The Dragon's Head Blog

The Portland branch celebrated the Chinese New Year with lots of energy and a great spirit of community.  As our branch grows so does this event.  For weeks, days and especially in the last hours before the event the branch was a beehive of creative activity.  The decibel level was high during the social hour […]

Jackie Mei from the Ithaca, New York branch offered a class in making dumplings. People bought raffle tickets and the lucky eight people chosen made a couple of hundred dumplings.  Some of them they ate right away but most were the appetizers at the branch’s Chinese New Year banquet on Saturday.  Money was raised for the […]

Weightshifting, smiling and diligent practice: The difference in Birgit’s tor-yu from last year until today couldn’t be more significant, as Andrew pointed out to us at the International Instructors Workshop in Helmond. From having to learn how to walk using donyus and toryus to demonstrating the toryu to all of us – it required effort […]

During my regular class people asked me about the workshop. I realized how different it was. Although we seemed to practice less, much has changed for me. Surprisingly, I am able to remember the “new things” achieved during the international workshop. They pop up on their own :-). Moreover, I am already able to integrate […]

As tradition dictates Prague hosts the first international workshop in Europe and did so last month.  Almost 230 participants from nine countries went to the heart of Europe. Many of them were prodded by the good intentions that we make at the beginning of each new year, wanting to do something beneficial for our health. […]

Participants from all over the USA and Canada came together to participate in the weekend workshop lead by Joé Thibault and Nicole Morency.  Dr. Tatiana Huguenin from the Sarasota branch also gave a brief presentation on how Taoist Tai Chi® practice affects the body. Participants had many wonderful things to say after the program. “A […]

On February 10 and 11, we explored the importance of coiling and dropping in various foundation exercises and moves of the set. It was the first international workshop in the area of Lausanne, Switzerland and a great adventure we happily shared with 68 participants from 11 different countries.  This is just a small sample of […]

On February 3rd a pancake brunch was enjoyed by Stratford’s Saturday morning continuing class and the weekend beginner class which ran Friday evening and Saturday. The seniors’ committee organized a selection of three kinds of pancakes plus bacon, fruit and coffee. Our own maple syrup from the International Centre made everything taste that much more […]

The Dunedin branch held its annual high tea this past Tuesday. Ladies wore their best hats and gentlemen wore suits. We started with lovely British tea and scones freshly baked by our participants. They were followed by a variety of tea sandwiches and ended with fresh Florida strawberries — plain and chocolate-dipped of course.  During all of this […]

There was a five-day international program led by Andrew Hung starting on January 30th. Some 113 participants from 12 countries were focusing on weight shifting, dropping and making circles. On Saturday night we celebrated the start of the Year of the Dog with a Chinese New Year banquet. One of our distinguished guests was a […]

How many tai chi’ers does it take to do Lok Hup in Parksville, British Columbia? “191”, a truly auspicious event! Practitioners gathered in the highest goodness, arriving from Phoenix, Winnipeg, Ontario, the Southern Interior of BC, the Vancouver area, Kamloops and Vancouver Island. Together, and because of the caring nature of our organization, harmony was […]

Participants from the Brandon, Florida branch joined in a tai chi demo at St. Stephen’s Interfaith Day event where 180 8th graders from a variety of denominations (Catholic, Jewish, Muslim) attended.  “It is one of our favorite demos,” participants said. Not only does it satisfy our aims and objectives, it also promotes compassion and understanding […]

Last Saturday January 27 approximately 40 people came to the St Petersburg, Florida center for the Quan Yin illumination chanting lead by Sean Denison.  For many it was their first time chanting. Sean’s explanation of the ceremony was informative and helped the newcomers understand what they were seeing and hearing.

The Scottish region hosted around 50 attendees for a beginners’ weekend at the centre in Edinburgh. Sharing our hospitality in the Taoist (Fung Loy Kok) way, we completed 108 moves of the set, generating good circulation and lots of smiles. Several CITs generously volunteered their time to help and support the event, everyone returning home […]

Fifty people joined in a weekend beginner class on Jan 27th and 28th, enjoying two invigorating days of learning, eating and working together. On Sunday we had an addition to the day as 12 guests joined us as part of World Interfaith Harmony Week in Halifax. Many people around the city will be visiting various  […]

At Toronto’s North York location we celebrated the 95th birthday of participant Margaret Day.   Margaret started practicing Taoist Tai Chi® arts seven years ago and she is grateful for all that is has done for her, mainly improved balance and increased strength, as well as making many new friends. Last summer Margaret had a […]

Over 130 participants travelled to the European Centre in Colchester, Essex from as far afield as Cardiff,  Southampton, and Northampton to take part in a beginners’ weekend of Taoist Tai Chi® arts. Here is what some of the participants said about their first visit to the centre: The kindness of the people made it a […]

As we look forward to 2018, we find ourselves looking back at a significant event. We celebrated a happy milestone as a branch. We welcomed participants and guests to our 35th anniversary celebrations on Friday, October 13, 2017. Our practice hall at 401 Henderson Highway in Winnipeg, Manitoba was transformed into a gathering space for […]

We all know about the dragon, many participants have practiced at the Centre and other locations and have also helped dance the dragons at Awareness Day, in lots of parades and festivals all around the world. Our dragons are all sleeping now, however soon, most likely in April they will awaken from their slumber when […]

We all had loads of fun and we thank our leaders Marsha Eberhardt and Sean Dennison.  Here are a few comments from some of the participants.   I am struck from the very first move how internal it is. I can feel how it’s opening my back”   All the sets we learn bring me […]