The Lighter Side (July 2003)

1. The 2003 Sedona Retreat was so relaxing! Living in this other “world” for a few days began a new cycle in my personal life and in my T’ai Chi Chih practice. Enjoying the company of those new to T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement and those familiar with the moves was a wonderful experience. During our stay, we focused on flowing like a river, grounding our energy, and shifting our weight from one foot to the other. We learned about the vortexes — energy centers that are located around Sedona. Just thinking about the time spent brings a smile to my face.

This was my first Sedona retreat. One of my students, Kristin, also attended. One afternoon Kristin, Ellen, and I decided to go to one of the local state parks and view the “Red Rocks.” We took pictures and walked on some of the trails. Before we left, Kristin wanted to explore a small island in the creek. The only way to get there was to cross a log.

Kristin was going to walk across but decided to move across by sitting and straddling the log.

She started across and we heard, “I think I am going into the water.”

I watched her gracefully roll off the log and into the water. She got out of the water, laughing, and said, “That was very refreshing.”

We could not stop laughing. We shared our dry clothes and watched Kristin pour water out of her boots.

On our return to the retreat center we kept laughing and started relating her experience to T’ai Chi Chih practice:

• Kristin truly felt the flow of the water (chi).

• Mother Earth pulled her in — a real grounding experience.

• Kristin needs to learn to do the T’ai Chi Chih movements in a seated position.

• She flowed with softness and continuity.

• The experience energized her — like a T’ai Chi Chih practice session.

– Margery Erickson

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2. I had gone on a retreat with some friends and offered some T’ai Chi Chih instruction. We ended up with an impromptu class. I demonstrated and led a few of the moves and asked them if they had any questions.

One woman piped up, “What are those finger movements? You didn’t show us that!”

I said, “It’s not something I do on purpose — it just happens” and before I could explain that it’s one way the chi expresses itself — a confirming sign that the chi is circulating, she got a serious look on her face and said, “Oh, a neuromuscular disorder.”

– Debbie Cole

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3. When I encouraged the college T’ai Chi Chih class to focus on the feel of the move, one student later revealed to me that after the first class she felt agitated and angry, and that there was a lot of noise in her head.

By the end of the course, she was ultimately able to let go. When asked about the effects of final practice one day, she excitedly said, “I don’t feel so angry anymore, and it’s also nice to hear some silence in my head!”

– Sharon Sirkis

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4. In an introductory session, I gave the definitions for “Chih” and “T’ai Chi.” One of the students said he thought Supreme Ultimate sounded like a fancy dish you’d order in a gourmet restaurant.

– Jean Katus