Author: Slanted Flying

By Bill Campbell and Iraja Sivadas

Redding, CA – Turtle Bay Exploration Park has provided land for a dedicated Tai Chi practice area to be called the Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden (RTCMG). On Saturday, June 27, 2020 at 10:00 AM, members of Redding Tai Chi unveiled a large sign marking the location of the future site. Twenty-eight people were present for this important event. A mixture of Tai Chi students and supporting donors were in attendance to hear Tai Chi instructor Michel Czehatowski give an informative talk on the project’s status at the proposed site within the McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay Exploration Park.

Below is the Tai Chi site at the McConnell Aroboretum.

When this project is completed, Czehatowski hopes that Redding will become a center for Tai Chi. A place where classes and seminars are held for all styles of Tai Chi. The Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden project is a Tai Chi practice area modeled after the David Chen Memorial Tai Chi Court in Rockville, Maryland. The goal is to have one specific outdoor space where people can practice Tai Chi or other meditative exercises such as Yoga. Another distinction of the project is that it would be the only Tai Chi court of its kind on the west coast. As of today, there are only two known public Tai Chi Courts in the United States: One in Houston and the second in Maryland.

The Wuwei Tai Chi Club and David Chen Foundation have been very generous with their plans and experience. The large sixty-foot concrete circle is to be capped with beautiful flagstone. The stone will depict the flowing lines of the Yin-Yang symbol. Everything that is at this Meditative Garden is about balance. The circle will be ringed with natural- colored benches that complement the surrounding native oaks and pines that are part of the Arboretum. Of most importance is the least amount of disturbance to the natural environment, adjacent to a series of duck ponds and wetlands. The placement of the Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden is an incredibly special complement that balances what is purely, natural namely: Tai Chi, Yoga, or just peaceful contemplation.

Redding Tai Chi has created a 501(c)3 non-profit organization to help fund the project. They have raised almost $50,000 towards their goal. For more information on how you can help support this project please go to https://www.reddingtaichi.com/tai-chi-meditation-gardenUnveiled sign Bill Campbell Iraja Sivadas

Below Bill Campbell and Iraja Sivadask unveil the sign for the Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden.

Bill Campbell resides in Cottonwood, California and has studied Tai Chi with instructor Michel Czehatowski.Iraja Sivadas resides in Redding, California and is on the Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden Board. He has also studied Tai Chi with Michel Czehatowski.

The young children of essential workers in Derbyshire, England are learning Tai Chi to help them stay relaxed and calm during the shutdown for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The students of Longmoor Primary School (located in Long Eaton) and the Hope Primary School (located in Hope) both in Derbyshire, have been able to go to school while their parents work in key positions that are still needed.

The schools called in local Tai Chi instructor Paul White to teach the children the calming movements of the ancient Chinese martial art of Tai Chi. Paul has previously been involve in teaching primary school children the art of Tai Chi to help with the stresses involved in school life and taking exams.

Paul White founded the Snapdragon T’ai Chi school, which has worked with hundreds of schools and thousands of children throughout the Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, & South Yorkshire counties over the last 15 years.

The annual World Tai Chi and Qigong Day for 2020 has officially been postponed this year because of the recent COVID-19 pandemic and concerns about social/physical distancing requirements. The event, which is held every year on the last Saturday of April, is tentatively postponed until May 30th pending any updates or changes due to the pandemic.

The World Tai Chi Day was first held in 1999 as a celebration to the healing benefits when a group of about 200 participants gathered on the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City to demonstrate Tai Chi and Qiqong. The event has grown world wide, with enthusiasts from more than 80 countries gathering in groups large and small every year on the last Saturday of April at 10:00 am their local time.

Below is a video from 2009 shot and produced by film maker Valdas Kotovas, who has been filming the World Tai Chi Day events for many years in Greenville, South Carolina. You can view some of his other excellent films on his YouTube Channel and see more about his work on his website valdasvideo.com.

Check the official World Tai Chi and Qigong Website for any new updates and information regarding this years events.