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| Spring 2020 Newsletter Greetings everyone, this was not the Spring break any of us anticipated. Foregoing our trip to the coast and Olympics, we have hunkered into our isolation and have been embracing/adjusting shifting into the new online Wise Orchid Studio. Our Spring sessions begin Monday, April 6th, with much of our regular schedule intact. With the Burien Community Center and South Seattle College closed, I’m hoping to adapt and invite those who attended those classes into our regular schedule of Tai Chi and Qigong since we are not bound by the confines of shared floor space. See more info on this below. We are offering a free Qigong – Surviving and Thriving class this coming Saturday, April 4th at 9:15am so you can make a trial run at setting up your Zoom app and joining us. Please look to our Calendar on the Wise Orchid Website for details on how to set yourself up and join a class. With Spring and the return of yang energy, I’ll be offering Spiral Qigong at 9am on Saturdays this quarter. No previous experience necessary. Please note the time for the Saturday Qigong class has shifted. We’ll be starting 15 minutes earlier to accommodate a small break between the Qigong, Chen, and Sword classes.  |
| Today we paid the rent for our sweet studio, and as you can see, the garden is keeping the Qi flow strong with a parade of spring color. If you are able to contribute to support keeping our space while we wait for a safe time to return, we’ve started a Patreon account to help cover the costs of the lost income from the classes that we are not able to run due to closures of Community Centers and colleges. Become a Patron!  If you have attended the Tai Chi for Everyone classes in Burien and would like to join our online classes, please feel welcome to join us for Yang Tai Chi on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:30am.Burien Qigong participants, feel free to join us on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:30am, or Wednesdays at 6:35pm (10 minutes earlier than normal) Burien Chen for Beginners will be 6pm on Tuesdays online joining with our Intro to Tai Chi class. And Students from South Seattle College, please look for us at our regular times on Wednesday evenings, 5:30pm Yang 24, and 6:35pm Qigong. Please contact me if you need assistance in getting set up to join us. Look below for more info, how to Zoom is also on our Calendar Page.  You are not alone… It has been such a delight to see many friends already online as we come into this new way of sharing practice. Thank you for showing up and helping me learn new ways of transmitting this art and practice that connects us all. What is special about this time of isolation is how we can come together across distance regardless of miles, traffic, walls. We have a space to share and I look forward to seeing you online soon. To get started: Step 1. Find the Zoom app on the system you’ll be using. It’s available on Windows, Mac, and mobile devices. Whatever device you choose, set it up so you can see it and have space to move during the class. Step 2. Open the Zoom application and choose the option to Sign In. Enter your email and pick a password that you will remember, and/or write it down. You will receive an email from Zoom. Click the link in the email to verify that it is you and complete the initial login process. Step 3. Open the Wise Orchid website, choose Calendar, and find the class or event that you will be attending. Select and copy the meeting number. Step 4. In your Zoom App, select the option to “Join” and paste the meeting number where prompted, then enter the password as noted in the calendar event. Step 5. Select how you want to join. Most of you will want to join using computer video. You can also choose to enable your audio.Protocols: During class, please keep your audio muted. The mute button is on the bottom left of the Zoom screen. This is to prevent noise or echoes during class. When the teacher asks for comments, please unmute only when you want to speak. If more than one person wants to speak at the same time, use courtesy to allow each person the opportunity to speak uninterrupted.Now come join us on Saturday for an All Welcome Qigong class, 9:15am and give it a try. From my home to yours 🙏❤️🙏  I know we are all inundated with a constant news cycle focused on the virus, politics with only some relief from cat videos. Here are a few pieces that have come into my view that I’d like to share: Tai Chi in Wuhan hospitals to help people healing, From North of Wuhan, Our Tai Chi birthplace Chen Village Master Chen Zhiqiang has words of encouragement for getting through the coronavirus And, also from friend David Gaffney’s blog: Keeping Balance in Strange Times  NEW VIDEOS FOR HOME PRACTICE Lastly, I’ve been learning how to make video content for you and have started working on content, lighting, location, and editing. Here is my first attempt. Please enjoy our Joint Lubrication Longevity Qigong. Practicing often and consistently will keep your body from getting stiff during this stay at home/stay safe time we are in. Much love and gratitude for all your patience. More videos to come. We’ve already recorded the Yin Yang Medical Qigong and hope to have a version of that up to you soon. Peace, practice, and patience, Stay safe & healthy, Viola |
