Heartwork clips

If any of my students would like videos of the front and / or back heart salutations, do get in touch as I have renewed my Yousendit service, so can send bigger files again.

Some more lovely things

Camden apple blossom

Gorgeous knitting at the Kaffe Fassett show.

A remarkably iridescent beetle.

Kaffe's needlepoint.

A sculpture garden in Dorset.

Wisteria in full bloom by the Regent's Canal.

Strange Bodies by Marcel Theroux

I have just finished reading the excellent 'Strange Bodies' by my dear T'ai Chi brother Marcel Theroux. His last book, 'Far North', (review here), remains one of my all-time favourite novels, and this is as good and as strange, which I really appreciated. Just sat down for an hour after lunch today and polished it off, I hadn't even unpacked from my teaching trip to Scotland. Buy it for yourself, or for a friend's birthday, get your library to order it too... Fabulous, thanks Marcel, for another two days of page turning enjoyment, slightly frayed nerves and much food for thought. Trailer here.

Thanks to all who came for a wonderful weekend of T'ai Chi in Aberdeenshire, made even more lovely by an afternoon spent outside in the sunshine. Applications from the forms, uproots with 'open' in double pushing hands, new dance, sabre, sword and staff postures, John Kells' instructions for meditation, slipping... I think we had a fairly full plate after all.

Love and best wishes to all students, including those I saw only briefly, or who couldn't come this time: see you at the end of June for the last workshops before the weeklong intensive.

Tsubas and Bokkens

At last, a good source of high quality bokkens and very good tsubas (guards). The hana ones are perfect for our applications uses, and are stronger than the domoe.

Thanks to Davina for sourcing these. I will put an order in for tsubas next week, let me know if you'd like one and we can save on postage.

Aberdeenshire and a request

I am on DLR on the way to City Airport to fly up to teach this weekend. Lack of posts is due to redecoration house chaos, more news and pics when that is over. In the meantime, if any London student attending the summer intensive could put up a Scottish student for the workshop period, please let me know asap. Thanks.

Tonight !

This weekend's workshops with Caroline kick off tonight with weapons at Fetternear. More details here

Turriff Short Form, including beginners

The Turriff Short Form class restarts this week. The term will run from 13th May to 1st July , 7-8:30pm Monday at the Gateway Centre next to the swimming pool. The price is £56 (£40 concession) for 8 weeks.

The class is open to returners and new students will also be very welcome. No experience is necessary, just wear loose comfy clothes and flat shoes.

Please get in touch with any questions or if you need any other information.

Aberdeenshire Workshops 17-19 May

The next Aberdeenshire workshops with Caroline are this coming weekend. All sessions are at Balvack, except for Weapons which is at Fetternear Hall as usual. Great River students of any level are welcome to the Saturday sessions.

Friday 7-10pm: Weapons (Sword, Sabre, Staff)
Saturday 2-5pm: Short Form, and related study.
Saturday 6.30-9.30pm: Partnerwork.
Sunday 2-5pm: Long Form, Heartwork, One Posture.
Sunday 6.30-9.30pm: Dance, etc.

The price is £15 (concs available) per 3 hr session. Please bring food to share on Saturday and Sunday. Get in touch with your instructor if you need travel directions or feel free to contact me with any other questions.

121

I have a 121 left on Saturday morning 18th May at Balvack, let me know if you'd like it.

This week I have mostly been...

...camping in my tiny tent beside a tarn in the Lake District,

learning bushcraft skills with Ben from Woodsmoke,

roasting cray fish and crab over a long fire.

followed by bacon and amazing camp breads the following morning,

pit roasting whole onions with seaweed-wrapped sea bass and mackerel,

all of which took place here.

Best coffee ever: cowboy style, alongside trout,

which we prepared on hazel sticks.

Foraging for pig nuts- delicious.

 

Bannock slice cooking on a mini easel.

 

Orrest head path,

leading to a view over Windermere.

 

I shall certainly be back with Woodsmoke soon, hopefully in June for a week of all round bush craft, then in Western Scotland in September for the week-long Coastal Forager. My heart and body feel very well after the silence of Gaia House and the natural world immersion in the Lake District. Words are harder and harder to find, and I am less inclined to try. See you at class, hoping all is well with all of you who may be reading this.

Last week I was mostly...

...

Assisting Mark with the senior students at Balvack.

Sadly missing last night's Tuesday sabre session due to gut rot.

Hearing about Mark's excellent and busy beginners session in Aberdeenshire.

Admiring a huge plane tree outside Gaia House

Sitting and walking meditating in silence all week in here.

Visiting the sun hut at the top of the hill and finding this.

Appreciating the giant oak tree.

To maintain the great doubt,
paradoxically,
one develops great faith.

What is this?

 ..."Negative Capability, that is, when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason ..."
- John Keats, quoted by Stephen Batchelor during his Dharma talks, when he said that this may be the best description of Zen available in English.

