Newsletter #154 - June 2014
#In this issue:
Click on the title above to read the articles, this link to read all previous newsletters and here to subscribe
#Hello Everyone,
I grew up in a small village in China, with my widowed grandmother, my widowed aunt and her son, my cousin. The four of us were classified by the Communists as a landlord family and therefore were condemned to be the enemies of the people. My grandmother was physically abused and we were discriminated against in unimaginable ways for ever - even now. You don't want to be an enemy of the people at ten months old; living in a small village you grow up feeling very lowly - to say the least. Imagine you were a slave in the Southern part of USA when slavery was legal - it would be close in terms of describing your social status. I hated being in the little town being recognised wherever I went. I will tell you more in the future, in my memoir.
It took a major miracle to get me out of China. Another miracle and a lot of hard work led to a scholarship to study Medicine in Australia. Once I graduated and began working as a doctor I gradually overcame my feelings of inferiority and I thought I had put my early years behind me. I worked in a small country town and on the second day the car they had given me broke down. I got a lift, but the driver recognised me as the new doctor and the fear came back. I realised I hadn't quite worked through it after all.
Much as I liked working as a country doctor and having the opportunity to practice a lot more real medicine as (in contrast to a city doctor where you referred many cases to specialists), I chose to start my family practice in a busy Sydney suburb. Outside of my practice I had the anonymity I craved.
I started practicing tai chi forty years ago, and for a long time our school was very academic but somehow, despite lying low, I gained a reputation in tai chi circles. Sixteen years ago the Tai Chi for Health programs took me and my colleagues out of the suburbs into the world. Since then we have reached over five million people.
As I travel I meet many people who have put aside their wheelchairs and walking aids because of my tai chi. It is wonderful to be able to empower people to make a difference to their health, and I love meeting new people. Now it is a privilege to be recognised because of my work. You might remember that in an earlier article I described being recognised by Yoris at a Belgian market. It has happened in so many places - during a lunch in Venice, having tea in San Francisco, touring the Botanical Gardens in Minnesota, walking into my hotel, chatting to people in the train, the person seated next to me during a flight ...
Today I flew into Singapore and as I walked through the duty free shop a distinguished jewellery salesman smiled at me and said hello. I was just about to tell him that I really didn't need to buy any jewellery when he asked "Are you Doctor Paul Lam?" Fifty years later from China, I found myself smiling confidently and saying "Yes, I am!"
I really enjoy being recognised and so I decided to extend the opportunity to everybody to wear our new official blue polo shirt with the Tai Chi for Health logo, which you can see in the photo. You will also have seen the shirts in my DVDs over the last five years. I hope you get yourself a shirt - you may be surprised by how many people will recognise you! You can be like me, meeting our fellow enthusiasts anywhere in the world! And telling the world how good Tai Chi for Health is.
Remember the July workshops in Sydney are just around the corner! Otherwise I will see you at the annual workshop in USA this week.
In this Newsletter:
This Month's Special
Tai Chi for Energy 2 is due for release in July! Start learning Tai Chi for Energy now - and get a 30% discount when you buy the DVD!
Click here to place your order. Please use coupon code TCE0614
Upcoming Workshops by Dr Paul Lam
Oct 09-10 Tai Chi for Energy Instructor Training
Jekyll Island, GA, United States
Oct 11-12 Tai Chi for Energy Part 2
Jekyll Island, GA, United States
Caldera, OR, United States
Many other workshops conducted by my authorised master trainers are listed on the Workshop Calendar.
Yours in Tai Chi,
Paul Lam, MD
http://www.taichiforhealthinstitute.org/
back to top
#My Tai Chi Journey
Philip Tomlinson, Instructor, Greenfield, Massachusetts
Little did I know in October 2013 that attending a talk on Dr. Paul Lam's Tai Chi for Health would be the beginning of an eventful journey.
Two instructors led the intro. They convinced me to spend the next hour observing a class of smiling tai chi players moving with fluid grace. I was hooked from the start. I attended classes three times a week and bought the DVDs of the exercises. We shared tai chi stories. For example, I noticed that my electric toothbrush was more effective if I moved it slowly, steadily, continuously.
