Teacher Letter (Fall 1987)

I’d like to share with the Vital Force my recent, beautiful experience at a retreat sponsored by the Dominicans at Santa Sabina Center, Dominican College Campus, San Rafael, CA. My fellow Tahoe teacher graduates will remember that I was affiliated with a Dominican nun presenting TCC at her Journal and Dream Workshops. While working with her at Santa Sabina last October, I was invited to present TCC at this week-long retreat.

The subject of the retreat was “Contemplative Ways of Being” and T’ai Chi Chih was one of the “Ways” being offered. Our schedule included TCC practice twice a day, enough time to introduce the whole form. There were lay-people as well as nuns. One dear nun was 83 years old and never missed a practice!!!

I developed a stylized version of the TCC movements put to the “Our Father”. Sister Diane told me she’d been resistant, at first, to learning something that sounded so different from her regular practices, but found upon reflection and practice that she could adapt her devotion and some of the movements to what she has called…”Our Father-T’ai Chi Chih”.

From the warm, loving comments at the end of the retreat I happily report that the ladies enjoyed our TCC daily practice and several bought “Joy Thru Movement” to take home to their respective Convents and classrooms.

It was a great pleasure and honor to share the T’ai Chi Chih with these loving people. I’m off again this week on a 3-day Catholic workshop offering TCC as a “Way”.

Sincerely,

– April van der Hoogt