Eleven Weeks, But Who's Counting?...

It's truly amazing how the time seems to be moving by quickly. There are only eleven weeks remaining in this semester and the first year of training will have ended! It seems like I just got here a minute ago last September...I've learned so much and am excited about sharing it with my students when I return.

In my last post, I realized that I didn't show me actually climbing the rope. Well, here's the evidence;-) This is the result after the third attempt to get the camera working correctly:

Video credit: Jamie Urquhart

The only days I don't climb the rope are Sundays (our scheduled rest day) and when it rains (for safety). Otherwise, I climb it at least once daily along with doing my fourteen chin/pull ups and thirty pushups.

Earlier this week, I was pleasantly surprised when one of my students from New York, Jean Matthews, arrived here at the Retreat Center.

Jean is standing, 2nd from the left. These are my 3-Year

Training Program classmates and two guests.
Photo credit: Quentin Lopes

Hopefully, she's the first of many that will take advantage of the opportunity during the next two years to train with Dr. Yang and his students in this unique environment. She now knows first-hand how rigorous the training schedule is.

For the past several weeks, we've been training the additional basics of the Taijiquan Saber that we learned from Frank during the first semester. The learning pace now is just right for me as I'm turtle-like in my learning process--slow and steady. We're spending adequate time with the conditioning, proper stances, and the beginnings of a Saber sequence which is the main goal for the remainder of this semester. Currently, I'm focused on executing a three hundred and sixty degree turn on the left leg, beginning from a crouched forward posture with feet together and then spinning left as I begin to stand upright. Ultimately, we'll have Saber in hand, arms outstretched horizontally while making this turn as the opening to the sequence. More to come...

We're still practicing the basics of the Bo staff, but the emphasis has momentarily shifted to the Saber drills. With the persistent and unexpected extension of the rain, it makes it challenging to practice this weapon because of the space required to move as well as avoid injury.

Additionally, we are spending more time on our Qin Na (joint locks) and applications with variations as found within the Taijiquan form. I really enjoy this section of the training and regard it highly in terms of practical use. Dr. Yang is world renown for his Qin Na and we are so fortunate to be his students.

While I still do my squats, I now favor walking the mountain to the creek and back at least three times weekly. This has deepened my leg strength from feet to lower back tremendously; not to mention my stamina because of the oxygen demand on the return climb. To accomplish my goal of running from the creek back to the Retreat Center with fifty pounds on my back, I'm contemplating a strategy of adding five pounds (I have a weight vest) weekly during my treks starting next week so that by the week of June 19th, I'll be carrying that amount. More to come...

In addition to regularly practicing Embryonic Breathing, the 8 Pieces of Brocade, White Crane Soft Qigong, and the 4 Seasons Qigong (All Seasons set and Spring set), we've begun learning the first patterns of the 5 Animal Sports Qigong. The first animal and most challenging of the five is the Tiger sequence. By the close of this semester, we'll most likely have learned the Deer and Bear patterns as well.

Next month is the annual Retreat Center cookout where the surrounding neighbors and community are invited to visit, eat, and enjoy presentations from the students. It appears the 3-Year Group will be presenting as well. Most likely it will be the Taijiquan form. Hopefully, there will be photos I can include in the blog.

That's all for the moment! Enjoy the blessings of each day and be well.

Respectfully,
Doc

Thank you sincerely to all my financial, mental and moral supporters that continue to make this journey possible!! 

What would you do if you knew you could Not fail?

Climbing ropes, climbing mountains...

Happy Vernal Equinox! It's official--Spring has sprung? Despite the cloudy, dreary, and rainy day here today, it is warmer than it's been in recent weeks. And, the hummingbirds are making an appearance; especially since the feeders have been hung for them. I saw two of them this morning before breakfast. They're truly magical in how they move so quickly and then stop suddenly and hover in the air. Their wing flapping makes such a distinct sound. To my ears, the sound is reminiscent of a sweet didjiridoo drone.

In many cultural traditions, spring is the season for new beginnings, growth, expansion. The Rosicrucians posit that it is the best time to make plans and take actions to promote new projects and ideas; especially for the proceeding fifty-two days. I liken the season to caterpillars emerging from winter's dormancy in their chrysalis's with opportunities to spread their wings to fly...

