Aberdeenshire: sabre practise 5th July

The next Northern Sabre practise session is 7-10pm Saturday 5th July at the Masonic Hall, Inverurie. Jasmine tea will be provided.
Caroline is running an introductory session during her visit in September for students who are interested in learning this lovely form. If you would like to attend please let your instructor know, or contact Caroline direct.

Hackney Round Chapel Classes

We were locked out of the Round Chapel tonight and Ben the caretaker apologises to all the students for the inconvenience. He says it won't happen again...

We are in the church halls next door, to the left of the main building, for the next two weeks, 7-9pm only, as it is expensive to hire. Regular class will be 7-8.30pm then sabre and more push hands until 9pm. All are welcome to practise whilst I teach sabre. We return to the Round Chapel proper on 16th July, David will be teaching as I will be at T'ai Chi Caledonia in Stirling. Class then continues as normal and the last session of term is on 30th July. We return for the Autumn term on 3rd September. All who have already paid for tonight will get an extra week in lieu.

Dancer in the Light: biography of Gerda 'Pytt' Geddes

I just got back from class and received this lovely message below from Frank Woods, who used to attend my Thusday Class in Aberdeenshire with his partner Julie. He has just completed his biography of Gerda Geddes, who was the first teacher of T'ai Chi in the UK. I hope to get along to his launch in London and look forward to reading the book.

"At last the biography is finished and is being launched on 20th July at The Place, the home of the London Contemporary Dance School, where Gerda taught tai chi for over 25 years. All welcome, so please come along if you can, and pass the word around. All the details plus lots of info about the book are at http://www.gerdageddes.com/

I'm also talking about the book at TC Caledonia on Saturday evening 12th July, but I see from the blog that our paths are unlikely to cross there.

I enjoy logging on to the webpage from time to time and seeing the familiar faces. Happy greetings to any who remember me (and Julie who's just completed her 4 year stint at Aberdeen art school)"

Dates for 2008

All are welcome to these events. Details of syllabus and venues will follow. Note changes to September dates. I am now coming later in the month as the Aberdeenshire terms start so late-on. As requested, I will be including an introduction to sabre for new students which will also be good revision for those who have got rusty, probably on the Saturday evening as usual. Though students have 'busked it' hundreds of times in class, I will formally teach the final postures of the form in the last hour of the session. Newbies can have a cup of tea and watch what's ahead, head home, or busk along.

Aberdeenshire Dates for 2008
July 25th -31st: Ta Lu then Summer Weekend Workshop with Mark + 121s with both Mark and Caro

Provisional dates for Autumn Term 2008
Caro’s weekends: Sept 25th-28th, Oct 9-13, November 27- December 1.
Mark’s workshops: October 10-17 and November 28-30.

Other dates for your diary:
July 5th Mark’s Partnerwork Day London
July 11th-18th Taichi Caledonia in Stirling (I shall be there 13th-18th)
Applications Day in London with Mark date TBC

Jill Bolte Taylor

Click below to read a fascinating article. I found it in the New York Times supplement this weekend. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/fashion/25brain.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=jill+bolte+taylor&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Sunday and Wednesday Classes in August and September in London

All Great River and T'ai Chi Centre students are very welcome to the Sunday drop in classes that David and I will run on the weeks that Mark is on summer holiday. Classes will be at my place, a 6mins bus ride from Tooting Broadway Station. Please call me or email for the address and directions. Class will be from 3-6pm (or until later, if we like) and cover warm ups, salutations, partner work and any solo form that people would like to revise or learn. As we'll be outdoors in fine weather, there will be ample room for staff, sabre and sword practice, so feel free to bring these along. There'll also be time for jasmine tea. The class will cost £10 / £6 concs. Please ring or email me on the Saturday if you intend to come on a Sunday.

Class dates: August 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st and September 7th.

There will also be Wednesday classes 11am-12.30pm for all those who have done at least half the Short Form on: July 2nd, 23rd, August 13th, 20th, Sept 3rd and then each following week. Call if you'd like to join. £8 / £5.