My health improved. I had more energy, enthusiasm, motivation. Bouts of vertigo vanished. My cabin fever went down as I got out more often. This body of mine, which has put me through more than one wringer, was getting stronger, more agile and stable. I had empty and weighty moments, but the blues and the blahs were disappearing. Classes were fun. The teachers were warm and welcoming. They organized a terrific holiday party, complete with animal frolics and a dragon entrance. I tried to be helpful. Before long they began to ask me to assist people who were attending for the first time. Soon they started gently nudging me to attend a workshop. I signed up.
In April 2014 our Master and Senior Trainer and fourteen workshop participants arrived from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont. Within an hour we began to know one another and form a coherent group.
The workshop was fun, expertly conducted, and comfortable. Discussions alternated with tai chi practice. Our discussions ranged from different tai chi and learning styles to safety, fall prevention, the stepwise teaching method, a typical class routine and administrative points. What a treat to meet people so knowledgeable and enthusiastic to practice tai chi!
I could hardly believe this was happening. What an accomplishment for me to become an instructor. After so many years of achievement in cerebral academic studies, training as a teacher of the Transcendental Meditation program, then kidney failure, retirement, dialysis and a renal graft in June of 2000, I was now certified in this evidence-based, government recognized, widely enjoyed program that has the potential to restore and enrich my health and the health of people everywhere.
back to top
China Archives - Dr Lam's China Tour family share their experiences
(Richard Askwith wrote a series of letters to his family back home in the USA about the workshop and tour)
#Beyond Wuyishan
Richard Askwith, Instructor, Michigan
"Dear family and friends,
Here we are ready to leave Wuyishan and I've neglected to say anything about Wuyishan. The trip here from Zhuhai was notable in that it was only an hour and a half flight, on a fully loaded Boeing Seven Something arriving at 1:30pm and yet we were somehow served a hot meal (rice with peas), complete with a free hot towel. We then went directly to a restaurant for lunch at 2:30. No one was particularly hungry but we did our best considering that there was a huge amount and variety of food provided on a gigantic lazy susan. It seemed rude to not eat as much as we reasonably could.
At that point I discovered that Wuyishan is in the mountains, not the ocean side as I had somehow expected. We then went off for an hour and a half hike in a very scenic area over unexpected difficult terrain such as "The line in the sky". This was somewhat problematic because it was cold, maybe in the 50s, and starting to rain. We had been advised that it would be cooler and maybe rainy so that wasn't a surprise. However it was a surprise that we set out hiking before going to the hotel. Nearly everyone's warm clothes and rain gear was in their checked luggage which was not accessible until we got to the hotel.
The line in the sky is a very narrow cleft or passageway in a mountain where each side goes straight up maybe 75 feet and the narrowness was such that I could not possible walk through it normally. Instead I (and everyone else) had to turn sideways and sort of drag ourselves through. Some of those who did have raincoats or ponchos ended up ripping them. The place is called "the line in the sky" because when you look up to see the sky all you can see of it is a line. It was somewhat claustrophobic and in a weird way fun although we were cold and wet (but not hungry). We had a sense of accomplishment.
At 5:30 we were whisked off to dinner which was another, different, challenge because it seemed like we had just eaten. Dinner was over the top, with food being supplied in apparently endless large containers.
After dinner we went off to a show. It would be fair to say that some of us were developing mixed feelings about going because we were overstuffed, damp, cold and the rain was getting serious. If this had been a baseball game the umpires would have been seriously considering postponing the game. But of course the tickets had been purchased and, as they say, the show must go on.
As we entered the stadium we were given plastic ponchos and the seats were pretty comfortable. The set in front of us was quite large, like maybe 4 or 5 times as wide as the stage at the Metropolitan Opera. When the show began it was reminiscent of an opera, among other things, such as a light show, a football half time entertainment event, performance art, a Cecil B. Demills production, and a bit of soap opera. The story line was the history of tea, plus another story line of a woman god who falls in love with a mortal, thusly angering the woman god's even more powerful god father, who decrees that they be turned into two mountains and can "see" each other only once every five hundred years. I believe the conclusion was that tea is an excellent thing and that the couple or should I say the mountains felt their love was undiminished despite the punishment. However I could be wrong because the whole thing was in Chinese.
