Force Majeure: United Tai Chi digest 5/27/14

• The great philosophers Kenny Loggins and Steve Perry once said, “Don’t fight it, it’ll do your heart so good.” In tai chi we learn not to meet force with force. And in my recent readings the concept of control, will, or force has popped up again. Were you like me this holiday weekend, missing someone you were trying to be with, when they had other plans?  Jan Kauskas relays some messages for all of us in Laoshi: Tai Chi, Teachers and Pursuit of Principle, including this great line, “The more you try to control life, the more you imprison yourself. You will experience greater and greater tension and so less and less joy, happiness and love. Once you understand the only way to control the universe is to realize you can’t, there is a wonderful freedom. It takes away the pressure that goes with trying to force things to your will”. Internal arts like tai chi are about redirecting energy, getting downwind of a direct hit, an attack, a circumstance that we shouldn’t try to barrel through with aggression, anger, whining, trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Relaxing into an uncomfortable spot instead of muscling into it. Patience, looseness, letting go of the need for control are an ongoing process of growth.  Thank you guys for keeping me honest and afloat, even in the dark spaces. And PS, if you watched that YouTube video for Loggins/Perry I linked to at the top of this essay, hopefully you are feeling a lot happier.

 

 

• Shares/Finds: Peter Morgan’s article as a guest writer for Yang-Shen.com, regarding yin and yang in the work/life balance.  Link to where I reviewed “Laoshi: Tai Chi, Teachers and Pursuit of Principle” for SlantedFlying. And a short Bruce Frantzis video on relaxing the muscles of the face.
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• Wrap-up of recent classes: Recent warm ups include Ten Breaths, Serve the Fruit and Thirteen Postures. A few split-class sessions with Part I Yang 108 learners and Part II reviewers.  Some beginner sword form demo at Blue Buddha. Worked on some standing meditations/holding postures. Tuesday first afternoon class since moving to Lionville Y and welcomed 2 new students. Great discussion on the hard (martial) arts and internal arts –and how practitioners of either one, end up over time at the same place inside. ‘Building a bridge’ with your limbs analogy for our Elbow, Press, Shoulder posture transitions in The 13 Postures form. Nice tree qigong set outdoors at Blue Buddha on Saturday.  NEW CLASS ALERT: Through Chester County Night School the next tai chi multi-session class is at Fugett Middle School, 500 Ellis Lane in West Chester; both Monday & Wednesday nights 7.30p, June 16-30, cost $52. Purchase  through Chester County Night School. 

 

• Student News & Events: Thanks very much to Sifu Huang, the Dragon Gym, the Samuelsons, the Tolberts, Master Armstrong and several United Tai Chi students and other local practitioners who participated in the 2-day tai chi workshop on May 17-18. Some pictures are on our FB page. Heard from Steve G via text earlier from his Bikram Yoga studies out west this month, he misses practicing with us and shared this reminder “As soon as you meet that point of resistance you have the opportunity to grow, breathe into it & let go.” Thanks Lionville Holistic Health Center for ‘sharing’ one of our FB posts.  Thanks Esther for your commentary on our Mothers Day video on Facebook. Birthday shout-outs to students Steve G and Christine H. Thanks Carl for volunteering to hit some tennis balls with me last week (any other locals interested, message me).  Thank you Michael DeMarco from Via Media Publishing for contacting me about my book review on SlantedFlying.com.  Social Media Roundup: a huge thanks to “Best Tai Chi Videos” FB site for ‘sharing’ our Practice cartoon that we found on Pinterest/Tumblr with all their followers.  That led to a huge influx of new Facebook fans for us the week of May 19, welcome and thanks for your interest.   In the twittersphere, welcome new followers @tamaraliving, @TempioTaiChi, @SamoanRockyJoe, @Ras_Corby_VEMMA and @bcaccavale.  Welcome a reader in Ireland to our last WordPress digest read. 

 

• Weekly Schedule:

 

DAY	LOCATION	PRICE	TIME
Monday	Lionville Community YMCA, 100 Devon Drive, Exton PA   Fugett Middle School, 500 Ellis Lane in West Chester PA,  pre-pay multi-session class Mon/Wed , through Chester County Night School.  Starts June 16	Membership   $52 whole session	7.30 am   7.30 pm
Tuesday	Lionville YMCA, 100 Devon Drive, Exton PA     Blue Buddha Studio,  1247 Pottstown Pike, Glenmoore PA	Membership   $15 drop-in	4.45 pm   7.15 pm
Wednesday	Lionville Community YMCA, 100 Devon Drive, Exton PA   Fugett Middle School, 500 Ellis Lane in West Chester PA, pre-pay multi-session class Mon/Wed, through Chester County Night School.  Starts June 16	Membership   $52 whole session	7.30 am   7.30 pm
Thursday	Lionville YMCA, 100 Devon Drive, Exton PA     Lionville Holistic Health Center Natural Pharmacy, 309 Gordon Drive in Exton PA	Membership   $25 drop-in (90 mins)	4.45 pm   7.00 pm
Friday	Student practice session/no instructor:  Lionville YMCA   Daytime private lesson available pending schedule, by request	Membership   See instructor	7.30 am   See instructor
Saturday	Outdoors at Everhart Park. West Chester   Blue Buddha Studio, 1247 Pottstown Pike, Glenmoore PA	__?   $25 drop-in (90 min)	9:00 AM   12:00 pm

 

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FACEBOOK   http://www.facebook.com/UnitedTaiChi.chesco

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WORDPRESSS weekly newsletter blog  http://www.unitedtaichi.wordpress.com

PINTEREST   http://www.pinterest.com/unitedtaichi

 Have a great week, and may all your armpits have tuna sandwiches.

Kathleen Rice   unitedtaichi@gmail.com