This is a welcome transition point for me. It marks the near midpoint of the longest semester here training and my first winter on the mountain. Our first semester began last September and lasted sixteen weeks. This semester is twenty-four weeks long. The days and weeks are coming and going by rapidly now and I have a sense of urgency to get it all in because I know that this unique experience will soon be over--June 2019 is 'right around the corner.'

In the past several weeks, I've taken to walking down to the creek which is about a mile away from the Retreat Center--all downhill. Returning is, literally, uphill the entire way and, on average, the climb is on a 40-45 degree incline. I do this on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after our morning training in the hour before lunch.

The gravel path down to the creek
Photo credit: RJ Woodbine 

It's a training challenge I've added for variety to strengthen my legs, avoid injury to my knees from only doing squats, and to increase my stamina. My short term goal is to match the conditioning standard the Shaolin training group had to achieve their first six months here eight years ago--that is they had to run from the

The path up to the Retreat Center
Photo credit: RJ Woodbine

creek up to the Retreat Center within fifteen minutes--with fifty pounds on their backs! Right now, I'm able to walk back from the creek in seventeen minutes without added weights. Trust me, walking by itself is more than demanding on the legs and the lungs-never mind running. If not by June, I'm shooting for September to run the mountain...

My legs are probably in the best shape they've been in since I ran cross country in high school (1968). The significance of this is no small thing and plays itself out daily for me in our training drills. Whether it's doing the form, White Crane Qigong or our partner drills (Push Hands, Yin-Yang Symbol, Centering, etc.), my body continues to refine its understanding of what it means to be rooted without being stuck. The Taijiquan classics say that "power is generated by the legs, directed by the waist, and manifested in the hands". Understanding it intellectually is one level, but embodying it is quite a different experience. More on that as time passes...

30' rope on a Madrone tree limb
Photo credit: RJ Woodbine

The other day in our weekly discussion with Dr. Yang he mentioned that the rope hanging from the Madrone tree on the path to the gym was originally put there so that each time you walked by you would climb it. No legs, just hands and arms. That was a deliberate strategy to condition upper body and hand grip strength. I'm told the fastest recorded time climbing up the rope to the top is 12 seconds by a student here. So, last week I began climbing the rope. I haven't timed my ascent yet; just working on ensuring I do this safely and consistently each time. The rope is thirty feet up and I've managed to reach the top each time I've climbed it. Once I'm comfortable with it, I'll start timing my climbs with the goal of matching the current record...

Lately, I've thought about how favored my life is. My grandmother and aunt raised me and taught me the meaning and value of love. My father apprenticed me when I was about ten years old and gave me my footing in the healing arts. The Reverend David P. Kern chose me as one of one hundred inner city kids to attend the summer academic enrichment program at the Hotchkiss School (the G.O. Program) in 1965. I subsequently enrolled and graduated from the Hotchkiss School and attended Harvard University through 1973. In 1980, I was blessed to work at Xerox Corporation until I left in 1984 to work for Digital Equipment Corporation until 1992. At that time, I entered naturopathic medical school and completed that training along with a masters in Chinese medicine by 1999. After caring for and treating patients and their families for the past twenty-two years, here I am now at the YMAA Retreat Center further refining my mettle!

Most mornings here I awaken before my alarm goes off at five. There are times when I do not want to get out of the bed at all--tired, cold, achy, maybe even in pain. Yet, I pull myself up and out of my comfortable bed and continue training. My favored life is also one that taught me the importance and value of discipline, diligence, and tenacity. Those three keys that have unlocked my capacity to endure discomfort and maintain my faith even in the face of doubt, opposition, or any visible confirmatory sign that I was close to being successful. Truly, more important than the goal is the journey, the process of moving toward it. That, in of itself, is the gift I think I'll be able to offer when I've completed this program.

For now, I'm going to bed to sleep. Have to be ready to train in the morning...

Thank you to all of you that continue to support my being here morally and financially!

Blessings,
Dr. Woodbine

"What would you do if you knew you would not fail? What would you do if you knew now one was looking or there to encourage you?"

