Newsletter #97 - September 2009
-- Is there Space for Taiji in Modern Day Workplace? Troyce Thome
-- Tai Chi in the Workplace, a Stress Management Tool, Susan Scheuer
-- Tai Chi Advocates are Great Ambassadors, Suzanne McLauchlan
-- Tai Chi, a Life Changing Experience, Marty Kidder
-- TC for A and Cooking, Daniela Ostezan
-- Humour, Laughter and Radiant Health, Bob McBrien
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Read Master Trainer, Troyce Thome’s very well researched and study based, article on the role of tai chi in the workplace.
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Another Master Trainer from USA, Susan Scheuer, has been teaching Tai Chi @ Work to Local County employees during their lunch break. The wellness generated from these classes was encouraging to both employers and employees as shown by their enthusiasm to join.
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Suzanne McLauchlan, a Master Trainer and a Queensland Keep Fit instructor, shares her endeavour to involve the Chronic Disease Team of the Mackay Community Health Centre to advocate tai chi in their specific programs.
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Read about Marty Kidder’s, a Master Trainer, life changing experience with tai chi. Perhaps you may have some you would like to share with us. We always welcome inspiring stories.
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On a lighter note, find out how Tai Chi for Arthritis helped Daniela Ostezan improve her cooking skills!
This Month’s Special:
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Tai Chi @ Work -– Instructional DVD
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Tai Chi for Beginners – Instructional DVD
Buy Tai Chi @ Work DVD and Tai Chi for Beginners DVD and receive a FREE Tai Chi for Beginners Handbook worth USD $9.95 or AUD $12.95
Limit of one order per person. Click here for more information or to place your order.
Therapeutic Tai Chi
September 19 - September 20, 2009. Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Tai Chi for Diabetes Instructor Training
October 1 - October 2, 2009. Manchester, United Kingdom
Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
October 3 - October 4, 2009. Manchester, United Kingdom
Tai Chi for Osteoporosis Instructor Training
October 10 – October 11, 2009. Barcelona, Spain
Tai Chi for Diabetes Instructor Training
October 17 - October 18, 2009. Zurich, Switzerland
Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
October 24 - October 25, 2009. Kingsland, GA, United States
Tai Chi for Osteoporosis and Fall Prevention Instructor Training
October 31 - November 1, 2009. Teller County, CO, United States
Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
November 7 - November 8, 2009. Sisters, OR, United States
Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
November 14 - November 15, 2009. Pleasant Hill, CA, United States
Exploring the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis
January 4 - January 9, 2010. Sydney, NSW, Australia
One Week Tai Chi Workshop
Yours in Tai Chi,
Paul Lam, M.D.
Troyce Thome, Master Trainer, Mission Viejo, CA, USA
Resources for this article come from The Mindful Brain by Dr. Daniel Siegel.
Susan Scheuer, Master Trainer, Sarasota, Fl, USA
Suzanne McLauchlan, Master Trainer, Mackay, Qld, Australia
After many years of my networking with the Chronic Disease Team of the Mackay Community Health Centre and providing demonstrations of Tai Chi to the participants of their Lighten Up, Healthy Weight programs and the Lymphoedema support group I was invited as a Queensland Keep Fit Association Incorporated Instructor member by the Nurse Unit Manager to provide training in early 2007 for their team of health professionals to be advocates of Tai Chi. The aim of the Chronic Disease Team receiving this training was to work in partnership with the Queensland Keep Fit Association Incorporated to provide awareness for their clients about the Tai Chi programs available in the community. Rather than CDT members just talking about Tai Chi during their programs it was envisaged that they would introduce Tai Chi by providing some background information and by demonstrating some basic Tai Chi movements to initiate interest in Tai Chi.
The Chronic Disease Team was made up of nurses, a physiotherapist, a dietician and a psychologist. Initially the training was held for one month, meeting once a week for three and half hours with a break of 30 minutes for a light lunch and discussion. Prior to the commencement of the training, a library of resources was purchased to assist the team throughout and after their training. The program, “Becoming a Tai Chi Advocate” was based on the Tai Chi for Arthritis 12 Forms, incorporating the Warm Ups, Cool Downs, a basic Qigong, history and benefits of Tai Chi according to research. During the training the team experienced seated as well as standing Tai Chi and Qigong. Practising between sessions was encouraged. Some of the team who had attended my Introduction to Tai Chi course in late 2006 proved to be pivotal to successful practice sessions. In the last training session members rehearsed in pairs to show how to introduce the concept of Tai Chi for the first time. Afterwards then each team member presented to the whole group imagining them as their client group.
Overall the feedback from the 12 out of the 13 team members who completed the month’s training was very positive and most indicated that they would be more confident as advocates of Tai Chi. All indicated that they would recommend the training to others. Two follow up sessions of three and half hours were held at four monthly intervals to revise the initial training and to complete teaching the remainder of the Tai Chi for Arthritis 12 Forms. Discussion in these sessions with the team focused on a review of their implementation of their knowledge and skills of Tai Chi during their specific programs.
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Tai Chi, a Life Changing Experience
Marty Kidder, Master Trainer, Canton, CT, USA
Tai Chi has changed my life in so many ways, that as I starting to think about it and then think about Paul’s love of the number three I decided to keep this very simple.
Over the last year my youngest daughter and her newborn son has lived with us, and from the time Mason started crawling and then walking he would make his way into my office every morning and as he was crossing the threshold he would exclaim ‘hiiiiiiiii……..’ Whatever I am doing – stops. I gently and happily ‘yield to the incoming force’ – we play with his own keyboard, his own calculator, cell phone and phone – yes he has all the office stuff and we play. Nothing is more important. That was not the case with my kids when they would roll, stumble or crash into my ‘busy important life’. Tai chi has taught me to be more present in the moment, more attentive to my family and to gladly yield to their incoming forces….
