Still Moving Hiromi T’ai Chi Newsletter

Fall 2006

After a long search, we have signed a 3-year lease for a dojo space in Room 110 of Michie Building. We thank Mr. Gabe Silverman for helping Hiromi T’ai Chi find place. We also thank the many students and friends who provided suggestions during our search for a home. In addition. we also express deep ap-preciation to the Kluge Foundation for their pledge to help HTC finance the lease.

We are still looking for a permanent location for our Dojo. Please let us know if you know or hear about an existing building that has the following requirements.

∗ 1500 – 2000 square feet ∗ Ceiling at least 15 feet high ∗ Ample parking space ∗ Within 30 minutes of downtown

Charlottesville

One of our missions is to take an active role in sharing the healing benefits of T’ai Chi and Ch’i Kung in the Charlottesville community. In 2006 Hiromi T’ai Chi is making positive steps towards realizing this mission. We thank Mr. John Redick and donors at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, as well as pri-vate donors, whose generous gifts have made it possible for us to offer meaningful new classes to the community.

At-Risk Youth We have been invited to teach a pilot class for the Bright Star Program for four-year-old Pre-schoolers at Albemarle County’s Cale Elemen-tary School. We are exploring opportunities to offer classes to elementary school students in the Charlottesville Public School System.

The Physically/Mentally Disabled We will add two classes to the one currently being offered to the physically and mentally disabled through the Charlottesville’s Parks and Recreation Therapeutic Program.

The Senior Community We are exploring the possibility of offering classes at the Westminster Canterbury and Senior Center.

A New Home for HTC Community Outreach

Students perform the Eight Pieces of Brocade Ch’i Kung at the HTC Open House in September 2005

Practice, And skill will come naturally.

-Grandmaster Wan Shu-Jin

www.HiromiTaiChi.org

I’d like to thank everyone, students, teachers, friends and family so much for your continuing support. I am delighted to offer our first newsletter. When my husband, Martin and I moved from Japan in 1998, I had no idea this path was wait-ing for me. I‘d like to share with you how Hiromi T’ai Chi came about. Many people have had a positive influence on our way here, but there are three I’d like to single out. Susan Christmas was my first T’ai Chi teacher in Charlottesville. In the year 2000 she sug-gested that I teach the 99-Step form, and she put me on the teacher’s path. In 2002, I was advised to visit Master Wang Fu-Lai in Texas to ask if he could help me pursue the T’ai Chi form I learned in Tokyo. After he consented to take me as a student, I bowed to thank him and started to walk to my car. I felt something and turned around. Master Wang was still standing there, and what he did at that moment made my heart skip a beat. He deeply bowed to me. I had finally found my teacher. Finally, I feel fortunate that every one of my students has asked questions that made me think more deeply about the form, and helped me discover different aspects of T’ai Chi. This mean-ingful exchange between student and teacher is fundamental to Hiromi T’ai Chi.

from Hiromi

To Hiromi and Students, Cheng Ming Virginia Branch: What a precious moment it is for all of you, in mid-summer, during such hot weather, taking time from your daily busy schedule to be together for training and learning the martial arts. There is an old saying in Chi-nese “A healthy body is much better than holding prop-erty worth millions.” A lot of people are in and out of the hospital with health problems because they do not understand the value of taking care of their own bodies. Taking some time every day to practice the martial arts brings your body and spirit into balance, stimulates the circulation, and increases alertness. Making the body strong improves your state of mind, too. You are lucky to have Hiromi, to lead you in your Cheng-Ming martial arts training. She is a very responsible and capable instructor. Her martial arts experience is extraordinary. Her Grandmaster, Wang Shu-Jin, is a world famous martial art master. She has been honored for her performance at Cheng-Ming martial arts conventions around the world. You will benefit greatly under her instruction. I congratulate you all.

Master Wang Fu-Lai studied under Grandmaster Wang Shu-Jin of the Chung-nan Lineage. Upon the death of Wang Shu-Jin in 1981, Wang Fu-Lai assumed the position of Grandmaster. He also serves as Chairman of the International Cheng Ming Martial Art Association founded by Wang Shu-Jin. He teaches in Tai-wan, Japan, the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Australia. He is also a 4th-generation master of Ba Gua Zhang in the lineage of the modern-day founder, Tung Hai-Ch’uan.

from Master Wang Fu-Lai

Still Moving 2

In May, 2006, Hiromi was invited to partici-pate in the Israeli T’ai Chi Center’s Gasshuku (camp). Master Wang spoke highly of the Is-raeli Gasshuku every time she trained with him in Texas. He described a large group of students moving together, taking over an hour to perform the entire form.

Experiencing it for the first time was magical and she understood why Master Wang had encouraged her to attend.

It was well-organized in every way but at the same time very friendly, like being part of a large family. Whenever she had questions, someone was there to answer. You could tell that every student and teacher there loves this art and are 100% present to help others.