Practice makes perfect or perfect practice makes perfect?

There's a hint of spring in the air. Just last week it was bitter cold for several days to the extent that I had to put makeshift inserts in my sneakers to protect my feet from feeling like they were frozen. This was particularly true during our 7:00am and 9:00-11:00am training periods.

Coupled with the insistent rain, it could feel pretty miserable more often than not even if I were moving about training. We either train outdoors or in the garage. Rarely are we indoors and even when we're in the gym, it isn't heated. If it's raining too much, we'll be in the dining area on the wood floors either barefoot or in socks. Either way, the traction is different than being outdoors in sneakers.

Though challenging, the experience is not a hardship compared to traditional, non-modern martial arts training environments. It does, however, help me truly appreciate a cloudless sky from where the sun shines brightly. A day like this afternoon when my hands and face got tanned in just an hour! Spring is in the air...

We've finished all three chapters of the Yang Family Style Taijiquan form as taught by Dr. Yang. By no means does this mean we've mastered it. Dr. Yang will personally review our progress tomorrow morning at 9:30. His corrections and insights during this review are priceless gems that help clarify our efforts and refocus our practice.

Speaking of practice, I heard many years ago the phrase, "Practice makes perfect." Through my own experiences in a variety of training efforts (basketball, long distance running, Qigong and Tai Chi), I learned what seems to be a more appropriate phrase, "Perfect practice makes perfect." In fact, I don't ascribe to the notion of perfection at all. I believe it's a false aspiration that leads to eventual disillusion. I believe in continual refinement and correction toward a stated goal where the practice itself is the source of true satisfaction.

This is not to say that there is no value in practicing. Quite the contrary. The masters I've admired the most have been those who immersed themselves in the kind of devotional practice and refinement of their craft over time that eventually led them to a pinnacle of achievement--John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Malcolm X, Oscar Robertson, Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter, Moses Powell...After years of practice, they present their craft effortlessly and with grace.

One of my classmates, Javi, shared a TED Talk with us during dinner this evening that I'm confident you'll appreciate. It's on the subject of effective practice.

I hope you find it helpful in your own endeavors.

Respectfully,
Doc

P.S. Thank you to all those who continue to support my being here 'on the mountain' financially and morally. I appreciate you all!

Executing "Single Whip"
Photo credit: Michelle Lin

Preparing to execute "Press"
Photo credit: Michelle Lin

Preparing to execute "Snake Creeps Down"
Photo credit: Michelle Lin

What would you do if you knew you would not fail?

The Last Day, 2/19/2017

Listening to Lee Konitz & Warne Marsh's "Background Music"...

Today is the final day of my sixty-sixth year on the planet. This time last year, having completed the testing period phase (the previous October) of the application process to be accepted into the YMAA Retreat Center's 3-Year Training Program, I had a pretty good sense I would now be here on 'the mountain.' The reality is, nevertheless, sobering.

Me at six years old on St. Nicholas Avenue, Harlem, NY
Photo credit: Peter A. Woodbine/Rose A. Woodbine

Sixty years ago I posed for this photo standing on St. Nicholas Avenue and the corner of 137th Street next to St. Mark's United Methodist Church across from Harlem's historic St. Nicholas Park. Little did I know then that I would someday teach Qigong and Taijiquan occasionally in the church as well as for sixteen years in the Park at 135th Street. Never mind that for several years, I also operated a clinic and lived on 137th Street across the street from the tenement building apartment my parents rented above the Mambo Bar on the corner of 137th Street and 8th Avenue. My life's journey has been amazing--taking me places I would have never dreamed of considering my humble beginnings in Harlem and the south Bronx. Here I am now immersed in studying two of the disciplines I love most--Qigong and Taijiquan.

It's been five weeks since the second semester of our training began. The current training experience has been nothing short of immersive now that I have a clearer sense of the overall additional communal routines and expectations. The current period is our longest (five and a half months) before a break at the end of June. I now know how to pace myself.