Actually, it was a very impressive spectacle. There were 300 actors or singers or dancers or quick change artists or whatever you call them. The sound system was awesome and the sets were unbelievable. The set was actually far bigger than I first thought because the seats, unknown to us at first, were on a rotating platform, so the platform would rotate to show additional sets and a lake complete with real boats and boats men, and even the mountains were brought into the act. It was of course dark when the show started and you couldn't see the mountains, but the producers had placed lights which illuminated the mountains at appropriate times, creating a surprise effect. It was great fun except the rain got much worse (a baseball game would definitely have been cancelled). The finale was that maybe 9 or 10 teams of young women left the stage carrying trays of cups filled with tea, came up perhaps 20 rows onto the mezzanine, fanned out along the front row, and actually gave tea to those seated in the front row.
The producer of the play is famous in China and was apparently responsible for the opening ceremony the last time China hosted the Olympics.
Then we went to the hotel and I'm sure everyone took a hot shower and went straight to bed.
Today the main event was to take another hike, this one to a mountain that the tour guide constantly called "the most beautiful mountain." You know, she may have been right. In terms of number of feet I don't think they were all that big but in terms of visual effect they were most impressive indeed. The mountains in this region were shaped sort of like gigantic loaves of French bread thrust halfway into the ground with rivers meandering around them and pagodas and/or temples scattered around or teetering on dizzying cliffs and mists or clouds moving around the tops. To borrow Emily''s words when we came upon a stunning view of Three Sisters in Oregon "It looked like an I-Max".
In many places stairs were carved into the rocks of the mountain and the grand finale of the day was to climb up the one most visited. It was very much like going up Machu Picchu, with uneven steps and at least a 45 degree angle. Big workout for the heart and thighs but it was worth it.
Tomorrow we'll take another flight, this time to Xiamen, which is on the ocean."
Next month: To and From Xiamen
back to top
#World Tai Chi and Qigong Day 2014
Pam Laundry, Instructor, Port Macquarie NSW
Early this year, I began toying with the idea of organising a WTC&QD event in my own rural area. Doubts and "what ifs" rambled round in my head. Finally, the desire to share tai chi with others was too strong, and I decided to give it a go, find a venue, involve people, seek support and promotion.
Here's how I went about it:
First, I contacted the council and after some setbacks, was offered support through the "Move, Live, Eat Well Programme". The coordinator offered space at The Glasshouse, community promotion and refreshments through the MLEW programme. All for free! An offer too good to refuse. The event was away ....
Next, I contacted tai chi instructors asking for their support and involvement. To my surprise, a few instructors seemed wary. I learnt there was discord between some instructors but, after lots of emails and phone calls, seven instructors agreed to attend with students.
On the day, there was a noticeable sense of excitement and expectation as participants arrived. About sixty people attended. Together we warmed up and each group performed their styles of tai chi or qigong. We were then privileged to watch demonstrations of swords, fan, walking qigong and other specialities. It truly was a rewarding and uplifting day of sharing tai chi with each other.
Observers were invited to join a qigong workshop, ably led by two instructors. I compiled a contact list of instructors to hand out to the 17 people who attended the workshop so they could find a suitable instructor. A survey was completed by the workshop participants. Many positive comments were made. Some of the workshop people now attend a class.
It was a wonderful morning and everyone agreed we should do it again next year when I will start to plan earlier.
Considering the initial hesitation from the instructors, the atmosphere was one of togetherness and appreciation. The healing power of tai chi worked to create harmony where there was discord - enthusiasm where there was apathy - fostered creative spirit and energy to solve problems. My thanks goes to all who helped and participated in taking us one step further in our tai chi journey and achieve such a wonderful outcome.
back to top
#Humor, Laughter and Radiant Health
by Dr Bob McBrien, Master Trainer, Salisbury, Maryland
When June arrives in many places, especially in North America, the school year ends. Of course the arrival of June is a good news/bad news for students. Facing the ordeal of final exams can be stressful for most.
One student, obviously marching to a different drumbeat provided answers to a final exam that showed "divergent" thinking. His creativity was rewarded with a 0 score from his teacher. I would have given the clever student a score of 100%. How would you grade the test below?
Directions: Answer the following questions
1. In which battle did Napoleon die?
A. His last battle
2. Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?
