Information, News, and Events
October 17, 2015 Posted November 29, 2015 It was September when Doug chose the date for the workshop. I thought at the time, "What a great date. Mid October in Grand Bend is so picturesque with the gold leaves of the birch and poplar mixed with red leaves of the maple against the background of the green needles of pine and spruce." Little did we know that on Friday night the 16th we would experience a snow storm. The winds blew all night and by morning the ground was blanketed with ten inches of snow. What a shock! Fortunately the snow was localized and Doug and Mehrab arrived safely. Our out of town members also arrived safely, though the Goderich members had some difficulty. There were 24 participants in all for the workshop. Doug and Mehrab started the morning session by reviewing the foundations and spent considerable time practicing donyus . Next they worked on the first five moves, concentrating on turning and angles. They practiced alignment, turning the navel in the direction of the weighted foot. This helped the group understand more fully squaring the hips. Everyone was encouraged to ask questions. At 12:30 potluck lunch was served which is always great. Grand Bend has some great cooks and there are always lots of casseroles, salads and special desserts. In the afternoon session we worked on White Stork Spreads Wings and Wave Hands. We were also very pleased to be practicing on the new floor of the church hall where we always hold are classes. Our location recently donated a substantial amount of money to help the church renovate. We are always so thankful for the time Doug and Mehrab spend with us, as they give everyone lots to practice and think about. Workshops also give us an opportunity to renew friendships and meet new members. It was a great day and everyone left expressing what a great time they had. Bernice Hill 
May 2 and 3, 2015 Posted May 12, 2015 The focus was on exploring all things to do with instruction in a format of small group sessions which emphasized sharing our experiences, getting ideas to take back to our classes, and fostering a more vibrant community for instructor learning. Participants were divided into three levels that reflected their teaching priorities: beginner, beginner/continuing, and continuing. There were four groups of 12 to 15, two who were beginner instructors and one each of beginner/continuing, and continuing instructors. The Session 1, called "Basics For Everyone", looked at the 5 Principles, knee and back issues, and movement modification. Session 2 dealt with the first part of the beginner course or intro to continuing, depending on which group you were in. Session 3 dealt with the latter part of the beginner course and the ongoing continuing course, again depending on which group you were in. It was glorious weather all weekend so many of us took to the outside to do our work. We all went home pumped and with new thoughts on how to approach our instruction. We promoted keeping in touch with fellow instructors and developing more local initiatives around instruction for the coming year. R.F.
Posted April 10, 2015 
Posted March 25, 2015 52 tai chi students from our own branches in Hamilton, Norfolk, Brantford, Mississauga and Toronto as well as from external clubs in Dundas and Peterborough participated. It was a great atmosphere of learning, sharing and enjoying the company of tai chi colleagues... and, as usual, feasting on wonderful snacks during breaks and lunch. We received many positive comments from CTCA members and external participants.
Posted January 4, 2015 So here's what I'm working on this year, - the uncomfortable, unappealing, for me, more difficult parts of my tai chi practice. Some that spring to mind:
D.O. |
Posts Current 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 |