Teaching Staff
Bill and Allison Helm are the senior instructors at the Taoist Sanctuary of San Diego. Both are 20th generation indoor disciples of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, the 19th generation lineage holder of Chen Family Taijiquan, and were awarded 5th Duan certificates from the Chinese Wushu Association in November 2007. Bill and Allison are deeply commited to carrying on the traditions of the Chen family, and their teaching style reflects Grandmaster Chen's mentoring and strong desire to spread Taijiquan throughout the world.
photos © David Hartig
Bill Helm, OBT, TS
Director, Taoist Sanctuary
Bill, an ordained Taoist Priest, has been studying Chinese martial and healing arts since 1965. He specializes in Taijiquan, Tuina Chinese Bodywork, Qi Gong and Herbal Medicine. Bill has also studied with Taijiquan Master Chen Xiaoxing, Master Chen Bing, Master Chen Zhiquang, and Master Ren Guangyi. Bill travels periodically to Chen Village for focused practice of Chen Style Taijiquan. He studied Traditional Chinese Medicine in China at the Shanghai College of Medicine and the Beijing Olympic Training Center, and in the United States with Taoist Master Share K. Lew and Dr. Yu Da Fang. Bill is the Director of the Taoist Sanctuary of San Diego, the Dean of Allied Arts at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, and Director of the Asian Bodywork Program at Mueller College. Bill is the lead instructor for all classes at the Taoist Sanctuary.
Allison Helm, OTR, TS
Senior Chen Style Taijiquan Instructor, Qi Gong Instructor
Allison began studying Chinese martial and healing arts in 1992, and focuses her current studies on Chen Style Taijiquan with Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang. Allison has studied with other members of the Chen family, including Master Chen Xiaoxing, Master Chen Bing, and Master Ren Guangyi. She travels to Chen Village to further her Taijiquan studies with the Chen family. She is a senior Chen style Taijiquan instructor and also teaches Taoist Meditation/Qi Gong classes at the Taoist Sanctuary. She has been an occupational therapist since 1991 and works at UCSD Medical Center in San Diego as the OT supervisor and Lead Therapist for the Regional Burn Center. Allison started the Taoist Sanctuary's web page in 2005 and continues to maintain it. The web page was updated and redesigned in 2006 by Stuart Compton, a former student at the Taoist Sanctuary.
Herb Argrow
Chen and Yang Style Taijiquan Instructor
Herb has been studying and teaching at the Taoist Sanctuary for a number of years. He is a graduate of the Teacher Certification Program in Chinese Health Exercises at the Taoist Sanctuary. He assists and teaches the Chen Style Taijiquan classes, and teaches in the Senior Tai Chi program which focuses on Tai Chi for people over 65 years of age. Herb is retired from General Dynamics and spends his time introducing Taiji to his community and chuch.
Jan Bishop
Yang Style Taijiquan Instructor
Jan has been teaching at the Taoist Sanctuary for 17 years. She teaches Yang Style Taijiquan in both the regular curriculum and the Senior Tai Chi classes. Jan also teaches Tai Chi at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine
Gloria Comagon
Yang Style Taijiquan Instructor
Gloria has been teaching and studying at the Taoist Sanctuary for 17 years. She is currently teaching in the Senior Tai Chi program and also teaches a class for Sharp Grossmont Hospital and Wellness Program.
Helen Gerdes
Accounting and Attendance Clerk
Helen has studied Tai Chi and Qi Gong at the Taoist Sanctuary for 21 years. She completed the 2 year Taoist Studies program in 1992. For many years Helen assisted in the beginning Yang Style short form classes and is currently the Sanctuary's accounting and attendance clerk. Helen was employed in the San Diego schools and retired last year.
Janie Kidd, TS
Chen Style Taijiquan Instructor
Janie has been studying at the Taoist Sanctuary since 1992. She completed the 2 year Taoist Studies program in 1994. Janie teaches Chen Style Taijiquan at the Taoist Sanctuary. She is also a special education teacher in the San Diego schools.
Barbara Metz, TS
Qi Gong Instructor
Barbara is a graduate of the Taoist Studies program and teaches the Qi Gong classes at the Taoist Sanctuary as well as at Sharp Hospital in San Diego. Barbara has been doing Qi Gong for 20 years. She teaches the Friday morning Shen Qi Gong class. She owns her own corporate public relations firm in San Diego.
Kate Obendorfer
Manager
Kate is the manager of the Taoist Sanctuary. She has been working at the Sanc for almost 9 years and is virtually indispensable.
Lavonne Thompson, TS
Yang Style Taijiquan Instructor
Lavonne Thompson has been teaching at the Taoist Sanctuary for 17 years. She teaches classes in Yang Style Taijiquan, including the Cheng Manching short form and the Yang Style long form. She is an ordained Taoist Priest. Lavonne was a teacher in the San Diego Schools and retired this year.
School Pictures
This is the altar. Share K. Lew, one of the founders of the Taoist Sanctuary, studied in the Yellow Dragon Monestary in China. The Taoist Immortal Lu Dung Bin was the "patron saint" of the monastary and his statue sits in the center of the altar. Fresh flowers are always present, and the altar is surrounded by various pictures of other founders of the Sanctuary. The red and blue cloth on the altar was made by a previous student and the wooden cabinet was donated by a previous student.
This is the main classroom. Mirrors fill the north wall (to the left) and the south wall contains a white board for written material and announcements.
This is the desk and bookstore area of the main room. The Taoist Sanctuary sells books, video tapes, t-shirts and Chinese herbs.
This is the Wooden Room, or the back room. Windows look to the east over the part of town known as Northpark. Several classes are taught here, including weapons (the ceiling is higher). The aikido school rents this space and installed pads on the wooden posts to prevent injury. Visible are the taiji spears and the aikido staffs.