A. At the bottom of the page
3. River Ravi flows in which state?
A. Liquid
4. What is the main reason for divorce?
A. Marriage
5. What is the main reason for failure?
A. Exams
6. What can you never eat for breakfast?
A. Lunch & dinner
7. What looks like half an apple?
A. The other half
8. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become?
A. It will simply become wet
9. How can a man go eight days without sleeping ?
A. No problem, he sleeps at night.
10.How can you lift an elephant with one hand?
A You will never find an elephant that has only one hand.
11. If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three
oranges in the other hand, what would you have ?
A. Very large hands
12. If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men to build it?
A. No time at all, the wall is already built.
13. How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?
A Any way you want, concrete floors are very hard to crack
back to top
Do visit TCHC USA and 'like' it!
====================
END OF NEWSLETTER
Warning: Dr Lam does not necessarily endorse the opinion of other authors. Before practicing any program featured in this newsletter, please check with your physician or therapist. The authors and anyone involved in the production of this newsletter will not be held responsible in any way whatsoever for any injury which may arise as a result of following the instructions given in this newsletter.
Visit Dr Lam's Website
The complete list of newsletters
Home
Click on the title above to read the articles, this link to read all previous newsletters and here to subscribe
#Hello Everyone,
I grew up in a small village in China, with my widowed grandmother, my widowed aunt and her son, my cousin. The four of us were classified by the Communists as a landlord family and therefore were condemned to be the enemies of the people. My grandmother was physically abused and we were discriminated against in unimaginable ways for ever - even now. You don't want to be an enemy of the people at ten months old; living in a small village you grow up feeling very lowly - to say the least. Imagine you were a slave in the Southern part of USA when slavery was legal - it would be close in terms of describing your social status. I hated being in the little town being recognised wherever I went. I will tell you more in the future, in my memoir.It took a major miracle to get me out of China. Another miracle and a lot of hard work led to a scholarship to study Medicine in Australia. Once I graduated and began working as a doctor I gradually overcame my feelings of inferiority and I thought I had put my early years behind me. I worked in a small country town and on the second day the car they had given me broke down. I got a lift, but the driver recognised me as the new doctor and the fear came back. I realised I hadn't quite worked through it after all.
Much as I liked working as a country doctor and having the opportunity to practice a lot more real medicine as (in contrast to a city doctor where you referred many cases to specialists), I chose to start my family practice in a busy Sydney suburb. Outside of my practice I had the anonymity I craved.I started practicing tai chi forty years ago, and for a long time our school was very academic but somehow, despite lying low, I gained a reputation in tai chi circles. Sixteen years ago the Tai Chi for Health programs took me and my colleagues out of the suburbs into the world. Since then we have reached over five million people.
As I travel I meet many people who have put aside their wheelchairs and walking aids because of my tai chi. It is wonderful to be able to empower people to make a difference to their health, and I love meeting new people. Now it is a privilege to be recognised because of my work. You might remember that in an earlier article I described being recognised by Yoris at a Belgian market. It has happened in so many places - during a lunch in Venice, having tea in San Francisco, touring the Botanical Gardens in Minnesota, walking into my hotel, chatting to people in the train, the person seated next to me during a flight ...
Today I flew into Singapore and as I walked through the duty free shop a distinguished jewellery salesman smiled at me and said hello. I was just about to tell him that I really didn't need to buy any jewellery when he asked "Are you Doctor Paul Lam?" Fifty years later from China, I found myself smiling confidently and saying "Yes, I am!"
I really enjoy being recognised and so I decided to extend the opportunity to everybody to wear our new official blue polo shirt with the Tai Chi for Health logo, which you can see in the photo. You will also have seen the shirts in my DVDs over the last five years. I hope you get yourself a shirt - you may be surprised by how many people will recognise you! You can be like me, meeting our fellow enthusiasts anywhere in the world! And telling the world how good Tai Chi for Health is.Remember the July workshops in Sydney are just around the corner! Otherwise I will see you at the annual workshop in USA this week.
