Prison … Of All The Places To Discover TCC

It seems I was connected to T’ai Chi Chih and Folsom State Prison long before I’d heard of or given much thought to either. It was through listening to the voice of Spirit, or Prajna, as [TCC Teacher] April Leffler would say, that I found my way to the practice, as well as to the prison. Actually, they were a package deal.

It began back in 2007. While I was practicing T’ai Chi [Ch’uan] a “random” thought popped into my head that this would be a relaxing thing to do if one were in prison. I had never met anyone in prison, nor had I ever been to one, so I just brushed it aside as one of those weird things our brains do sometimes. But over the next couple years, this idea wouldn’t go away. I guess I’m kind of slow, but it finally occurred to me that perhaps I was supposed to do something about it. And I eventually realized that they probably wouldn’t want anyone teaching T’ai Chi in a prison (because it’s is a slow fighting form, a martial art.) So I decided I needed a Qigong teacher.

Looking back on it, it wasn’t a very well thought-out plan … like I was just going to learn Qigong and they were going to let me come into a prison and teach it. It turned out I didn’t need a good plan, because I had Prajna on my side. So I googled Qigong instructors in my area, printed out a list of about 15 teachers and picked out a name. Without knowing anything about her, I called and asked about classes. She responded that she didn’t think it would work out because she was so far away, but then paused and said, “I don’t know if you’d be interested, but I teach a class inside Folsom State Prison one day a week.” Wow.

All the hair stood up on my arms and neck. I couldn’t believe it. Here was the first teacher I’d picked off a long list of names, and she was the exact person I was looking for. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was my introduction to Prajna, to listening to the inner voice. I met Judy Tretheway at the prison in 2009. I learned TCC in the prison class, then assisted with teaching, and became accredited to teach in early 2011. When Judy retired in 2011 after 13 years of teaching TCC in the prison, it became my class. (Judy later confessed that two weeks prior to my calling, she had put out a prayer for an assistant.)

In November of 2010, after one year at the prison, I went to Albuquerque for an Intensive. I didn’t know the event was connected with Justin Stone’s birthday. What a great introduction to the community. Pam conducted the Intensive, and I got to meet Antonia, Sandy, Dan (and his belt buckle), Carmen and people from all over. Justin came to speak, and I shared with him that the men at Folsom still talked about his visit there. I also met my dear friend Banks Upshaw. As we went around the circle introducing ourselves, I mentioned I’d learned TCC at Folsom State Prison, thinking that most people knew it was a men’s prison. Banks returned to Portland and told his wife he’d met this amazing woman who’d really turned her life around. It wasn’t until I saw him again at our teacher training that he figured it out. We had a great laugh over that one.

Teaching at Folsom has been, without a doubt, the most important spiritual experience of my life. It started out that way and has kept on rolling. The men are very focused on the movements, the teachings, and our time together because they are highly motivated to heal. They are incredibly appreciative of me coming in to teach. Initially, they were my teachers, then they became my students, and as with all students, they are my very best teachers. We have come full circle, and I am so grateful for all of it. TCC and teaching at Folsom have changed my life in unimaginable ways. Thank you, Justin.