The Vital Force Archive

Stephen Thompson takes Loraine Lepine's pronunciation of "E-motion" at the October accreditation as a starting point for how moving first lets the mind rest, separating and reuniting yin and yang Chi.

Ron Richardson turns five things his parents told him as a child, from "Pick up your feet" to "Stand on your own two feet," into practical reminders for TCC students about posture, stepping, breathing and independence.

Dr. Janet Oussaty reports from the inaugural International Medical Tai Chi and Qigong Association conference at Massachusetts General Hospital, where researchers proposed grandfathering accredited T'ai Chi Chih instructors into new standards.

Ron Richardson asked students at his church class why they practice, and student Park Dodge of Tupelo compared moving in unison to the call and response of liturgical worship.

Stephen Thompson's conference notes give three partner exercises: a paper plate shared between Pulling in the Energy and Around the Platter, mirrored Working the Pulley, and a hand-hovering energy circle with weight shifts.

Charlie Williams set four objectives on the first day of teacher training, calm, openness, accepting criticism and giving to others, and found he received far more than he gave.

Ron Richardson watched a gracefully slow practitioner from behind at a teacher conference, discovered it was his teacher trainer Sandy McAlister, and learned to let waist and hips set his pace.

Charlie Williams, sent to T'ai Chi Chih by his orthopedic surgeon after two knee replacements, describes crossing an ice-covered rear deck to feed wild birds by shifting weight one grounded step at a time.

Ron Richardson recounts practising on shifting Florida sand at sunset, then a conference session where Daniel Pienciak's altered resting position, hands hung at the sides, provoked objections about changing Justin Stone's form.

Stephen Thompson, who fell ill during the 2012 teacher conference, found some of the presentations he missed archived online, among them Sara Nelson's talk on approaching health professionals and students with physical problems.

Stephen Thompson counters life in the fast lane by urging practitioners to step outside themselves and observe their own moving meditation, watching self-doubts, fears and desires arise and letting them go.

Ron Richardson practices each morning among oak, pine and magnolia trees, naming Six Healing Sounds his new favorite movement as geese squawk overhead and his immune system grows stronger.

Stephen Thompson recounts Peter Gregory's challenge to teach TCC in 12-step recovery programs, his failed attempts to enter Mississippi jails, and six months of talks before NMHS Behavioral Health Center accepted classes.

Mark Moloney recounts a caseworker at a children's psychiatric inpatient facility who stayed centered through a shouted, threatening family conference, crediting the 40-minute T'ai Chi Chih class held that morning in the same room.

Ron Richardson traces his own new beginnings, from Director of Pastoral Care to 2003 accreditation, then prints a letter from Pete and Kathy on their first two months in his Wellness Center class.

Stephen Thompson describes the state of flow in daily T'ai Chi Chih practice, where effortless movement, regulated breath and fluid time give way to a meta-state of oneness with Chi.

Terry Engelhart recounts the years after his wife's death from cancer in 2001, when faith, a Special Forces friend's blunt intervention, a quiche mispronunciation and T'ai Chi Chih kept him from suicide.

Margaret A. Baker likens sharing T'ai Chi Chih to a neighbor's advice about dividing flowers, crediting Ron Richardson, who taught her in 2003 during benzodiazepine withdrawal, and naming her 2009 goal of reaching African American communities.

Stephen Thompson describes how beginners whose first awkward attempts reveal a mind-body disconnect can honor that feeling, letting the yearning for groundedness guide them toward perceiving their own chi.

Elaine Peterson, a music professor at Mississippi State University, describes using T'ai Chi Chih to help singers and instrumentalists move from the center, ease tension, and stay fully present while performing.