The Vital Force Archive

Victor Berg announces that Good Karma Publishing is closing, with remaining funds paying KG to convert Justin Stone's books, DVDs and CDs into free online versions, and inventory discounted meanwhile.

Judy Hendricks argues that the power of T'ai Chi Chih lies in the form Justin Stone originated, and describes watching his DVD before every class she teaches after 22 years of practice.

Lisa M. Otero describes founding a Facebook page with Deanna Rausch that links students without a nearby teacher to accredited teachers offering instruction online, including second-signature mentoring for candidates.

Lisa Vander Vliet met Trudi at her parents' senior living community and discovered the 84-year-old had taught herself T'ai Chi Chih from Carmen Brocklehurst's YouTube video, practicing alone for five years.

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.

Judy Hendricks returns to the Summer Solstice 1984 first issue, where Justin Stone vowed to keep TCC pure, and argues against regional variations, citing T'ai Chi Ch'uan's growth from 36 movements to 108.

A primer on the five independent organizations behind T'ai Chi Chih, with details from Dora Wiemann, Guy Kent, Carmen Brocklehurst and Sandy McAlister on each group's history, services, revenue and volunteer boards.

Carmen Brocklehurst's introduction to a DVD of Justin Stone's 2005 conference talk, recalling his piano playing in Hong Kong, his favorite word teh (inner sincerity), and the message of gratitude he left for teachers two weeks before he died.

Sandy McAlister opens with a 17-year student who found fuller weight shift by moving her underneath hand an inch farther in Pulling Taffy, then argues Justin Stone's photo text and DVD should stand unchanged.

Lisa Otero lays out what to do before an accreditation course: study all of Justin Stone's writings and videos, write out general and movement-specific instructions, learn to mirror, and practice-teach under supervision or by Skype.

Matthew van der Giessen describes sending weekly class-summary emails with unlisted YouTube clips of the movements taught, using Chimpmail, an iPad and Good Karma videos to cut dropout rates.

Judy Hendricks noticed at the 2003 Banff conference that she had stopped standing up between movements, and her knees hurt; returning to Justin's practice in Albuquerque cured it.

Jackson Rains compares Good Karma's two Justin Stone instructional DVDs, the 2005 four-teacher filming and the 1994 solo re-release, on mirroring, music, chapter breaks and picture quality, and recommends the solo version.

Sue Bitney recounts the five months between her husband Jim's lung cancer diagnosis in October 2012 and his death in March 2013, and how practice, Sandy's seated DVD and a visit from Antonia sustained them both.

Barb Shambach names her accreditation week enjoyable, humiliating and encouraging by turns, thanks Pam Towne and the auditors, and lists her plan to organize notes, study Justin Stone's DVDs and teach at a Michigan Y Center.

KG reports on Good Karma Publishing's year: new CDs, e-books, print-on-demand editions, the discounted conference bundle, quotation cards, and 37 YouTube videos filmed with 46 teachers at conference.

Robert Montes de Oca's list of thanks for the Collegeville conference: the Minnesota teachers' efforts, the tea ceremony and gift teacups, YouTube recordings of the movements, April Leffler on prajna, and KG on social media.

Donna McElhose recounts the 2013 conference at St. John's University, from Kimiko Gunji's tea ceremony and the Dances of Universal Peace to KG expanding a 20-teacher video shoot to 45 slots.

Donna McElhose recounts organizing an After Conference Workshop for area teachers who could not attend, sorting her notes on the teacher trainers' comments, KG's media talks and the YouTube presentation videos.

Packing Good Karma Publishing catalogs for a conference, Carmen L. Brocklehurst realized the catalogs serve the students waiting for Justin Stone's materials, and argues his DVDs convey a purity words cannot.

Donovan Rundle, four or five months into practice learned mostly from DVDs, attended Carmen Brocklehurst's Albuquerque retreat and recognized her intuitively as his teacher despite a visual impairment.

Sr. Antonia Cooper suggests teachers turn students' Internet searching into a classroom exercise, comparing YouTube demonstrations by Travis Enerix and Chris Norkus against the six principles of movement in Justin's DVD introduction.

Pam Towne addresses the reasons teachers avoid Seijaku, explains that a year of TCC practice is enough preparation, and points to Justin Stone's DVD and the two courses following the conference.

Pam Towne recalls Justin Stone calling his discovery of Seijaku the most important event of his life and a turning point for his health after triple bypass surgery, then advises when and how to learn the form.

Chris Norkus reprints her reply to a woman with no teacher nearby, recounting flying from Charlotte to Washington for her first lessons, eleven years of solo practice, and accreditation in Albuquerque in 2001.

Carmen L. Brocklehurst thanks the TCC community for the messages of love sent to New Mexico after Justin's death, and quotes a summer student who feels close to him through his DVD.

Justin Stone's welcome from his instructional DVD, on flowing softly through heavy air, concentration in the Bubbling Spring of the soles and storing chi below the navel, followed by tributes from Corine Reeber, Pete Gregory and Catherine Boillot.

Janet Mayers recounts her first year of classes with teacher Lisa, from sore knees in Rocking Motion and over-turning in Pulling Taffy to naming the movements to fall asleep.

John and Laura Schwartz of Spokane each describe two years of practice with teacher Pat Moseley: no falls in six months after spinal cancer and a broken hip, and fifty pounds lost.

Carmen Brocklehurst carries Justin Stone's greeting to the 2011 conference, noting that at 93 he no longer travels or answers mail, and invites everyone into a silent group practice.