught throughout the Bay Area for many years, some for decades. Many trained under renowned Chen-style Taiji Grandmaster Tony Wong, who began teaching in the Bay Area in the 1980s.
Our team includes experienced teachers, gold medalists, and high-level competitors in Taiji and Chinese martial arts who are passionate about making traditional arts accessible, engaging, and meaningful for younger generations.
Throughout the year, we also invite internationally recognized guest teachers from Chenjiagou, the birthplace of Chen-style Taiji, and other parts of the world to share deeper aspects of traditional training, culture, and lineage.
Sifu Tony Wong is an indoor disciple of Grandmaster Chen Qingzhou and a 20th-generation practitioner of traditional Chen Family Taijiquan (Lao Jia). He has trained under some of the most respected figures in the internal martial arts world, including Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, one of the “Four Buddha Warriors” of Chen Village and a leading global representative of Chen-style Taiji; Master Zhang Xuexin, senior disciple of Feng Zhiqiang and lineage holder of Chen-style Hun Yuan Taiji; Master Cai Song Fang, renowned Wuji Qigong master known for his Qigong and deep internal training methods; and Master Chen Zhengzhong, highly respected for Yiquan, standing meditation, and internal power development.
Beyond his lifelong dedication to Taiji, Sifu Tony also built a distinguished professional career in engineering and served for many years as a lead mechanical engineering manager at NASA-related research organizations in Silicon Valley. Since beginning his internal martial arts journey in the 1980s, he has spent over four decades deeply studying, practicing, and preserving traditional Taiji and internal arts. Under Grandmaster Chen Qingzhou, Sifu Tony inherited the original Lao Jia Chen Taiji system in its “yuan zhi yuan wei 原汁原味”, preserving the art in its original essence and flavor as passed down through the lineage. Grandmaster Chen Qingzhou was widely respected for his precision, martial understanding, and dedication to preserving authentic Chen Family Taijiquan, and played an important role in bringing traditional Chen-style Taiji to the Bay Area and the West.
Over the past four decades, Sifu Tony has taught throughout the San Francisco Bay Area at schools, universities, hospitals, large corporations, community centers, wellness organizations, and martial arts programs, sharing both the health and martial aspects of traditional Taiji with people of all backgrounds and ages. He has trained thousands of students and mentored many accomplished instructors across multiple generations. Sifu Tony received gold medals and the title of “Ming Shi 名師” (Renowned Master) at the 2000 International Taiji Conference in Wenxian, China, the birthplace of Taiji, and continues to dedicate his life to preserving and passing down authentic Chen-style Taijiquan through martial arts, health cultivation, internal training, and lineage transmission.
Grandmaster Tony Wong
Students will also learn from a diverse group of instructors and guest teachers from different internal martial arts lineages and backgrounds. Some are multi-year champions in Tai Chi forms and push hands, while others bring experience from education, healthcare, movement, and mental wellness. Together, they offer over a century of combined experience in Tai Chi, weapons, martial art applications, and internal training, giving students exposure to many different perspectives, teaching styles, and approaches to the art.
Instructors
endorsement from students
“I really enjoyed the special class with Shifu Tony Wong. It was wonderful to be able to internalize some of his energy, movement, and postural ways of being. The learning went deep. He is grounded and a joy to be around.”
— Lorraine K
“The presentation by Shifu Tony Wong was excellent and quite moving. I appreciated how he emphasized both the meditative practices and martial arts applications. I left the class energized and inspired, and have been experimenting with his suggestions for standing meditation and balance in movement.”
— Sean M.
Visit Us
275 Moffett Blvd, Mountain View, CA 94043
650-641-5492
info@thewayhometaichi.com