The Dragon's Head Blog

On Sunday October 1st we celebrated in almost all Italian branches International Seniors’ Day. We took Taoist Tai Chi® arts to some retirement homes and hosted a wonderful silver age choir in the Florence club. Many thanks to the seniors who welcomed us, and who gave an enthusiastic try at playing at tai chi.  They […]

There were 220 participants from 16 countries in attendance, which made for a cosmopolitian international workshop in Colchester. There are many routes to discovering a stillness in our centre — dan yu, tor yu, chanting, sleeping meditation, and practising hosting a banquet — a delicious lunch with musical entertainment and a moving testimonial.  

In early 2016, when refugee families were being welcomed to Canada, many groups chose to sponsor a family as they adjust to their first year in our country.  A number of groups in Collingwood sponsored Syrian families, including the First Presbyterian Church. In their search for rental homes, this church approached our Collingwood Branch regarding […]

On a warm autumn Sunday in September members from the San Francisco Bay Area branch of the Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA participated at the Kaiser Fall Family Wellness Festival at the Concord Pavilion, a venue that has had performers such as Bob Dylan, Bette Midler and Johnny Cash.  The attendees at the […]

This year citizens of the Czech Republic and Slovakia gathered on October 1st to celebrate together International Seniors’ Day in our clubhouse in Brno. As we have recently gotten the opportunity to make our clubhouse bigger (with an expanded kitchen and dining room), we decided to cook on our own for everybody.  A menu of […]

The Atlantic Region national program held in Halifax, Nova Scotia on October 14th and 15th was an amazing whirl of colour, laughter, friendship and fantastic food. Jim Gazzard from Hamilton, Ontario brought to us so much more than what we ever expected.  It was a true experience of Taoist Tai Chi® practice. By showing us […]

On 1. October 2017 the Taoist Tai Chi Society of Switzerland celebrated International Seniors’ Day in Schaffhausen. All were looking forward to this day and enjoyed the organizing of it together. We worked together nicely and the guests that attended seemed very interested and comfortable at our event.   Everyone enjoyed the brunch, the demonstrations […]

What’s happening at the International Center Florida? Construction is under way in Build E, our new practice hall.   (Here is a reminder that all programs and classes have been moved to 1370 Main Street in Dunedin, Florida until construction is completed.)  Build E has had the walls and walkways around the courtyard removed and scaffolding put […]

From October 11-15 Tony Kwong led a five-day international program where participants learned about the unity of opposites and the power of letting go. Hungry participants filled the tables for dinner at the national centre after a full day of intensive tor yu and don yu practice. 

One of the most watched television stations in Slovakia broadcast the public demonstration on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary celebrations during the main evening news. The public demo took place on the main square in Bratislava on October 13, 2017. More than 200 participants from ten countries participated. Here is the link to the […]

On October 1st, 18 participants from the Sunshine Coast made the journey to celebrate International Seniors’ Day at the Pacific Region Centre in Vancouver. This entailed a 40-minute ferry ride at 6:30 in the morning, then a bumpy school bus ride to the centre. Three of us went in the night before to be able […]

The hands lead and the body will follow. Paul Harmon, our guest instructor from Fairbanks, Alaska recently instructed intensive classes at our Oakland, Sonoma and Pleasant Hill locations. Paul worked with us on our foundations. We received instructions on many of our moves.  It will be our homework until the next intensive. To get ready […]

On October 5, 2017 over 150 participants from the Ottawa and Kingston branches came out onto the grounds of parliament in Canada’s capital to demonstrate Taoist Tai Chi® arts.  As we started doing the first set the Peace Tower clock on Parliament Hill struck noon, followed by several melodies including O Canada, Canada’s national anthem.  […]

On the first day of the month the New York City-based Tri-State branch hosted 62 guests and participants for our International Seniors’ Day event. We shared a fantastic brunch while watching live video feeds from 11 branches around the globe, an illustration of our international culture.  We all thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Nathan Goldstein’s presentation entitled In […]

The National Centre in Bayswater was a hive of activity across the weekend of September 23 and 24, 2017. The centre got a head-to-toe spring clean. Members were popping in and out both days, volunteering their time to assist with rehanging, cleaning, clearing, and preparing surfaces for painting the guest bedrooms. On Saturday afternoon Peter […]

Tai chi might be a useful way to introduce reluctant people and heart attack survivors to exercise, according to a small new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association and reported by Time. The dietary and exercise changes that doctors recommend to people after heart attacks are often too intimidating and frightening […]

The Portland, Oregon branch honored seniors with a breakfast and intensive on the morning of Sunday, October 1st.  Our fabulous kitchen team presented a first-class breakfast to 90 participants and guests including many from senior activity and residential centers where we hold external classes. Volunteers created beautiful tables with lovely bouquets and our resident technical […]

For the 12th year, the Vancouver, Washington, USA location of the Portland branch participated in the Vancouver Peace and Justice Fair.  It was bigger and better than ever with over 100 exhibitors and a steady stream of visitors to our booth.  The day began with our regular Saturday continuing class being held at the Bell Tower in […]

The Tallahassee branch held their International Seniors’ Day celebration on Monday, October 2nd at the Tallahassee Senior Center.  We were joined by over 75 participants watching Taoist Tai Chi® demonstrations and participating in mini-lessons on the first moves of the set.  Home-baked cookies and other refreshments were served and enjoyed by all. One of our long-standing members […]

Branches and locations around Great Britain have been taking the message to the people:  Taoist Tai Chi® arts are a great defence against the problems of aging. There are more pictures on the matter from around Great Britain on Twitter @TaoistTaiChiUK.  For now, here are three towns beginning with the letter B.   Bedford — Tea and […]