Joanna and I have been at Anthony Jackson‘s school for over nine years now. We have always found him to be a consummate teacher who is always learning himself. His ability to convey a deep sense of the spiritual and artistic side of Tai Chi as well as the Marshall side provides us with a tremendously well-rounded education. We have found a true home with his school and will probably be with him for the rest our natural lifetime.
I can’t imagine a higher recommendation!
Mr. Jackson is a pure light that shows through in his essence of teaching. His group classes are fun while being active and his personal trainings are informative and focused. It is a true joy to know Tony and he is an excellent teacher for any age range!
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I have never felt so welcome from Day 1. Good people, great instructors! No matter your abilities, you are welcomed. And, everyone helps you out from the instructors to the more advanced students. The most important thing, the fun! There is always a smile 🙂 The crew and activity always take the grunt of the day away!
Tony has been working with my 19 year old son with severe autism for nearly two years now. Tony’s dedication to his work and to the desire to improve physical and mental health of his students is invaluable. It has been an absolute pleasure to see the progress my son has made since starting to work with Tony.
“I have worked with Tony for several years as both a life and career coach as well as my Tai Chi instructor. During this time my career in the pharmaceutical industry has evolved and I have risen to my current position as a senior director at an oncology organization.
Tony has provided me with foundational instruction that has enabled me to thrive in challenging corporate environments. For example, I apply the lessons of Tai Chi in how I engage with other people. Do I ignore the noise they are creating? Do I acknowledge it but move on? Do I need to address and refute what is being said so that I can focus on my priorities? Another example is when walking into a room I try to get a sense of the energy of the people so I know if the meeting is going to be contentious or which people might be the most challenging and what their issues might be. A third lesson is that when in a situation such as a negotiation I try to use the person’s force against them (let them rant and yell) or move out of the way (listen to what they have to say) and not engage until I am in a position of strength. (A warrior’s strength is not to fight and being quiet and not always talking is not a weakness but strength as well) Sometimes I feel as if Tai Chi gives me a sense of what will happen in an upcoming meeting or presentation or how corporate politics will play out. This allows me to be better prepared for any situation.
Tony has also provided counsel when there are challenging situations at work. Given his background in the army where he has faced literal life and death situations, it is useful to hear how he might deal with a situation I am facing. We talk through how to manage stress and how if you truly listen to your body you can actually feel it fighting itself which is a red alert that something bad is happening inside your body. There are times I had to make changes in my approach but I resisted them and caused incredible stress to my body. Now I can feel those early warning signs and then take steps to listen to my body.
So as a life and business coach, Tony has a unique set of skills from his days at West Point to the corporate world to help with any situation that arises and offers practical advice that can be used immediately.”
“Hello Tony, I just wanted to say thank you for the awesome class yesterday and that since I started Tai Chi I’ve been feeling great physically and focused mentally. I am looking forward to learn more, train harder, and become better each day. My goal is to discipline myself in this art from this point on. I do have an interest in Wing Chung but not before I am well-seasoned with Tai Chi and Qi Gong first. Just to close out thanks again for tips on my corrections yesterday, it helped a lot and I find the other classmates helpful as well. Take care and see you Thursday.”
“I have been training with Tony for over a year both on a one-on-one basis and as part of the regularly scheduled classes and over this time I have seen many positive changes in my life. First, I have seen a physical improvement in both muscle mass, strength and, most importantly for me, flexibility. The three really go together and as someone with a chronic disease that can limit my mobility and endurance, seeing and feeling this change has been great. Secondly, this change has led to a more positive outlook on life so mentally and behaviorally I feel much better. We use the principals of Tai Chi to talk through issues and determine how I might address them in my personal life. We refer to this transformation as being a “peaceful warrior”. I also think this has to do with Tony’s background as a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point and being an Army Ranger. The third area is in my professional life working for a large biotechnology company. We discuss “moving without stress” and I apply that principal in how I work with my colleagues both internally and externally. We work on balance such a perfecting kicks with both legs or striking someone from different stances as well as “feeling” the difference by not always leading with the same arm or leg. I take this balanced approach into I how I now walk into a meeting or a negotiation. I can sense the energy in the room, what people’s positions or interests might be, and what my strategy is and how it will evolve based on how the meeting goes. I never would have thought I would have benefited so much in so many areas from working with Tony and applying Tai Chi principals to my life. I am better able to address conflict head on and in an assertive manner but also find a resolution to the conflict. My sessions have made me stronger and tougher physically and mentally. ”
“Our teenage son worked with Tony Jackson this past summer before he went away to school. When he first started with Tony, he was often very angry, in a bad mood and disrespectful towards us. Tony came to our house three to four days a week, working with our son one-on-one, for an hour and a half to two hours per visit. Tony taught him how to use a staff and how to defend himself by using small, boxing gloves to punch and block. I could see that when he got into the rhythm of the movements, he forgot about his troubles and could relax. It was hard work for our son, but after the visits, he was generally much calmer and each time improved the coordination between the right and left side of his body. The improvements helped his self-confidence grow. By the time he went away, our son was more confident in his own skin, more fit and more relaxed than he had been. We will be asking Tony to work with him again as much as he can every time our son comes home for breaks and vacations. We are very grateful to Tony for helping him!”
“Tony Jackson has a genuine gift...
Our teenage daughter had struggled for years with anxiety, self-doubt and anger management issues. As she was preparing to graduate from high school we came to the conclusion that the tens of thousands of dollars of traditional “care” from the medical community simply wasn’t working. Her internal struggles were winning the battle over her outward appearance of strength, kindness and beauty. Fortunately, we were introduced to Tony through one of his students.
Very soon after our daughter began meeting with Tony he was able to determine what made her tick. Together, they developed a plan to discover the “peaceful warrior” from within her through a balance of mind, body and spirit. Tony has been by her side 24/7 and goes out of his way to ensure that she remains on the right path. She is now confident, self-aware and much better prepared to take on the responsibilities of a successful young adult.
Our family will be forever grateful. ”
“My son has been working closely with Tony Jackson over the past months after recently graduating from college. We asked Tony to work with him because my son has a rare form of muscular dystrophy which impacts his coordination, muscle tone and balance. More importantly, my son has a mild form of Asperger’s which along with his MD issues, has been a challenge relative to his self confidence. As a young adult who has come a long way overcoming these obstacles, we knew it was critically important to find a program and an individual who could help prepare my son for this next phase of his life. We have found this program in Dao Concepts and this special person, he is Tony Jackson. In the past months, we have seen my son lose over 20 pounds of weight gained in college, maintain a schedule in a real world job and begin to have an interest in meeting a girl (he went through college without a girlfriend). As a parent of a young adult with special needs, you can explore many avenues with dead ends. This can be a frustrating and devastating journey, we are so pleased with the progress our son has made so far. Our thanks to Tony and Dao Concepts with our hopes for our son’s future.”