Doesn’t everyone secretly long to be a tai chi master, moving their arms like paintbrushes, standing as rooted as a tree, moving with the grace of branches in the wind?
But for those who find tai chi a bit frenetic and stressful, there’s always chi kung, a practice which goes even slower! In some ways, tai chi is like lots of chi kung moves put together to make a beautiful dance.
Here are some tai chi festivals, chi kung seminars, and other opportunities to meet and practice with people who enjoy posing in the park and performing exercises with groovy names like Cloud Hands, the Three Swings and Opening Energy Gates.
February
- International Push Hands Meeting Hannover Hannover, Germany (dates to be confirmed)
May
- Austrian Qi Gong Days 21 – 23 May, Klostersee, Germany
June
- 8th International Taiji-Push Hands-Meeting 3 – 6 June, Hassfurt am Main, Germany
- Taichi Festival Democritus 25 – 27 June, Xanthi, Greece
- Drachen und Tiger – Open Air Pushing Hands Meeting Dötlingen, Germany (dates to be confirmed)
July
- Sommerakademie 5 – 25 July, Alterode, Germany
- Tai Chi Caledonia 9 – 16 July, Stirling, Scotland
- Les Rencontres Jasnières 23 – 25 July, Marçon, France
August
- North Sea Tai Chi Festival Zeewolde, Netherlands (dates to be confirmed)
September
- 9th International Push Hands Meeting in Prague 10 – 12 September, Prague, Czech Republic
- Yangsheng Meeting Hannover, Germany (dates to be confirmed)