Doesn’t everyone secretly long to be a tai chi master, moving their arms like paint brushes, 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 practise with people who enjoy posing in the park and performing exercises with groovy names like Cloud Hands, the Three Swings and Opening Energy Gates.
And what could be groovier than a tai chi sword camp on the beach in Cyprus this 25-29 October?
April
- International Push Hands Meeting Hannover 10 – 14 April, Hannover, Germany
June
- 7th International Taiji-Push Hands-Meeting 20 – 23 June, Hassfurt am Main, Germany
- Drachen und Tiger – Open Air Pushing Hands Meeting 28 – 30 June, Dötlingen, Germany
July
- Tai Chi Caledonia 5 – 12 July, Stirling, Scotland
- Les Rencontres Jasnières 26 – 28 July, Marçon, France
- Sommerakademie 15 July – 4 August, Alterode, Germany
August
- North Sea Tai Chi Festival 16 – 18 August, Zeewolde, Netherlands
September
- Taiji Forum – Yangsheng Meeting 6 – 8 September, Hannover, Germany
- 8th International Push Hands Meeting in Prague 13 – 15 September, Prague, Czech Republic
October
- Tai Chi Sword Camp on the Beach 25-29 October, in Cyprus
‘Tai Chi Sword (Taijijian) practice has all the well-known health benefits of Tai Chi hand forms. It further improves your skills, coordination, balance and focus because the movements include sword techniques that you do with a wooden or metal sword.’
