Jarl Forsman

Jarl Forsman has been practicing Tai Chi for 45 years and teaching for over 30 years. She initially began her practice with her beloved teacher, Kuo Lien Ying in San Francisco, California and later expanded to other forms of Tai Chi and Qigong, including Shen Zheng Wuji Yuan Gong Qigong with Master Li Jun Feng, former head coach of the Chinese National Wushu team. She studied Dayan (Wild Goose) Qigong with Chiang Hui Liu, at the Wen Wu School, where she also studied the fundamentals and principles of Tradional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with Erlene Chiang. 

Beyond Tai Chi and Qigong, Jarl has had several important teachers along the way who've helped in expanding her consciousness through various forms of meditation, healing modalities and personal inquiry. It has been her passion and life’s work to integrate her body, mind and spirit and share her understanding and insights with others. At every junction in her path, just when she's needed it, the perfect teacher had appeared. 

Over the past 30 years, Jarl has taught over 2000 people in many venues in the San Francisco Bay Area from local parks, spas and athletic clubs to U.C. Berkeley and Jerry Brown’s, We The People Organization.

Her list of students includes California Governor Jerry Brown, faculty, staff and students at U.C. Berkeley, heads of corporations, physicians, business professionals and entrepreneurs, dancers, musicians, artists, students, children and senior citizens. 

She currently teaches at the Berkeley Tennis Club in Berkeley and on the waterside porch of the Bay Model in Sausalito.

"I began my Tai Chi practice in college and moved to San Francisco to study with Kuo Lien Ying after graduation. Studying with Sifu Kuo required showing up everyday at 5:30 am, 7 days a week, rain or shine. If I wasn’t there by 5:45, he called me on the phone and rousted me out of bed. 

He didn’t have to call very often. I showed up enthusiastically! I loved being around him. I loved starting my day with him and I loved what Tai Chi was doing to my body, mind and spirit. 

Tai Chi has radically changed my life. Just within the first year of daily practice, chronic bronchitis and allergies disappeared, my posture improved and the way I felt in general changed from a mostly nervous to more relaxed disposition. The next four decades of practice and teaching has brought untold transformation, healing and a deep spiritual opening for which I am eternally grateful."