Wednesday Class

Tonight I was particulary impressed by the energy and enthusiasm in the beginners class. Four senior students came along to assist which was a luxury for me. The sticking and yielding exercises seemed really heartfelt. A few folks came up at the end and talked of their initial reservations about partnerwork, but that they were now finding it fascinating. There is this delight when working with others, if we only allow it to bubble up past our usual sense of self, or fears about how we are doing. Not only is it not about competition, but we are actively helping our partner in their learning when we lead in sticking, for instance. It is a thrill to actually connect with another being, and it is often a relief not to be stuck inside our selves, worrying or dwelling on our stuff.

Learning 121 with your teacher is always a wonderful opportunity, and a great way to learn. However a group class, with the benefit of our peers as well as a teacher, is also an excellent way to learn T'ai Chi. On the drive home Ev hit the nail on the head when she said that class is a place where you can join in with the spirit and the energy of all the others.

The intimate structures of nature. Another photo from our fungi foray last weekend, this one is by Ev.

if you take love into the fight
you will win

I was just looking through the Thomas Meyer Daode Jing for the line about the dao being every day a reduction, whereas with ordinary affairs every day means an accumulation of more knowledge. I couldn't find the quote, and maybe it's from the T'ai chi Classics. I will have to look another time. Anyway, it doesn't matter as I found this instead on page 86.

Thanks to Steven for his pointer to the verse I was after (see comment). Had a look in the Stephen Aldiss / Stanley Lombardo translation, which is another favourite, partially due to the wonderful calligraphy in the edition. Here is verse 48 from there.

Pursue knowledge, gain daily.
Pursue TAO, lose daily.
Lose and then lose,
Arrive at non-doing.

Non-doing, and nothing not done.

Today at Sunday drop-in class one of the things we were working on was relaxation, specifically of the limbs as we move them through the postures of the form. When we try to create a perfect posture there is so much self in there, we're barely aware of anything else as we are trying so hard. There is little chance for a spark of connection to ignite between us and anything or anyone else, and no real relation to anything other than our own inner judge is telling us how badly we are doing T'ai Chi, (or even worse, telling us how brilliantly we are doing it!) Relaxing and letting go into the 'shapes' today, the students were actually in better postures than they could have tried to put themselves in. Every day there is more letting go to allow, on so many levels. It is said that T'ai Chi, being a Taoist art, should never be an accumulation of knowledge or techniques, but is instead a natural reduction of the unnecessary, (as Mark often says in lessons). We reduce the inessential, (postural habits, affectations, excess tension) and our postures are improved, as well as much else. So much has been said so well about this in Cheng's and others' books, but it was still really wonderful to see it happening in real people as we worked together today.

All pictures by Davina.

We were in the woods again today, gathering.

These are two photos by Kim Kirkpatrick, who I met online by chance through selling a guitar on ebay this week. The photographs are really something, there are 10 to view at http://www.kimkirkpatrick.com/ .

BTCCA Weekend November 4th & 5th

British Tai Chi Chuan Association
Heartwork Weekend
with Grand Master John Kells
Relax the Mind
Free the Spirit
Engage the Heart
Sat 4 Nov 2-8pm
Sun 5 Nov Noon-6pm
£100 each / £150 both
North London Venue
contact steven@btcca.com

Several students are staying at The St. Gregory Hotel again, near Old Street. This from Davina: If folk are interested, the best price at the Saint Gregory (£59/night single or twin) is through laterooms.com. Expedia is about £69/night & the hotel's own website is charging £89 Fri and Sat and £69 Sun.

I have just booked my flights to go down to the weekend, I only received the email a few hours ago but a few of us are already going. All my students are most welcome to come, please let me know if you would like to go. There are some great places that we can recommend to stay and I am happy to help with any London queries you may have... I am flying on the morning of 3rd and returning in the afternoon of 6th, in time to go and teach at Turriff. If you would like to travel with me, let me know and I will send my flight numbers. I had a look online at flights and trains as price is a big issue for me! BA and BMI were within £10 of each other for most flights. On www.thetrainline.com there were GNER singles listed at £14.50 each way between Aberdeen and London if you travelled Friday and Monday, as well as many other times at £27. There were even 'bargain berths' to return to Aberdeen on the Sunday night and get in Monday morning on the Caledonian Sleeper for £39, which is very rare. For these go to www.firstgroup.com/scotrail and follow the links.

Inverurie Thursday Class

It was a real pleasure to be back working with the students tonight, and with the group being around 18 or so strong, there was good energy in abundance. Practise as much as you can can. We will be getting stuck in to some great stuff this term... Unusually for an evening class, there was cake (ginger cake made by Sandy's wife - very good), and Sandy said it was for his T'ai Chi birthday. I am still unsure whether it actually was his birthday, or whether he meant he had been doing T'ai chi 1 year this week. Either way, Happy Birthday Sandy!

