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Tai chi tea-cher: Tai Chi lessons at Fate Restaurant

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Tai Chi instructor Hui Neng Amos teaches Tai Chi every Tuesday night at the restaurant, Fate (905 N. Fourth St). Fate is a new restaurant owned by Johnny Chu, owner of the late Lucky Dragon.

Watching Hui Neng Amos perform tai chi can elicit a feeling of hypnotization. Graceful and smooth, Amos has been studying the form for nearly his entire life, and his patience with the difficult movements has paid huge dividends, not only in physical presence and balance, but emotionally as well.

Hui Neng Amos is a teacher on two accounts.

During the day, Amos teaches kids the basics of literature and poetry as a grade school teacher, but on Tuesday nights, he helps others to develop their "chi," the vital force and energy in the body, through the teachings of tai chi.

Free lessons, led by Amos, are given on Tuesday nights at Fate Restaurant in downtown Phoenix, adding to the already eclectic offerings that the restaurant currently offers.

This isn't the first time Amos has given lessons, but it is the first time he has offered them in a long time.

"There was something missing in my life," Amos explains as to why he began teaching again. "Tai chi has been so much a part of my life. I wanted to re-associate with a more stable side of my existence."

Amos practically was born into a life that was destined to be related to tai chi. His father was taught tai chi by two elders from China who migrated to San Francisco during the '50s and '60s. After learning the movements from these teachers, Amos' father decided to create a place where others could learn about tai chi and also spiritually connect with themselves.

"He wanted to make a place for students to go and so he set up a boarding house," Amos says. "You had to do daily meditation and tai chi if you wanted to live there."

Eventually, the "Original 12" who lived in this boarding house began to grow in number, so an official school was founded, called "Same Con," which translates to School for the Art of Moral and Ethical Conduct.

Amos started studying tai chi at 5 years old in the School of Meditative Arts in San Francisco. The focus of his studies was not only on tai chi, but also on philosophy, mysticism and music classes that he says helped him form a well balanced knowledge base.

The combination of these two elements - his father's school and the School of Meditative Arts - played a crucial role in the importance that tai chi has in Amos's life. Now, he is trying to pass on the knowledge he has gained from tai chi to others through classes.

"The intention of the class is to create a certain space that will influence each individual as well as the community at large," Amos says. "Tai chi can teach you how to walk into a situation and be aware of everything that is happening."

Classes begin with a brief meditation period, dedicated to whichever higher being you believe in. A brief introduction is given before Amos moves directly into the "form." The lessons last approximately an hour. Keeping pace with the movements as well as achieving a sense of balance can be difficult at first, but Amos is patient and clears up any confusions or questions.

Amos has been living in Arizona for several years, although his travels took him across various states, countries and continents. He met Johnny Chu, owner of Fate, a few years ago when he used to frequent Lucky Dragon, Chu's first restaurant.

Tai Chi Lessons at Fate Restaurant, 905 N. Fourth St., Phoenix. Tuesday, 7:15 p.m. Free. (602) 254-6424.

Chu and Amos helped to create new ideas for the restaurant, including adding a jazz night, as well as a salsa night and even a poetry night. So when the time came to open Fate several months ago, Chu was prepared to make a similar statement in the downtown area by offering not only a fine dining experience, but also a place for nighttime events in a variety of areas.

"We had talked about doing the tai chi lessons for a while," Chu says. "We didn't have the space before, but we do now. We don't use the backyard area on the weekdays and I told him to use it to teach."

"When Fate opened I was asked to teach," Amos says. "I had been considering where to do the tai chi and the moment was just right."

Reach the reporter at steven.ganczaruk@asu.edu.


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