The Dragon's Head Blog

There were 120 participants who spent the last weekend in May, 2017 attending a central region program at the International Centre near Orangeville, Ontario. Program leaders John Balinski and Jim Gazzard emphasized the importance of learning by watching so that we can disengage our “thinking” mind and access our “feeling” mind. Although the weekend started […]

    Monday 12th June was the first day the long-awaited renovations started. These first two days the work has been mainly demolition on the top floor. There is lots of noise and dust to put up with.  But how great it will look in September!

It was a busy weekend at the Southern European Centre: a rich intensive with around 30 members from different branches, followed by a refreshing and nutritious meal. And for the rest of the weekend, many helping hands to finish clearing things up so all the areas are ready for the renovations. But, of course, we still […]

Construction is underway at the International Center Florida in the southwest wing. After many long weeks of waiting, the steel has arrived. The local osprey enjoy having dinner atop the 30-foot tall beams. Site work on the north side of the building has brought the attention of the neighbors back to the site. Many gather […]

                      The International Center Florida hosted the a sword program lead by Dr. Karen Laughlin, over the Memorial Day holiday. Over 82 participants joined in the fun. For many, this was their first workshop. First-time participants reflect:   I took sword just to have fun. […]

As the doors of the practice hall opened the warm wind wafted in giving new life to the space. The tai chi practitioners filtered in a few at a time on this lovely spring day. I was about to come alive again! I am the twenty-legged green dragon resident at the International Taoist Tai Chi […]

It was nice to give my mom flowers on Mother’s Day at the International Centre in Orangeville. Frazer

Preparations are being made for the renovations to start in the next two weeks.  

Breakfast was early this last day of the workshop so that we had lots of time to practice.  We consolidated everything we had learned the first four days. And to top it all off we ended with two sets that felt completely different than the first sets we did this workshop. We all went home […]

Today we heard several stories. One of the members has radiation pain from the shoulder to the arm. She told us that she went to the doctor the day before this workshop. He advised her to double her morphine dose. Instead she decided to register for the five-day workshop. With a big smile on her […]

  There are 90 participants from 12 countries who have come to Helmond to practise Taoist Tai Chi® arts and to do other activities together, like weeding, dishwashing and chopping vegetables. This feels like coming home. Meeting old and new tai chi family members also contributes to this feeling. On the first sunny and warm […]

“Keep it simple”, says Frazer Smith as he leads 31 participants at the May Health Recovery program at the International Centre in Orangeville.  “Up, up, …” go the participants as the instructor guides us through the first few moves of the set. And slowly, gently, softly day one ends with a shifting to balance.   […]

At our Colchester Centre on May 4th, members came together from four different branches for our first gardening day of the year. It was a very productive day as we tidied and pruned, weeded and cut back, planted up pots with young bedding plants, planted lettuce and sunflower seeds, and prepared a tomato bed. A […]

On a sunny and crisp Saturday, April 29, the 10-leg dragon was prodded from its lair at the International Centre in Orangeville by a posse of 18 participants from Toronto, Quebec and Halifax. The sleepy dragon patiently allowed its head to be reattached after a long winter sleep before going outside for a good stretch and run. Energized by a morning of […]

The southwest wing of the International Center Florida is ready for steel supports to be delivered. After many weeks of engineering discussions on how to preserve the original brick and still provide structural support, we are ready. Vertical footers and knee walls are now in place and steel is scheduled to be delivered and installed […]

It has been a real privilege to attend the tai chi sword workshop here at the International Centre near Orangeville, Canada. Our instructor (and chef!) Blaise Baillargeon led us through the sword set, teaching each move with very calm and clear instruction. The workshop began with none other than the humble danyu! Blaise was demonstrating […]

After 13 years of practising Taoist Tai Chi® arts in Denmark, I finally had the opportunity to come to our center in Orangeville. I arrived on March 17th which was in the middle of the maple syrup season and Jesse, a resident volunteer who picked me up at the airport, was happy to tell me all […]

On Saturday April 8 the Dunedin branch held its first wine tasting at the International Center Florida. As participants and friends entered the building they were greeted by a glass of sparkling wine and a brochure detailing each wine at the six tasting stations. Each station had an attendent knowledgeable on each of the two wines […]

In late February Andrew Hung and Pegoty Packman were interviewed by the city of Dunedin’s official television station regarding the Fenway Hotel restoration update.  

Joé Thibault has guided us during five days along a path of softness, lightness and elasticity. Today we have applied these aspects to different parts of the tai chi set. The members of the Taoist Tai Chi® family have shared tasks in a harmonious workshop aided by the energy and good humour of Joé. You […]