My TCC Journey

My TCC journey began more than 20 years ago. As a teenager attending Mohave Community College in Bullhead City, Arizona, I saw a T’ai Chi class listed. It sounded cool, far eastern and maybe a little mystical, so I signed up. I’m glad I did. The wonderful class turned out to be T’ai Chi Chih with Della Alberson. I even wrote a poem about it for The Vital Force (December 1994). And I enjoyed class so much that I enrolled in Seijaku the next semester to deepen my practice. After completing my degree and moving to Las Vegas to attend UNLV, I couldn’t find a Tai Chi Chih teacher so I practiced on and off for years – sometimes more, sometimes less.

Fast forward to 2015. I decided to reconnect deeply with my practice and was delighted to find a retreat in Prescott, just over 100 miles from my home in Surprise. The retreat was led by Pam Towne and the softness and beauty of her practice made me fall in love again. I was determined to connect with a community to practice and share the Chi. Unfortunately, there were no instructors teaching near my home. I was going to need to build the community I wanted to be a part of, so I would have to become an accredited teacher myself.

The accreditation path has been an adventure. Dana Diller and Holly Ueda in Prescott agreed to work with me on Saturdays. They taught me to simplify the “Taffies” and soften my wrists. They reminded me to relax the tension in my back knee. They encouraged me to breathe, practice and remember the joy in “joy through movement.” I took a class in Phoenix with Robin Spencer and attended retreats with Sandy and Pam.

After a lot of practice and sincere refinement of my movements, my teachers agreed that I was prepared to attend the accreditation, which was intense. I feel honored to have experienced it with the other full-hearted teacher candidates. We helped each other and laughed and learned together. We were also blessed with the wisdom of our hostess and three auditing teachers.

If you’re thinking about becoming a teacher, please do it. You’ll enjoy amazing energy and fellowship with a special community. Be sure to pack layers because chilly rooms quickly become warm with flowing Chi. Pack tissue too because you’ll cry tears of joy at graduation.

I honor all my teachers and all members of the TCC community who spread knowledge of this beautiful practice. Love and gratitude to everyone who helped me on my own journey.