I Believe Nothing ...
by Kathleen Raine


I believe nothing - what need
Surrounded as I am with marvels of what is,
This familiar room, books, shabby carpet on the floor,
Autumn yellow jasmine, chrysanthemums, my mother's flower,

Earth-scent of memories, daily miracles,
Yet media-people ask, "Is there a God?"
What does the word mean
To the fish in his ocean, birds
In his skies, and stars?

I only know that when I turn in sleep
Into the invisible, it seems
I am upheld by love, and what seems is
Inexplicable here and now of joy and sorrow,
This inexhaustible, untidy world -
I would not have it otherwise.

From The Collected Poems of Kathleen Raine (Golgonoonza, £20)
Printed in The Guardian, Saturday June 21, 2008.


Sitting on the train to Brighton yesterday I turned the page absent-mindedly and found this gem of a poem. A dear, magical old friend of mine had given me this book of Raine's poetry many years ago; but I didn't get it at all, and I no longer have the book. On reading this poem, heading towards the sea and a day of T'ai chi with new folks, I was reminded of the thread of love and gratitude to this friend long since lost to seclusion and the Irish hills. Also, and strangely simultaneous with this almost sad and longing feeling, was the joy of physical momentum of the train, of bodies moving through space, of the preciousness of my freedom to do as wish with my Sunday, even if that were to hurtle towards the seaside with only my centre-line and yesterday's paper for company...

A student just told me today about his excellent Karate teacher with whom he studied in the 70's. Meiji Suzuki (Wayne- correct me if I have that wrong!) who taught in London and was full of character as well as having a surreal sense of humour. He once started a class with the cryptic: 'Dragons do not wear brown shoes!' and made no further mention of it all evening. The club won many competitions despite (or perhaps because of) their teacher's unorthodox methods. Wayne said he remembers a night in about 1979 when a new student arrived and Suzuki asked him what he wanted to acheive by studying with them.
'I want to get a black belt', he said.
Suzuki walked over to the cupboard, opened it and took out a black belt. He handed it to the young man and walked away to teach the class.

Fantastic. Thanks Wayne!

July and August Lessons with me

This year as usual I will be taking August off from teaching regular classes in Scotland at at Hackney Round Chapel. However, I will continue teaching at my home all month. Anyone who would like to have 121s at my home should get in touch over the next weeks to book in as there are a limited number of free days available. Unless it is raining hard, all lessons will be in the garden on the patio. Wednesday mornings from 11am-12.30pm are open lessons for anyone wanting to look at Short Form, Partnerwork and maybe a peek at Long Form (£8 / £5 concs ). Please phone first on Tuesday if you intend to drop in for a Wednesday class. All Great River and T'ai Chi Centre students are welcome.

The cost for me to travel to Scotland to teach has doubled over the last 12 months (from £60 to £120 per visit) . Therefore I am sorry to say that I will now be charging the same for my 121s in Scotland as in London, £20 per hour (£25 for 2 or more students in a session together). Group lessons remain the same price as before.

Aberdeenshire Sunday classes over the summer

Sunday drop-in classes will continue over the summer, 2-5pm. Great River students with any level of experience are very welcome and we'll work on whatever is appropriate for whoever comes along. The class will be at Davina & Paolo's place most weeks, but please check the blog for any changes to the venue.

If there is enough interest in a Sunday class when term starts again in September, we'll look into finding a regular venue in the area.

Workshops

Thanks to all the students who attended last weekend's wonderful workshops. I can't remember having had better ones, such a good atmosphere and lots of new things to learn together. Thanks to Jim and Betty for putting up Wayne from London. He had a great time but is now a bit shocked to be back in fromt of his computer screen in London after hiking up Bennachie and being in the bright studio at Heather's surrounded by trees and hills. We do not know which venues the July sessions will be at yet, I will post as soon as we know. In the meantime I'd like to echo what Mark said and give huge thanks to Heather for generously transforming a room in her house for our use over the last year or so. It has been a great base and I hope we will be back there before the summer.

