The Vital Force Archive

KG recounts two email mishaps: Carolyn Pogwist's joke about flying among clouds without cloud access, and an "impatient" reminder to teachers that sent itself three times.

Jim Hecker recalls Justin Stone asking him whether he had done T'ai Chi Chih that day, once or twice, and the answer Justin gave when asked why nine repetitions.

Sharon Sirkis recounts her first Zoom class of seated T'ai Chi Chih, coaching a newcomer's beautiful smile through several movements before discovering it was Melissa's still photo, left behind after she logged off.

Annette McNeil's rhyming ode addresses the coronavirus directly, tracking lockdown hoarding, overworked nurses, dolphins in the canals, and TCC students Yinning and Yanging all nineteen movements together on Zoom.

Sharon Sirkis recounts three classroom moments: an 87-year-old confused all his life, Roland finding his knee's sweet spot in front of the TV, and a coronavirus misunderstanding needing quick damage control.

Deb Sitron recounts meeting an 89-year-old Naples student at a fruit stand, where he proudly introduced her to his grandson as his "Tie Dye teacher" and she let it stand.

Linda Jones lays out the teaching rules for David-Dorian Ross's Tai Chi for Vets program: verbal safety cues and humor are welcome, but no individual corrections, no detailed demonstration and no expectation that veterans memorize the movements.

Terry Jennings recounts stopping at Carmen's Seijaku retreat in New Mexico on the annual drive to a family farm, then teaching four classes to beloved friends in Des Moines, where one student joked about getting only half the benefits.

Nancy Johnson writes as an owl looking down on a flock of white-robed Brothers who walk slowly to and fro, wondering whether those wing-like gowns could ever fly.

Pete Gregory's parody lyrics, sung to the Beverly Hillbillies tune at the 2009 teacher conference sing-along at Lied Lodge, trace Justin Stone's discovery of T'ai Chi Chih and his 1993 move to Albuquerque.

Nancy Johnson's pyramid poem takes an owl's point of view, puzzling over the white-robed Brothers walking slowly below and wondering whether those long gowns hide wings.

Sharon Sirkis passes along a college student's story: after a class discussion on grounding and avoiding distractions, the student hung up from an undistracted hour-long phone call wondering whether the dog had been fed.

Donna Deffenbaugh recounts buying olive green drawstring pants and velveteen shoes for her first T'ai Chi Chih class, the too-big black replacements her teacher teased her about, and what practice is really about.

Nancy Daniel falls asleep on the train home from the Philadelphia Flower Show, wakes heading the wrong way, and does two full practices on an icy, unsheltered platform.

Donna Deffenbaugh recounts the olive green drawstring pants and velveteen shoes that once got her into the zone, and her teacher's blunt verdict on their too-big black replacements.

Sharon Sirkis collects two classroom moments: a college student's evaluation calling T'ai Chi Chih "very peaceful and weirdly healing," and a rainy day spent flipping fluorescent switches like an eye doctor.

Sharon Sirkis recounts three classroom mishaps and puns, including a student who insisted she had taught only variations of the Six Healing Sounds and a Working the Pulley question that turned into a Supremes singalong.

JoEtta Heck prints the lyrics of the conference parody of John Denver's Rocky Mountain High, telling how Marie Dotts brought the Chi to Colorado, complete with cues for welcome signs.

Nancy Jo Bleier recounts the 2017 Boulder teacher conference through the hunt for a usable hotel bathroom at altitude, drinking water all day, swollen ankles, and gratitude for chi and laughter.

Vic Berg announces a new online teacher code and re-registration for ordering materials, followed by Sharon Sirkis quoting a college student on her barefoot professor and her deadline exchange with KG.

Sheryl Adair practices in a sunny spot in her home studio, reads Justin Stone's line about gratitude, then tastes harmony, circularity and balance in a breakfast bowl of Cheerios and blueberries.

Lucinda Kutsko recounts teaching an after-school TCC enrichment class to eight first and second graders, from snack-time chaos and taped Xs on the floor to their surprisingly poised family performance.

Linda Braga welcomes new students with a mock travel brochure: a one-way ticket to the State of Serenity, payment accepted only as daily practice, baggage packed light, and insurance made of teachers, classes and retreats.

Stu Goldman, uneasy about repeating what "Justin would say," describes building his own teaching phrases like "I came for the movement; I stayed in the moment," and recalls a silent correction from Carmen Brocklehurst.

Sharon Sirkis recounts Martin, a skeptical new student at a retirement home who predicted class would worsen his headache and then admitted he felt more relaxed, plus a college student inspecting his fingernails.

April Leffler compiles notes from the October 2015 Philadelphia Intensive, including Fran Alexander's poem "Grey Ghost," Bruce Lee calling Sandy McAlister's teaching magical, and Sharon Sirkis finding a sign misspelled "T'ai Chi Chai."

Barb Shambach audited the November 2015 Albuquerque accreditation with trainer Dan Pienciak, Carmen Brocklehurst and Dora Wiemann, recounting a candidate steadying himself with Bass Drum, the "random sacks" mix-up, and a reading of "Shadows."

Julie Barrier tracks her intentions day by day through accreditation week, from deepening practice to giving her presentation, and describes the laughing therapy the candidates invented to survive intense sessions.

Brock Brocklehurst sets out in verse what Seijaku and Fast Track feel like from the inside, from different breathing and occasional frustration to getting lost in Pulling Taffy and laughing about it.

Doug Harned, asked to contribute and finding nothing to say about T'ai Chi Chih, instead tells how a Facebook ode to a mango drew the reply "God is a mango," closing with a Paul Reps poem.