I have been on a deliberate 'web-fast' (as someone so deftly put it yesterday). Today is my last day, and rather than do another workshop, I have taken the morning off to catch up on email and pack. There'll be time for another free push hands session before I catch a tram, train and finally a plane to come home tonight.
What can I say? I have met some fabulous people. The atmosphere is great and the studios, both at Nils Klug's school and the nearby Kunst Halle are all lovely to work in, really large and light. The whole place is in an arty quarter, and all the events are based in an old bed factory by the river. There are artist's studios, a radio station, cafes and a tango school (melongas every night!).
I seem to be the only person in Hannover wearing bright colours in the street. A woman just stopped me on the pavement and exclaimed how 'shoen' my (Tom Baker in Doctor Who-style) purple coat was and the jist of it that I got was that everyone in Hannover is so boring and wears only brown, dark blue or black! I am beginning to feel this coat has been sprinkled with magic by some previous owner as I get nothing but friendly smiles if I wear it.
The teaching that I have encountered has been top-notch and varied across a wide range of studies. For instance one can look at joint locks and chin na, fan form, listening and uprooting skills, five elements energies within the form, basic peng-lu-ji-an and their intrinsic qualities, staff, sabre, opening and closing the joints in partnerwork, grounding, and so on and so on. In the afternoon there are also courses, but the big room in the Kunst Halle is free for push hands. This ranges from the gentle to the robust but is all sincere and from what I experienced, extremely good natured. Occasionally Nils has had to ask some of the blokey blokes to tone things down in the main hall, and this is just one of the ways he makes it really welcoming for the less experienced here. Knowing how much time and energy it takes to organise a week for my teacher's events, I have total admiration for Nils and the smooth running, great food and rota of teachers that he puts together. It is not surprising people always seem to come back each year.
Too soon to list the best moments of the week... The excellent teacher Sam Masich (who's own teacher for 10 years was Master Jou, author of the excellent 'Tao of Taijiquan') asked me for my highlights last night. Hard to say. On a T'ai Chi front, Lauren Smith's wonderful session and the chance to work with a (then) stranger on a wonderful subtle listening / uprooting exercise. After 14 years of Kung Fu and only 1 of T'ai Chi, my partner was so sensitive and perceptive, both in finding my root and in knowing when I 'had' him through the tiniest movements, and was a pleasure to work with. His teacher is Fernando Chedel, who I did not get a chance to work with due to a clash of sessions... I have to come back next year just to get a chance to push with Alex, as we ran out of time.
What also jumps to mind is when Sam Masich asked me to partner him demonstrating Ta Lu as it seemed no one else present knew it. One set was like our own, and the reverse set was identical in principle, of course, but totally reversed in direction of stepping. All my years of sticking and listening, both to my teacher and every T'ai Chi partner were of huge value to me at that moment as I bypassed my head and all its thinky confusion, stuck to Sam and let him 'drive', as I have done with Mark so many times when learning something new. In the relief of putting down mental interpretation, there was a period of quiet alive body-ness. Sure, I wasn't doing any major returning of energy, or looking for ways in to the other's centre, which one does in a practice that's familiar. I was pretty glad to be upright, stepping, and connected... or even just remaining on my own two feet!
On a social front, so many things have been great. Connections with particular people. The chance to speak lots of french again with the wonderful teacher Theirry Alibert and his student Katrine. Swapping T'ai Chi tales and Ta Lus with James from USA. Singing along to Amazing Grace with him, Sam and Henk one night, then improvising all together around 'The Wind Shakes the Barley'. Watching Simon (Clear Sky Tai Chi, Brighton) and his student Will doing 'Monkey' and 'bear' energy to Theirry and Katrine over too many cherry beers at Kalah Bar...
I will write more another time soon, as I have done almost two hours and am itching to get away from the vitual world to the one of flesh, blood and bone... heart, energy and spirt. Ronnie has asked me to write something for T'ai Chi Ch'uan magazine again about this week, so I'll post that here soon.
I hope all who read this have had a good week of T'ai Chi. I can't wait to share some of the stuff from Hannover with students and class mates soon.
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