Beachhead In Austin

Certified in May 2009, Dr. Richard Cutler has established a T’ai Chi Chih foothold in Austin, as its sole TCC instructor. Thanks go to Sr. Alice Holden, Terry Gaye Puckett and Renza Baker, who were instrumental in Richard’s teacher training preparation. Between 50 and 60 staff at Austin Community College have used their free tuition benefit to take semester-long, 1-hour TCC sessions at noon through Continuing Education. Through ACC, where Richard also teaches Radio-TV-Film classes part time, he has given several demonstrations to students and other faculty during wellness day, faculty professional development workshops and retreats, and at humanities fair celebrations.

Richard has added TCC out-of-doors on Saturdays to the adult movement offerings at the City of Austin’s Dougherty Arts Center where he also teaches adult evening art classes. Approximately 25 students have taken 6-to 8-week classes over the past two years. Word-of-mouth brought an opportunity to teach TCC at Sundara Yoga Therapy midweek and early evenings. The highpoint the last 12 months was a brief visit by Antonia, who took an afternoon off from her San Antonio training schedule in late April to present a free demonstration and practice at Sundara Yoga Therapy’s serene and spacious facility. In an act of gracious collegiality, a group of T’ai Chi “masters,” led by Chinese acupuncture doctors, relinquished their regularly scheduled practice time at Sundara Yoga Therapy to accommodate Antonia’s limited available time in Austin. Representatives of each of Richard’s current teaching venues plus a few newcomers attended.

A handful of regular practitioners, all doctors of medicine, justice or philosophy, also meet at 9 a.m. in a city park every Saturday morning, rain or shine. Locating teaching space, doing the marketing and scheduling class times in a packed, self-employment teaching schedule keep Richard’s plate full. Like bamboo, TCC spreads quietly but surely from person to person and place to place in Austin, Texas.