Last semester, one of the biggest challenges for me was carving out a sense of privacy to restore myself emotionally, psychically, and physically. Our daily training schedule is very demanding and when you include communal responsibilities along with minimal private time and space, it can be a formula for fatigue of a different sort, if not irritability. Sundays off become precious sanctuaries for self-care. I treasure my solitude...

We've covered a lot of training territory in five short weeks. Where do I begin? On the Qigong side of the experience, we are focused on experiencing the 4 Seasons Qigong routine in real time. That is to say, we are doing the winter set (Kidneys) concurrently with the spring set (Liver and Spleen) as it is designed to be practiced. Come spring, we'll continue the spring set and add the summer set midway. We layer these with practicing the All Seasons set as well. By the end of this calendar year, we will have the full experience of the 4 Seasons Qigong routines to be able to teach others with authority and confidence.

Additionally, we are regularly now practicing the standing set of the 8 Pieces of Brocade Qigong routine with increased repetitions of each of the patterns. We continue to also practice the White Crane Qigong routine patterns to condition the tendons and ligaments. The latest additions to this routine are using hand weights, increased walking with the patterns, and doing the patterns on bricks. All of these ultimately translate into cultivating a level of self-awareness and physical conditioning executable in whole body spiraling and coiling movements with a root. Most recently, a group of us have chosen to begin exploring the fundamentals of Iron Shirt Qigong with a preliminary focus on Turtle Breathing Qigong. More about this at a later date... Sometime this spring, we'll begin studying the Five Animal Sports Qigong starting with the Tiger sequence.

With Taijiquan, we are moving on several fronts simultaneously: the form itself, applications, Push Hands,  Qin Na, Taiji Ball Qigong, Yin-Yang Symbol (vertical and horizontal Yang side), and weapons basics (Saber and Bo Staff). It's demanding and rewarding... For the form, we are now nearly finished with the third chapter. Although it will always require refinements, the first chapter sequence is pretty solid for most of us in terms of memorizing the sequence. The second chapter has improved greatly and the third is getting there. Dr. Yang has reviewed our progress and offered invaluable corrections and Frank tirelessly drills and teaches us the deeper nuances of the patterns. He provides a practical context for the movements that motivates us to go beyond the 'static' patterns. For me, the key here is conditioning of my body and attitude so that they can better comply with my intent to execute. A habit I've begun in any of the training sequences which helps with this is to always begin the patterns with my non-dominant side and then translate that to my stronger, familiar dominant side. I also include walking backwards with the patterns when it's relevant (this mostly applies to the short and long weapons routines).

We've progressed from stationary Single (four patterns) to Double Push Hands (6 patterns) training. It requires lots of polishing still. The fifth pattern of the double Push Hands against the forward leg's hip requires increased flexibility of the hips, ankles, lumbar spine. Doing the Taiji Ball Qigong and White Crane Qigong patterns is helping to re-pattern tendons, ligaments, and muscles in the groin (inner and outer Kua) and pelvic cavities. My feet, ankles, and pelvic bowl are more flexible and stronger than they've ever been. However, I still have a ways to go to be where I desire to be...

The applications and Qin Na (joint locking/immobilization) drills have been an eye opener for me. It's not the first time I've been exposed to Qin Na. In fact, part of the first weekend workshop with Dr. Yang I attended with my youngest son in Boston in 2001 was a Qin Na workshop. The difference now is that there is a context for its use along with applications tied to the execution of the form itself. By no means do I have any of this 'done pat.' However, I'm thrilled and confident that I will because of how it's being taught in an integrated fashion. Here again, the role of proper and consistent conditioning is paramount. The focus for me is the hands/arms and lower body. I'm grateful for Arnold Tobin's Thenar Gloves and my daily two hundred squats. About conditioning, I'm still doing my two a week High Intensity Interval Training sessions with the seventy pound kettlebell intermingled with dead lifting two hundred and twenty-five pounds (personal best recently) during the last four sets.

We've explored applications from the form including the opening of the sequence, several from Single Whip, Grasp the Sparrow's Tail (left and right), Lift Hands to the Up Posture, Play the Guitar, Wave Hands in the Clouds, Brush Knee, Roll Back, and others. Coupled with the Qin Na, these are potent options that are not readily visible when you're just learning the form. We've also recently begun to add foot and leg Qin Na and exploring angling footwork. Again, this requires conditioning and resilience to be able to actually move with the WHOLE body as one unit. We continue to practice, refine, practice, refine, practice...