David and Neil working together during the workshop this August.

Gentleness

Just a quick post as I should really go to bed... Turriff class started last week, but lots of folk were still away. This week it filled up and was a nice mixture of those who have been coming a while and new students. Often, especially outside big population centres, T'ai chi is expected to be just the solo work. Most people's perception of T'ai Chi, if they have heard of it at all, is of a series of graceful flowing movements 'like a dance'. They also speak of it reducing stress and being good for one's joints in old age. All of this is true.

When we have been doing T'ai Chi for a while our perception of it will change radically: what we came to start T'ai chi for may be totally different from why we continue to practise it. Personally, I only went to my first T'ai Chi class when I was 14 because I had taken a shine to a boy who was going along, and thought I'd seem more cool if I went too. Many years later, thankfully, I have other reasons to practise. The boy I admired didn't 'get' T'ai Chi anyway, and said it was to 'airy fairy' for him so he never went again. Conversely, I fell in love with it and, despite unsuccessful trial separations of a few years, I am still in love with it now. Tonight with new students, I remembered the shallow and seemingly random reason why I started this and didn't feel so inclined to judge the reasons why new beginners were starting. Most didn't know T'ai Chi had partnerwork. For some people it can be quite shocking just to touch hands with another stranger outside our coded conventions of everyday life.

Wonderfully, sticking still can bring an incredulous smile to the face of someone who only moments ago was very resistant to the very idea of it. There really is something so mysterious yet utterly natural going on. Gentleness is the key, especially when working with a brand new beginner, as we may do quite alot over the next fortnight. Not trying to teach, to over explain, to get it right. Instead allowing the unknowing to exist for a little while longer, to allow a real communication to unfold rather than 'I talk now, you listen. Then we change roles'.

When I first taught, I was anxious to make everything seem totally normal and straightforward, and probably over-explained and spoke too much. Wanting to put people at their ease is a great idea, but I have learned much more about actually doing that over the years from my teacher, I notice it has little to do with what we might say.

Now I have almost said too much again! Gentleness, softness, openness. We want to encourage the reaching out want-to-be-touched feeling in the other. If what you are doing at any moment is encouraging that in your partner, then carry on doing it.

I am visiting friends on Tuesday then will be resuming the beginner's class in Inverurie Academy at 7pm Wednesday. All Thursday students are welcome to come to that for free to help out any time, no need to contact me first.

More photos from the workshop week. I am being uprooted by David in the lower photo.

Sunday Class

Sundays 2-6pm will run every Sunday until 10th December at mine or at a student's home near Inverurie. Today was warm and sunny so we worked outside for the first half of the afternoon. All students are welcome and the cost is £10 or £6 concessions. Generally we do solo work, warm ups, spirals, salutations and form before break, then partnerwork afterwards. There is always time for revision and questions. This term we will be finishing the short form on Thursday nights, so if you miss a lesson, be sure to come to a Sunday and catch up if you can, (which is free if you have missed a class you have paid for). Also, Davina had made an amazing fruit cake and Ev made that lemony cheesecake she does, and betwen the 7 of us, we had a fine tea break.

David, me and Marli in Mark's garden doing sabre form, earlier this summer.

Dr Chi

This is the little picture I have just put up in the T'ai Chi room, facing the door as you go in. It is one of Barbara Richter's photos of Dr Chi and Steven sent it to me with a book a few months ago. I only found the card a week or two ago when I was reusing the jiffy bag to send another book elsewhere. The white and yellow background in the clip frame is birch bark - paper thin - from the trees along Mark's road in London.

Evelyn brought this round the other day, and think she told me it was called hypericum. It's beautiful.

Welcome Hindrances

Today started very foggy, and I had to cancel my motorbike training as the cold I caught on my return here has worsened, with glands swollen to the size of golf balls under my tongue... I started to feel a bit better this afternoon and went into the misty sunshine to do some T'ai Chi. As soon as I began some sabre form Deisel came right under my feet, testing my empty steps, as I was not looking down, of course. He then started to lay on my feet and purr. This is the second time I have seen cats do this: at Mark's, an otherwise unknown cat always seems to arrive within a few seconds of us doing any T'ai Chi in the back garden, and he also did the foot-lying thing as Mark began sabre one day. Are they attracted to the energy? It never happens any other time. If I do empty hand T'ai Chi, Deisel just meanders through my legs then lies down nearby to watch. I shall really miss him when he goes to live with Jim this Winter. He really is an excellent T'ai Chi cat; placid and friendly to all the students who breeze in, affectionate when someone feels fragile, and always up for a stroke. He has been great to hold as added weight when doing standing practice, and both David and I found this very helpful. It's a bit of an online joke that blogs are full of cute pictures of cats, and often little else. Well, here's my input to that cliche.

