Shiv Shankar
Student first. Teacher second.
Shiv began studying Tai Chi under Sifu George Thomas in 2006. What began as learning movements gradually became something much more personal.
Through continued practice, Shiv experienced improvements in his own mobility, particularly in his spine and knees. But the reason he continued practising went beyond physical movement.
Tai Chi encouraged him to slow down. To pay attention. To become more aware of how he moved and how often everyday life happened without awareness.
Why I Teach
I did not start The Taichi Academy because I was looking for another business.
I started it because Tai Chi made a difference in my own life.
I experienced improvements in my own mobility, particularly in my spine and knees. But what kept me practising went beyond physical movement.
Tai Chi taught me to slow down, become more aware and appreciate things that are easily missed in everyday life.
I believe this is an art worth sharing.
It is gentle enough to continue practising as we age, but deep enough that there is always something more to learn.
If teaching Tai Chi can help someone remain mobile, balanced, calmer and more aware throughout life, then teaching it is worthwhile.
My goal is not simply to teach people a form. It is to help more people make Tai Chi part of the way they live.
— Shiv Shankar
Traditional teaching. Modern understanding.
Shiv Shankar is a Yang Style Tai Chi instructor and physiotherapist with more than two decades of experience in human movement and rehabilitation. He is the founder of MEX Physio in Milton, Ontario, where he continues his clinical practice alongside his study and teaching of Tai Chi.
His professional background contributes to his understanding of movement, mobility and balance — but the Tai Chi taught at The Taichi Academy remains rooted in the traditional teaching passed to him by Sifu George Thomas.
Tradition provides the art. Modern understanding gives us another way to appreciate it.