The Vital Force Archive

Eleven men in the Folsom Prison class, from George R. to Tyrone J., describe feeling the Chi, finding groundedness amid rage and stress, and teacher Sandy closes with her own teacher's memorial.

Julie Heryert reports that donated industrial fans have transformed the sweltering Folsom chapel class, which now has 33 students and a waiting list, and describes meeting ARC founder Scott Budnick.

Lisa Stroyan accepted Julie Heryet's conference invitation and visited the T'ai Chi Chih class at Folsom Prison, walking through the cellblock to a chapel circle where inmates met her with kindness rather than the defensiveness she expected.

Julie Barrier describes taking over the T'ai Chi Chih class she had attended as Bill Moore's student at the Oakland Senior Center, including sleepless nights before teaching and the silence that ends each class.

A rundown of the TCC blog, Instagram account and Facebook page, including the hashtag for reposting photos and the ten-point Facebook list of facts about T'ai Chi Chih worth sharing.

First-year teacher Nikol Price describes using essential oil sprays and albums like Misty Forest Morning to mask Student Union noise and make her class an experience rather than exercise.

Donna Deffenbaugh offers a raven soaring on canyon thermals as a visualization for days when fatigue tempts us to push through the movements, quoting Justin Stone's "effort of no effort."

Donna Aldous practices outdoors during an eight-day silent retreat at an abbey in the Santa Rita foothills near Sonoita, where Passing Clouds and fifteen years of present-moment practice prepared her for daily silent prayer.

Victoria Mogilner recounts eight years of teaching at Gilbert Senior, where a small class grew to 49 people a week, bringing better balance and a group that moves together.

Carmen L Brocklehurst describes how students arrive at T'ai Chi Chih quietly, often through a friend or a spouse, and how the "I" reason for practising eventually turns into a compassionate "we."

Judy Hendricks answers a student's question about why Justin Stone died five years earlier, recalling his words that he had never left his own teacher, Roshi Joshu Sasaki.

Carol Spicer describes closing every class with a short seated meditation, crediting Dorene Krause and Phyllis Segal for the practice, and includes her poem "Within the Softness," written after the 2014 teacher conference.

Sheryl Adair describes how Pam's Albuquerque accreditation sessions, sequencing Seijaku with T'ai Chi Chih and Fast Track, showed her that Fast Track is Justin's cherry on top.

Caroline Guilott describes how Fast Track freed her Seijaku practice, releasing the mental emphasis on moving through resistance while keeping her rooted in the soles of her feet as she hopped.

Ava Wilensky, six months into T'ai Chi Chih, was left unable to walk, sit or lie down after a hiking trip, and rebuilt her mobility by yinning and yanging alone, three repetitions at a time.

Mary Wichmann finds golf pros teaching circular motion, a soft grip and effortless swing, then turns her New Year resolve into written apologies and thanks to her parents, great uncle and family.

Sue Bitney recounts the five months between her husband's cancer diagnosis and his death, the four years of surviving since, and her decision to retire in March as a deliberate act of letting go.

Julie Heryet recounts the response to her Seattle conference presentation on Folsom State Prison, prints her student L.H.'s poem about living in the now, and reports the class losing five men to a facility reclassification.

Carmen L. Brocklehurst audited a Denver accreditation course hosted by Marie Dotts and taught by Dan Pienciak with Pam Towne Duncan, finding in the candidates' preparation and shared practice the meaning of TCC community.

Michael S. Isaacs lists twelve keys to moving the Vital Force as seven S's, three C's and two P's, each with a caution, followed by poems from Diana Daffner and Diana Bahn.

Julie Heryet previews her conference presentation on teaching at Folsom State Prison, describing the noise and stress inmates face and giving practical steps for approaching a correctional facility about a moving meditation class.

Lisa M. Otero explains why Justin Stone opposed a formal continuing education requirement, then describes how seven teachers in her community meet monthly for silent practice and member-led presentations.

Driving home from a Heightened Awareness T'ai Chi Chih event, Michael Dapelo questions whether his full participation is too self-focused, and concludes the practice is self-centered in a way that makes him other-centered.

Linda Braga remembers Mini, a retired library worker who joined her class as a beginner, kept practising through chemotherapy for a rare blood cancer, and was honoured in a memorial class where students sensed spirits filling the room.

Linda Braga describes a November ceremony in San Leandro where fourteen students in their 80s and 90s received gold-sealed certificates for years of consistent attendance, and offers the template to other teachers.

Marcy Burns describes the annual candlelit holiday practice and party at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, begun by Lisa Otero, where thirty-eight students and seven teachers moved in concentric circles.

Carol Mockovak recounts the July 25 gathering at Hannah's Bend Park in Cannon Falls, where 28 Minnesota-area teachers and students practiced beside the Cannon River, then shared a potluck.

Anna Vaith describes a Cannon Falls group practice and vegetarian potluck, quarterly Twin Cities teacher meetings and four national conferences, and how each widened her teaching and personal practice.

Panelists Deb Bertelsen, Deanna Rasch and Sheila Leonard describe growing TCC communities in Minnesota, Richmond, Virginia and Newfoundland, from quarterly potluck gatherings and mentoring frameworks to Dan Pienciak's nine island visits.

Marie Dotts gathers five newsletter columns from her Northern Colorado classes, linking seasonal rhythms, Cynthia Bourgeault's Centering Prayer, World T'ai Chi and Qigong Day, and her own move from anxiety to self-love through attention in the soles of the feet.