Faulk TaiChi

Learn the beautiful, flowing movements for health and relaxation.

Spring Equinox

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This year the day of Spring Equinox was extra special. At the very hour when that point of equinox occurred, we were moving our energy in a Tai Chi class, focusing on balancing our Yin and Yang. We noted that bringing intention and attention to our balance at the moment of balance between of dark and light, felt so relaxing, put us so in the moment. A moment of letting go, a moment of lightness of being.

Tai Chi at Heartwood —- Evanston, Il 3/20/23

Without the dark, we can’t see the light. We honored that and also felt joy that it was evening and still light outside, admitted we were looking forward to longer minutes and hours of sunlight in our days.

This is a great time to focus on our balance, physical and emotional. Are our days filled with doing and achieving, and then wondering where the time went? Are we taking some time to stop, reflect and just be? Are we paying attention to the trees, the birds, noticing what’s around us in nature? And, are we breathing, taking time to intentionally breathe?

Focused and relaxed

Tai Chi gives us the opportunity to balance, to move our energy together and feel our Yin and Yang as equal energy forces. We are very grateful.

Coping in a Difficult Time Reflections

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We all need ways to cope with uncertainty and fear that invade our lives. I asked my students how Tai Chi has been helping them cope with these difficult times. May we all have moments of calm and ways to reduce stress and anxiety. Read how David is experiencing that through Tai Chi:

“1. Through the pandemic, tai chi has been my constant. With so much uncertainty and change in our current lives, wondering (and not knowing) on a daily basis what the future will bring, tai chi remains unchanged: the warm up exercises we do and the form itself provide constancy. The moves remain the same week after week; the energy which infuses them are the same. Doing tai chi provides reassurance, the comfort of the familiar.

tai chi

“2. Getting through the pandemic can be overwhelming — so much to think about, worry about, wonder about, to do. Life is simply more complicated these days. What once took one step now takes six.

“Tai Chi is a welcome and much needed antidote to this. Tai chi shifts your focus to small, elemental things — the position of your foot, the sweep of an arm, the bend of your elbow, the inhale of a breath, the weight of your leg as it presses into the ground, providing mental and physical balance as it sends roots deep into the earth.

ying yang

“3. The community Tai Chi has provided has been a gift. With so much we can now do whenever we wish –  with an app, or a YouTube video or a streaming service — meeting weekly (via zoom) in real time, live, to practice Tai Chi creates true community. Knowing that we all are moving in unison, at the same exact time, in our respective homes, creates a powerful energy which cannot be duplicated on one’s own.”

Coping in a Difficult Time

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A new year brings hope and here we are in January, knowing we will slowly have more light in our days ahead. That’s a given with the rhythms of nature that we can count on. Even with a new year, we will still need to cope with the demands and stresses of each day. Uncertainty about the future still permeates our minds.

In the midst of all this uncertainty, I’m grateful for Tai Chi and for connecting online with my students each week these last ten months. With three weekly classes, we take the opportunity to greet each other, smile and move our energy together. We have the ancient wisdom of Tai Chi and its gentle, slow movements to help us reduce anxiety, promote balance and well-being.

Last week I asked my students to reflect on how Tai Chi Taste of Tai Chi class zoomhas helped them cope with the isolation, devastating consequences of loved ones contracting COVID19, and other difficult days that we’ve been living through. I’m warmed by the wonderful comments they shared with me. Today and in future days, I’m going to share them with you. Whether or not you practice Tai Chi, hearing how others cope can be helpful and inspiring.

“As with so much else this year of 2020 I have mixed feelings about class via Zoom. I miss seeing everyone in person,  tai chi movementsbut am extremely grateful that we can continue learning and practicing this way — and I don’t have to drive home after class.” – Irene

“I really enjoy our time together and I’ve found Tai Chi a great way to ‘keep moving,’ not only during this pandemic but also as a regular practice with a wonderful integration of mind, body and spirit.” – Martha

“Doing Tai Chi has been a great comfort during the COVID pandemic. I always feel a sense of calm come over me when class starts and Arlene gently reminds us to bring out minds into the room and into our practice. As I’ve been doing Tai Chi for 6 years now, my body knows these slow movements and relishes the gentle release and centeredness they bring. In addition, tuning into the class and seeing familiar faces of the other students brings a nice sense of community and connection during this time of separation and isolation.” – Julia

May  each of us to find a way to have a few minutes of stillness to clear our heads, breathe and also find ways to connect with others. Thank you, Tai Chi friends, for helping me do that.

The Streets of Prague

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streets of Prague
streets of Prague

Last month I walked the cobblestone streets and sidewalks of Prague. This charming city contains rich history, beautiful buildings and narrow, winding streets. The artistic streets and sidewalks, with intentional designs, captured my attention.  I imagined  the  individual  stones  laid  one  at  a time, with  care  and  intention.

walking stick

Knowing these uneven pathways might be challenging to navigate, I bought supportive walking shoes and a walking stick. I spent over an hour at REI looking at walking sticks, for hiking, climbing, skiing and walking. I bought one stick to use for helping me maintain balance and proper alignment as I walked around the streets of Prague. I practiced on flat sidewalks in Chicago before I left, working to create a steady cadence without having to look down.

As I told my Tai Chi students this week, I paid a lot of attention to walking, the process of shifting weight, picking up one foot and placing it firmly ahead. The experience was similar to our walking practice each week in class, meditative and satisfying. It kept me in the present moment. I stopped and looked down, at the various stone colors, shapes, size. I thought of how many steps have been covered over the centuries on these pavements. The past and present melded together. These streets and sidewalks could tell so many stories.

streets of Prague

And they do.  On  various  sidewalks near and  in  the  historic  Jewish  area,  small  gold  plaques  with  engraved  names  honor  Jewish  individuals whose  last  known  residence  was  in  this  very  location. Very  moving  and  I took  time  to  read  their  names  and  remember.

We learned so much history, including seeds of the Reformation in Prague as we walked for hours on the local sidewalks and streets. These pavements are the foundation for all the events and stories that have happened here. Taking time to literally feel the foundation beneath me. to be stable and grounded in each step helped me envision the past and be in the present.

streets of Prague
streets of Prague

Swiss Qi

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Most of my October days have been traveling to Prague, Dresdem, Wittenberg and Eisenach, Germany and Switzerland. Cities, small towns, countryside were all part of the landscapes along the way. Right now I want to focus on Switzerland, the best air and life-force energy (Qi) I have ever experienced. The clear, clean air, beautiful blue skies, white snow-capped mountains and clear water all represent the best in feeling balanced,  peaceful and still. I did not want to miss any of it and I reminded myself to pay attention and feel with all my senses the beauty and balance that surrounded us. Out on the green lawn of Chateau de Bossey, I slowly walked around, found a sturdy tree that appealed and started moving in the gentle flowing movements of Tai Chi. All seemed right with the world and with me. Silence, a few small birds in my sight and that was it. I was right where I was supposed to be.

Swiss mountains

The ancient Taoists talked about “returning to mountain”,  a basic principle of Tai Chi. Those teachers took their students to the mountains to get away from daily life, to clear their heads. Even to this day, the mountains call us, to be still, to empty out our busy minds and just be. Learn to “just be” take in the Qi and be in awe.

Swiss mountains