Mark demonstrating lifting hands on me at the end of the short form resources photo session this August in London. I hope to have news from Mark and David soon about when we will have something ready to use.

This gives you the feeeling of being uprooted...

Workshop Pictures

I finally got around to photoshop-ing all the Summer's pictures, I will try to post a few every day or so. These are from one of the workshop evening sessions where we were working on uprooting.

Full Moon

By Davina, last week from her front garden.

Autumn T'ai Chi Plans

Please let me know by email or in person if you would like to take part in any of the below:

1: The November workshops as listed in the previous postings on this blog.

2: A Sabre Form class to follow on from the workshop, to be held for 4 weeks on Tuesday evenings near Inverurie, 7-8.30pm November 21st, 28th and December 5th and 12th. £5/3.50 a session. This was suggested by students and is a great idea for the currently redundant Tuesday evening session. Until then I am available for 121s or small groups at my home in this time-slot.

3: One to Ones or small group (2 or 3 person) sessions with Mark over the Xmas / New Year period. Nothing is confirmed yet, but last year it worked very well, and it is a possibility again. We would need bookings for about 6 sessions to make it worth the chilly flight up mid-winter... Probable dates could be 27th-30th December 2006 or 2nd-5th January 2007. Costs would be £20 / £15 per hour, a session is usually 3 hours, but could be 2 hours.

Let me know any thoughts or suggestions...

New weapons form

It makes a change from the bokken.

Obviously you will be welcome at class with one of these.

Thursday 14th september

Due to demand from students (!) there will be a class at my home on Thursday night 7-9pm this week, as Inverurie does not start until next week. All are welcome. Sunday sessions have already started too.

Here are two lovely photos by Davina from our Saturday fungi foray, more soon. For more beautiful images you can go to Paolo and Davina's web site, http://www.balvack.co.uk/ (which is still partially under construction), and see their images of stone circles, both in Aberdeenshire and Ireland. Some of you will know their work from the calandar which I have in the kitchen, and from their show in Aberdeen last year. There are also fabulous images of the New Grange ancient carved stones, covered in spirals...

Gathering

This is most of what we picked today, but it wouldn't all quite fit on the table.

River Dee

Today was exceptionally warm and sunny again which was good as Paolo, Davina, Ev and myself went for a fungi foray around South Aberdeenshire and gathered the most incredible cep harvest, possibly the best since 1998, which was also a great year for all kinds of edible fungi. A long hot summer followed by mild damp weather is ideal for them. The bright light and the rushing of the river where we had lunch have blown away my travelling aches and pains. We actually sat right out in the middle of the river bed on rocks, as the water level is so low. This seemed like a really good time and place to do salutations together.

Home

Finally made it home after staying up all night to catch the first flight from Luton this morning. I decided to stay awake until regular time tonight so I had an afternoon in the warm sunshine (a big surprise for September in these parts) and did T'ai Chi and Heartwork. Diesel watched and there were many butterflies on the bush, mainly Red Admirals and Peacocks.

Missed Plane

Just missed the bus to my plane by 30 seconds so I will now be catching the 7am flight tomorrow and getting the bus at 4am all at the extra cost of £100! I will need a few days to recover a night's lost sleep, so please don't contact me til class on Sunday!

New Aberdeenshire Details

I have extended my stay in london for a few more days and will be available at home from Thursday evening. As the numbers for the Aberdeen class are a little low, I have suspended this class for a time until I have enough enrolments to be sure to cover the weekly hall hire charge. Please contact me if you would like to attend this class. I have just been told that the GSC afternoon class on Wednesdays in Inverurie will not run as there were not enough takers for the afternoon slot we were given. The first class I will be teaching will be on Sunday 10th at my home at 2pm. Please come along.

I aim to plan Mark's workshops over the next week, as well as guage interest in sabre form class and a sabre workshop with Mark in the Autumn. Bokkens would be needed for this, and can be bought for about £8-£12 at the martial arts store in Aberdeen, or much better ones can be found on the internet at www.bokkenshop.com I have 2 spare ones of differing lengths and qualities for people to try out, and will have my sabre by October, as it is being refurbished, so there will be another spare bokken by then. I will post a few pictures of sabre class with myself, Marli and David when I get home, as well as all my summer T'ai Chi pics.

See you soon!

Revised September start dates for classes

Here are all the start dates:

Turriff: Monday 11th 7pm
Inverurie beginners: Wednesday 20th 7pm
Inverurie intermediates: Thursday 21st 7.30pm
Sundays at mine can resume 10th 2pm-6pm

For all the classes above contact the centres to enroll, except Sundays, for which you'll need to contact me.