My favorite weapon basics training is the Bo staff. The Saber/Sword drills are also demanding, but challenge my shoulders from the 1999 motor vehicle accident I experienced that forced me to withdraw from Chinese medical school for six months before I could resume to graduate. Both the staff and Saber routines are new to me and require a different kind and level of conditioning; especially my hands, arms, core and back. I've recently started using the aluminum staff as a conditioning tool prior to using the wooden staff to train with and it's making an appreciable difference in my stamina. The partner drills we're learning are fun, yet require our full attention and focus to avoid injuries. Can't train when you're hurting...

There's probably much more that I could say, but it's not coming to mind at the moment. I'll stop here to get my laundry out of the dryer, make another cup of coffee to savor while I listen to some more classical jazz tunes, and ponder my good fortune to have made it this far this long. I had a good conversation earlier in the week with my life-long friend of fifty-six years, Smitty, about how blessed we've been. So many of our friends died young or ae not healthy now. We've been given opportunities and taken advantage of them and find ourselves still able to make contributions to others by our lived examples of tenacity, diligence, and discipline. Coming from the neighborhoods we grew up in and given the tenor of the culture and society we continue to find ourselves in, that says a lot. I am blessed... 

Tomorrow is the first day of my sixty-seventh year. I marvel at all that I have experienced and the rest that is to come. I'll continue to share my insights with you and hope that it inspires you to be at your very best in all things.

To those of you who continue to support my efforts, I sincerely thank you for; especially you who have sponsored my being able to explore this 3-Year Training Program. If you are moved to do so, please send your tax-deductible donations on my behalf via PayPal to:
paypal@ymaa-retreatcenter.org. Please indicate that it's a contribution for Dr. Woodbine. Thank you!

Peace and Blessings!

"What would you do if you knew you would not fail? What would you do if no one knew you were doing it? Follow your heart's passion and live you life fully!"

Transitions-addendum

In my most recent post, I forgot to mention a visit with my hand grip strength coach, Arnold Tobin. He's the inventor of the Thenar Glove hand strengthening system and highly regarded in his field. I first met Arnold about eleven years ago when we teamed up with Kenny Leacock, PT to provide a successful health and wellness workshop at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York.

I bought a pair of the Red Thenar Gloves he invented and had been using them ever since to enhance my hand grip strength as an intrinsic aspect of my Taijiquan training. Just prior to leaving New York to begin the 3-Year Training Program here at the Retreat Center, I upgraded to Arnold's newest Red Thenar Glove design. Similarly to Dr. Yang, Arnold is always refining his approach to fitness. Along with the new gloves, he taught me his latest hand stretch and strengthening exercises.

Arnold Tobin, Thenar Glove System Inventor
Photo credit: Jana Cunningham

The morning that I taught my students at St. Mary's Episcopal Church about three weeks ago, Arnold stopped by and shared his hand strengthening system with them. They received him with great enthusiasm! Before leaving us, he provided me with a pair of the Black Thenar Gloves and taught me additional enhanced exercise and stretch routines. He also taught me a sequence using both the Red and Black Thenar Gloves. He shared that I am the first and only person he's authorized to use the Black Thenar Gloves as well as the two glove system. I felt humbled and honored.

The Thenar Glove system is an integral part of my hand and grip strengthening strategies. It is playing a fundamental role in the basic weapons (staff and saber) drills we have been learning since September here on the mountain. There are now six Retreat Center students who use them as well.

"Success favors the prepared."

                                                               --Author unknown

  

Transitions...

After more than fifteen hours of travel/wait time, I finally arrived at the Retreat Center early Sunday morning a week ago. It's now a rainy and cold Sunday afternoon a week later and I'm listening to Russell Gunn's "Fly Me to the Moon" jazz tune as I write. Did my laundry earlier, groomed my nails and shaved after a nice hot shower, had a nice breakfast and lunch. Talked with my Heather on the telephone...

