Arts and Entertainment

Meet Roslyn Levin: Sumi-e artist and Orangeville tai chi instructor unveils ancient practice

February 19, 2026   ·   1 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

Perhaps it makes sense that a multi-award-winning, Orangeville-based Sumi-e artist also teaches tai chi. Although meeting Roslyn Levin in her mini studio at the back of Dragonfly Arts on Broadway, surrounded by her beautiful and ethereal paintings and sketches, might give one pause to wonder which of them one simply must take home.
This interview with the Citizen was to focus on the subject of tai chi and her teaching it. She began with a history which goes back about 2,000 years, though brief research involves many dates and stories.
“First there was qigong, then Kung fu and then tai chi, which some say is like slow Kung fu,” she said and remarked that her favourite of the many myths of its beginnings is “about a Buddhist monk who observed a fight between a crane and a snake.
“When one came forward to attack, the other moved back in an almost mirrored action.”
Levin continued, “From that, he devised tai chi as a defensive art.”

She teaches both a beginner’s class and what she calls an ongoing class, where everyone is familiar with the 108-move set. In the ongoing class, she and her students also do other tai chi sets she has learned from various masters over the years.

A 24-move set and a seven-move set, as well as the Eight Brocades, are part of ongoing classes, as well as a few of the Animal Frolics – namely, bear and crane. While explicit definitions cannot be offered here, they can be learned eventually, along with the basics.

“All tai chi is a set of qigong moves always done in the same order,” she explained. “Qigong, or qigong, means the Way of Energy and can be single movements or movements that are held or sets of movements that can be repeated.
“I also do many other qigongs such as a short relaxing set of moves which was taught to me by a martial arts student. He called it Pi Gao which I believe, loosely means it is a set of moves to do when you feel fatigued.”

A special class on The Swimming Dragon is another set to learn. This is a beautiful set of moves that works the entire body and should be done periodically throughout the day, with each complete movement taking 30 to 60 seconds.
For condo dwellers, the Swimming Dragon and the Seven-Move Tai Chi Set can be done in one place, making them ideal for small spaces, as Levin described them.

She added, “Even the 108-move set can be done in a one square meter areas with small changes.”
The benefits of tai chi are extensive: lowering blood pressure, improving concentration, and enhancing balance.
“It is, in fact,” Levin said, “a gentle form of exercise that can help maintain strength, flexibility, balance, and is considered a perfect activity to do for the remainder of your life.”

She followed with the bold statement: “When done correctly, it is impossible to injure yourself while doing tai chi. It is a mind-body practice that is also a moving meditation.”
There are ads for “tai chi walking” popping up on our computers, which is just one of the many forms of tai chi.
The truth is, we learn to do them slowly. In fact, one of Levin’s masters said that ideally, for the most health benefits, the 108-move set should be performed in 40 minutes. Beginners find it difficult to move that slowly, so they begin by doing the set in 20 to 30 minutes.

“I have brought my students down to 40 minutes, but it takes getting used to,” she commented.
The good news is that one can be in any physical condition to begin tai chi. The only requirements are clothing that is not tight and shoes with heels no higher than a half inch in height, as well as a willing spirit.

Levin promises she makes it a fun activity by breaking down each move into easily followed bits.
Tai chi for the disabled was the next and final question, and Roslyn Levin was ready to answer, saying, “Tai chi is good for everyone. It can be learned even sitting down.

“A man in one of my classes was in a wheel chair and he only had one arm and a prosthetic which he left down by his chair. But I told hum to put it back so that he would lift and exercise those muscles.”

Likewise, tai chi is as good for seniors as it is for everyone.

“I also have a video of myself doing each individual move and the entire set with an accompanying ‘booklet’ of the moves written out in detail,” Levin offered.
She said, “I have students who have been with me for over 20 years.

Levin can be reached at roslyn@artbyroslyn.on.ca.

Readers Comments (1)