Yesterday afternoon I drove up to Orillia and through the beautiful fall colours to arrive at a wonderful location called Geneva Park. The site is host to various buildings right on the waterfront and fortunately the weather was absolutely gorgeous, so we played outside all afternoon! 

I had been commissioned to do three workshops for people who work with abused women and children. The organizer had explained to me that these people need to be taught skills that will help them to de-stress and let go of all the turbulence that they have to deal with on a daily basis. As she said on the phone to me, “When they pick up the phone it’s always bad news”.

So, I attempted to show them just a few forms while explaining that tai chi is not just above the slow motion movements that everyone is familiar with. Tai Chi is a lifestyle that once accepted will change how you participate in the world. Tai Chi teaches us to be centered and balanced and allows us to perceive the world with more clarity as we learn to drop the ego and go with the flow.

Quite a few of the participants really seemed to grab hold of the concepts that I was trying to relate and I even had a few express a desire to come to the studio to learn more of what we had to offer.

After the workshops I drove back very slowly along the long winding drive hugging the lakeside and observed two cranes standing in the shallows. The crane/tai chi connection leapt in my consciousness and I smiled. I absorbed all the beauty that was available on that sunny fall day, feeling peaceful and glad to be of service to our community.

Peace

Rod