The training schedule is as robust and demanding this semester as the previous one, but each day has been much smoother. I was pleasantly surprised that my body got pretty much in the swing of things easily despite my not doing much training during the four weeks of the winter holiday break. I had planned to be more consistent. Yes, I had some stiffness and soreness the first couple of days this week, but relatively minor discomforts. I'm very happy about that and feel the investment I made in conditioning during last semester is paying dividends now.

Transitioning from 'the mountain' through to the pace of typical living and back again has been revelatory for me. First, I developed a deep cough and head cold the week just before the semester ended. I know it was due to my poor eating choices the previous fifteen weeks. I allowed myself to overindulge in wheat (home made breads and pasta) and ice cream (home made, too) to which I'm hypersensitive. I also didn't get sufficient rest doing extracurricular projects (teaching auricular acupuncture, hydrotherapy, editing and writing, coordinating CPR/First Aid classes). Coupled with the stress of testing the final four days of the semester, my immune system fatigued and I left here not feeling optimal.

The first half of my trip off 'the mountain' was spent traveling. We visited my granddaughters, oldest son and daughter-in-law for several days in the Los Angeles area. They were such a treat to be with; especially because I haven't been able to see them regularly previously. One of the highlights of our stay was visiting the Buddhist temple my son frequents.

Life sized wood carved statue of Bodhidharma
Photo credit: RJ Woodbine

I had an emergency visit to the dentist a day before departing because the previous night one of my upper molars mysteriously broke. Thankfully, I was able to have it diagnosed and repaired that same day although it took a traumatic seven hours of dental work to get it all done. My face was swollen and I was in pain for a while thereafter in addition to dealing with the cough and head cold.

From California, we flew to Massachusetts to visit with my youngest son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and the newest addition to the family, my two month old granddaughter who I met for the first time. She was such a treat as all of the grandchildren have been. We visited with them for several days.

We then traveled to D.C. to visit with Heather's family and friends for a few days. I got to see Howard University, the White House, the Monument, and the outside of the National Museum of African  American History and Culture. Tickets were sold out way in advance for the museum and its a trip for another occasion perhaps with the whole family. We finally returned to New York for New Year's eve.

While I thoroughly enjoyed visiting family, I must share that it was an intensely traumatic experience being in the world off the mountain. The sheer numbers of people, the bright lights, the hustle and bustle, the pervasive technology, the noise were overwhelming. Being away at the Retreat Center for sixteen weeks is the longest period I've been away from urban life and I was surprised at how sharp the contrast is between the mountain and the cities. Riding in the New York subways was particularly disturbing for me. Although it wasn't claustrophobic, having so many people jam packed into each subway car seemed oddly inhumane. No one looked at one another and most people were distracted into their own smartphone space tethered there by earphones. So many men and women were homeless and somehow existing in the frigid cold wrapped in layers of blankets and cardboard for shelter. We walked by them as if they were a normal part of the landscape...

I was fortunate to be able to teach a workshop for my former students at the SAGE Center Midtown the week prior to departing for the Retreat Center to resume training. It was wonderful to see everyone and to share some of the new Qigong (Four Seasons Qigong-All Seasons set) I had learned. I also taught a mini-workshop with my St. Mary's Episcopal Church students to review the Taijiquan form first chapter with some applications. It was great to spend time with them all. I also taught a workshop entitled "Care for the Caregiver" to many of the Noble Touch, Inc. practitioners who practice pranic healing in service to the urban communities of New York.

One of my favorite moments after the New Year was going to Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center to listen to saxophonist, Billy Harper and his quintet! The music was superlative and the food outstanding. If you love jazz, promise yourself to visit Dizzy's at Jazz at Lincoln Center the next time you visit New York.

The incomparable Billy Harper
Photo credits: RJ Woodbine; HD Payne

The winter break was short and bittersweet; especially with all the traveling we did. I thoroughly enjoyed being with family, seeing students and friends, getting my haircut from my barber, Denny, at Denny Moe's, getting my annual physical and check-up with my physician, and receiving a well-deserved massage Heather gifted me with. And, yet, the harsh realities of urban living were in stark evidence. The concrete, brick and mortar, and asphalt were an affront to the heightened sensibilities from being on 'the mountain.' Even so, it was difficult to leave the city knowing I would now be gone for twenty-six weeks without a break before returning to the city.

