Classes with Mark

Everyone is welcome to come to the Sunday drop in class from 2-6pm at my home on 12th March, Mark will be teaching. There are no other classes from this Saturday until the following Saturday as we will be on T'ai Chi retreat. There are still places for folks, even if you can only come Saturday, or Sat and Sun, or a few days more, let me know if you can join us. Friday night is Ta Lu, 7-10pm, and all who have done a little Ta Lu are welcome.

It is really snowy here, with very unseasonal thunder each night, too. The snow looks like polystyrene balls and is dry and squeaky. The cat thinks it's brilliant and chases through it before falling asleep on the kitchen sofa. I am really hoping that Mark's flight is not delayed on Friday.

Zen Flesh

I was just looking for quotes the other day from 'Zen Flesh, Zen Bones', but found it missing. I must have lent it to a friend or student and forgotten to note it down. If you find you have this book, do let me know. If it doesn't reappear it won't be hard for me to get it second hand on the web, but I thought I'd check and see.

Huntly Class

I am cancelling the Huntly Brander Library class 10.30-12 noon Saturdays until further notice, and am posting this in case you were thinking of coming along over the next few weeks. The people who originally commissioned the class tend not to come along, and new people join, which is great, but do not come regularly.
'T'ai Chi class is not a drop-in activity', as Don Wells, the Aberdeen T'ai Chi teacher, so neatly puts it. If you regularly attend a class, or study one-to-one, then the Sunday drop-in is an added extra, a chance to push hands with folks from different classes and to relax into a longer intensive session, maybe look at things a little deeper, or revise things. I will be contacting all Huntly students to see if they wish to continue the class and will post any new dates on the website and here on the blog. If it runs it will be in 4 week blocks, dates organised in advance, like the other classes I do which are administered by various Community Centres. At £5 / £3.50 per session it is not too dear to pay for 4 lessons in a row, particularly as I ride to class on my moped, all weathers, and need to know there will be a student to teach at the other end! So I am finally heeding my students' and teacher's advice and asking for payment in advance so I can cover the hall hire fee. I hope to be back at Huntly in the near future; we shall see.

Return

Back to Scotland now from studying in London with Mark. Some of you asked me what I was learning in my 1-2-1 lessons: pushing hands for hours, softening, yielding, connecting, joining, tendrilising, slipping. Things I was attempting not to do: react, freeze, fight, comment, analyse, compare, judge. If that sounds a bit abstract, well, words tend to fail in T'ai Chi: best to just come and push hands.

Some of the new students who joined this term, and who now come regularly, are a delight. You worry about learning the movements of the form but do 'sticking' as if it really matters (which it does), a searching, fascinated quality in the touch. This is very good. I am very happy to be back at class. Get practising daily, that will solve all your posture - memory problems.

Mark will teach an open Ta Lu class for anyone who has done a little Ta lu on Friday 3rd March 7-10ish pm (£10). He will also teach an open session for any of my students on Sunday 12th March 2-6pm (£10). Let me know if you can come, it's first come, first served. Both are at the house in Forgue. The week long workshop still has a couple of spaces too, 4th - 10th March 2-10pm daily, (£175 tuition fees), which will be held in the room in this picture by Chiara.

Study Break

I am away from Thursday morning until Tuesday afternoon in London studying with Mark (and seeing my family for an afternoon too). David will be taking all my usual classes. I will be back for Tuesday class in Aberdeen. I have had great feedback from you about Mark's workshops and am glad that folks are inspired and enthused about their T'ai Chi practice.

Tree Heart

This is the shadow cast on the wall of Turriff Community Education Centre where I teach on Monday evenings. The small tree has very long thin twigs which are interwoven into this shape, without any harm done to the tree. I had noticed it several times, and this week Davina had her camera with her.

New Students

I wanted to write a few words for any new students who met us last weekend and who will be coming to their first class or workshop this week with myself or Mark Raudva.

You are really welcome, we hope you'll find the class enlivening and interesting.

You will get the most from it if you put down any expectations of what T'ai Chi is and what class will be like.

Perhaps you have been recommended T'ai Chi by a friend, or have 'seen it on TV'. You will find it is a whole lot different from waving your arms around gracefully.

If you would like to read more about our approach and what we teach, go to www.thetaichicentre.co.uk and have a look through the site.

I am always happy to receive questions by email or phone. Do get in touch any time.

Website Is Online

Thanks to David, the Great River T'ai Chi website is online at www.greatrivertaichi.co.uk . There are still several texts that are derived from my teacher's site (with permission) but we hope to have everything finalised by the end of next week. In the mean time, please do have a look and let us know what you think.