World Tai Chi Day Tucson: Community, Qigong & Tai Chi at Freedom Park

Tucson Moves Together at Freedom Park

On Saturday, April 25, 2026, Tucson joined communities around the world for World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, a global event celebrated each year on the last Saturday of April at 10:00 a.m. local time. At Freedom Park, that worldwide wave became local, personal, and deeply community-centered.

Under the open Tucson sky, people gathered near the ramada to move, breathe, watch, learn, and connect. Some came as longtime Tai Chi practitioners. Some came from Qigong, yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and spiritual communities. Others simply came curious, drawn by the peaceful rhythm of the morning.

The result was more than a demonstration. It was a living example of what World Tai Chi & Qigong Day is meant to be: one community, many traditions, moving together with shared intention.

Beginning the 10 A.M. Global Wave with Terri Shank

At 10:00 a.m., Terri Shank helped Tucson begin the global wave with a lovely Qigong opening and flow.

Her opening created a calm and welcoming entry point for everyone present. Through gentle standing movement, relaxed breathing, soft arm patterns, Terri guided the group into a shared rhythm. This kind of Qigong opening helps warm the joints, awaken circulation, settle the nervous system, and bring attention into the body.

It was a beautiful way to begin. Before the forms, before the demonstrations, before the applause, the group stood together and breathed together. That moment captured the heart of the day.

A Morning of Sun, Chen, Yang, Qigong, Fan & Sword

One of the most inspiring parts of the event was the range of skill, lineage, and practice represented.

The morning included demonstrations and shared practice from:

Sun Style Tai Chi, known for upright posture, agile stepping, and accessible health-focused movement

Chen Style Tai Chi, with its coiling movement, martial depth, and silk-reeling quality

Yang Style Tai Chi, characterized by slow, gentle, and expansive movements that emphasize relaxation and continuity

WaQi Qigong, a gentle movement to cultivate, circulate, and balance qi (vital energy) in the body

Fan form, with expressive rhythm and visual beauty

Sword form, bringing precision, focus, and elegance

Together, these practices showed that Tai Chi and Qigong are not one single expression. They are a living family of arts. Some movements were quiet and meditative. Others revealed martial applications and lineage depth. Some were gentle and therapeutic. Others were expressive, focused, and powerful.

The variety made the event feel less like a performance and more like a community exchange.

Teachers and Practitioners Who Shared the Day

The event was strengthened by the presence of several generous practitioners and community leaders. Robert Armstrong and Ed Farrelly represented the Tai Chi for Health Tucson community. Their work highlights the accessible, health-centered side of Tai Chi, including Tai Chi for Health, fall prevention, Sun Style 73, Yang Style, and Qigong.

Terri Shank helped open the event with the Lotus Qigong . Part of El Rio Health’s movement program she offers Tai Chi as a gentle practice that supports balance, flexibility, and inner calm. Hana Kobayashi Alassadi shared WaQi Qigong. Her Sol Center listing describes Qigong as gentle therapeutic movement that supports energy, relaxation, and access to a more relaxed version of oneself. It also notes her training in Dr. Yang Yang’s Wa-Qi curriculum.

Sifu Gene Nelson brought decades of experience in Tai Chi, Qigong, internal martial arts, meditation, and Taoist movement practice. Public class listings describe him as a Certified Master Teacher of Tai Chi and Qigong with more than 45 years of teaching and training experience.

Sifu Douglas Henry shared insights from his long Tai Chi journey, including Chen style training and martial movement. His public profile notes that his Tai Chi path began in the late 1970s and included training with teachers such as Ben Lo and Chen Xiaoxing. His demonstration of the Senior Self-Defense Cane added a unique and memorable element to the day, blending Tai Chi principles with cane, broadsword, Escrima, and Hapkido-inspired movement.

Natasha Korshak and yoga practitioners from The Sol Center joined in the World Tai Chi activity. Natasha serves as Director of the Sol Center and is described as a longtime teacher and trainer of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness.

Rev. Joanie and other Lightworkers from Community of Light also joined the morning. Community of Light describes itself as a metaphysical and spiritual gathering focused on healing, enlightenment, growth, harmony, joy, prosperity, love, and welcoming people from many beliefs and faiths.

Old Pueblo Tai Chi Shares Wudang-Yang, Fan and Sword Form

Old Pueblo Tai Chi demonstrated Wudang-Yang Style Tai Chi and Tai Chi fan form, offering a glimpse into the graceful, meditative, and expressive side of the internal arts.

The Wudang-Yang demonstration emphasized relaxed posture, mindful stepping, breath awareness, and smooth transitions. The fan form added color, rhythm, and joyful expression to the morning. It was a reminder that Tai Chi can be quiet and internal, but it can also be beautiful, expansive, and celebratory.

For readers who are new to the practice, Old Pueblo Tai Chi offers beginner-friendly classes in Tucson. You can learn more through the class schedule, beginner Tai Chi page, Qigong classes page, and World Tai Chi Day Tucson page.

More Than a Demonstration: A Tucson Community Builder

What made the event special was not only the skill on display. It was the atmosphere.

People from different backgrounds stood together without needing to be experts. Teachers shared space without competition. Practitioners honored different lineages while celebrating a common love of mindful movement.

The presence of Tai Chi, Qigong, yoga, meditation, mindfulness, spiritual community, and local wellness groups gave the morning a generous and inclusive feeling. Freedom Park became a meeting place for people who care about health, balance, inner calm, and community connection.

That is the deeper value of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day. It gives people a reason to come outside, meet one another, breathe together, and remember that wellness does not have to happen alone.

One World, One Breath — Right Here in Tucson

World Tai Chi & Qigong Day carries a global message, but its power is felt locally.

At Freedom Park, Tucson joined the worldwide wave through gentle Qigong, Sun style, Chen style, Yang style, Wudang-Yang style, sword, fan, WaQi Qigong, yoga, mindfulness, and shared community presence.

The morning was peaceful, skillful, welcoming, and alive with connection.

Not just movement.

Not just performance.

Not just turnout.

It was community in motion.

And in a time when people need more opportunities to gather with kindness, calm, and purpose, that may be the greatest benefit of all.