In this Newsletter:
- Philip Tomlinson begins his tai chi journey
- Richard Askwith writes home from China
- Pam Laundry tells us about WTCQD in her neighborhood
- Dr Bob McBrien dispenses his regular dose of humour
This Month's Special
Tai Chi for Energy 2 is due for release in July! Start learning Tai Chi for Energy now - and get a 30% discount when you buy the DVD!
Click here to place your order. Please use coupon code TCE0614
Upcoming Workshops by Dr Paul Lam
Jun 07-08 Tai Chi for Energy Part 2
St. Louis, MO, United States
Jun 09-14 One Week Tai Chi Workshop
St. Louis, MO, United States
Jun 21-22 Tai Chi for Diabetes Workshop
Anchorage, AK, United States
Jul 03-04, Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
Jun 21-22 Tai Chi for Diabetes Workshop
Anchorage, AK, United States
Jul 03-04, Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Jul 05-06, Tai Chi for Diabetes Instructor Training
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Jul 06-06 Tai Chi for Arthritis Multiple Update
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Pukekohe, New Zealand
Pukekohe, New Zealand
Townsville, QLD, Australia
Townsville, QLD, Australia
Aug 16-17 Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
Torrensville, SA, Australia
Sep 10-11 Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
Shelburne, VT, United States
Sep 13-14 Tai Chi for Energy Instructor Training
East Longmeadow, MA, United States
Sep 18-19 Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
Chicago, IL, United States
Sep 20-21 Tai Chi for Energy Instructor Training
Chicago, IL, United States
Sep 27-28, Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
Aug 16-17 Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
Torrensville, SA, Australia
Sep 10-11 Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
Shelburne, VT, United States
Sep 13-14 Tai Chi for Energy Instructor Training
East Longmeadow, MA, United States
Sep 18-19 Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
Chicago, IL, United States
Sep 20-21 Tai Chi for Energy Instructor Training
Chicago, IL, United States
Sep 27-28, Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
Asheville, NC, United States
Oct 09-10 Tai Chi for Energy Instructor Training
Jekyll Island, GA, United States
Oct 11-12 Tai Chi for Energy Part 2
Jekyll Island, GA, United States
Oct 16-17. Tai Chi Energy Instructor Training
Hurst, TX, United States
Oct 16-17. Tai Chi 4 Kidz Instructor Training
Hurst, TX, United States
Oct 18-19. Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
Hurst , TX, United States
Caldera, OR, United States
Many other workshops conducted by my authorised master trainers are listed on the Workshop Calendar.
Yours in Tai Chi,
Paul Lam, MD
http://www.taichiforhealthinstitute.org/
back to top
#My Tai Chi Journey
Philip Tomlinson, Instructor, Greenfield, Massachusetts
Little did I know in October 2013 that attending a talk on Dr. Paul Lam's Tai Chi for Health would be the beginning of an eventful journey.Two instructors led the intro. They convinced me to spend the next hour observing a class of smiling tai chi players moving with fluid grace. I was hooked from the start. I attended classes three times a week and bought the DVDs of the exercises. We shared tai chi stories. For example, I noticed that my electric toothbrush was more effective if I moved it slowly, steadily, continuously.
My health improved. I had more energy, enthusiasm, motivation. Bouts of vertigo vanished. My cabin fever went down as I got out more often. This body of mine, which has put me through more than one wringer, was getting stronger, more agile and stable. I had empty and weighty moments, but the blues and the blahs were disappearing. Classes were fun. The teachers were warm and welcoming. They organized a terrific holiday party, complete with animal frolics and a dragon entrance. I tried to be helpful. Before long they began to ask me to assist people who were attending for the first time. Soon they started gently nudging me to attend a workshop. I signed up.
In April 2014 our Master and Senior Trainer and fourteen workshop participants arrived from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont. Within an hour we began to know one another and form a coherent group.
The workshop was fun, expertly conducted, and comfortable. Discussions alternated with tai chi practice. Our discussions ranged from different tai chi and learning styles to safety, fall prevention, the stepwise teaching method, a typical class routine and administrative points. What a treat to meet people so knowledgeable and enthusiastic to practice tai chi!
