Weather Channel: United Tai Chi digest 1/19/15

• This weekend the North East and Mid –Atlantic region of the US were showered with a coat of freezing rain, resulting in many automobile accidents. Concerns of flooding grew as the temperature rose a bit later in the day. These are examples of water’s destructive rather than creative personality. In the Five Elements of Chinese Medicine, water is associated with the season of winter. During winter in this hemisphere, some humans tend to “hibernate”, not unlike bears. It is a darker season, with short daylight hours and less incidence of pleasant outdoor blooming flora. With less light in our eyes, some experience a phenomenon currently known as Seasonal Affective Disorder –an anagram that literally spells SAD. It is important to note at this time of year (though many lose interest), physical activity is one of the major deterrents of SAD. Internal arts practitioners would certainly include the practices of Tai Chi, Qi Gong and meditation. On an icy surface, people are more likely to fall, so developing a greater sense of internal and external balance, intention, leg strength and flexibility come in handy. We become more aware of our surroundings. Be sure and get some “golden light” in your eyes in the coming days. Giving back to others is one of those “lights” –share with us how you spent your Martin Luther King day of service.

• Shares/Finds: For those studying the 24 Form (sometimes called the Tai Chi short form), Best Tai Chi Videos site posted this video.

• Student News & Events: Appreciation for those of us who joined UTC for Christian’s Qi Gong workshop at Kokikai Akido School this weekend– a study in connections and internal balance. Master Armstrong encountered weather/travel issues this weekend and will reschedule his monthly Sunday morning session at Dragon Gym. Sincere condolences from our Tai Chi family to Martina on the loss of a loved one last month. Anyone with birthdays to share in February, let me know for a blog mention next time. Hello to our snowbirds who are spending the winter in warmer climates, hope to see you back in the spring.

• Social Media Roundup: Welcome our new followers, sharers or readers on the following platforms: (Twitter) @YjtcNpc , @goldduster96 and @dogperson77. Our friends at Lighthouse Tai Chi in the UK report snow and ice there as well. (Facebook) Maria M and Raydoune Z joined us recently. (Pinterest) Check out the boards of our new follower Joseph M. (WordPress) Thank you for making our last blog –Year of the Goat our third most read title in the past 12 months!

• Follow these links to our social media presence on the web:
  • FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/UnitedTaiChi.chesco
  • TWITTER http://www.twitter.com/unitedtaichi
  • 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

A Look Back, Part I: United Tai Chi Digest 12/8/2014

• The end of 2014 is nearly upon us, so once again I take this time to reflect on some of our UTC markers that we shared in months past, taken in two parts—herein, we focus on the first six months.
  • We held classes and workshops at such diverse sites as Chester County Night School ,Eat Drink Om Yoga café, Lionvlle Holistic Health Center, Blue Buddha Studio, Miller Park, Kerr Park, Dragon Gym and our local YMCA. Events we shared included World Tai Chi Day (“one world, one breath”). Master Wei Lun Huang’s workshops at Boston Healing Tao, and the Dragon Gym, while Master Huang shared with us his stories of his tai chi teaching cruise in Asia.
  • Some students embarked on late winter or early spring travel excursions, Bikram Yoga studies, assisting in equine therapy, a Chinatown (Philadelphia) field trip in search of tai chi swords. Read books like “Laoshi: Tai Chi, Teachers and Pursuit of Principle”.
  • Enhanced our tai chi practice with Golden Lotus Qigong, Bagua Animal stepping, Hsing-yi, and Part III of the Yang 108 form. Dabbled in a few more pop culture connections to our internal arts like Kenny Loggins (“Don’t Fight It”), Keanu Reeves (“Man of Tai Chi”), and films like “American Hustle” (from the feet up) and “The Wolf of Wall Street” (importance of being grounded in the lower tan tien).
  • Newsletter blog essays in the ‘living the art’ theme –connecting our tai chi principles to our daily personal, professional or emotional lives. Such discussions included the impact of tai chi on cross-training fitness; push-hands and the notion of understanding or re-directing your partner or opponent (personal relationships, tennis, work life); monkey mind and Amish youth’s Rumspringa; how tail chi makes us more adaptable travelers and opens up world cultures to us; self-correction in tai chi linked to career or life change (Julia Child, Sting, Walt Disney); Dyer’s “The Power of Intention”; moving meditation, relaxation and the de-stressors of ‘happy hour’; storm black-outs and how disengaging ourselves from our electronic umbilical cords returns us to mindfulness; the importance of the armpit glands in our chi flow; daylight savings time and the effect on Seasonal Affective Disorder; trust or leaps of faith in finally learning to ‘cross the street’ alone; how the art of branding is akin to principles of Taoism; and how a profoundly deep understanding of ourselves helps us define our interview pitch in the job transition arena.
  • Thank you for making the following our most read blog titles published in the first half of the year: “The Return”, “Elevator Speech”’, “Balanced”, “The Armpit Monologues”, “Force Majeure” and “Passport”. Stay tuned for ‘A Look Back, Part II’ in the next blog in two weeks.

