Mark's Tuesday classes in London

Mark's classes resumed this week after a break for the Scottish workshop. They'll continue until Christmas break. All TCC students are welcome.

Online classes will resume soon when the topics and times have been discussed with those who'd like to come. Get in touch with Mark if there's something you really want to do via Zoom. Of course, there may end up being another lockdown in UK, in which case there may be more online classes, as there were in the last one...

Wishing you all the very best for autumn, from me in Dorset. Thanks to Davina for all her work organising the workshop last week. The pictures look lovely. 

I plan to resume studying with Mark in London this term, hip allowing. See you soon, Caro.

Autumn workshop thanks

Thanks to everyone who came along to the Autumn workshop with Mark for all your work and enthusiasm, and best wishes to those who weren't able to attend. Thanks also to Mark for his teaching at the workshop, the Left Side class, and all the 121s. The redecorated hall was lovely to be in and we'll be organising future visits by Mark in due course. As it was our first workshop in 2 years I didn't take many photos, but just to confirm that we did have:

flowers,

partnerwork,

and, of course, cake!

Thanks

Freshly home from Sweden. Thanks to all the students new and old who came along to the sessions. Excited to be starting new Sabre and Long Form classes as well as partnerwork introduction for the Short Form group. Photos later when I have downloaded them from my phone.

Thanks

Thanks to Kevin who is taking my Tooting morning class this week as I still have a spluttery cold which I do not wish to spread. And also ext week, when I am away teaching in Sweden.

Summer thanks

Thanks to all who came for a sunny weekend of T'ai Chi, bonfires and lovely food. It was wonderful to have good weather and to work outside most of the time. Thanks again to our hosts. It is a pleasure to teach such committed and creative students. It makes my train journeys so worthwhile. Greetings to you from the East Coast Mainline.

A midsummer night's sabre.

Crossed swords.

Short Form at Finzean.

Lesser spotted white cranes.

News

We had such a great set of sessions last month, well done all on your good soft work, and making it through the winter to the spring. Here are some April pictures. Mark's London classes resume next week, as does my Tooting class. Next weapons Tuesday is on 7th May, as usual, not 30th April. I am off to Ireland for two weeks to teach Wild Twins. I will see you when I get back.

Mark teaching The Dance, with Nick.

Tooting Lido class, such a great space, all welcome.

A great session of weapons with the Aberdeenshire crew.

Off with her head!

we even snuck in some time outside.

Anja throws me with Part The Wild Horse's Mane.

White Swan Spreads its Wings.

The Extinction Rebelliswan has hatched.

A big thank you

For all the Aberdeenshire students, a heartfelt thank you. Some of you have been coming along 4 or 5 years, some of you almost 16 years. To have such a great posse of students, who practice, work well together, and who are willing to try out my latest research endeavours, is such a blessing. I am so happy with how your T'ai Chi is coming on, and hope that I will always bring you enough challenging but inspiring work, as well as encourage your interest in the study. Sometimes the main work of a session is about lifting the spirits, especially after a long winter. Sometimes it is bright sunshine outside and all about cracking on with things. But whatever we do, I would like to say how much I appreciate both the good energy you all contribute, and that you continue to make a place in your lives for, well, this rather niche and un-glamourous activity that I also love. Those of you who are instructing, whether formally or informally, are also doing great work, which shows whenever I meet your students.

Beltane eve greetings and deepest best wishes, from the Great River.

Thanks

...to all the Aberdeenshire students who came along last weekend. Sorry my swollen glands and cold meant I couldn't do the final Dance session. I am on the mend. Here are some photos from the weekend.

At Finzean for our traditional solstice session. Bumblebees got sleepy when the temperature dropped. If you look closely you will see them on many of these flowers. 

Bloke in the park

I trained with Christian of  Bloke on the Path on Saturday, which was great, and the first time we have managed to do T'ai Chi together, due to busy-ness. His blog is always worth reading, and he posts lots of good things, whereas I am still on 'screen-avoidance' mode, blogging little until the Autumn, I expect, as I am spending every hour I can outdoors with the plants and birds. It was great to train with someone who appreciates softness and yielding, and we had a good couple of hours in Hyde Park before the deluge and crowds. Thanks again Christian, and see you soon!