Many of us have personal experiences on the healing benefits of tai chi and I do as well. At my first class I was in pain, on meds and my balance was; err, I had no balance. I was waiting until I was 60 for knee replacements. That way, according to the doctors, it would only happen once. 4 years into my tai chi for health journey the doctors confirmed what I already knew, I no longer need the replacements. I truly believe I have these two guys back to help spread the word about the healing power of tai chi.
I was introduced to TCH in June 2003 workshop in CT where I certified TCA. Stephanie was my teacher. When I returned home to Virginia I had to give my new skill set a try, I advertised a free introduction to tai chi and offered discounts to attract my first TCH students. One student in that very first class was Edith, I figure she was in her 80s, she was cheerful and would come to class in her walker. She lived at the assisted living centre next door to the parish hall where we met. She would stand for some of the class but spend a majority of the class sitting. About 5 or 6 weeks into the class, I asked Edith how the class was going. I was concerned she wasn’t getting what we were doing and falling behind the others. To my surprise, she smiled and said she loved it. Confused, which some of you would happily very is a normal state for me, I asked why. She then told me that when she first came to class she had very little range of motion in her arms. But over the last few weeks that range of motion was improving. She then told me that she was able to feed herself again without the help from the staff where she lived. I was floored, emotional and knew in my heart that this was what I needed to do. This was why I was given back my knees.
Yesterday – and this morning I took a very informal survey – I asked you ‘how has tai chi changed your life’ – here are but a few of the answers:
“I don’t yell at my kids anymore” - “The size of my mortgage is greater”
“I’m more independent” - “I’m more forgiving” - “I can be the caregiver, through my passion” - “I’ve met people from all over the world who are so different yet so much alike” - “I don’t get nervous when I have to make a presentation” - “I fell in love”
“I am poorer yet happier”
When I do my intro class I tell the students that if they come to class, practice just a little something will change, they may see an improvement in their balance, or flexibility or their stress level may be a little lower…I think I was expecting those types of physical answers when I asked the question to you how has tai chi changed your life. I was not expecting, “I don’t yell at my kids anymore” - “I’m more independent” - “I’m more forgiving” - “I can be the caregiver” - “I don’t get nervous” - “I fell in love” What I heard from you and what I’ve personally experienced through tai chi is that our journeys have stages. First, it’s the physical change; balance, flexibility, strength and range of motion, and then as our tai chi grows it’s internalized, and as we deepen our understanding, we slowly learn to yield to the incoming forces, to live in harmony with others and within ourselves.
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TC for A and Cooking
Daniela Ostezan, TCA Instructor, Lake Orion, MI, USA
Growing up my Mom told me that it is good to know how to cook…
When I got married, I mastered how to boil an egg and make a good tea. Not too long into married life, I woke up one morning to a breakfast worthy of a queen. The kitchen table was full of a great spread prepared by my husband. That was the moment I decided to become a basic cook.
Considering a scientific approach, I started measuring ml and grams, paying attention to boiling points of 100°C, and adding or subtracting various degrees of temperature. My food was created by correct mathematics formulas (recipes) and was far for being delicious.
The years went by and life, children and cooking evolved from boiling an egg to fast and frozen foods.
In recent years people have started complementing me on my cooking creations which is rewarding and refreshing. All of this coincides with my daily TCA practice and teaching. The result was that TCA took over my cooking!
When I asked sifu Dan Jones when TCA would end, his answer was that “it is a journey”. So it was! Going back to the Update and part 2 TCA workshop, I realized that subconsciously, the essential principles of TCA had extended into my cooking.
You can obtain Jing by eliminating the phone ringing and the kids interrupting with questions. The quality of what you can cook and serve in 45 minutes will be greatly improved. As Dr. Lam wrote “once attained it will help you deal with not only a martial art fight but with any crisis in real life”.
Song is necessary in cooking. You can’t be tense. When your chi is added to the food it will show in your children’s actions before you know it. ”Once you develop Song, your mind becomes Jing, thus setting up a positive circle” (Dr. Lam). At this point I start paying more attention to the process and not rushing through, I moved from mixing all of the ingredients at once to adding them one by one till completion. As a result, Chen came into play enhancing stability and chi cultivation. Finally, Huo appeared when I spent time in the grocery store, checking isles and labels for better nutrition. One needs to be strong with a powerful chi and be in a good mental state.
Since my humble beginnings I have learned to use ounces, cups and teaspoons. Today I am glad to cook for my family. My cooking skills have improved and whatever love that I put in when cooking, or my excitement for Tai-Chi, for teaching it, for touching people’s lives, comes through in my cooking!
Dr Bob McBrien, Salisbury, MD, USA
A: One horsepower is the amount of energy it takes to drag a horse 500 feet in one second.
*You can listen to thunder after lightening and tell how close you came to getting hit. If you don't hear it you got hit, so never mind.
*Talc is found on rocks and on babies.
*The law of gravity says no fair jumping up without coming back down.
*When they broke open molecules, they found they were only stuffed with atoms. But when they broke open atoms, they found them stuffed with explosions.
*When people run around and around in circles we say they are crazy. When planets do it we say they are orbiting.
*We say the cause of perfume disappearing is evaporation. Evaporation gets blamed for the things people forget to put the top on.
*To most people solutions mean finding the answers. But to chemists solutions are things that are still all mixed up.
*In looking at a drop of water under a microscope, we find there are twice as many H's as O's.
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.