• Shares/Finds: In case you missed it in our August newsletter, here is the link again to download Ted Nawalinski’s “The Science of Qigong Healing” booklet –which cites case studies, applications, and references on the effects of qigong.

 

• Student News & Events: A big thank you to all who participated once again in sponsoring a child with holiday gifts for the Angel Tree program at the YMCA for the Delaware Valley Children’s Charity. I hope you all had a great time at our annual holiday/birthday breakfast on the December 5^th at the Lionshare—it was wonderful to see so many students in attendance, and was greatly appreciated by Christian. You can see a few photos of it on our Pinterest page. Marilyn B’s open house holiday gathering and perhaps some other events coming up later this month. Good luck to Claudia in her travels soon.

• Social Media Roundup: Thank you to our new followers, sharers or readers on the following platforms: (Twitter) Jean @jeancox92. (Facebook) A big growth week, we have hit or exceeded 1,500 fans! Welcome Simi, Khey, Darren, Benny, Iraida, Nathan, Christopher, Keounda, Manual, Cheryl, Edward and Frank. (WordPress) Hello to our first reader from Panama. Thank you to Sifu Anthony K’s Flowingzen.com for being one our referrers. (Pinterest) check out boards from new follower Chi Shirt. Slantedflying.com’s Guy Tomash has invited me to review internal arts books by Steve Zimcosky.

• Follow these links to our social media presence on the web:

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

TWITTER       http://www.twitter.com/unitedtaichi

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

LAYERS: United Tai Chi digest 11/10/14

• In many parts of the US, in recent weeks folks have begun the process of layering. Dressing their children to wait at the bus stop for the early morning chill, or preparing ourselves for outdoor activities to be reactive to the changing temperature as the day’s light and sun position play our their autumn story. Nielsen consumer insights in 2012 had included in their Breakthrough Innovation Awards program Trident Layers And of course Ogres (Shrek), like onions, have layers. And here is the fun ‘living the art’ part. Just like gum, Shrek and kids winter clothes, our tai chi practice has layers, or if you prefer, levels or stages. The Human Stage, the Earth Stage and the Sky Stage. The human stage is punctuated by lightness (qing), slowness (man), circular movement (yuan) and constant rate (yun). Through years of practice, one may next reach the earth stage, with its principals of agility (ling), relaxation (song), and sinking (chen). The next goal is the sky stage, with its focus on the mental training. Emptiness and solidity, breathing, consciousness, void and stillness (xujing). These stages are covered in more detail in Tsun Hwa Jou’s “The Dao of Taijiquan: Way to Rejuvenation”, which some of your fellow local students have a copy to borrow.  What is your story of layers this month, or how have internalized a picture of some of your own goals?

• Shares/Finds: A fun lighthearted look at speed Sifu training. An article on how Tai Chi offers anti-aging benefits at the cellular level. And in case you missed it our book review for Robin Gamble’s new The Power of Tai Chi Chuan online here

 

• Student News & Events: Join us for the monthly Exton Dragon Gym Sunday session with fellow instructors Al Tolbert, John Armstrong and Ted Nawalinski on November 23 at 10 am. Please join me in thanking all of our veterans this week (and every week), including our local instructor Christian! If local students would once again like to participate in the YMCA’s Angel Tree program and collectively purchase holiday gifts for one child in the Delaware Valley Children’s Charity community, let me know and we can get this organized soon. You guys did such a great job of this last year.

• Social Media Roundup: Thank you Guy Tomash of Slanted Flying, and Robin Gamble of Warrior Strategy for the book review commentary. Thank you to our new followers, sharers or readers on the following platforms: (Twitter) Lori @JujitsuSensei and Rick @chevyrep. (Pinterest) check out boards from new fans MartialArtsConnect and Simone T (Facebook) Welcome Gal from Brooklyn, and Albert from El Paso to our FB fans page. (WordPress) Welcome first time readers to our blog from Denmark, Poland, Thailand and Romania.

• General Weekly Schedule:

DAY	LOCATION	PRICE	TIME
Tuesday	Lionville YMCA, 100 Devon Drive, Exton PA Blue Buddha Studio,  1247 Pottstown Pike, Glenmoore PA	Membership $20 p/hour	4.45 pm 7.15 pm
Wednesday	Lionville Community YMCA, 100 Devon Drive, Exton PA	Membership	7.30 am
Thursday	Lionville YMCA, 100 Devon Drive, Exton PA Kokikai Akido School  1209 Ward Ave, West Chester (2 hour class, at $20 per hour)	Membership $20 p/hour	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

 

• Follow these links to our social media presence on the web:

