Community, Part 1

It was my honor to meet this intelligent, strong, talented and peace-loving man in Albuquerque in November 2010. Justin Stone was always a true teacher and a man willing to share his life through his stories, his experiences, his art, books, his wit and his wisdom. I am so pleased that he made the decision (many years ago) to share these beautiful, healing movements through his books, art, teachings, DVDs and CDs, and to have the vision to guide and wisdom to know that this was an honourable practice that would bring great joy, peace and good health to people.

I feel honoured and pleased to be a teacher of T’ai Chi Chih and Seijaku. And I acknowledge the words that Justin would say: “TCC teachers (and students) are the jewels of TCC” and that the teachers will carry it forward into the world. This is a serious commitment for us.

– Gail Terriff, Edmonton, Alberta

We heard that Justin had taken a turn for the worse on the weekend, so at our Tuesday session at Mesa Spirit RV Resort we offered our practice to Justin. These were the comments some of the students had: ‘Thank you Justin for all your dedication to T’ai Chi Chih … I can only imagine the number of lives you have affected and enriched … I have learned T’ai Chi Chih while wintering in Arizona and feel I will practise it the rest of my life … I might even continue the practise and take the instruction needed to become a teacher.’

– Eva Smith, Alberta, Canada

[My students] have changed their lives because of T’ai Chi Chih, and I am right there with them. Having taught for 10 years now, I just cannot imagine my life without the positive influences that my daily practice gives me. You have left us with your legacy, Justin, and we will keep the candle burning.

– Donna Aldous, Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan

T’ai Chi Chih is truly a gift that keeps on giving! A profound and simple “Thank you” says it all and yet hardly comes close. Life transforming and healing indeed … for so many as together we go deeper into this New-Found-Land. May we all continue to allow the energy of T’ai Chi Chih to overflow into our own lives and into our world. Justin’s “Effort of no Effort” has become paramount in so much of my life and for all of us here.
– Sheila Leonard, PBVM, NL, Canada

dear
justin
hear my song –
praising – thanking
universe
for your
life…..

– Janie Dick, Natick, MA

Bless you, Justin. Thank you for answering your inner calling to create T’ai Chi Chih and to bring it to the world. I know that practicing and teaching this form gave my life focus, healing, empowerment and joy. I was working intensively with my spiritual teacher from Gurdjieff and Sufi traditions when I was first introduced to TCC in Albuquerque, NM, in the late 1970s. I soon took the teacher’s training with Steve Ridley and Justin Stone, and then went on to practice and teach TCC classes for over 20 years in New Mexico.

The inner knowing from my experiences led me to further studies of qigong, yoga, meditation and energy healing. There are many forms and ways of knowing, and circling back around to TCC relatively recently has reminded me of the purity and completeness of this movement meditation. Justin Stone created a beautiful pearl of living wisdom through this form of qigong and has enriched and subtly saved the lives of many people, as the gift has passed from one student to the next. Thank you for your dedication and vision, Justin, and for inspiring so many of us to find and live a deeper meaning in all things.

– Donna Jester, Captain Cook, HI

My discovery of T’ai Chi Chih came in answer to a prayer to be of service. I feel so fortunate for the opportunity to carry on a part of Justin’s legacy, the class inside Folsom Prison. His visit there is still remembered fondly, and the class has helped the men beyond measure. So here, I convey their immense gratitude as well as my own. Thank you, Justin, for helping to heal humanity.

Yesterday I brought the news of Justin’s transition to the men inside Folsom Prison. We always begin class in a circle of chairs, sharing and reading together. They were very somber and quiet as they received the news. Justin’s respect for them, and his words, “We are all living one life; your joy is my joy; your pain is my pain,” created a great sense of kinship between the men and Justin. They expressed so much gratitude for his life, for the form, for the difference it has made in their lives. One of them, a successful doctor before his incarceration, says that only through his TCC practice while in prison has he truly learned how to be a joyful human being. Justin has given them the gift of freedom within, no matter their circumstances. I printed out and read many of the sentiments expressed here, and we held our own memorial meditation. They cannot say thank you enough.

– Julie Heryet, Placerville, CA

I will always treasure my face-to-face conversation with Justin, and I am happy I that saved the postcard he sent me. However, my hope is that I will not dwell on the past or on Justin’ passing … rather show my gratitude to him by moving thru life with joy as I continue my daily practice of T’ai Chi Chih. I pray that I will honor Justin’s life by sharing this unique gift to present and future students – as we all strive to build a world of peace and love.

– Mary Ann Johnson, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

I miss Justin even though I didn’t know him personally. I never got to attend his meditations, ask him a question and have him hold up his hand. I know him through story, but I also know him through my T’ai Chi Chih practice. When I practice, I can feel the presence of a living, evolving Chi willing to come into a new form to serve a different population. When I don’t practice, I feel Justin saying “You can’t satisfy your hunger by reading the menu.” … So, thank you, Justin. Thank you for TCC. Thank you for a life well-lived. And thank you, Coyote, for trotting through the intensive that day in Albuquerque, 2010.

– Linda Watson, Westminster, CA