It's difficult to imagine now how I might feel in six months given my recent experience. However, I'm very clear that I have to put a plan in place to live my life differently once I successfully complete my training in 2019 and leave this mountain for good...

Thanks to all of you who morally and financially continue to support my being here! Your generosity makes it possible for me to pursue this dream and share the harvest with you once I've completed the journey.

Blessings and Peace,

Doc

Off the Mountain...

As I write, I'm listening to "Wise One" by John Coltrane on his Impulse album, Crescent, with the famous John Coltrane Quartet. The next tune up is his Impulse recording of A Love Supreme...

This week was remarkably intense for a variety of reasons. The one most pertinent is the daily testing we all experienced since Monday. Both the new 3-Year Tai Chi & Qigong Training Program students (the group I'm in) and the existing 5 and 10-Year Shaolin, White Crane, etc. Training Program students were put through a combination of physical and oral exams. When our group was not being tested, we sat in to view the more experienced group's tests.

As a result, there was very little training in the schedule. In fact, today was the first day we returned to a routine resembling what we've done daily since September 1st. I have to share that it was challenging to get back into the flow of moving my body (gracefully and with ease) after literally sitting around most of each day this week. I was surprised at the difference and it made me aware of how easy it can be to slip out from a high level of physical intensity and refinement; especially at my age.

Beginning in the afternoon on Monday, our group began the physical part of testing. We performed and were evaluated in front of and by Dr. Yang and our primary teacher, Frank, either solo or in pairs (in partner drills) for approximately 3 hours in the following areas:

1. The first two chapters of the Classical Yang Family Style Taijiquan Form
2. Single Push Hands patterns 1-4 (right and left hand)
3. Coiling drills- solo and partner  (right and left hand)
4. Soft White Crane Qiqong- solo and all 12 patterns
5. Taiji Ball Qigong- solo without the ball
6. Yin-Yang Symbol- solo and partner (right and left hand)
7. Long Weapons Basics- Bo staff
8. Short Weapons Basics- Sword
9. 8 Pieces of Brocade- demo of form and Q&A

On Tuesday, for five hours (two in the morning and three in the afternoon), we had group oral exams with Dr. Yang asking us questions about General Qigong topics and Embryonic Breathing. On Wednesday, we spent another five hours in oral exams finishing up the Embryonic Breathing topic and beginning the subject of Medical Qigong (8 Pieces of Brocade; Four Seasons Qigong). Finally, yesterday, we concluded with Medical Qigong and a bit of Tai Chi Theory.

The process was exhaustive and intensive and helped reveal my strengths and areas that need additional attention. Observing the senior students go through their testing was invaluable in providing insight for where our group is heading. Altogether, in retrospect, this week's testing experience was helpful though going through it was arduous. Now, I at least have a sense of how to prepare to meet those demands in the future as well as how to refine my personal training regimen to meet my goals for being here.

Where has the time gone to? It's almost (not completely) unimaginable that sixteen weeks have come and gone, seemingly, so quickly! This time next week I'll be heading down "Off the Mountain" for my first break. I am so looking forward to being with family and seeing friends and students for the Holidays! While life here is physically isolated from the mundane rhythms of urban living, it is not absent of the challenges inherently present in what we as individuals bring with us to the mountain. There's that old saying that wherever you go, there you are...

While I'm still in the midst of being up here in the mists, I haven't fully digested all of my experiences. Being away for a month will provide me some distance and space to reflect more easily. I still feel so very fortunate to be here and appreciate all the support I've been given both morally and financially to realize this dream. Thank you!

If I set up my Instagram account correctly, you may be able to see several pictures I uploaded there. It's under the name: urbanqi. I plan to do some videotaping of my training with a GoPro camera during this coming semester. As that happens, I'll share those with you as well.

I wish you and your families the very best for the upcoming Holidays. May you be blessed with robust health and well-being and may you truly know unconditional love and happiness.

Respectfully,
Doc