A week from today we should have been kicking off the 25th Tai Chi Caledonia meeting. Since we cannot physically meet we are going to have a series of workshops during Cally Week, starting at midday BST (GMT+1) on Saturday 11th July. These will be conducted on Zoom.
Please note that, due to the generosity of our wonderful teachers, there is no cost to attend any of these workshops.
It is intended for each workshop to last about one hour with a Question and Answer session at the end lasting perhaps another half hour.
ZOOM – How to access the workshops.
There will be two meetings set up on Zoom. One will cover every 12.00 workshop for the week and the other every 18.00 workshop.
People who either attended last year’s live event or had booked for this year’s event will receive a separate email inviting them to each meeting. This will include a link to the meeting and also the meeting id and password. When you use the link you will either be taken straight into the meeting or will be asked to enter the meeting id and then the password.
DO NOT DELETE THESE EMAILS.
You will not receive a reminder email for recurring workshops, just the first one. However the original 12.00 link will work for each 12.00 workshop and the original 18.00 link will work for subsequent 18.00 workshops. So set your alarms and link into each one separately on the day.
The links, meeting ids and passwords will also be posted to the Tai Chi Caledonia Facebook page and this website (under the “News” tab) for the use of anyone not on the list.
ZOOM & How the workshop will run
If you join the workshop early you will see a message “Waiting for the host to start this meeting”. Just wait.
Once the meeting starts your screen will change and show the message “Please wait, the meeting host will let you in soon”. You are now in the green room from where the host will admit everyone when the teacher is ready to start.
Prior to the actual workshop starting I will briefly remind everyone of the points they should be aware of and then introduce the teacher and hand over to him/her.
On joining the workshop everyone will have their microphones automatically muted and will not be permitted to unmute them except for the situation described later. This is so that you can choose the option “Speaker View” rather than gallery, where you see all the participants. The Speaker will always be the teacher so that in “Speaker View” you will see them on a bigger image for better viewing. This view is controlled by you, not me.
Your screen should have a number of options displayed. If you can’t see them then tap your screen (assuming it’s a touch screen device you’re using!). You should then see either three wee dots or the word “more”. Clicking on this should show options including ”Chat” and “Raise Hand”. “Chat” can be used to communicate in the text dialogue with anyone in the meeting or the meeting in general. “Raise Hand” is what you should tap/click on if you wish to ask the teacher a question at the end of his/her presentation. This should not be confused with the yellow thumbs up/down option.
When the teacher is ready to receive questions I can see who has raised their hands. I will then, one at a time, unmute their mikes and invite them on to the screen to put their question. If you do not wish to be seen on screen then you can ask your question in the chat dialogue and I will put it to the teacher for you. If you do this then please prefix your question with “???????????” so that it is obvious that it is a question and not just you chatting with a pal.
The aim of the Saturday 12.00 session is to let you ensure that you are familiar with all these aspects of the system and resolve any queries you may have before the “real” workshops start, as well as catching up with old friends.
All these workshops are suitable for all levels of experience but please be aware of the following:
• Participants join this class at their own risk and subject to and governed by English Law (I know, but that’s the insurance requirement) and the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England & Wales.
• Participants must have adequate and non-slip floor space in which to participate
• Please consult a doctor if you have any health concerns.
• Please be mindful if this class is suitable for you and stop immediately if you feel at all uncomfortable.
• Please have a source of water to hand.
• Please ensure you have a suitable and reliable (broadband) internet connection. Contact your Internet Service Provider if you have any issues.
• All these workshops will be recorded, in the same way that we usually do with some of the live Tai Chi Caledonia classes. In the case of these online sessions the recordings will be made available on the Tai Chi Caledonia Facebook page and website to enable participants to revisit them after the event. If you do not wish to be included in this then please disable your video when joining the Zoom session.
You will note that Barry McGinlay is hosting a discussion on Wednesday about where we view taiji is today, where it may go and how we might influence that. To facilitate this it would be good if any of you who have questions or points to make would email them to me asap. I will collate them, amalgamate any duplicates and copy them to Barry and we will address them during the discussion with appropriate accreditation. We will also accept points that arise during the meeting in the same way as we do questions in other workshops.
The Programme
Saturday 11
1200 Social Get Together/Introduction.
To say hello, familiarise yourselves with Zoom, how the workshops will work and resolve any queries.
1800 Sonja Schillo – Qigong Warmup & Baguazhang Changing Palms.
Starting simply and hopefully progressing into moving step.
Sunday 12
1200 Tina Faulkner Elders – There’s No Place Like Home.
Finding “Home” within yourself. Training the Mind through the Body and the Breath to stay calm and focused.
1800 Sam Masich – Stance Phases – Modern and Traditional Approaches.
We’ll explore this important subject from two perspectives, opening up a new understanding of ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ and the ‘wubu’ or five stance-phases.
Monday 13
1200 Javier Arnanz – 360º Taijiquan.
Taijiquan solo forms are usually presented along a straight line with only few reversals or direction changes. Freedom from this linear approach gives the art full martial and artistic expression. This workshop will help give you a much greater control of space.
1800 Pim van den Broek – 5 elements – 5 exercises and in form.
We will work through 5 exercises focusing on the five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth Metal and Water – and how they relate to the form.
Tuesday 14
1200 Ben Morris – Measuring range in your form & how to self-correct.
Just what it says on the tin.
1800 Luigi Zanini – Why Qigong works, according to TCM.
Some basic movements and principles of qigong and the logic behing the activation of qi. Also identifying the three elements to take care of.
Wednesday 15
1200 Barry McGinlay – The state of Taiji today.
An interactive discussion about where we view taiji is today, where it may go and how we might influence that.
1800 Margherita Padalino – Solo preparation exercises for pushing hands.
Just what it says on the tin.
Thursday 16
1200 Margret Sturz – Healing Sound Qigong for the Lungs.
Appropriate for the current Covid-19 situation.
1800 Gianfranco Pace – Exercises for finding the centre.
Internal movement starts at the centre, so it’s fundamental to have a clear appreciation of it.
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