T’ai Chi Chih Retreats

A three-day weekend retreat, featuring T’ai Chi Chih, can be an exhilarating event for both the teachers as well as the participants.

Recently, Brandon and I hosted such an event at a beautiful Retreat center here in the Northern Valley of the Sun Area of Arizona, and were happy to say it was such a gratifying success that we are planning our next one already.

There were ten couples and five singles, many of them former students in my T’ai Chi Chih classes, and most over age fifty. We purposely kept the size intimate, which we feel is true for any age group involved if you want to call it a Retreat and not a workshop.

We titled it: “The Best is NOW or Yet to Come”, a Body, Mind, Spirit refreshment and renewal with old/new friends.

We did all the T’ai Chi Chih movements three times a day, both indoors and outdoors overlooking the rugged mountains and desert beneath the stupendous, ever-changing November stormy skies.

Most of the male spouses, who had come along for just a restful, stress-free holiday became completely engrossed in the T’ai Chi Chih classes and practices after the very first session and ended up some of the most enthusiastic participants of all.

Exciting to see these stoic, businessmen, scientists and retired men so unexpectedly caught-up in the whole weekends’ atmosphere and having such a good time.

We provided spacious accommodations, suite rooms, fireplaces, private balconies and a quiet, healthy setting. Choosing your location, many months ahead, with practical considerations for those you wish to serve is very important: such as good, wholesome foods; cleanliness; safety; parking; transportation to site; convenience to classrooms; etc.

One of the most important issues, after this is done well in advance, is the actual scheduling of events, which can be done shortly before the dates. Making sure, if one is calling this a Retreat, that there is a balance of activities and free, stress-free time for contemplation, rest, visiting with each other, walks, music, therapy, etc.

We held several Meditation sessions; a couple of Guided Breathing sessions; as well as a Zen-inspired photography session led by a well-known Nature Photographer. He also did an evening slide show of magnificent photos of rugged Arizona mountains, flora and fauna.

Our experienced, therapeutic massage expert had her schedule filled daily by most of the participants enjoying the healthy luxury of the in-house appointment.

During “free-time” we had a VCR in a cozy lounge, showing Justin’s T’ai Chi Chih tapes, as well as Moyer’s Body, Mind, Spirit Series for those who wished to watch and share this information with each other in an informal way. Justin’s and Steve Ridley’s books were displayed and read in this setting also.

In the evenings, we had a gathering of all participants around our blazing fire in our huge fireplace in the personal room. Hours of Storytelling, led by us, but also including stories, poetry, readings, humor, songs, and music were shared by all the participants. These evenings we called: Sharing the Fire.

Such an event takes much planning and work, but it can be a very worthwhile way to share concentrated T’ai Chi Chih practice and classes, as well as other related Joys. Our next retreat is being planned for Spring of 1994.