The Vital Force Archive

Carmen L. Brocklehurst recounts how Justin Stone received T'ai Chi Chih without knowing its effects, from the woman whose narcolepsy eased to his own cure for writer's block.

Warren Wolfe, sleepless in the hospital after knee-replacement surgery and plagued by muscle spasms, began doing T'ai Chi Chih mentally at 3 a.m., and describes the practice he has refined since.

Fusun Sulzbach traces her on-again off-again practice from her 2002 accreditation presentation through a divorce, retirement, a gym class closed by COVID, and a June retreat in Oceanside that renewed her daily routine and ended her sleep medication.

Kathy Starrick teaches seated TCC to every class, standing or not, after two major surgeries and a fractured leg left her practising mentally, then seated, with less pain and better sleep.

Loretta and Gil Weimer began T'ai Chi Chih on her 68th birthday in Donna's class, then learned the rest at home with handouts and a DVD, gaining better balance, deeper sleep and less aching.

Seven letters of thanks addressed to Justin Stone by new students, reporting reduced stress, restful sleep despite sleep apnea, stronger ankles, painless stair climbing, and relief from allergy-related asthma.

A gathering of Pyramid Poems by Nathalie Miller, Monica Cejudo, Linda Jones, Rene Stramwasser and others on doing Nei Kung at night, trusting the blue sea, silence, and chi received in the t'an t'ien.

Jan Wilkowski recounts a brutal third week after left knee replacement, when playing Justin Stone's DVD on repeat and moving the arms, then the mind, brought her first real sleep and a return to writing and artwork.

Anita Vestal summarizes twelve controlled trials of T'ai Chi Chih, covering sleep quality, shingles immunity, inflammation, physical performance in older adults, stress and depression, with recommendations for future studies.

Kathy Starrick recounts her talk at a holistic nursing conference on building resilience, covering stress management, the Lavretsky depression and Irwin sleep studies, and grounding through the soles of the feet.

Pam Towne describes her New Year's Eve burning ceremony for releasing the past year, then sets intentions of better sleep and greater service, including leading retreats and auditing an accreditation course.

Matthew Shin came to T'ai Chi Chih as a skeptic seeking relief from back pain, and describes how daily practice untangled his overcommitment, improved his sleep and ended his coffee habit.

Jean Katus relays what her monthly practice regular Carol reports: calmer nights, better sleep, lower blood pressure, and balance regained after knee replacements, plus dropping the Pulling in the Energy visualization before bed.

Seven students in Tracy Gibbons's U.K. classes describe what T'ai Chi Chih has given them, from clearer memory, weight loss and better sleep to the calm they never found in other T'ai Chi and Qigong forms.

Dixie Adeniran describes her sunrise practice in the back yard, birds bathing in the Buddha fountain during Bird Flaps Its Wings, and circles within circles leading to Cosmic Consciousness Pose; followed by Pyramid Poems on Nei Kung and sleep.

Pyramid poems from Kay Smith, Judy Hendricks, Bo Waddell, Caroline Guilott, Mary Ruiz and others on nightly Nei Kung and sleep, followed by classroom mishaps from Sharon Sirkis and Dee Burton.

Mrs. Stough, unable to do yoga after back surgeries, found TCC through an online search for relaxation, and describes falling asleep easily, lowered pain, and feeling grounded for the first time in her first Seijaku class.

Sheila Leonard collects brief student comments: Harriet practising mentally through transatlantic turbulence, Trish sleeping better by week three, Sue's seasonal low lifting in the fog, and Mary's joints and balance.

An excerpt from Justin Stone's Meditation for Healing gives the four bedtime affirmations of the Nei Kung and the healing heat that follows, followed by pyramid poems from fourteen practitioners.

Larry Bloom, awake after a thunderstorm with his thoughts racing, describes redirecting attention to his breathing until "no thought" emerged, and credits three years of T'ai Chi Chih for the inner stillness he now calls home.

S. Ross could not sleep or settle before a daughter's wedding in Ocean City, New Jersey, and found that a 20- to 30-minute practice carried her calmly through the weekend.

Mary Griffith traces a teenage memory of a couple practicing on the Encinitas bluff to her own first class with Joanne Thomas, and the practice that carried her and her sister through their mother's colon surgery.

Phyllis Bagwell describes how years of clenching her jaw and hunching her shoulders against pain gave way after a T'ai Chi Chih class at the YMCA with Beth Preston.

Jody and her husband tried yoga and a T'ai Chi class before finding Hannah's T'ai Chi Chih class at the community center, where he gained relief from chronic pain and better sleep.

Anita Vestal closes out the 2007 to 2010 Student Reaction Questionnaire, reporting that 610 surveys from eleven teachers showed significant gains in energy, sleep, focus, balance and stress response, with creativity the sole exception.

Marian Massman gathers written comments from students at the end of her Wisconsin classes and retreats, reporting eased shoulder tension, steadier balance after a stroke, lower blood sugar and first full nights of sleep.

Roseann Heinrich came to T'ai Chi Chih in 1999 because restless leg syndrome kept her from sitting still or sleeping, gained total relief in six months, and left corporate work to teach.

Pat Flynn argues that T'ai Chi Chih teaches the graceful letting go we are never taught, citing UCLA insomnia research, University of Cincinnati heart findings and a Cousins Center rheumatoid arthritis study.

Kelly, a new student, noticed sounder sleep almost immediately after starting T'ai Chi Chih, and found the practice deepened her morning prayer and scripture reading.

June Engle began T'ai Chi Chih at 85 with a lesson in a parking lot after a hike, then DVDs, tingling hands, and one sleepless night after practising before bed.