by Rick Barrett | Apr 6, 2026 | Alignment, Taiji
Conscious, intentional feeling and movement of the wrist is a huge factor in expressing internal power. Wrists are designed to be dynamic participants in arm movements, and wrists that are Song make it much easier to be Song throughout your body.
by Rick Barrett | Mar 21, 2026 | Taiji
Many Tai Chi teachers advise their students to not lift weights…and with good reason. The rationale is that weight training builds muscle and may encourage a dependency on muscular responses rather than internal power. While I respect this thinking, particularly for those just beginning their Tai Chi explorations, there comes a time when judicious use of resistance training is not just helpful, but necessary, to grasp the nuances of the internal arts.
by Rick Barrett | Mar 12, 2026 | "A Wee Bit of Alchemy with Rick Barrett", Taiji
Song is essential to Tai Chi. Song is releasing muscular tension so that we can shift to a different source of internal power, the intrinsic structure of the body as a unified whole.
by Rick Barrett | Sep 22, 2025 | Event Recaps, Spirit, Taiji
Tai Chi Alchemy continues to spiral upwards with another magical, wonder-filled exploration into “What Else is Possible?”, fueled by the unconditional love and boundless curiosity of a remarkable group of people in one of the most beautiful locations in the world.
by Rick Barrett | Sep 1, 2025 | Spirit, Taiji
Spiritual awareness is a spectrum. It may come as a dramatic event, sometimes blissful, sometimes frightening. Or it may be a slow evolution over a long time. And one day you realize that all those synchronicities, telepathies, and strange feelings are not just coincidences; they are signs that your awareness is no longer limited to your rational mind, that you are capable of much more.