Zen Retreat and T'ai Chi in Aberdeenshire

...I am only just back at my desk, and screens are holding little appeal for me. I plan to post some pics over the week. The Zen retreat was marvellous. Thanks to Peter for the very best Zen stories ever, all the way home on the train from Newton Abbot.

"hmm, good, but there is better answer!!!"

The weekend in Aberdeenshire with Mark's superb teaching was wonderful to 'come home to'. Thanks to all who attended for their great work and delicious cooking.

Turriff Short Form and Beginners

The Turriff class is taking a short break. The next term starts on 13th May, 7-8:30pm at the Gateway Centre and will run until the 1st of July. The class is suitable for total beginners as well as returners. I'll post more details nearer the time ...

Lost property

Someone at the Introduction to T'ai Chi in Inverurie on Saturday took the instruction "invest in loss" to heart straight away ☺
Please get in touch if you're the owner of the vacuum flask that was left in Wyness Hall.

Aberdeenshire workshops 26-28th April

Mark will be teaching the Aberdeenshire workshops this weekend. On Saturday afternoon from 2-5pm  there will be an Introduction to T'ai Chi for beginners at Wyness Hall, Inverurie. More details are available by clicking here.

The rest of the weekend follows the regular format with Friday evening at Fetternear, and the other sessions at Balvack. All sessions cost £20, £12 concessions.

Friday 7-10pm: Weapons
Saturday 6.30-9.30pm: Partnerwork
Sunday 2-5pm: Long Form study
Sunday 6.30-9.30pm: Dance, One Posture, silk reeling, other advanced study.

Please bring food to share on Saturday and Sunday. Get in touch with your instructor if you need travel directions or feel free to contact me with any other questions.

Aberdeenshire Taichi - Inverurie beginners T'ai Chi workshop

On Saturday 27th, from 2-5pm at Wyness Hall there will be a beginners session with our teacher Master Mark Raudva, from London. No experience is necessary, just come along, wear loose comfortable clothing and soft shoes or trainers. Cost is £20 (£12 concs) Tea is provided. Local instructors will also be on hand if you wish to join a class nearby.

I shall be away on retreat from tomorrow until Friday 26th, so will not be contactable. Please contact Davina regarding any T'ai Chi queries in Scotland, and Mark via his website for London queries. Mark will be teaching my London class next week, all are welcome to come along and take that class. I will fly to Scotland on 27th to assist with the weekend's workshops. Have a good week!

Thanks to Davina for this link regarding compassion, laughter and society in the wake of recent events.

Spring has come to Camden at last!

Gig this weekend

My good student and ace musician Karen Grace is playing on Sunday 21st April at The Antelope, Tooting. Sadly I'll be away but hopefully some T'ai Chi folks from the South London Posse can make it along...

The Antelope Pub, 76 Mitcham Lane, Tooting Broadway, SW17 9NG
Doors, 7.30, £3 entry.
www.facebook.com/TheBreathingRoomTooting

Weeklong intensive

I have just designed the invite cards for this year's workshop, and will get them printed soon. All the details and prices are now up to date just to the right of the posts here. Have a look.

Radio Lab

I haven't been listening to the radio much the last month, as I am rarely in the mood for extra man-made sound now that the birds have finally started their spring session. However, whilst cooking the other day I popped Radio 4 on and discovered a wonderful thing, a show all about Radio Lab. (Four days left to listen from the UK as I write this).

Radio Lab, from a public radio station in NYC, may well be my dream radio programme. I now even have their app... If you love science, experimental sound, things explored deeply in their unique contexts, and to be surprised and delighted, this is for you. It can be accessed on the web and pod casts are available.

New Arrival

Congratulations to Megan from Thursday class, and her family, as her new baby has arrived 5 weeks early, but in fine health. Megan sends greetings to everyone and says she'll be away for a few weeks...

Today my dear old friend Rumi found me and said this:

A road might end at a single house,
but it's not love's road.

Love is a river.
Drink from it.

and

One who does what the Friend wants done
will never need a friend.

There's bankruptcy that's pure gain.
The moon stays bright when it
doesn't avoid the night.

A rose's rarest essence
lives in its thorn.

trans. Coleman Barks from 'Birdsong'

Thanks to students old and new at this week's Hackney class for a really great session, particularly your enthusiasm for applications work. It's been a great week back at T'ai Chi, study and teaching, and I fell glad to be part of such a heart-felt society of good folks.

Next week at Mark's classes it's sword and sabre at 6.30pm. On Sunday 21st at our usual weekend venue it'll be Sword Workshop, 2-5pm. I'll miss it as I will be at Gaia House, so please figure-eight your tassels on my behalf.

We were having our good friend Canadian T'ai Chi Master Sam Masich over to visit next week and hoping he'd pop into Tuesday class too, but sadly he now has to return to Germany straight after his Brighton teaching commitments, to deal with bureaucracy. Hopefully we'll rearrange for the Summer.