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Love Fall Colors

October 30, 2025 By Arlene Faulk

Yellow, red and orange leaves captivate our attention. We stop on our walk to look. We drive on a Sunday afternoon to see nature’s vivid statement that autumn is here. Some of us visit New Hampshire or Vermont to see the leaves. They draw us there, to stop, look, admire and take photos.

The hours of daylight are decreasing; the temperatures are cooler so we put on our jackets. And many of the trees show us vividly that we are in the midst of change.

These photos are from northern Minnesota a few weeks ago, in the early stages of change. It is so calming to stare at the trees doing their thing. Good for the soul. They remind me of being a child in northern Illinois, when we raked leaves into big piles. I would run and jump into the pile scattering the leaves. Mom let my brother, sister and gather leaves with our little rakes. She made it fun and we loved it. And we learned to pay attention and admire the fall leaves.

Today it’s fun to stop and look because the trees and their leaves don’t disappoint.

Don’t forget the wildflowers, with their little purple or yellow flowers doing their thing. Stop. Pay attention. Enjoy the remarkable changes nature is offering us free. If we just look

Filed Under: Changing Seasons Tagged With: Fall leaves, mindfulness, stillness

Summer Light

June 25, 2025 By Arlene Faulk

What is special about summer for you? Many of us are eager to be outside, go for long walks by a lake or in a park, enjoy a picnic with our family, stroll through our neighborhood farmer’s market, attend an outdoor concert or a movie night on our lawn chair at a community gathering, watch boats glide along Lake Superior.

What do you like the most? The freedom of walking out the door in shorts and sandals, taking binoculars and camera to watch and listen to the birds, relaxing outside with friends over a glass of wine. All good possibilities. We think mostly about “doing”, being active because we have a sense of freedom to move around and go places when we know it will be light well into the evening.

We are in the season of Yang energy – activity, blossoming trees and flowers, bright colors, heat, light. While we are out “doing” we want to pay attention, enjoy the moment. Take it all in.

Recently my sister and I went to Starved Rock State Park in northern Illinois. It’s amazing to drive across flat terrain, rich farmland filled with corn and soybeans and then. . . huge trees, winding roads going up, up, up to a natural filled park. Looking out over a panorama of green trees as far as our eyes could see, we listened to a variety of singing birds, felt a summer breeze, marveled at small red berries we happened to see because we were still and paying attention to everything around us.


The sun shining brightly highlighted the various shades of green on the thousands of leaves surrounding us. It was mesmerizing, the stillness and calm of those moments. The light outside and how nature took it in, made it beautiful and we, in our stillness took it all in and thoroughly enjoyed the moments.

What moments of summer have made you feel this way?

Filed Under: Energy, Inner Balance, Light, Mindfulness Tagged With: balance, focus, relaxing, stillness, summer

Lesson for the Day

April 29, 2025 By Arlene Faulk

A good reminder.

Filed Under: Breathwork, Change, Energy, Letting Go, Mindfulness, Paying Attention Tagged With: balance, breathing, focus, rooted like a tree, stillness

World Tai Chi & QiGong Day

April 24, 2025 By Arlene Faulk

A lovely worldwide tradition occurs on the last Saturday in April — celebrating Tai Chi and QiGong across the world. “One World, One Breath” calls us to breathe and send our calm energy to others.

Get ready to participate — the energy wave starts at 10am on Saturday in Australia and travels across every time zone in the world. At 10 am on Saturday, April 26, stop what you are doing and focus on breathing. Focus your breathing and send its life and good energy across the world connecting with others who are doing the same thing. We can send calm and create unity with others who are in the moment, breathing, perhaps doing some Tai Chi and QiGong moves.

Let’s connect with our breath and our focus of sending calm energy across every time zone. Participate. I look forward to receiving your energy!!

Filed Under: Qi Gong, Tai Chi Tagged With: breathing, energy, focus, peace, stillness, tai chi, World Tai Chi & Qigong Day

World Tai Chi and QiGong Day

April 26, 2024 By Arlene Faulk

One World . . . One Breath. For many years the last Saturday in April is honored and celebrated as World Tai Chi and QiGong Day. It starts at 10 am Saturday in Australia and moves across the globe. At 10am in our own time zone, we breathe, move through gentle Tai Chi and QiGong movements and share our energy and peacefulness with others in close and far away nations.

about Tai Chi

This gesture is so important to stop, take time to breathe and move with the purpose of offering. positive energy and connection to others, most of whom we do not know. We are one in breathing; regardless of who or where we are.

So, take a moment to stop, breathe with the intent of sharing your breath and Qi with others. It can be a powerful force when thousands, maybe millions focus on spreading our life force energy with others.

