Spring Week Long Taichi Intensive in Aberdeenshire

As requested by Duncan (now in New York), Gary and also the Round Chapel students, here are the proposed dates for Mark's next 5 day or weeklong workshop in Aberdeenshire. He is happy to do 5 days workshops and 2 days 121s, or a full 7 day workshop. Please let me know your preferences if you intend to attend. All students of Mark's, mine, any of Mark's students' students as well as other interested folks are welcome to come along. We always look at some Form, lots of partnerwork, principles, as well as exploring some of the vast ocean that is T'ai Chi... The energy and naural progression during the week are always wonderful and it is always a great privilege to work deeply on a daily basis with a T'ai Chi master.

29th March - 2nd or 4th April 2008 (with a Ta Lu session evening of 28th as usual). Sessions are 2-5pm and 7-10pm daily. Mornings are free and I will be available to give 121s if needed.
Start on the Saturday and do as many consecutive days as you can wangle off work! £30 per day, £20 / £15 per day concessions. Non-Aberdeenshire participants can usually come up and stay at my students' houses as long as we have some notice. We usually contribute £5 per day to our hosts towards heating and so on. Everyone brings food to share daily. Aberdeenshire venue near Inverurie, to be confirmed.

Partnerwork Day

Thanks to everyone who came to Mark's excellent partnerwork intensive yesterday in Tooting. 27 students attended including 3 of my Scottish crew, as well as lots of new faces. The next dates are 3rd November and 8th December. Do get in touch as we shall be looking at Ta Lu, Wapu, more double pushing hands and deeper into joining and yielding practices that we looked at this time.

Partnerwork Intensive In London this weekend

Please do come along to my teacher Mark Raudva's session of partnerwork this Saturday 29th September 12.30-6pm. Students from other schools are invited to get in touch and join us. The afternoon may include any or some of: sticking, pushing hands, double push hands, ta lu, wapu, rooting, uprooting, The Dance... as well as joining and yielding practice, warm ups and much other related work. All levels are welcome. The cost is £25 / £15. Tea is provided, bring a snack for the break.

The venue is the Derinton Road Community Centre and the nearest tube is Tooting Bec.

New Alford Class starts October 9th ...

Come along for an introductory session on 9th October 7:00-8:30pm at the Community Centre Huts, Murray Terrace, Alford. All welcome, including total beginners (£1).

Classes then run from 16th October in 4 week blocks (£5 / £3 concession per week).

For further information, please call Davina on 01467 651488

Beginner's workshop with Master Mark Raudva

All are welcome to this afternoon workshop at Wyness Hall, Inverurie 2-5pm Saturday 20th October. The cost will be £15 / £10 and tea will be provided. The session will provide an excellent introduction into the art of T'ai Chi Ch'uan and no experience is necessary. This workshop is also suitable for those who have a done some T'ai Chi with Great River instructors but have not yet worked with Mark. After a few hours' T'ai Chi one feels relaxed, energised and the effects of stress are lessened.

Other workshops over the weekend will be as follows, all cost £15/£10, everyone welcome:
Friday 7-10pm Ta Lu at Heather's
Saturday 7-10pm Sabre at Wyness Hall
Sunday 2-5pm partnerwork for all Great River students, of any level of experience, at Heather's
Sunday 7-10pm Long Form at Heather's

There is no specific Short Form workshop with Mark this visit, instead I will concentrate on that at the regular Thursday class on 18th, so all Short Form students are welcome to join us at Heather's 7.30-9.30pm. (£5)

New Classes this month in Aberdeenshire

Great River T'ai Chi instructor Evelyn Cairns is starting a weekly beginners classes in Gartly Hall, near Huntly, Aberdeenshire, on Wednesday evenings. It will start with a taster session on 10th October from 7.30-9.00pm (nominal fee of £1) and thereafter every Wednesday evening from 7.30-9.00pm: £6 (£4 concession).

Gartly Hall (the Tin Hut) is 2.5 miles from Huntly at the Tillathrowie turn-off on A97 going towards Rhynie. Contact Evelyn directly on her mobile 07799521632 or evelyn.cairns@onetel.com for further info.

Any fellow students who have a bit of experience and would like to assist Evelyn at Huntly and Gartly, Davina at Alford or Paolo at Inverurie, do get in touch with me.

Experienced T'ai Chi instructor and Shiatsu practitioner Neil Dey may be taking new T'ai Chi students soon in the Finzean area. He studied with students of the late Gerda Geddes and now studies with myself and Mark Raudva. Do get in touch if you are interested in lessons in that area.

