2012 was an eventful year, from visiting friends and family in the US and China, to hosting a TV crew at the school in Yangshuo, to training and examination as a 7^th duan (level) master of Chinese Martial Arts and a competition judge at the USA Kung Fu Federation National Championship.

Back home again in Colorado, Mei would like to welcome students, both former and new, to practice tai chi and qigong at a new venue in Lakewood, about one half-hour’s drive from Boulder.  It is with regret that the same room we used in Boulder will not be available to us this year, but the new place in Lakewood is a fully equipped martial arts studio with full facilities!  The location is at 9629 West Colfax Avenue at the lower-level, back of the building, accessed via Iris Street.

Starting from the first week in February, lessons will be held from 12 to 1 PM on Thursdays, and from 6:00 to 7:00 PM on Mondays, but the studio is available to us at other times and we can add and remove lesson times to fit people’s needs.  For example, a weekend session may be added if there is interest this year.

Looking forward to meeting you or seeing you again in 2013!

http://wanderingdao.com/tai-chi-retreat-china-2012/

Mei will be happy to see you all again early in 2013!!

Luo Mei Juan practises the Chen Style 13 form with students beside the River Yulong at her school in Yangshuo, China. Mei usually finds time once a year to teach in China and in 2011 hosted the Wandering Dao Retreat at her school near the beutiful Yulong River. Students had the opportunity to train in the inspiring setting just outside Yangshuo, in southern China. For more information about Long Tou Shan have a look at the website and make sure you check back for dates of Mei’s next trip to China.

There is considerable evidence that taiji and Qigong can help strengthen your immune system. Doctors do not claim to fully understand what happens, but they do agree that taiji and Qigong help. One way that they may work is by activating our relaxation response. Another way that they may work is by activating our lymphatic system.

Read more here.

Seen here some of her students showing a little of what they learned during the intensive two-day session.  Students were able to complete the Tai Chi 18-form.

Afterwards, one of her students wrote to her and said, “The tai chi form feels amazing! Very blissful and peaceful. Thank you for teaching me.”

If you really want to explore the deeper layers of your mind and how it connects to your body, you have to stand.

When you do your taiji form, you catch glimpses of deeper layers of stillness inside your movements. However, without a standing qigong practice, your taiji form will never give you complete access to the summit.

Imagine being on a hike, when you are just about to cross the tree line and you get a glimpse of the trail leading just a little higher. Before you arrive at the summit of a mountain, you catch glimpses of what lies waiting at the top. As you come closer to the top, a panorama spreads out before you. You breathe in the crisp air at the summit and see other distant peaks out on the horizon.

When you do your taiji form, you also catch glimpses of deeper layers of stillness inside your movements. But here’s the problem, without a standing qigong practice, your taiji form will never give you complete access to the summit. Just like that feeling of being there at the summit, breathing in different air, and gazing out onto the unfolding landscape of still, distant peaks all around you; standing qigong lets you soak in layers and layers of stillness that slow-motion movement can never quite reach.

Read more: Why Your Slow-Motion Movement Practice is Not Slow Enough

Mei and her gold medal winning students at Xianghe 2011

Taking time out from teaching at the Long Tou Shan Martial Arts School this October, Mei travelled to Beijing with three of her students to the CFWS (Chinese Martial Arts Association) 2011 Beijing competition at Epoch City, Xianghe. While she was judging the senior level competitors, three of her students including her son Da Zhu won gold medals performing Chen and Yang style routines. “The weekend was an excellent opportunity to see a broad range of styles and forms including taiji and kungfu” said Roy, one of Mei’s students, “there was also a chance to watch two famous calligraphers at work and we all got to take home personal pieces of art”.

A reader asks, “Can the people who have a natural talent to quiet their thoughts and clean their mind, not by effort and struggling, but only through insight, point the way for others?” I feel they can, or I wouldn’t be writing this column, though each person has to awaken meditation, or whatever name one [...]

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