For third straight year, Sedona, AZ is site of T’ai Chi Chih retreat

This was truly a time of retreating from the world, immersing ourselves in T’ai Chi Chih practice for three days & experiencing the flow of Chi as the energy of Love. We relaxed in the secluded beauty of nature… refreshed our TCC practice…and renewed body, mind & spirit.

Leaving our busy lives behind, 30 of us anticipated our weekend retreat as we drove through the beautiful red rock country near Sedona, Arizona. Just off the freeway, the 12-mile dirt road provided amazing vistas of wild flowers blooming in the desert, as well as distant mesas and powerful mountains. It was easy to see why these red rock formations and nearby energy vortexes attract many yearly visitors to the great Southwest Desert.

At the end of the dirt road, we arrived at the Mago Healing Garden and were immediately impressed by the seclusion of this property. The buildings, designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, were constructed to blend into the desert and red bluffs. Our simple rooms and predominately vegetarian meals provided exactly what we needed.

Led by Pam Towne, this long weekend offered us all…teachers, students, teachers-to-be…an opportunity to deepen our T’ai Chi Chih practice. We were united in the awareness that we are all perpetual students, disciples of a form that reveals much about our inner selves. We experienced the vast landscape around us as we explored the far more vast interior landscape.

During our initial evening gathering, we were asked to empty ourselves of worries, travel energies and expectations. We were asked to express our intentions for the weekend. As we shared around the circle, John Smallwood from Bethesda, Maryland said his intention was “to be peace.” That thought permeated through all of us and helped define our entire retreat experience.

There was a gentle flow to each day as we began our mornings with group practice outside in an open area among red rocks. Each day included morning & afternoon workshop sessions during which Pam, with her softness of movement and her softness of presence, encouraged us to examine and refine our movements.

Justin Stone’s emphasis on the importance of “How to Move” was upperrmost as we explored the underlying principles of flowing from the center, moving with softness, yinning & yanging correctly, circularity, polarity and focusing in the soles of the feet.

The presence of teachers, students and teachers-in-training allowed us to accomplish much. We worked in small groups and with partners, always with the purpose of discovering “How to Move” with greater ease & less muscular effort. With joy in our hearts and smiles on our faces, we sang “Joy, Joy, Healing Thru Joy” to conclude our practice.

The theme for the retreat was “Filling the Empty Cup.” Initially, we were asked to empty our cup — our life. Only after we emptied would we be able to receive. Each of us was given a small white cup and every evening, we received a filling gift. The first evening we received hot tea as a symbol of nourishment and love; the second evening we received the cup containing a lit candle as a symbol of the light in our lives; and on the final evening we received special rocks as a symbol of life, the vital force and grounding energy from our earth. Taking the cup and rocks home provide a reminder of this retreat experience.

The days were brought to a close with a Sacred Circle Dance, during which we affirmed: “there is no division…only unity…the Chi that flows in you…is the same that flows in me.”

Initially, we were strangers arriving from Alaska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, California and states in between. Amidst our T’ai Chi Chih practices, our leisurely meals and free time to reflect and explore, we formed a strong bond. In the end, we were sad to leave this place of beauty, togetherness, Chi and “being peace”. Yet we left feeling filled with love, joy and gratitude. Thank you Justin!

Attendee Comments:

Sedona is one of most beautiful places in the world, so it seems natural for the chi to flow. I came to this retreat, anticipating a change from a long period of inactivity due to multiple surgeries. The sharing of love and peace proved to be a healing experience. Pam and the other teachers were generous with their knowledge; I know that my own practice has improved. I will remember this time with joy.

– Ellen Greyson
Santa Barbara, CA

I came to rest in divinity. To be with the rich barrenness of the desert. To experience liberation within the confinements of the T’ai Chi Chih practice and of the isolated location. And to be surprised. I rested. I was enriched. I was liberated. And I will continue to be surprised as the blessings of this time are revealed to me.

– Sue Kenney
Sacramento, CA

When I bring softness to my practice, it allows chi to bubble up through my body. When I bring softness to my life, it allows emotions to bubble up through my soul.

– Rita Otis
Omaha, NE
Student of Sr. Maureen Conroy