Landed in Coimbatore, relaxed and stretched, despite the 48 plus hours journey home after the 26th Tai Chi for Health Institute, TCHI, Conference in Wollongong. A couple of hours on the train and about twelve hours of flying, with stops and breaks in between, gave me time to ruminate and digest the multi layered, dimensional learning infused by Tai Chi training.
Five Days at Novotel Wollongong
Beginning at 9 am on Monday, the 8th of January ’24, at Novotel Wollongong, the conference progressed steadily until 3.30 pm on the 12th. A plenary session every morning, led by a Senior Instructor of TCHI, brought all participants, about 60 of us, together. Announcements were followed by demonstrations of Tai Chi forms; the latter set the tone for our training, which commenced at 9.45 am daily. Every hour and a half of training was followed by tea breaks until the lunch break and the final session ending at 4pm.
Daily, the following six parallel sessions went on:
- Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention, Levels 1 & 2
- Yang 24 forms
- Sun 73 forms
- Depth of Sun 73
- Mixed 42 forms
- Chen 36 forms
Training in Chen 36 with Sybil Wong
Five of us trained in Chen 36 with instructor Sybil Wong (2024). Pursuing her PhD in History, Sybil’s commitment to guide us to perfect the forms created an ambience of curiosity and interest. My first encounter with Chen 36 was in 2023, and the deep engagement this second time with each of the forms provided a sense of mastery and heightened awareness. The complexities of the forms dissolved, and appreciation of their nuances emerged.
Tai Chi Tips That Double as Life Tips
Let me now move to the Tai Chi tips, which are in essence life tips embedded in the training.
- “Whole body movement, (in forms) for unified generation of power, where nothing is opposed.” Sybil
- “Evidence based teaching is a science… Tai Chi training by TCHI is safe & effective. Safe because it attends to the physical, emotional, and environmental safety of participants.” Dr. Lam (2024)
- “The more we practice Tai Chi, the more we are able to face challenges.” Dr. Lam
A Moving Recognition: Mike and Denise Soric, and Kara
I was deeply moved by the Innovative Excellence and Community Partnership Award presented to Master Trainer Mike Soric and Senior Trainer Denise Soric for their innovative and caring approach to training Kara as an instructor (2023). “Kara is autistic and non-verbal” (Mike, 2024), and is keen on becoming a Master Trainer, to teach Tai Chi to individuals like her.
Here are some excerpts from Mike and Denise’s speech:
- Focus on what is possible
- Everybody should be allowed to do Tai Chi, no matter what
- Customise Tai Chi to suit capabilities
- Interpret the feel of the movement
- Helping one person may not change the world, but will change the world for one person
The richness of my conference experiences may be glimpsed from this bird’s eye view of its structure and content. Let me now go to our unique experiences of Chen 36 classes.
Harmony Across Nations in the Chen 36 Class
Hillary, my fellow participant, summarised our experience beautifully when she said: “We have origins in different nations, Australia, India, Saudi Arabia, Spain and South Africa, our instructor is from Hong Kong, yet there is a beautiful harmony amongst us.”
Diago gallantly walked with me to my motel after our dinner on the 12th at Novotel; I hesitated to go alone because of the darkness and the fighting on the street the previous night. The tiredness, aches, and pains from repeated practices faded with the camaraderie and the thirst for learning in our class.
A Turning Point in the Pacific
Dipping in the Pacific Ocean was a turning point for me. Gingerly I stepped into the shallow, sheltered waters at first, gradually progressed to wading knee deep, and finally a full Pacific immersion. And I returned to India, resolving to begin swimming again.
Bringing It Home to Nitya Gurukula
Coming back to Coimbatore, I was in awe of the multi pronged experiences from the trip to Australia. Jerry Lawson’s Tai Chi and Dance for building relationships captured my attention, and we will immediately begin its application in Nitya Gurukula.
Also, we intend to plan our International Tai Chi Conference 2024 in September based on Tai Chi principles. I had the opportunity to showcase the ITCC Teaser at the plenary on the 11th, and it generated curiosity, interest, and appreciation.
Coming to ITCC planning, the trend is to focus on the to do list. NG’s commitment is not to be driven, but to be drawn by the core goal of the conference, which is:
Wholeness and Wellness in Relationships: in Self, Others & Environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the TCHI Conference?
What Tai Chi forms were taught at the 26th conference in Wollongong?
Who is Kara, and why was she honoured at the conference?
What is the International Tai Chi Conference, ITCC 2024?
How does Tai Chi training relate to Nitya Gurukula's work?
Key Takeaways
- The 26th TCHI Conference in Wollongong brought together around 60 participants across six parallel Tai Chi training tracks over five days.
- Repeated, deepened engagement with a form, such as a second encounter with Chen 36, shifts the experience from complexity to mastery and nuance.
- Tai Chi’s training principles, whole body movement, safety, and facing challenges through practice, translate directly into life lessons.
- The Innovative Excellence and Community Partnership Award, honouring the training of Kara, shows that Tai Chi can be adapted to any capability, and that helping one person still matters.
- The conference experience is shaping Nitya Gurukula’s own plans, including the ITCC 2024 conference and the integration of Tai Chi and Dance into relationship building work.