I could hardly believe this was happening. What an accomplishment for me to become an instructor. After so many years of achievement in cerebral academic studies, training as a teacher of the Transcendental Meditation program, then kidney failure, retirement, dialysis and a renal graft in June of 2000, I was now certified in this evidence-based, government recognized, widely enjoyed program that has the potential to restore and enrich my health and the health of people everywhere.
back to top
China Archives - Dr Lam's China Tour family share their experiences
(Richard Askwith wrote a series of letters to his family back home in the USA about the workshop and tour)
#Beyond Wuyishan
Richard Askwith, Instructor, Michigan
"Dear family and friends,
Here we are ready to leave Wuyishan and I've neglected to say anything about Wuyishan. The trip here from Zhuhai was notable in that it was only an hour and a half flight, on a fully loaded Boeing Seven Something arriving at 1:30pm and yet we were somehow served a hot meal (rice with peas), complete with a free hot towel. We then went directly to a restaurant for lunch at 2:30. No one was particularly hungry but we did our best considering that there was a huge amount and variety of food provided on a gigantic lazy susan. It seemed rude to not eat as much as we reasonably could.At that point I discovered that Wuyishan is in the mountains, not the ocean side as I had somehow expected. We then went off for an hour and a half hike in a very scenic area over unexpected difficult terrain such as "The line in the sky". This was somewhat problematic because it was cold, maybe in the 50s, and starting to rain. We had been advised that it would be cooler and maybe rainy so that wasn't a surprise. However it was a surprise that we set out hiking before going to the hotel. Nearly everyone's warm clothes and rain gear was in their checked luggage which was not accessible until we got to the hotel.
The line in the sky is a very narrow cleft or passageway in a mountain where each side goes straight up maybe 75 feet and the narrowness was such that I could not possible walk through it normally. Instead I (and everyone else) had to turn sideways and sort of drag ourselves through. Some of those who did have raincoats or ponchos ended up ripping them. The place is called "the line in the sky" because when you look up to see the sky all you can see of it is a line. It was somewhat claustrophobic and in a weird way fun although we were cold and wet (but not hungry). We had a sense of accomplishment.
At 5:30 we were whisked off to dinner which was another, different, challenge because it seemed like we had just eaten. Dinner was over the top, with food being supplied in apparently endless large containers.
After dinner we went off to a show. It would be fair to say that some of us were developing mixed feelings about going because we were overstuffed, damp, cold and the rain was getting serious. If this had been a baseball game the umpires would have been seriously considering postponing the game. But of course the tickets had been purchased and, as they say, the show must go on.
As we entered the stadium we were given plastic ponchos and the seats were pretty comfortable. The set in front of us was quite large, like maybe 4 or 5 times as wide as the stage at the Metropolitan Opera. When the show began it was reminiscent of an opera, among other things, such as a light show, a football half time entertainment event, performance art, a Cecil B. Demills production, and a bit of soap opera. The story line was the history of tea, plus another story line of a woman god who falls in love with a mortal, thusly angering the woman god's even more powerful god father, who decrees that they be turned into two mountains and can "see" each other only once every five hundred years. I believe the conclusion was that tea is an excellent thing and that the couple or should I say the mountains felt their love was undiminished despite the punishment. However I could be wrong because the whole thing was in Chinese.
Actually, it was a very impressive spectacle. There were 300 actors or singers or dancers or quick change artists or whatever you call them. The sound system was awesome and the sets were unbelievable. The set was actually far bigger than I first thought because the seats, unknown to us at first, were on a rotating platform, so the platform would rotate to show additional sets and a lake complete with real boats and boats men, and even the mountains were brought into the act. It was of course dark when the show started and you couldn't see the mountains, but the producers had placed lights which illuminated the mountains at appropriate times, creating a surprise effect. It was great fun except the rain got much worse (a baseball game would definitely have been cancelled). The finale was that maybe 9 or 10 teams of young women left the stage carrying trays of cups filled with tea, came up perhaps 20 rows onto the mezzanine, fanned out along the front row, and actually gave tea to those seated in the front row.
The producer of the play is famous in China and was apparently responsible for the opening ceremony the last time China hosted the Olympics.
Then we went to the hotel and I'm sure everyone took a hot shower and went straight to bed.
