The Dragon's Head Blog
North European Centre Helmond
Testimonials from International Workshop in Helmond, Netherlands
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 […]
International Workshop in Helmond, Netherlands
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 […]
Days Four and Five of International Workshop in Helmond, Netherlands
Saturday was the day of celebrating the Chinese New Year! Before the festivities we were focussed on our practise. After working on wave hands like clouds, Marsha explained what the effect of this movement is on the deepest layers of the muscles. These muscles are reached by practising Taoist Tai Chi®. Taoist Tai Chi® brings […]
Third Day of International Workshop in Helmond, Netherlands
Corry, a senior member from Breda in the Netherlands, is enjoying her fifth workshop. It is my first time that I am relaxed and enjoying every minute. At other workshops I was so eager to learn and apply as much as possible in the Taoist Tai Chi set that I tightened up instead of letting […]
Second Day of International Workshop in Helmond, Netherlands
What we practised yesterday we continued today. In between practising Taoist Tai Chi® arts Marsha helped us enlarge our understanding of uneven forces that create the turn. She gave examples of these moments in the tai chi set. On a chart of the human body and on a model of the spine she visualised it […]
First Day of International Workshop in Helmond, Netherlands
The International Workshop in Helmond has started. For Aart, a member who began six months ago, it was his first workshop experience. He said: ‘We did a lot of tor yu’s. At one point I almost gave up. But I kept practising and I noticed that my lower back was loosening. That was a surprising discovery. […]
Seniors‘ Day in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, October 7 is called National Day of Seniors, a reason for us to organise an event for the senior members in our society. So we invited them to our centre in Helmond and asked them to bring a senior friend. Twenty-three seniors and seniors-in-training joined for a chat, a demo, a set, a […]
International Workshop in Helmond, Netherlands – Part III
During the workshop we were introduced to the members of the seniors‘ committee of The Netherlands. The committee has the name Ietsjes meer, meaning, a little bit more. Like a little bit more donyus, fun and activities. It clearly shows that this committee is very energetic and bubbling. Their enthusiasm was very catching. We laughed […]
International Workshop in Helmond, Netherlands – Part II
Chanting helps us in many different ways to improve our health. Bea, one of the participants, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s a few years ago. Practising Taoist Tai Chi® arts helps her to keep her body flexible. Chanting gives her the benefit of moving the muscles in her face and keeping them flexible. Pronouncing the sounds […]
International Workshop in Helmond, Netherlands
The workshop of Taoist Tai Chi® arts started on a lovely warm autumn day. Paul Davies helped us to deepen our understanding of opening the joints in arms and knees as we practised some of the foundation exercises. We also focused on shifting the weight. Paul described it as rolling, rolling, rolling until all the […]
Awareness Day in the Netherlands
On Sunday August 28, in a parade we went to downtown Helmond to celebrate Awareness Day in the Netherlands. The colourful balloons and the silver t-shirts were shining in the sun. All the shops were open, the terraces were full, live blues music played next to our demo spot, and there was an Oldsmobile car festival […]
Day Five of International Seniors‘ Week in Helmond, Netherlands
Doing the daily chores in small groups without group leaders was a new experience for most participants. For some it was a challenging way of working together. It was an opportunity to learn from each other and to learn more about ourselves. There are many ways to practise flexibility. The beautiful weather during the workshop gave […]
Day Four of International Seniors‘ Week in Helmond, Netherlands
Every day we started with chanting. Some members said that the more they chant the more they learn to appreciate it and enjoy the benefits of it. It’s like tai chi: the more you do it, the better the understanding. What a pity we only have one more morning left during this forever young […]
Day Three of International Seniors‘ Week in Helmond, Netherlands
Today the focus was on the continuous circling movement in the toryu and wave hands like clouds. A lot of us experienced a massage of the inside. It was so great we can’t wait to find out what we will be learning of Taoist Tai Chi® arts on days four and five of the workshop.
Day Two of International Seniors‘ Week in Helmond, Netherlands
Talking about the incredible health benefits of practicing Taoist Tai Chi® arts, Marsha and Andrew suggested that next year we won’t call such an event a seniors week but rather the workshop could be called a forever young workshop.
International Seniors‘ Week in Helmond, Netherlands Starts
On the first day 95 seniors (and future seniors) listened to Andrew Hung and Marsha Eberhardt who helped us to better understand coiling and also to stand up fully.
Preparing for the Seniors‘ Workshop on Center-Do-Day in Helmond, Netherlands
The day started off with a continuing class. We deepened our understanding of the danyu and applied our practice of Taoist Tai Chi® arts in appear to close entrance and cross hands. About 30 people enjoyed delicious tray-baked chicken for lunch. The market stall with cuttings and seedlings was a meeting place throughout the […]
Finding quietness in Helmond
During a 5-day International Workshop in Helmond, the Netherlands 164 people from 15 countries gathered to seek more quietness in the tor yu. ‘Gentle’, ‘softness’, ‘from the spine’, ‘balance’, ‘keep the connection’, are some of the words Jim Nicholson used to help us find a better understanding and feeling of the tor […]
Oliebollen en appelflappen
It is a tradition in the Netherlands to eat „oliebollen and appelflappen“ on New Year’s Eve. People prepare them at home or buy them in special shops. Why not make them in our own centre in Helmond? So we did. A team of volunteers made hundreds of them. The quality was praised by those who […]
Fun and fundraise with snowmen
It started with a good idea. We bought a lot of white socks, started knitting and collected some other things. We then invited the participants of the Haarlem location to come on Thursday afternoons to make a family of snowmen. We had a lot of fun making them while Christmas music was playing […]
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