Here's a couple of pictures from last month's intensive with Mark in Aberdeenshire. I have lots of photos for the blog and website, as well as new written content, an instructors page and also downloads of our chi kung sets. I have been so busy in the 'real world' of building works, teaching and studying as well as travelling up to scotland and back regularly that I have got a little bit behind with all the online stuff. Still, better that way round.

Huntly, Turriff and Alford Classes

Huntly classes have started but you are welcome to join Evelyn Cairns for her class at the Brander Library from 10.30-12 noon. Classes are usually held every week and run in 4 week blocks. Dates are arranged in advance so contact me before turning up. Total beginners and all returners are welcome.

There is also a waiting list for a daytime and or evening classes in or near Huntly. Gartly Hall is being considered. Please do get in touch if this appeals to you.

Alford clases will commence very soon, there have been a few clerical delays in the hall booking.

Turriff classes have started but you are still wecome to join next week, contact the Turriff Gateway Centre on 01888 562562 for details.

Aberdeenshire updates

Thursday class at Heather's will now run from 7.30-9.30pm rather than 7-9pm.

Turriff classes will run on Monday night's at the Turriff Gateway Centre from 7-8.30pm.

Turriff class

The new term of the Turriff class starts on Monday 17th September 7-8:30pm at the Gateway Centre, next to the swimming pool. There are still places available: call 01888 562562 to enrol.

Aberdeenshire workshops

Here are the dates for your diary until Christmas for those of you who like to get organised in advance. Mark plans to continue teaching through 2008 in the same pattern as this year: 4 seasonal weekend workshops and two week long events per year. I will continue to teach every month.

The Autumn weekend workshop with Mark Raudva will be 19th-21st October, I will arrive on 18th to teach Long Form class and stay on until Monday 22nd to teach 121s, let me know if you want one. 19th will have Ta Lu in the evening, 20th will include a beginner's workshop and a sabre session, 21st will be partnerwork and Long Form sessions. I will post full details soon.

I will be back up Thursday 15th November and return to London on Monday 19th.
Then as above for Thursday 13th December until 17th, which will be the last of term.

Mark will not be doing a New Year 121 session this year.

For those non-London students who would like to attend Mark's wonderful regular partnerwork days in Tooting there are a few more things to tempt you. There is room to stay at mine as well as a new studio to do T'ai Chi in. I am happy to arrange T'ai Chi for the Sunday to make your visit even more chock-full. We could go to David's midday Shoreditch class folowed by Mark's drop in class in Balham, or alternatively set up a sabre or other workshop for the afternoon at a nearby venure, or push hands, rooting, Heartwork... at mine. His proposed dates until the end of this year are: 29th september, 3rd November, 8th December.

New Aberdeenshire Classes

There will be a class in Huntly on Saturday mornings from 10.30am at The Brander Library in Huntly, Aberdeenshire which will be taught by Evelyn Cairns. This begins next weekend and runs in 4 week blocks.

Alford classes will begin in early October in the Community Centre huts on Tuesday evenings 7-8.30 or 9pm and will be taught by Davina Gray.

Please feel free to come along, all are welcome, especially absolute beginners! Classes prices and full details will follow.

Inverurie Wednesday class and Turriff Monday class resume shortly.

All Great River T'ai Chi students are always welcome to Sunday drop-in classes at students' houses.

Kajedo Wanderer

It was great fun to go to the joint birthday party of two dear T'ai Chi friends last month at the Universal Hall, Findhorn. This is me (in fancy dress as Frida Kahlo, by request of Angie, who was 40 that day) with Kajedo Wanderer who was celebrating his 50th birthday. Kajedo has taught meditation for over 25 years. He was also my second T'ai Chi teacher and is one of my oldest and dearest friends.

October teaching in Aberdeenshire

For various reasons I am not able to come up to Aberdeenshire from 4th-8th October. Instead I have extended my stay on the next visit when Mark teaches the Autumn weekend workshop. I will arrive on the afternoon of 18th to teach the evening class at Heather's. I will teach 121s at all the time listed below, contact me if you would like to book a session.

Friday 19th 12-2pm, 2.30-4.30pm.
Saturday 20th 11am-1pm.
Sunday 21st 11am-1pm.
Monday 22nd 11am-1pm, 2-4pm, 4-6pm.

All Mark's sessions will run as usual, Ta Lu on Friday evening and 2 sessions on Saturday and Sunday, I will post the details as soon as I have them.

Classes begin again.

I am back in London and now have a great dedicated T'ai Chi room in my otherwise unfinished home so am available to teach 121s again. London classes start next week with Tuesday evening at the Round Chapel, Hackney from 7-10pm and at Tooting from Wednesday at 10.30am -12 noon. I hope you've all had a peaceful holiday.