Chris Upton

Christepher Upton began learning Tai Chi in the Fall of 2010 in Lacey, Washington under Senior Instructor Dave Graham. Prior to Tai Chi, he was out-of-shape and over-weight and spent many years without much exercise and sat at a desk all day for his job. Unhappy about his health condition and mental state, he needed something to get active again. That's when he decided to try out Tai Chi. Christepher discovered that this form of Tai Chi wasn't as easy as it looked, but not too demanding on the body. Chris continued expanding his knowledge and understanding of Tai Chi and learned other forms than the typical Slow Set.

He began officially teaching and assisting Tai Chi and Qi Gong in May 2015 and now teaches in Yelm, Washington. Through study under Master Alex Dong, Senior Instructor Andy Holmes, Bob Brees, and Terry Johnson, and wonderful Dee Brees, Intensive workshops, training courses, and continued practice, he has developed knowledge and skills that he wants to share. He teaches Dong(Tung) style Tai Chi and developed the Qi Gong movement "Praying Mantis Bathes by the Pond". As of Dec 2017, Chris has accumulated over 981 documented hours of Tai Chi Teaching, learning, and practice.

He is also an established Information Technology Specialist with over 19 years of experience in that field. He founded his own small business Energy Within TaiChi, LLC, April 2016 in Yelm, Washington, and created the South Sound Tai Chi and Qi Gong Group in Facebook. Christepher is also certified with Heart saver First Aid CPR AED.