news from
Tai Chi Vermont

"Even in the autumn of your life, you cannot give up growth. If you do, you only invite decline."

Photo of Nichol’s Ledge in Woodbury (near Hardwick) by Burlington-based TCV teacher 
Bill Parkhill

"All the different aspects of a person--body, mind, and spirit--have one curious quality: If they cease to be exercised, they stop growing. Once they stop growing, they begin to atrophy. That is why, no matter hnow much you have accomplished and no matter how old you are, you must keep exercising all parts of yourself.

We only grow when we are challenged. Muscles do not strengthen without resistance. Mental faculties do not sharpen without critical thinking. The spirit does not soar without something to excite it. It may seem like a great effort to constantly try new things, but unless you do, you fall out of your heights very quickly. The constancy of physical exercise, varied from time to time into new routines, and the constancy of mental and spiritual challenges are essential to stave off the infirmities of aging.

We cannot reverse aging completely, but we can slow it down. As long as we are vital, we will not suffer as much."

--from "Growth" in 365 Tao: Daily Meditations by Deng Ming-Dao

Players in Springfield met at the beautiful newly renovated Great Hall for practice and seasonal refreshments on Fall Prevention Awareness Day, September 22

Inner landscapes: 
Expanding our awareness, transforming our practice

Ellie Hayes and Zhen Wolffe will host this Enrichment Workshop at St. John's Episcopal Church in Randolph, 9 a.m.-noon, Friday, Oct. 9.

This workshop is designed for participants who want to dive deeper into the mind-intent or energetic source for the eight methods, martial arts techniques that are embedded in most Tai Chi forms. Form review practice will be enhanced by guided explorations of the meridian points that may serve as interconnecting focal points for rooting us in the posture and issuing effortless force.

If you’re a Tai Chi Vermont volunteer instructor sponsored by an Area Agency on Aging, enter the code you received so you can checkout for $0. Forgot it? Click here to request the code again.

Questions? Email Ellie or Zhen. 

Step, follow step: Drills for exploring, teaching and inhabiting the Fall Prevention Tai Chi form

Beverly Blakeney and Zhen Wolffe will host this Skillbuilder at St. John's Episcopal Church in Randolph, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 16.

In this workshop we'll explore movements and practices to enhance our awareness of the Fall Prevention form. Drills are repetitive movements that help create body memory. Tai chi instructors can use them to support their students in learning the form. 

Bring your favorite drill to share--as well as your curiosity--and we’ll explore ways of feeling our way into the Fall Prevention form and inviting our students to do the same.

Remember, if you’re a Tai Chi Vermont volunteer instructor be sure to enter the special Skillbuilder code you received so you can check out for $0. Forgot the code? Click here to request it again.

Questions? Email Beverly or Zhen. 

Level 3 Fall Prevention (simplified Sun style) cert/recert

Meet Laurie Knauer, Sue Monaco and Jo Bregnard at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Randolph, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 17 and 24 for our final Fall Prevention training for this year.

A $50 fee is required with all registrations. Instructors supported by one of the Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) may be reimbursed for the registration fee and the agency will be billed the balance. Please check with your agency for details. Independent instructors will need to pay the balance two weeks prior to the training date.

Remember, TCV teachers can keep their status current by recertifying every two years.

When you register, training videos will be sent to you so you can pre-learn the movements. The energy you put into your pre-learning will help you succeed in becoming a safe and effective instructor. Email Laurie if you have questions.

Tai chi in the news

Our favorite movement modality continues to show up in health and wellness articles. Keith Mulvihill of The New York Times quoted Laurie King, a neurology professor at Oregon Health & Science University and co-director of the Balance Disorders Laboratory, on the benefits of tai chi in the recent piece "How to Train Balance as You Age":

"It also pays to choose activities that engage you mentally. 'There's a big overlay with cognition and balance, especially during walking, because we have to pay attention, make decisions, adjust our movements, speed up or slow down and respond to what is happening around us while staying upright,' she added. Tai chi and racket sports are good choices for this."

If you've found tai chi mentioned somewhere, please let us know so we can spread the word!