The Dragon's Head Blog

It was wonderful to discover how it feels to put our minds into our spines, there seems to be always more.  Meanwhile, volunteers in the Centre helped to run everything smoothly, making sure there was food and all kinds of things that were needed. Adding to the full experience, we enjoyed some chanting in the morning and practiced lok hup in the evening. Now we have our ‘homework’, and we will be sure to come back for more opportunities to meet and practice together. We are very grateful that we can practice these internal arts to improve our health. “Today was a great moment for me. I have a very stiff back and balance problems due to polio […]

Participants’ thoughts during the Retreat! “My fatigue allowed me to work more deeply, letting go. I was feeling much more energized. I have a new appreciation.” – Southern Interior, Pacific Region, Canada “I am feeling it working very deeply in mind and body.”  – North Conway, New Hampshire, USA “CIT Week was amazing! Never have […]

Along with Dunedin’s rich Scottish History,  we have a history of oranges,  orange groves, and citrus packing. From the early 1880’s until the early 1950’s, when the oranges were packed, beautifully designed labels were made to go on each side of the fruit crates.   Dunedin resident and artist Steven Spathelf has admired,  collected and has been […]

On Sunday 15 December 2019, the Netherlands Seniors’ Committee invited Belgian members and Dutch participants for an intensive, a delicious Christmas lunch and a fun(d)raising activity in Helmond. The Belgian members even rented a coach for this occassion because so many wanted to go. The fun(d)raising activity was ‘Bingo’, a typical seniors game with balls […]

Participants in Leadership Pinellas visited the International Center Florida for the second year in a row. The ICF was a stop on their county-wide tour exploring various sites related to tourism and the environment. Dunedin branch members offered a few introductory words relating our Taoist Tai Chi Arts practice to leadership skills and offered participants […]

120 people from 8 countries gathered in Colchester for a 3-day programme. What are we doing now that’s different from what we did in beginners class? We’re still doing Brush Knee, Wave Hands as Clouds, Partition of Wild Horse’s Mane, Fair Lady Works Shuttles, and so on; but we’re not focused on the 108 moves. […]

Helmond, November 23-25, 2019 “There was a nice and special atmosphere, it felt very quiet right from the beginning”,  said a participant after the first day. Indeed, the atmosphere was very relaxed and helped us to focus and better integrate the instructions. We all worked intensively and with goodwill to experience the ground force, the […]

The International Center Florida hosted 3 consecutive weeks of Taoist Tai Chi® arts, gently flowing from one retreat into the next. Hsing-I, Continuing Instructor Training and Lok Hup programs brought nearly 450 participants together from around the globe. Fundamental to our experience was letting go to focus on feeling each simple but powerful movement. Sitting, standing, […]

“You enter the Taoist training through the body.” Participants worked hard on finding the feeling and the stillness as the leader of a five-day International Retreat in Perth helped us to go deeper in our Taoist Tai Chi ® practice. We began each day with chanting at the Shrine – and an intention to work […]

International Seniors Day was celebrated with a festive luncheon on November 8, 2019, at the International Center Florida.  Attendees included the City of Dunedin Mayor, City Manager, and Commissioners, members of the Dunedin Seniors Hall of Fame, 60 participants from the Tampa Bay/Sarasota area and the 285 CIT Week Participants. As a violin solo was […]

We welcomed a  second group of people to the Centre in Colchester who are living with tinnitus, last Thursday. All came along, invited by their hearing therapist at Colchester General Hospital, a strong believer in the power of Taoist Tai Chi® arts for improving health. We had an enjoyable morning introducing them to the first […]

  31 October 2019 we celebrated the International Seniors Day in our Centre in Helmond, the Netherlands. We started with tai chi and the focussed on the physical benefits that Taoist Tai Chi® arts have on aging.  After the International Seniors Day class, we enjoyed each others company and shared together the tasty potluck lunch […]

It was a very relaxed October program in Colchester, where over 100 participants from 14 countries came together to play tai chi and become more familiar with the themes from this year’s CIT week in May. Taking our time to really be conscious and pay attention to what we were doing helped us make changes. […]

Ida (26) and Isidora (27) from Denmark were attending their first workshop. They have both been practicing tai chi for less than a year. “There is a strong sense of openness and community at the centre and among the other participants at the workshop.  – The practice works differently than in the regular classes at […]

The international 5 day workshop organised by members of our Scandinavian societies and the Netherlands is now hosting 129 participants coming from 17 countries. New and familiar faces come together to deepen their knowledge and enjoy the legacy of what Master Moy left us. It is always a special opportunity to meet other participants outside […]

There was a Tai Chi heatwave in the UK as over one-hundred-and-fifty participants gathered for the five-day International Programme in Colchester.  The heat truly was a friend, as it softened muscles, tendons and ligaments, enabling everyone to work more deeply into their bodies through the danyu and toryu. The heat also worked to slow our brains, […]

To coincide with the Goon Yam Festival being celebrated at our Temple in D’Arcy Street, Toronto, members from England, Scotland, and Denmark, gathered to mark the occasion at our shrine in Colchester, chanting the 10,000 Buddha’s Sutra and the Northern Dippers Sutra, and sharing tea, fruit and stories.

From June 26 – 30, in the Fung Loy Kok Taoist Tai Chi Centre in Helmond, 66 participants from 9 countries enjoyed a 5 day International Workshop. Temperatures outside were record breaking high but inside everything was cool and calm. What a joy to work together on these arts!    

On Sunday May 26 we celebrated Awareness Day in Helmond in the Netherlands. We started the day with an instructors meeting where we had some good talks together. Then, after lunch, we walked with about 60 people to the town centre and did ourTaoist Tai ChiTM arts demonstrations. We did quite some sets in a […]

How can 71 participants for Taoist Tai Chi Sabre at the International Center Florida learn to practice “not holding” while holding a Sabre?  Perhaps the answer is to start with not worrying, letting go, and just turning the spine. It could take years rather than just three days, but smiling all the while.