The Vital Force Archive

Four Pyramid Poems from Sr. Antonia Cooper, John Rodgers, Kathy Grassel and Phil Frost, moving from daybreak renewal through blaming others to a hissing snake, a bleating sheep and a demand for quantum proof.

Eldra Jackson III, writing from a maximum security prison, doubted that softness could survive behind guard towers, then used his stillness to defuse a fellow prisoner's attempt to provoke him.

Nancy Werner-Azarski's writeup of Pam Towne's workshops lists ways to sustain Seijaku, from monthly group practices and auditing teacher trainings to "Seijaku a la carte" sandwiching of repetitions with T'ai Chi Chih.

Judy Tretheway's web log from Old Folsom records a cancelled program day, racial tension on the yard, a coming smoking ban, jammed chapel locks, and two inmates practising the whole set for the first time.

Peter Gregory of Indiana offers a sequence of pyramid poems touching on Albuquerque's fulfilled promises, the pleasure-pain continuum, practice as the answer to questions, and Justin's instruction to shift the weight properly.

Erich Pacheco's pyramid poem traces a descent from Eden through anger, wickedness and the strings of sin, then turns around toward truth, family, forgiveness and God's mercy.

Stephanie Bass writes up conference workshops by Carmen Brocklehurst and Margo Carpenter, with tips from the group on motivating daily practice: business cards for teacher prep students, Edmonton's second-Saturday group practice, email reminders, and practicing on work breaks.

John Daniel Mutter writes from a federal holding facility to thank his volunteer teacher Kathy, describing how a lifelong martial artist learned to release rather than fight.

An account of the First Annual Pyramid Poetry Slam, where participants split into two sides of the room and competed in three categories, Genes/Jeans, Shooting Stars and Fly Fishing, with sample 16-syllable poems included.

Juana M. writes from inside a prison cell, describing pacing, racing thoughts, a human zoo of hate and anger, and her attempt to find peace or let peace find her.

Dorene Krause, accredited in 2003, recounts hearing Justin Stone speak in person for the first time at the Albuquerque conference, and finishing her poem "Antonia's Gifts" afterward.

Sr. Antonia Cooper's spoken text for the Albuquerque conference rededication ritual, in which Albuquerque teachers poured green tea into empty cups while readings from Spiritual Odyssey were given.

Daniel Rojas of Albuquerque strings dense internal rhymes about chi flowing from Mother Earth, the roar of a river's waves, and the body shifting, bending and extending.

At 89, Justin Stone names his two turning points: boarding a Japanese freighter in 1963 and the midnight revelations that time is Maya, plus his Wall Street years and his name change.

Teachers from across North America send short notes on the 2005 Albuquerque conference, praising Justin Stone's charge to practice daily and correctly, the talent show hosted by Kathy, the prison teaching panel, and the welcome from New Mexico hosts.

Kathy Grassel taught Tai Chi Chih to 30 sixth-graders waiting to testify at the New Mexico legislature, renaming every movement with wildlife themes, plus classroom quips collected by Sharon Sirkis.

Justin Stone praises the August conference and its 17-person planning committee, then corrects teachers for careless yinning and yanging, insisting the knees bend deeply because TCC is done from the waist down.

In an open letter to Justin Stone after the Albuquerque conference, Linda Braga thanks Sister Antonia, Sandy McAlister and Pam Towne, asks Justin to speak more about his own meditation experience, and encloses two new TCC bookmarks.

Lorraine Levine asks teachers to return the 2005 TCC Teacher Survey by December 31 and publishes teaching tips from the first 55 responses, covering seniors, Parkinson's, dementia care, hospice bereavement groups and deaf children, plus a new Special Requests section.

Carmen L. Brocklehurst recounts Justin Stone's presence at the T'ai Chi Chih '05 Conference, from his instruction to "scoop up the energy" to a Spiritual Talk drawn from his own deep experience.

Marie A. Myszkier tells the story of the plant at the T'ai Chi Chih Center she named Bird, which sprouted a new leaf for each year of her training, from first class to teacher presentation and conference.

Newly accredited teacher Marilyn Irvin recounts her first TCC Conference, from 150 practitioners doing Joyous Breath to the pyramid poetry slam, the water-element Rededication Ceremony and Justin Stone's blunt Sunday correction on yin and yang.

Amy Tyksinski's report on the Seijaku Teacher Training that followed the 2005 Albuquerque conference, led by Pam Towne, with comments from 11 students and 14 auditors and a suggestion to allow a rest day between events.

Mary Schapker's summary of Judy Hendricks' conference breakout session on teaching children, with tactics for grounding them, Tao symbols on the floor, small surprises and getting into after-school programs.

Nancy Beck reports on the third annual West Texas workshop led by Sister Antonia Cooper, with basic moves on Saturday, "Sinking Deeper in TCC" on Sunday, student comments, and a wrong turn into a cotton field.

Meg Scinto's writeup of Athene Mantle's conference workshop, where ten teachers from Albuquerque to Philadelphia compared notes on teacher potlucks, sharing circles, local websites, press releases and borrowing library or Police Athletic League rooms.

Larry Sava recounts sponsoring a T'ai Chi Chih workshop in Lubbock, Texas, where Sister Antonia's cuing and soft teaching style reached him in new ways and brought back former students.

Amy Tyksinki's conference workshop notes on reaching high school students through counseling, history and language departments, and on teaching teens with concrete body cues, a soft cloth passed around, and recordings of Justin Stone.

Lorraine Lepine audited the September 2005 teacher training led by Pam, watching seven candidates break down old movement patterns, relearn yinning and yanging, and emerge accredited.

Notes from Bonnie Sokolov's conference workshop list eighteen group suggestions for getting T'ai Chi Chih into hospitals, from arranging nursing CEU credits and health fair booths to bartering free staff classes for room space.