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

TWITTER       http://www.twitter.com/unitedtaichi

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

Art of the Brand: United Tai Chi digest 5/13/14

• Perhaps you had little idea how closely some marketing principles paralleled some philosophies of internal arts.  Recently I attended a local chapter meeting seminar for a qualitative market research group, entitled “Bigger, Better Branding Boot Camp”, led by ‘brand engineer’ Janet Rouss of http://www.getrealbranding.com And I was again struck by that ‘living the art’ notion, since much of what Ms. Rouss expressed related to the elements seen in Chinese medicine and martial arts. Though not quite mirroring Wood, Fire, Metal, Earth, Water 100%, nonetheless arching towards cohesion. She outlined your personal or company brand value proposition by what it offers on five levels.  (1) Earth/Physical –the grounding, rooting, functionality, actual products or services. (2) Air/Mental –the benefits and outcomes, goals achieved, time or money saved for your client. (3) Water/Emotional –how do people feel when they work with you, are they moved from the negative or pain to the positive or pleasure. (4) Etheric/Tribal –how are your energies drawing like-minded groups and related demographics to you; status or recognition among your sought after audience. (5) Fire/spiritual –the soul of your business, why it is you do what you do, purpose, meaning, affinities and altruism.  Not only was I stirred by the five elements, but it also brought to mind the three tan tiens of physical, emotional and mental. Jim Stengel’s book “Grow: How Ideals Power and Profit the World’s Greatest Companies” not surprisingly concludes from years of studying thousands of businesses that brands which best cater to fundamental human needs and emotions have lasted to become the most successful. Fundamentals that can be thought of as that which roots us to the Earth, to our loved ones, to our community, and to our own internal path. And where else do we see that, folks?  On a side note, to Master John Armstrong and other proponents of speed (to catch a falling baby?), sorry but I am just not there yet. Refer to my November 20 Speed digest. Don’t leave your babies on a high counter unattended.

 

 

• Shares/Finds: Those of you that think your kicks are all that and a bag of chips, check out this powerfully graceful Chloe Bruce video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByqG9T04qxA
•  
• Pricing notes and class length reminders:  Any classes not held at the YMCA, the one hour classes are $15 each (drop in rate) and the 90 minute classes are $25 each (drop in rate).

 

• Wrap-up of recent classes: Reminders about safety, not muscling in to a bad position, and knee strength with more White Crane practice at Blue Buddha. Breath follows intention –intention of the posture, intention of the moment or the interaction, yin or yang energy intention, emptying or filling. Discussed yin energy again on Tuesday relating to emptying, and to your root. More Ward Off drills and Play the Pan Pan practice (watch those left shoulders). “We try to reach for the stars, but if we bounce off the moon that’s OK”. Getting our whole body inside (coil) the left hand dive before White Crane. Continued to work on Part III of Yang 108 in the Thursday night class. The philosophy of the ‘single strand of silk’ in our tai chi principles.  Shared some more “living the art” stories about other places in life where we find the phrase …”when you’re ready to receive it”.  Incidentally I wanted to share, a computer school VP asked me last week if the Javascript class was ‘more of a mountain than I wanted to climb’ –yes, too big a Tiger Over The Mountain I dare say.

 

• Student News & Events: Congratulations to Deb and Phil G on their new swords, we had a great trip in to Philadelphia’s Chinatown section recently along with Claudia and Clemens. Stop by the Shanghai Bazaar there and ask for Feijong Song if you are visiting there (photos here on our FB page). Welcome back Ellen and Lena, though just when we seem to have gotten a few back, bye to Chris M for a couple of months. New classes and/or class packages hoping to offer soon – sword forms like Spiraling Dragon Rod, qigong package, and mixed United Tai Chi package –stay tuned for more updates. Hope to see some of you this weekend at Dragon Gym in Exton for Master Huang’s workshop. With the YMCA departure from the Eagleview site on the 15^th, our Tues/Thur afternoon classes move to the Lionville site starting May 17. Deb and Claudia, thank you for commentary on our “Elevator Speech” blog last month. Social media round up:  In the Twittersphere, I liked this post by @PeterFieldHypno and the moment in there about sometimes a boy just needs glasses at the back of the room rather than presume psychological problems adjusting to a new school.  Welcome new Facebook fans NickNack, Carlos, Marylou and Robin. Thanks to our followers for over 100 views of my small Mothers Day video on our Facebook page as well.  In WordPress news, we are at over 2700 views—our anniversary for starting to publish there is in about 7 weeks and we hope to be at 3,000 by then.

 

• Weekly Schedule: Honoring our War Veterans/VFW –any non-YMCA class FREE

DAY	LOCATION	PRICE	TIME
Monday	Lionville Community YMCA, 100 Devon Drive, Exton PA	Membership	7.30 am
Tuesday	Eagleview YMCA, 699 Rice Blvd, Exton PA (moving to Lionville after May 17).   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	Membership	7.30 am
Thursday	Eagleview YMCA, 699 Rice Blvd, Exton PA (moving to Lionville after May 17)   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

 

• Follow these links to our social media presence on the web:

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

TWITTER       http://www.twitter.com/unitedtaichi 

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