I am pretty sure the sessions in July will be thus:
Thurs 24th July 7.30-9.30pm: Long Form class with me
Friday 25th July 7-10pm: Ta Lu etc with Mark
Saturday 26th 2-5pm: Long Form (we'll finish learning the postures of the form in this session)
Saturday 26th 7-10pm: Sabre Form at Kemnay Hall
Sunday 27th 2-5pm: Short Form
Sunday 27th 7-10pm: Partnerwork and Heartwork

There are 121s available with me on the mornings of 26th and 27th and all day on 28th and 29th. Mark still has a slot available 2-4pm 30th July. Do let me know if you'd like to book one.

Here's the frst picture I have had time to upload: 'Press' at 2700 metres above sea level on a fabulous rock promentary, about 2 metres wide, just before climbing 'Cir Spitz V' Via Ferrata. As most folks know, I tend to avoid having my photo taken, but we couldn't resist the backdrop.

I got back yesterday from 8 days walking and climbing Via Ferratas in the Italian Dolomites. I cannot begin to describe the sheer beauty of the area: I cannot wait to get back there, hopefully in September... Tomorrow I fly up to Scotland to assist my teacher with his regular weekend workshop and I am looking forward to seeing all the Scottish students. One of my London students will be joining us to, which will be great. I have two spaces left for 121s, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Let me know if you are interested.

Workshop with Mark Raudva 13-15 June

The next Aberdeenshire workshop with Mark Raudva is this weekend, 13th to 15th June.

Friday 13th : 7-10pm - Ta Lu
Saturday 14th: 2-5pm - Long Form
Saturday 14th: 7-10pm - Sabre, Kemnay Village Hall
Sunday 15th: 2-5pm - Short Form
Sunday 3rd Feb: 7-10pm - Partnerwork, Heartwork

All sessions except sabre are at Heather's.

Huntly, Gartly and Elgin Classes

Tin Hut T'ai Chi on Wednesday evening in the Tin Hut, Tillathrowie road-end, near Gartly will finish for summer on 11 June.
Brander T'ai Chi on Thursday afternoon at the Brander Library will finish for summer on 19th June.
Inspire T'ai Chi on Tuesday morning at Huntly Resource Centre will continue as usual over the summer.

Workshops/taster sessions will run in Elgin over the summer for council staff to establish viability for new lunchtime classes - possibily in 2 separate venues. Watch this space!

New Huntly Classes - it is possible that new Huntly classes will start in Autumn - please contact me as below for further info.

New Keith and Dufftown Classes - I have been asked to look at the possibility of classes in Keith and Dufftown. If anyone is interested, please contact me as below.

Want to continue learning over the summer?
Contact me : by phone-07799521632/01466720351- or email me at evelyn@greatrivertaichi.co.uk or evelyn.cairns@onetel.com.

Moray Council employees should contact me at 01343 563375/01466720753 or 07990780333. Alternatively email evelyn.cairns@moray.gov.uk or any of the above contacts.

Finally, a wonderful summer to everyone.

Sabre Session 7 June

I have missed several sabre sessions due to ill health so many thanks to Scott for coordinating the session last Saturday. Particular thanks to Heather who provided detailed input, leading us through the whole of the form with patience, tact and tough love!

Northern Sabre

Following on from Davina's post, any Huntly or Gartly students interested in the sabre form should discuss with me at class, by phone or email me at evelyn@greatrivertaichi.co.uk.

Sunday class 8th June

Will be at Paolo & Davina's place from 2-5pm. We'll work outside if the weather is fine.

Northern Sabre 7th June

There's a Northern Sabre practise session 7-10pm Saturday 7th June at the Masonic Hall, Inverurie. Jasmine Tea will be provided.

If any Great River students are interested in learning this lovely form, please let me know at class or email davina [at] greatrivertaichi [dot] co [dot] uk and Caroline will schedule an introductory session later in the year.

Huntly and Gartly Classes

The Gartly class resumes Wednesday 4th June, Thursday class on 5th June and Resource Centre on Tuesday 10th June.