Today the main event was to take another hike, this one to a mountain that the tour guide constantly called "the most beautiful mountain." You know, she may have been right. In terms of number of feet I don't think they were all that big but in terms of visual effect they were most impressive indeed. The mountains in this region were shaped sort of like gigantic loaves of French bread thrust halfway into the ground with rivers meandering around them and pagodas and/or temples scattered around or teetering on dizzying cliffs and mists or clouds moving around the tops. To borrow Emily''s words when we came upon a stunning view of Three Sisters in Oregon "It looked like an I-Max".
In many places stairs were carved into the rocks of the mountain and the grand finale of the day was to climb up the one most visited. It was very much like going up Machu Picchu, with uneven steps and at least a 45 degree angle. Big workout for the heart and thighs but it was worth it.
Tomorrow we'll take another flight, this time to Xiamen, which is on the ocean."
Next month: To and From Xiamen
back to top
#World Tai Chi and Qigong Day 2014
Pam Laundry, Instructor, Port Macquarie NSW
Early this year, I began toying with the idea of organising a WTC&QD event in my own rural area. Doubts and "what ifs" rambled round in my head. Finally, the desire to share tai chi with others was too strong, and I decided to give it a go, find a venue, involve people, seek support and promotion. Here's how I went about it:
First, I contacted the council and after some setbacks, was offered support through the "Move, Live, Eat Well Programme". The coordinator offered space at The Glasshouse, community promotion and refreshments through the MLEW programme. All for free! An offer too good to refuse. The event was away ....
Next, I contacted tai chi instructors asking for their support and involvement. To my surprise, a few instructors seemed wary. I learnt there was discord between some instructors but, after lots of emails and phone calls, seven instructors agreed to attend with students.
On the day, there was a noticeable sense of excitement and expectation as participants arrived. About sixty people attended. Together we warmed up and each group performed their styles of tai chi or qigong. We were then privileged to watch demonstrations of swords, fan, walking qigong and other specialities. It truly was a rewarding and uplifting day of sharing tai chi with each other.
Observers were invited to join a qigong workshop, ably led by two instructors. I compiled a contact list of instructors to hand out to the 17 people who attended the workshop so they could find a suitable instructor. A survey was completed by the workshop participants. Many positive comments were made. Some of the workshop people now attend a class.
It was a wonderful morning and everyone agreed we should do it again next year when I will start to plan earlier.
Considering the initial hesitation from the instructors, the atmosphere was one of togetherness and appreciation. The healing power of tai chi worked to create harmony where there was discord - enthusiasm where there was apathy - fostered creative spirit and energy to solve problems. My thanks goes to all who helped and participated in taking us one step further in our tai chi journey and achieve such a wonderful outcome.
back to top
#Humor, Laughter and Radiant Health
by Dr Bob McBrien, Master Trainer, Salisbury, Maryland
When June arrives in many places, especially in North America, the school year ends. Of course the arrival of June is a good news/bad news for students. Facing the ordeal of final exams can be stressful for most.One student, obviously marching to a different drumbeat provided answers to a final exam that showed "divergent" thinking. His creativity was rewarded with a 0 score from his teacher. I would have given the clever student a score of 100%. How would you grade the test below?
Directions: Answer the following questions
1. In which battle did Napoleon die?
A. His last battle
2. Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?
A. At the bottom of the page
3. River Ravi flows in which state?
A. Liquid
4. What is the main reason for divorce?
A. Marriage
5. What is the main reason for failure?
A. Exams
6. What can you never eat for breakfast?
A. Lunch & dinner
7. What looks like half an apple?
A. The other half
8. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become?
A. It will simply become wet
9. How can a man go eight days without sleeping ?
A. No problem, he sleeps at night.
10.How can you lift an elephant with one hand?
A You will never find an elephant that has only one hand.
11. If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three
oranges in the other hand, what would you have ?
A. Very large hands
12. If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men to build it?
A. No time at all, the wall is already built.
13. How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?
A Any way you want, concrete floors are very hard to crack
back to top
Do visit TCHC USA and 'like' it!
====================
END OF NEWSLETTER
Warning: Dr Lam does not necessarily endorse the opinion of other authors. Before practicing any program featured in this newsletter, please check with your physician or therapist. The authors and anyone involved in the production of this newsletter will not be held responsible in any way whatsoever for any injury which may arise as a result of following the instructions given in this newsletter.
Visit Dr Lam's Website
The complete list of newsletters
Home
