Join me for Tai Chi on April 13, walk a labyrinth, relax through yoga and energize with dance. We’re celebrating the gift of movement and would love to welcome you! Please come and also share this announcement of good energy with others. The post Come and Move Your Body With Us appeared first on Faulk TaiChi ..read more

A few days ago one of my Tai Chi students told me that her concept and understanding of her energy has been changing through her experiences in class and what she has been learning. “I used to think that I have lots of energy or low energy but really didn’t feel it moving inside me or think about the quality of it. I think about my energy much more often now, reinforced by how I feel in our Tai Chi class, particularly when you ask us to feel the energy moving in our body before we relax after a move.” With Tai Chi, the Yi (mind) directs the Qi (energy). We relax our minds and focus on one gent ..read more

What a wonderful afternoon with Tai Chi students and friends celebrating Chinese (Lunar) New Year! We filled the afternoon with red and gold colors, Chinese snacks, learning about the Year of the Wood Dragon (we had several year of the dragon born people in the room!). Then for an hour+ we all moved our energy together through Tai Chi. WinterJade Forest illuminated us with fun lore, traditions and history of the Chinese Zodiac system. She explained that “in Chinese mythology , the Dragon is a powerful and auspicious creature representing courage, creativity and innovation. This portends a pro ..read more

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Trees reflect a special beauty and resilience in the winter. They stand tall, wear snow like a beautiful coat, glisten in the moonlight. They call out to us with silent majesty. We stop and notice. When we are present we pay attention and sometimes stop just to look. Iin our first winter Tai Chi classes this week, I told students we would focus on being present, being in the moment. After busy holidays with lots of to-do lists, it’s time to let go, of busyness, of deadlines, of self-pressure, of always putting others first before ourselves. Be in the moment. Breathe. Move in gentle ways that ..read more

I tried to use my creative cognitive skills to come up with a catchy title, but decided to just name what I want to write about. Cognitive skills are skills of the mind. Most of us want to keep our minds sharp and healthy and h may have some concerns about losing sharpness of thought, of reaction, of figuring things out as we grow older. We do crossword puzzles, sudokus, play bridge. And some of us engage with Tai Chi A few weeks ago I turned the car radio on as I drove home from class. To my surprise the conversation was about Tai Chi. My ears perked up. It was a PBS station but still, Tai C ..read more

We’re at that time of year where we mark the day when we have equal amounts of light and darkness and then the hours of darkness will increase and dominate until March. Equinox signifies balance and I visualize that balance in the two small circles of the yin/yang symbol. The dark and light spaces symbolize energy moving, continuously and the space in circles represents “balance”. We see this symbol associated often with Tai Chi, because through the gentle moves of this ancient practice, we hope to increase our internal and external balance. Our lives, following the patterns of the universe ..read more

A consistent mantra I have with my students is to encourage them to do Tai Chi by or near a tree. Not only do trees represent important principles of Tai Chi – balance, rootedness, flexibility – they also give us energy. They are at work bringing up moisture and nutrients from the earth, helping to cleanse our air, giving us shade, central to the rhythms of nature. I spent a few days last month in the north woods of Minnesota. I had been to Sandstone for a Tai Chi retreat a few years ago, but this time I was farther north, up in the Duluth area. I knew I was in for something special when flyi ..read more

The Tai Chi Classics, often considered the “Tai Chi Bible”, contain the principles and fundamentals of Tai Chi. In the first section, Master Chang San-feng (ca. 1200 C.E.) wrote, “Once you begin to move, the entire body must be light and limber. Each past of your body should be connected to every other part.” Whether I’m teaching beginning or experienced students, I often refer to both of these principles – relax and feel all parts of your body as one, moving together. Let’s start with relaxing the body (and mind). Usually, I’m not light and limber when I begin class. It’s the focus on proper ..read more

Stand and sit by a tree. Walk barefoot in the grass. Enjoy the sunset. Name two or things you are grateful for. That can fill your day and is enough. The post Happy Fourth! appeared first on Faulk TaiChi ..read more