Cloud Hands Tai Chi 2017 Fall schedule
Keuka Lake Tai Chi Camp
Remembering, A Seasonal Task
Saturday morning practice

Cloud Hands Tai Chi
September 2017 Newsletter

 
"Be as still as a mountain,
Move like a great river"


Sept.- Dec. 2017 Schedule



Date: Wednesday, Sept. 20th
Location: Silver Spring
  • Beginner 1 (Postures 1-12)                      6:30 - 7:30 pm
  • Beginner 3 (Postures 25-37)                7:30 8:30 pm
  • Corrections (all 37 Postures)               8:30 - 9:30 pm




Date: Thursday, Sept. 21st
Location: Washington DC
  • Beginner 1 (Postures 1-12)                   6:45 - 7:45 pm
  • Beginner 3 (Postures 25-37)                7:45 - 8:45 pm
  • Corrections (all 37 Postures)               8:45 - 9:45 pm




Date: Sunday, Sept. 24th
Location: CityDance at Strathmore
  • Corrections  (all 37 postures & Sensing Hands)           9:00 - 10:30 am
  • Beginners Sword (permission required)               10:30 - 11:30 am
  • Beginner 3 (Postures 25-37)                                    11:30 -12:30 pm
  • Beginner 1 (Postures 1-12)                                       12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
  • Correction Sword     (permission required)                7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

 

 

 

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A Seasonal Task
Remembering,
who you are...
This is a time of year when my thoughts always seem to shift inward, and the present turning of the cosmic wheel has not been an exception.

I find Autumn to be an extraordinary time of change. The vibrant, youthful vitality of Summer is passing, as Nature slowly backs off the throttle in favor of a quieter, more reflective pace. Colors, shifting from flowers to the first fallen leaves, mark the beginning of a winnowing process that ends in the preservation of only what is essential. As Nature bids farewell to the sumptuous summer, it must transform the energy at the heart of summer's bounty. Nature seeks to harvest that expansive summer energy, preserving only its essence. Expansive, vibrant Yang energy must be quieted and directed inward where it will provide sustenance on the passage through the cold, darkness of Winter.
One fine day, Nature will awaken from that darkness. The quiet energy of Winter will transform with the coming of the Light and the pulsing, vital energy of Spring will once again bring buds and birds to repopulate the bare, boney fingers of leafless trees. 

In Autumn everything prepares for Winter, but does so with the promise Spring. As surely as the turning of the earth brings a new sunrise every day, we know the turning the cosmic wheel will bring a Spring to follow each Winter. What we, as humans, do not know, is if we will be here to greet it when it arrives. 
How many more Springs lie beyond this Winter...for me?

In Nature the cycle of the year completes itself with the journey inward to the quiet of winter. Here, in hushed darkness, life it renewed, recast and made ready for the growth of another year. Winter is the Yin to Summer's Yang. So, too, in our lives, there is a need to heed the call of Nature, to journey inward, seeking the quiet and the stillness that allows us to be renewed by dwelling in our most essential, authentic, naked selves. 
This same quiet, and stillness reside within the movements of the Tai Chi form. They do not lie on the surface, though. They are not easily picked up like a piece of paper in the street. To access the stillness and quiet in the Tai Chi form requires is a journey into yourself. A journey into authenticity. Just as Autumn is a time when Nature moves from the expansive, Yang of Summer toward the quiet, Yin of Winter, we, too, must find the quiet that allows the essence of who we are to re-emerge as Springtime energy blossoms one again of our lives.
Professor Cheng said that the structure and flow of the Tai Chi form combined represent only 30% of its totality, while the other 70% is you, the Tai Chi practitioner. Seventy percent is already residing in you, waiting to be released. Professor Cheng's first western student was my teacher, Robert W. Smith. Mr. Smith was a great Tai Chi teacher and a remarkable human being. I believe, he was saying the same thing as Professor Cheng when he spoke the following words:

"Relax, is who you are,,,
Tense, is who you think you are".

This Autumn, consider allowing yourself to join with Nature and shed the leaves and flowers that are no longer necessary in the movements of your Tai Chi form and in your life. Allow your Tai Chi practice to encompass only the essential, the minimum, using the the least amount of effort possible. You may find that in your Tai Chi practice, and possibly, in your life, that the least amount is still enough.

Keuka Lake Tai Chi Camp


 

 


 I had the privilege of attending Maggie Newman's Keuka Lake Tai Chi Camp for the 26th consecutive year this past Summer. Like all of the previous Camps I have attended, it was populated by wonderful students who were as eager to learn from each other as they were willing to generously share their knowledge and Tai Chi experience. This year, however, was different from all the others in one respect. This year was the first year in which Maggie was not physically present. I chose to say, "physically" present, because she was absolutely present in so many other ways.

The format for the Camp was the same one Maggie designed, beginning and ending each day with meditation. A two hour block of classes in both morning and afternoon were followed by Tai Chi related exercises in the evening. This year several of Maggie's senior students shared the task of leading the classes and exercise sessions. Maggie was very present in the teaching of each of her senior students. While each teacher had a unique and personal style, there was a clear thread of Maggie's teaching seamlessly woven into all of the classes no matter who was leading them. One new wrinkle this year was the addition of several one-hour, afternoon "mini-workshops" in which each of the senior student teachers were available to lead other students deeper into the material they had presented in the classes. Everyone attending this year's Camp deemed it a resounding success and expressed a desire for it to continue.
 
Saturday Morning Practice




A great way to start the day! There is nothing like a few rounds of Tai Chi to get the body up and moving. We meet every Saturday morning from 8:30 – 9:30 am. No experience is necessary. It is a great way to get an introduction to Tai Chi, brush up after the summer break, or just get outside and enjoy doing some Tai Chi with a nice group of friendly people.

Saturday morning practice
8:30 - 9:30 am


Location: Veterans Plaza (under the pavilion in front of the Civic Building)
At the corner of Fenton Street and Ellsworth Avenue
Silver Spring, Md 20910
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Our mailing address is:
Cloud Hands Tai Chi
9108 Warren Street
Silver Spring, MD 20910