Instructor Bio:
Jon Lears

T’ai-chi Ch’uan Experience:

I began studying t’ai-chi ch’uan in 1998 with Jane and Bataan Faigao through Naropa University, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Traditional Eastern Arts (t’ai-chi ch’uan, aikido, and shamatha-vipashyana meditation). Jane and Bataan studied under Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing, who taught his simplified Yang style 37 posture form. I was fortunate to study under Jane for two years until she passed away in 2001, and I had the pleasure of studying with Bataan for fourteen years before he passed away in 2012. I have continued regularly studying, practicing, and teaching t’ai-chi ch’uan ever since. I have attended various workshops, classes, and trainings with other instructors, including Master Benjamin Pang Lo, Wolfe Lowenthal, Maggie Newman, Lenzie Williams, Michael Stenson, Barbara Davis, Larry Welsh, Grandmaster William C. C. Chen, and Kim Kanzelberger.

T’ai-chi Sword Experience:

Jane and Bataan learned the Yang style t’ai-chi jian sword form from one of Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing’s senior students and translator, Tam Gibbs.  I began studying the jian sword form under Bataan in 2002 and up until his passing in 2012. I have continued to study and explore the sword form with various teachers and fellow practitioners.

 Teaching Experience:

Bataan first had me start teaching through his school, Rocky Mountain T'ai-chi Ch'uan, in 2004, and I have been teaching t'ai-chi ever since in a number of different settings and with a number of different populations. These settings include Naropa University, The Boulder Rec Center, and many private lessons throughout the years. I have also taught t’ai-chi to people with developmental disabilities, and I have taught people suffering from various addictions and mental illnesses. I began teaching sword in 2013.