Thank you to everyone who has contributed in any way to Tai Chi Alchemy’s 30 years of joyous exploration. TCA has come a long way from a crazy idea I had in 1994 after visiting Sedona, Arizona for the first time. The town has changed a lot in three decades, and so have we. Back then, Sedona was still a well-kept secret, we slept in stuffy rooms on uncomfortable cots, and competitive push hands dominated much of our presentations. The word is out now, however, and it hosts millions of visitors from around the world. (On my way out of town, I gave hiking tips to a Korean couple looking for good climb.) Our focus now is on body-mind-spirit integration and personal empowerment. We sleep very comfortably in air conditioned rooms and loll about in the hot tub/pool in our off hours. We still pack a lot into a few days, but there is plenty of time to relax and enjoy the civilized comforts that are available now.
We kicked things off Monday with a hike to major energy vortexes Bell Rock and Courthouse Rock.It’s always so hard to choose which of Sedona’s many power spots to take such a diverse group as ours. This location presents a wide array of possibilities, and it didn’t disappoint. The mountain speaks to you in the softest voice you can hear. As many times as I have visited Bell over the years, it is always new. The Yang energy of the upper levels contrasts strongly with the Yin of the lower. You can feel your root change the higher you ascend.
Debbie on Bell Rock
In Monday’s “Opening Circle,” I posed a question for us all: “What should we know about you so that we can help you get the most from Tai Chi Alchemy?” This inspired some soul-searching and an opportunity for each of us to know how to support each other in our explorations. I felt a sense of community building as we created space for the aspirations of each other.
Tuesday began with an early morning Qigong session by Oak Creek. Lynn Sharp and Nick D’Antoni shared a powerful warmup set that opened and supported joints and got the Qi moving. Ethan DeFord shared how to liberate the upper and lower kua through changing our relationship with gravity and performing simple movements, followed by an exploration of these dynamics in a modified Swinging Bear Qigong.
Morning Qigong
After breakfast, we returned to the creek for the morning session. We packed a lot into two hours: my “Reclaiming Lost Territory” warmup set, Yang Cheng Fu’s 13 Original postures, and a brief review of the “Three Pillars of Body-Mind-Spirit Integration.” We explored the effortless power of Taiji (Jin) by learning to differentiate between intention and physical effort in varying degrees. This led to amplification of intention and reduction of muscular force while increasing effective power, giving birth to the descriptions, “a soft, fluffy freight train.” I observed that intention is born of the desire to be, do, or have something. “There ain’t no gonna without a wanna.”
Tuesday afternoon session began with a meditation designed to increase nitric oxide (NO) in your breath, which then is circulated in your bloodstream to enhance health in all of your cells. This was done by humming at 130 Hz and feeling the vibrations in your nasal cavity. (This increases NO production by as much as 15 times.) When the nitric oxide cycle is performing in natural rhythmic cycles, we experience many health benefits including:
- Enhances cell vitality, vascular flow and heart healing.
- Destroys bacteria and viruses at a micro level which naturally enhances our immune system and increases our ability to prevent and fight infection.
- Sharpens mental clarity and diminishes states of depression.
We then began exploring the featured Qigong exercise of the seminar, “Dragon Yearns to Fly, but Cannot.” This is a short, powerful Baguazhang exercise that not only cranks up the Qi, but also gives us a way to own our internal power. I broke it down into two parts, and taught the second half first, as seen in this video:
The Wednesday early Qigong session began with Andrew Hahn, who guided us through a practice to make our stances and postures more actional, by injecting them with Kua release and dynamic intention.. Valarie Gabel then had us improvise movements while moving from various parts of the body: eyes, lungs, heart, and liver.
In the morning session we explored holding poles in opposition to create Qi flow. I introduced the power of “elbow Jin”—how reaching with your elbows amplifies the effective power of the whole body. I then taught the first half of the “Dragon Yearns” Qigong. This part includes spiraling, powerful stepping and torso movements.
Dragon Yearns Qigong
We began Wednesday afternoon with more nitric oxide humming, then put Parts 1 and 2 of the Dragon together for a powerfully elegant form. We finished the day with a “Closing Circle” to share our wonder and gratitude. We celebrated that night with a dinner at Oaxaca restaurant and lingered afterwards for a long time. Nobody wanted to leave the magical energy that we had created over our few days together.
I know I say this every year, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true: “This is the best TCA yet.” It keeps getter better. Everyone blended together harmoniously to allow us to delve deeply into some esoteric stuff and to appreciate the fruits of our labors. As I said at the start of this blog, I am deeply grateful to everyone who has participated or contributed in any way to making this crazy Brigadoon possible.
And the best is yet to come.