Thanks and pictures

Well done and thanks to all the Scottish students. We did some really good, deep work last month, whilst observing the sun/snow/wind/hail/sun game the weather played. See you again soon.

Bushy Park on May Day, full of bird life, dappled light, snogging couples and grazing deer.

This weekend's little birch bark box, sewn with rawhide, with hazel base and lid. Currently full of chalk from Climping beach and a lump of Sanguine (red earth pigment) from Italy - pre-modern drawing materials.

Thanks

Big thanks for such a lovely send-off from the Hackney crew. It was nice to share some food, drink Khan's special 'heathy long life' tea and also do some great T'ai Chi. The tea set is now in Carmen's hands, so all will be well. Thanks for my gifts and cards too, that was really thoughtful. Have a great Solstice, Christmas and New Year. Classes resume in Hackney on 13th, and you should have the big upstairs hall back again by then. Carmen will post here nearer the time. New Beginners will be welcome from 20th January, for a short session 6-7pm, for £8.

I feel a bit like Tony Benn, who when he stopped being an MP said he had left Parliament to devote more time to politics... Since finishing at Hackney on Wednesday I have already arranged with a colleague to have regular sessions with Mark to learn The Left Side special form. If any other students who have completed learning The Long Form wish to join our study group, get in touch. The Left Side is John Kells' special research and development form, a mirror image of the Long Form, but with extra postures, deep open and close figure of eights, and varied applications. This, and the senior class study group that Chris has put together, should keep me occupied.

Workshop photos

Thanks to Jeremy for his collection of lovely pictures from the summer workshop. Now we have over 150 great pics from the year to sort through for the calendar, which only has room for 13... The rest will make their way onto the websites and blog over the next few weeks. Apologies that the calendars won't arrive until the end of December, I have gotten behind with admin...

Thanks to Paolo for showing me Duckduckgo.com. Now I can do my internet searches and not get tracked by who knows who.

Thanks to Carmen

...for taking Hackney class whilst I was away this week. I will be back next week.

Thank You - Sweden Workshops

This was the view from this year's Practice, Play, and Pause weekend in the West of Sweden. Thanks to the lovely people who came along and took part with such enthusiasm and openness. Most of all thanks to Anna Dahlman for organising everything and hosting Carmen and me. We had a fantastic time! Unfortunately I forgot to take a group photo, so instead here is a picture of Anna's younger son, Nils, learning sword form.

Farewell HRC

Thanks to all for a fitting send off to the Round Chapel. It was a lovely class, we managed to whizz through the whole curriculum, apart from connecting hands, which I forgot to do. We did: warm ups, chi kung, salutations, sticking, single push hands, double push hands, short form, one posture, wa bu, ta lu, knocking, the dance, long form, sabre form, sword form. Phew!

Despite moving home 4 times, illness, storms, floods... Hackney class has been and will continue to be a true constant in my life. I love teaching the students, and my goals are keeping the class local, affordable and , of course, as good a class as I can make it.

See you on 22nd April. 

Helium balloons floated gently up and down during the class adding a surreal touch.

Choc egg tea break.

Dance

Sword Form

Thanks

...to David who took the Hackney class last night at short notice. I shall be back next week for our last class of term, and for the last class in that hall. Details of a new venue should become clear today or tomorrow, I hope.

10 years ago today...

... Caroline started teaching in Inverurie. Heartfelt thanks to her for 10 wonderful, life-changing years. My thanks also to all the open-hearted students I've met at classes and workshops over the years since then. I feel very lucky to have such loving friends and family.

Swedish Workshop thanks

I had another wonderful time in Sweden. Many thanks to all the lovely students who came to the workshops, to Janet for assisting, and huge thanks to Anna for organising everything and hosting us.

Hard Life

It was a tough class last night: five people, three cakes...
Many thanks to Anneke for hosting us.