Hiromi adds, “I hope HTC will grow with a spirit like the one I encountered during Mas-ter Wang’s sessions in Israel and Texas. There are many other Gong Fu brothers and sisters practicing the Cheng Ming forms in the world. I hope some day some of my students will visit them and join them in their practice.”

The Cheng Ming School of T’ai Chi and Chi Kung has been getting increased attention from students who are interested in the inter-nal martial arts. Five students learned of Hi-romi’s classes in the Cheng Ming School from the HTC web site, and have asked to study in the Cheng Ming School with her. They travel to Charlottesville for private sessions from as far away as Chicago.

The Cheng Ming School has a systematic pro-gression: everything you learn and practice is connected to the next level of practice. Stu-dents start with the 14-Step T’ai Chi form which integrates elements of five family styles of T’ai Chi. The form includes Hsing-I and Ba Gua elements.

Going on to practice the 99-Step T’ai Chi form, students build a solid foundation for later learning Hsing-I and Ba Gua forms. Some of these are “empty-handed”, like T’ai Chi, and others are weapons forms, using a staff, spear or sword.

Hiromi explains “It is exciting to discover con-nections between movements in the T’ai Chi form and those of the Hsing-I and Ba Gua forms that follow. Suddenly there is a click in my head when I see a connection I had never noticed before. That’s one of the most exciting moments in my practice of T’ai Chi in the Cheng Ming School.”

Hiromi encourages all students to take the challenge of the 99-Step T’ai Chi form, and then follow it up with the Hsing-I and Ba Gua forms in the program of study. The more deeply you delve into these internal martial arts, the more there is to find.

3 Fall 2006

Increasing Interest in the Cheng Ming School of T’ai Chi

300 students performing the 99-Step Cheng Ming T’ai Chi.

Hiromi performs the Cheng Ming T’ai Chi Sword form.

Gasshuku in Israel

John Hollo, a T’ai Chi brother who practiced with us for more than five years, passed away on Tuesday, February 21. John helped a great deal in the founding of Hiromi T’ai Chi, and handled much of the paperwork for our application for 501(C)3 non-profit status. John also served as Secre-tary on our Board of Directors until last Au-gust. When he was in the hospital, we were plan-ning to give him “1000 Origami Cranes” to show our gratitude for his friendship and to let him know that his Charlottesville friends were thinking of him. However, John left this world much too quickly. Students and teachers got together in the studio to make some paper cranes for his memorial service. Afterwards we kept

making cranes until we had one thousand. On June 3, we had a crane threading cere-mony. We thank everyone who contributed by fold-ing paper cranes to weave into our offering. The 1000 cranes will be hung in our new dojo space.

In Memory of John Hollo: One Thousand Cranes

Still Moving 4

Every year on Word T’ai Chi Day people in countries all over the world perform T’ai Chi at 10:00 local time. Following the sun around the globe, T’ai Chi starts up in town squares and parks in a show of solidarity and to spread understanding of the gently internal martial arts to communities everywhere.

On Saturday, April 29 twenty students and instructors from HTC performed exhibitions of T’ai Chi and Ch’i Kung on the downtown mall in Charlottesville to join in the World T’ai Chi celebration. It was a beautiful spring day, and a crowd soon gathered to watch the graceful movements.

Mini workshops of the Six Step and Fan T’ai Chi forms were also offered to passersby who wished to give the internal martial arts a try.

Our teacher Training Program started in the year 2005. Six students started the 6-month program and three of them were certified as instructors. In March 2006, Grayson Butterfield, Chinako Bohn and Jeff McCormack started teaching classes at HTC. We are very happy to have them as fellow instructors, confident that their passion and enthusiasm will motivate your practice.

HTC is a non-profit organization run by volunteers. Class fees go towards dojo utility expenses, parking validation, advertising, mailing, liability insurance, teacher training and a small teachers’ fee. Upon moving to our new dojo, we will need volunteers who can help in the following ways: • Build a weapons stand (we have

photographs and measurements) • Sew curtains • Install mirrors on the wall • Make signs (Hiromi T’ai Chi, Cheng-Ming

Charlottesville, VA) on the main door, and street side entrance.

• Handle mail order T-shirt sales

Please contact Lyndele at 295-4481 or Lyndele@mac.com

Hiromi leads the group in Six-Step T’ai Chi

World T’ai Chi Day

Fourteen Step Chen Ming Style.

Teacher Training Program

5 Fall 2006

Volunteers Needed

Classes in the Office Would you like your employees to gain fo-cus and help reduce stress? How about a 45-minute lunch hour session for your employees? T’ai Chi/Ch’i Kung practice reduces stress and increases focus.

Classes in the School

Are you interested in offering a program as an after-school activity? Classes tailored to children are fast-moving and fun. The Martial Arts are a good way to channel ex-cess energy commonly found in young children and adolescents. Participants will develop confidence while cultivating a calm and disciplined mind.

Please contact Chinako at 973-5842 or ckbohn2@yahoo.com