Tai Chi Year in Review : Robin Brooks Art

Dear Tai Chi Friends,

Holding the Qi Ball at Simpson’s Point, Brunswick

My tai chi journey has been remarkable and full of unexpected gifts. To each of you, I offer this Metta, or loving-kindness prayer. It can be said internally while sitting quietly. You start with the pronoun “I,” then repeat the prayer using the pronoun”You” while visualizing a loved one. Next you can repeat with the pronoun “You” while thinking of someone in your life who you find difficult. Finally, repeat the prayer using the pronoun “We.”

May you be healthy.

May you be happy.

May you ride the waves of your life.

May you live in peace, no matter what life brings.

Reflecting on 2018: Now that we are on the other side of the Winter Solstice, let’s take a moment together to reflect on this remarkable year. Tai Chi continues to be a transformative practice in my life. The Friday morning “Healer Within” Tai Chi Easy™ Group has become an established community of practice. As people arrive, we greet one another with delight. The peace and calm in the studio as we move through our warm-ups, into our qigong Vitality Enhancement movements, and finally into the TCE™ form practice, the feeling of enjoyment, calm, and mindful focus, is palpable. As many students have said, “Sharing the practice is so much more pleasurable than doing it alone. The Friday morning group is affiliated with the Healer Within Foundation, a non-profit founded by my teacher Dr. Roger Jahnke, in order to train practice leaders, establish and support community practice groups like ours.

After the terrible Thomas Fire in the hills around Santa Barbara in early December of 2017 and the subsequent landslide that impacted the retreat center, La Casa de Maria, my final training with the IIQTC was pushed forward to April of 2019. This change has afforded me the benefit of time to continue evolving my teaching and personal tai chi practice. In October, I passed the two-year mark in my tai chi studies with Ken Ryan of Maine Coast Taijiquan, Under Ken’s tutelage, I have learned the rudiments of Part 1 of the Yang-Style Long Form. It is good to have a personal challenge, and the pleasure of more practice.

This summer I added a regular class at Sunnybrook Village to my weekly teaching schedule. Sunnybrook is an assisted living community in nearby Brunswick. We do much of the practice while seated, some standing TCE™,and a little walking to explore balance. I often hear from residents that they feel better after our hour of practice.

Through our tai chi practice, we are creating more lovingkindness and dispelling the pathogen that is eroding our society. May you be healthy…

Qi Smiles,

Robin Brooks

A view of the Greenhut Studio where my Friday morning Healer Within TCE™ Practice Group meets.

Testimonial:
“Robin’s warmth and love for people creates a wonderful atmosphere for joyful learning. Robin has dramatically
improved the quality of my life in many areas. Her individual instruction and her classes have been truly
transformative.” (Akiba Mermey)

Tai Chi Year in Review

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