Tai Chi students two

Filed Under: Tai Chi Events Tagged With: breathing, focus, stillness, World Tai Chi Day

Flowing Qi for Lunar New Year

February 14, 2024 By Arlene Faulk

What a wonderful afternoon with Tai Chi students and friends celebrating Chinese (Lunar) New Year! We filled the afternoon with red and gold colors, Chinese snacks, learning about the Year of the Wood Dragon (we had several year of the dragon born people in the room!). Then for an hour+ we all moved our energy together through Tai Chi.

WinterJade Forest illuminated us with fun lore, traditions and history of the Chinese Zodiac system.

She explained that “in Chinese mythology , the Dragon is a powerful and auspicious creature representing courage, creativity and innovation. This portends a promising year, full of possibilities and opportunities. For those born in the Year of the Wood Dragon it will be a fantastic time to start a new business or to begin growing and expanding their hopes and dreams.”

Faulk Tai Chi students flowing through Yang style Tai Chi by Cheng Man-ch’ing

We celebrated the energy of the New Year with Tai Chi, starting with a demonstration with my students.

Then the entire group gathered to experience gentle Tai Chi principles and moves, led by Daniel Thatcher. His calm and clear instruction relaxed us and filled our bodies and the room with wonderful Qi. Qi is the vital energy or the life-force energy that keeps a person’s spiritual, emotional, mental and physical health in balance.

As we closed everybody felt refreshed, renewed and re-energized. Ah, the quiet power of Tai Chi lifting us up, emptying out thoughts, feeling centered and ready to go out to our worlds. It’s two days since this New Year’s experience and I’m still feeling the energy.

One more thing — Although not part of our celebration I came across a creative Chinese food sculpture that I need to share. Happy New Year, Year of the Wood Dragon!

Filed Under: Qi Gong, Wood Element Energy Tagged With: Chinese New Year celebration, Chinese zodiac, mindfulness, Qi, relaxing, stillness, tai chi, Year if the Dragon

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Arlene Faulk

Arlene Faulk

After a years-long struggle to understand and conceal debilitating symptoms while I ascended the corporate ladder, I found comfort and healing through Tai Chi and Chinese Medicine.

My memoir, Walking on Pins and Needles, is the story about the power to control our lives and move in the direction of possibility. Read more...

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“A LIFE-AFFIRMING STORY”

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FROM TAI CHI STUDENTS

Tai Chi makes me feel calm, yet energized. Because of my practice, the small irritants of life affect me less.

Tai Chi student

I had back surgery, was in pain and had little range of motion. Tai Chi practice at Heartwood has helped me increase flexibility, my range of motion and my overall stamina.

Tai Chi student

Arlene teaches the Tai Chi form in such a gentle and connected way that many movements now feel utterly natural and healing.

Tai Chi student

I've even shared some of the exercises with my bike club to help reduce injuries. They really work!

Tai Chi student

I've always been a klutz and have regularly lost my balance and fallen when walking outside. Arlene taught me how to stand and walk properly through Tai Chi. I really can't believe it: I haven't fallen in four years since I've been taking Tai Chi with Arlene!

Tai Chi student

I love Arlene's Tai Chi classes. She helps us understand not only what we're doing, but also why we're doing it. That really helps me take what I learn in class and apply it to my daily life.

Tai Chi student

I'm really inspired by what Tai Chi has done for Arlene. She is a great teacher, who is calm and very patient. She has really helped me not to be so hard on myself.

Tai Chi student

I play golf and had a lesson after school, on the same day we had Tai Chi class. My coach commented, 'Your posture is amazing and all of the balance issues that we have been fighting for so long seem to have just taken a vacation.' I mentioned to him that I thought it was due to Tai Chi.

Tai Chi student

Tai Chi relaxes your entire body and promotes peace and proper breathing. The more I manage to breathe properly while doing any activity in my life, I generally tend to do a lot better at it. I benefited from Tai Chi because it managed to help me with my breathing skills even more.

Tai Chi student

Tai Chi really gives my body strength to put up with the pains of my breast cancer and back problems. Tai Chi is 'sneaky'. You don't think it's helping, but eventually you realize it's helping you.

Tai Chi student

For me, Tai Chi brings comfort and quiet amidst all the chaos and change.

Becky, Tai Chi student

In just a few months, the practice has become perhaps the most nurturing element in my life during COVID times, when sustaining a commitment to anything else has been challenging.

Barb, Tai Chi student

The community Tai Chi has provided has been a gift. With so much we can now do whenever we wish --- with an app, YouTube video, or streaming service --- meeting weekly (via zoom) in real time, live, to practice Tai Chi creates true community.

David, Tai Chi student

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, Tai Chi student

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, Tai Chi student

I love the walking practice because it helps me slow down and focus only on the moment.

Tai Chi student

Tai Chi has made me aware of how I’m standing and where my weight is. My balance is improving.

Tai Chi student

I hear Arlene saying to listen to my body and only do what I can do. That helps me relax.

Tai Chi student

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25 Years Faulk Tai Chi

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