Our Instructor

• ShiFu Loretta M. Wollering

Shifu Loretta M. Wollering, MS

Beginning in 1990, Shifu Loretta Wollering served an 8-year apprenticeship with the late Taijiquan Grandmaster Jou Tsung Hwa (see "Our Lineage" page), author of the best selling The Dao of Taijiquan. She served as an editor on this book. As his apprentice she underwent thousands of hours of intensive private training in classical tai chi, literally being rebuilt from the ground up in the old tradition. As his apprentice, she also traveled with him internationally, assisting him in his workshops and seminars. Throughout the 1990's, Shifu Loretta resided at his legendary 103-acre school, the Tai Chi Farm, working as Operations Manager of both his school and property. During this same period, she served as Manager, and then Operations Director of the annual Zhang San Feng Festival, one of the largest internal arts events in the country that drew hundreds of people worldwide. She now titles Jou's event: "The Tai Chi Gala: An Internal Arts Convention in Memory of Jou Tsung Hwa & Zhang San Feng."

After her teacher's death in 1998, she continued to run his school as Chief Instructor until the sale of the property in 2000.

Presently, Shifu Loretta serves as head instructor of the Internal Gardens School of Classical Taijiquan. She brings with her expertise honed by years of continuous training with one of the top taijiquan masters in the country. She lectures on taiji to civic groups and organizations and teaches in several venues including private "one-on-one" instruction. She has developed specialized programs for organizations such as the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and has been published in a number of magazines. She continues to refine her skills by training with select instructors who represent some of the top talent in the world internal martial arts including Dr. John Painter, lineage holder of the Li family system of kungfu, and Dr. Gary Torres, lineage holder of the Peter Kwok system of kungfu. In addition, in 2007 Shifu Loretta Wollering was inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame for her contributions to the world of Chinese internal martial arts. In 2008 she won the "Community Leadership Award" from the "President's Council on Physical Fitness." She is the only full-time professional tai chi instructor in the history of the President's Council to have ever won this award.