The Dragon's Head Blog

More than 40 participants gathered over Memorial Day Weekend at the International Center in Dunedin, Florida, for the first national retreat of the Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA since the pandemic began. Among those in the group were most of the members of the USA Board of Directors, members of Regional Management Committees, […]

Three hundred tai chi lovers from all over the world came to Brno, Czech Republic, for an International Taoist Retreat. They worked together on this gentle exercise to achieve inner harmony.  Media covered the event on live TV.  Na tři stovky milovníků tai chi z celého světa přijely do Brna na mezinárodní setkání taoistického tai […]

Over a hundred participants came together for the International Retreat in Colchester, UK, the first such event in Europe in this year of celebrating 50 years since Master Moy Lin Shin began teaching us Taoist Tai ChiTM arts. Working from the spine, everyone took the time to engage the coiling, the expansion, and the contraction. […]

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 […]

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, […]

This was the first 3-day workshop held in Poland. There were 125 participants from 10 countries. The setting was a peaceful, low-rise housing neighborhood, during a classic, golden, Polish autumn, encouraging walking but instead we were all inside practising. Maybe this is the sincerity and dedication to Taoist Tai Chi® Arts practice that the workshop […]

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. […]

The Oregon Branch hosted a Tai Chi program on September 21st and 22nd.  The weekend started with a Friday evening dinner to welcome everyone.  For the first time the Portland Center was too small for the workshop, a testament to the continuing growth of the Society.  The 137 attendees represented states from Florida to Alaska […]

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 […]

We had the pleasure to host 179 participants from 9 countries of the world – including Europe, Canada and New Zealand. Below you will find few testimonials: “It was a workshop quite different from all the previous ones in which I attended … A lot was said about the flow of chi, twelve meridians, Chinese […]

In the first week of September, the Taoist Tai Chi Society of Ireland hosted a 5 day International Workshop on the banks of the River Moy in Ballina. There were133 participants from 9 countries, some who have been practicing Taoist Tai Chi for over 30 years and some for 7 weeks. Everyone benefitted from the […]

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, […]

Everyone suddenly burst out singing; And I was filled with such delight As prisoned birds must find in freedom … … and the song was wordless; the singing will never be done.” –  Everyone Sang, by Siegfried Sassoon Joy was a word used and felt by many of the more than 100 participants at the […]

At 37 years young, I am what some would consider “broken” (for my age). A physiotherapist (one of many), whom I had a long-standing relationship with after a ruptured disc in my early twenties, described me as a patient whose body tenses easily with an inability for my muscles to release or relax – often […]

That great Australian expression “No worries” came into its own during the International Programme held at the University of Queensland Gatton campus from 17 – 21 July 2019. More than 230 members from across Australia, New Zealand and the US enjoyed a residential retreat in peaceful rural surrounds that are just perfect for ‘letting go’. […]

Participants thoughts after the program: The workshop theme, “letting go of worry”, goes to the core of our tai chi.  Our practice is a powerful prescription for keeping the mind, body and spirit healthy.  With a lighter step and lighter heart, I left the workshop looking forward to the next opportunity to deepen my understanding.    Jill P. […]

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!