St. Louis, MO teachers and students hold retreat to enrich their practice

Student of Kathy Albers

Six TCC Teachers and 19 TCC Students in the St. Louis, MO area accepted an invitation from teacher Kathy Albers, and Faith Horton, student of Gale Portman, to participate in a TCC Retreat in Louisiana, MO about an hour and a half drive north of St. Louis, MO on October 13th and 14th.

As an eager student I looked forward to the opportunity to enjoy the nature setting, experience TCC practice in a group and receive instruction from several teachers. My expectations were exceeded. Some of the highlights for me were:

• Enjoying a rural setting with 325 acres of natural beauty along with some unique sculptures and walking paths;
• Group practice sessions in an octagonal shaped room where rain could be heard falling and birds singing on Saturday
• A powerful sense of flowing chi during group practice
• The teachers who shared their wisdom and experience with vulnerability and generosity
• An opportunity for enriched practice of the TCC movements
• A sense of connecting with others with a sincere commitment to practicing the TCC movements as authentically as possible
• Rain clearing in time to enjoy a beautiful sunset, along with more walks and a bon fire later that evening.
• Being able to appreciate rustic accommodations with bath facilities separate from dormitory sleeping including bunk beds
• Sharing an abundance of excellent “potluck” food for each meal, (famous in a St. Louis based event.)

Teachers included Gale Portman, Susan Kissinger, Deedie Grimstead Cote, Steve and Kathy Albers and Catherine Millman.

As Kathy Albers said, “the goal was to get the St. Louis community together. Every once and a while we are all going our own ways not knowing fully what each other is doing. This was a great way to all come together to strengthen our own practice as well as help our students deepen the flow of the Chi in their lives. Maybe people will make a commitment to practice more regularly after this. The teachers in the greater St. Louis area tend to work together without competition. I feel it’s important that we send that signal to potential new teacher candidates. Hopefully, we will be making this an annual event.”