Community Practice Days Sept. 19, Oct. 31

Now for something completely different. What we’re calling “community practice day”—one Saturday a month, 2-4pm—is actually a free class in disguise. It is a laid back, sociable gathering of all students,new and old, whatever your skill level, and a chance to “exercise” core energy arts principles outside of the structure of regular classes.

The session is facilitated by an instructor, who gives the class its shape, but is wide open to exploration. The movements—visualize, for example, keeping a paper cup upright while circling it in a wide overhead swing and then an arc under your arm—are tai chi-like in their circularity, and will open up the body in much the same way. While our regular classes benefit from a clear, structured curriculum throughout the year, it is just as important to find times to let go of the structure and just enjoy the movement for its own sake. Let-go is a main goal of community practice days.

These sessions started out as outreach last winter, as we brought students unfamiliar with tai chi into BTC for free open house demos, trying to create a sense of what tai chi feels like that would entice them to come back for classes. In the process, we discovered that long-time students who had come to talk about their practice and share what they know were having as much fun as newcomers. Says BTC director Dan Kleiman (usually the practice day facilitator), “Sometimes we all get so serious practicing these arts, and working out all the kinks in the system, that we forget the fun we felt starting out, what got us hooked in the first place.”

So far we have held three practice days last spring. One of the possible directions for upcoming practices is picking themes that relate to the seasons—inward, gathering-in movements for winter, for instance, or loosening up swings in spring. Suggestions are welcome. We look forward to a large turn-out. Overheard from one participant: “Somehow it’s easier to integrate all this movement in everyday life when you’ve been hanging out with a relaxing group; on my own, I can still go into overdrive, even practicing how to let go.”