The Vital Force Archive
Forty years of The Vital Force (1985-2025), the journal of the T’ai Chi Chih community. Search for a word, a teacher, a movement or a place, or browse by category and topic.
May 2021
The May 2021 issue pairs Justin Stone’s account of his first voyage to Japan and the I Ching with excerpts from his Vital Force writings. Pam Towne returns to the reminder that T’ai Chi Chih is done below the waist, Daniel Pienciak weighs a year of Zoom teaching, and George Zimmerman remembers Nicole’s eleven years of practice with ALS.
Carmen L. Brocklehurst recounts seeing a video of a teacher shifting forward onto two bent knees, and argues that keeping the back knee straightening preserves the balance Justin Stone taught.
Carmen L. Brocklehurst
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Cindy Nelson's short poem names the vibrant energy of the universe, active waves of life transforming with gold shards of experience, and a calm blue center supported by T'ai Chi Chih.
Cindy Nelson
xxxxx, xxx (Lepine)
Verla J. Klassen's poem traces earth's energy entering through the soles of her feet: Rocking Motion on a Pacific beach, bare feet on ancient Minnesota gneiss, swans on a stream.
Verla J. Klassen
Shoreview, Minnesota
Victor J. Dougherty's poem listens to the silence of falling snow, following each flake to ledge, leaf, field or face, and finding that neither is ever in the wrong place.
Victor J. Dougherty
Kansas City, Missouri
Sandy McAlister rereads an account she wrote 35 years earlier of teaching her first T'ai Chi Chih class, when 21 students arrived, nervousness became excitement, and fear turned to curiosity.
Sandy McAlister
Hayward, California
Bryan Fain traces his first months as a beginner, from imitating his teacher and memorizing sequence to Marie Dotts' weekly group practice and a workshop with Bill Moore.
Bryan Fain
Fort Collins, Colorado