The Dragon's Head Blog: National Program and Banquet in Vancouver, British Columbia

There was a great turnout with 160 participants at the program and the „To Your Health“ banquet.  We enjoyed a lovely pre-workshop evening chanting the Northern Dipper together. Chanting can be a great release as there is no requirement for perfection and there is that sense of being part of something larger. After chanting we all did a set together, then those that had taken Lok Hup Ba Fa and Hsing-I did those sets. Many of us had not seen Hsing-I before and it was wonderful to see the looseness, fluidity and playfulness of this form.

During the workshop international president Marsha Eberhardt talked about thinking, practicing and letting go. It reminded me of balance, of the importance of continuing to practice and to have fun. Having a different way of presenting something, a different language, makes everything new. We all enjoyed working together preparing meals, getting everything ready for the banquet and cleaning up. It really struck me how similar these tasks are to doing tai chi.  We must be flexible and open to change; there is thinking, practicing and letting go even in the simplest of tasks.

I think all had a great workshop and it allowed our practice to deepen just a little.