Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei Coming to Seattle & New Fall Sessions

Save the Dates!

Chen Zhenglei workshops Jan. 14-17, 2016

Just in, exciting news that Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei will be back teaching in Seattle for the first time in many years. Some of the topics to be covered: Silk Reeling, Old Frame 1, Old Frame 2, New Frame 1, and Straight Sword. Please stay tuned as details and more news to follow.

In preparation for Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei’s visit, I’ll be offering pre-camp training on Fridays and Sundays. Whether you plan to attend the workshops or not (are you kidding me?!) you are welcome to join in these fun and expansive training experiences.
  • Fridays Beginning in December, expanding the ongoing advanced Chen class to 2 hours beginning 8:45 to 10:45.
  • Sundays beginning Nov. 29th from 12:45 – 1:45pm Sword at CMH
Contact Viola if you are interested, pre-registration required. Please no drop-ins. Cost is included in your unlimited tuition. Donations appreciated to cover cost of studio rental.
Starting soon, late fall sessions of the Ba Fa Pan Gen (Spiral Qigong, the 8 Brocade Qigong, and Intro to Tai Chi: Fundamentals for Beginners. Details below. Registration is open now.
Spiral Qigong 4 week session in West Seattle at the Center for Movement and Healing!
Sun., Nov. 29 – Dec. 20, 11:30am
Cost $90, or included with your unlimited Tuition
Registration open now.
Intro to Tai Chi – Fundamentals for Beginners is a new class at SSC on Wed. this late fall beginning Nov. 18, this 4 week session ends Dec. 16 and is from 5:30-6:15pm

Also on Wed. nights beginning Nov. 18th is the 8 Brocade Qigong (Ba Duan Jin), from 6:30-7:15pm at SSC. This series will also be 4 weeks ending Dec. 16th.

Also, a thank you to everyone who came out and supported the workshops with Master David Leung and enjoyed his visits to our regular classes. Pretty beautiful time and practice. Coming Nov. 21st, he’ll be teaching in Vancouver, WA. Here’s a link for more information.

 

And, if you hadn’t heard, on October 18th, Wise Orchid Taiji family joined with Viola’s Tai Chi sisters Hong Yijiao and Wang Ning and their students to take part in a world Tai Chi practice and broke the Guinness Book of World Records for the greatest number of people practicing Tai Chi at the same time.

Here is a link to one of three articles from local papers, this one in english, and a video taken of some of the participants in China.

It was such fun to participate in this even though it was last minute notice, I want to give a shout out to those who with little information said yes and showed up. Heather Islander, Dawn Aiken, Leo Manzano, Jeff Allen, John Lindsay, John Howe, Rose Slavkowski, Terrill Chang, Kevin Tegmeier, Lisa Glendenning, Jan Ritter, and Rusel DeMaria. Doing Wise Orchid very proud!

And, lastly, just a reminder of our holiday schedule.
No class days:
  • Nov. 11, Burien Comm. Ctr. Closed for Veteran’s Day. Regular classes at Emerald City Aikido are still on.
  • Nov. 25-28th we are on break for Thanksgiving
  • Dec. 23-31st we are on winter break.

Thank you everyone!

Much love and gratitude,
Viola

World Tai Chi QiGong Day 2012, Beacon Hill, Seattle, WA

Part the Wild Horse's Mane, Yang Tai Chi's 24 form, World Tai Chi Qigong Day 2012

One World ….  One Breath ….

What an incredible morning!  Saturday, April 28, 2012, World Tai Chi Qigong Day, I woke to the forecast of clouds and occasional showers.  I was braced for the changeable spring weather of Seattle such as we had last year, with a torrential downpour just before we got started and then brilliant sun.  This year, I brought sunscreen just in case, and the skies did not disappoint.  Down to just a t-shirt and no hat, you’d think it was already summer in Seattle.

And so we arrived at Jefferson Park, not knowing how many people would be able to come.  I know weekends in the spring are a slam of opportunity as we  come out from under the cover of winter… You have many options and obligations of things to put your energy toward.  But you came, you practiced, and together we created some positive qi and inspiration to all our bystanders at Jefferson Park.  I thank you all who were there in person and in spirit, joining in the wave of healing circling the planet.  With 35+ people in attendance and several dozen onlookers, we had an amazing turn out!  Folks came from Bellevue, Auburn, Renton, Burien, West Seattle and around Seattle proper as well.

We practiced some Joint Lubrication Longevity Qigong exercises, Silk Reeling, Tai Chi Walking, and then jumped into some Yang 24 Tai Chi form, Topping it off with some Chen Taiji Laojia Yilu and the finale’ the Yin Yang Medical Qigong!  Whew!  Such a treat to have two hours to play together in the park!

2012 World Tai Chi Qigong Day Participants, Jefferson Park, Beacon Hill, Seattle,WA

Yang 24 Tai Chi Group at WTCQGD 2012

Wise Orchid Taijiquan & QiGong, World Tai Chi Qigong Day Seattle 2012 Yin Yang Medical Qigong

for more pictures, check out my flickr page

Thank you to Rusel DeMaria and Leo Manzano for taking these great pictures!

Spring 2011 Newsletter

Travels to Shaolin Temple 2011

Dear Friends of Wise Orchid Martial Arts,

Spring is approaching and as the light returns I thought I would send out a wish for you all to be in good health and spirits experiencing the renewal that this time of year brings.  With so much desperation and difficulty in the world, I hope that you are continuing to cultivate peace and goodness in your own lives and in your own way.

Viola’s Travels and Class Cancellations:

With Spring comes the Eugene Chen Tai Chi Camp!  Yes, Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei will be giving his annual training camp in Eugene at the end of this month, followed by a Chen Tai Chi Summit in Los Angeles.  I will be attending both back to back, so mark your calendars; there will be no classes for Wise Orchid Martial Arts on the following dates: March 23rd & 24th and March 31st through April 5th.

NEW and Continuing Classes for Spring 2011:

When I return, there will be new sessions of Tai Chi starting at South Seattle Community College, Delridge Community Center, Renton Senior and Activity Center and the Burien Community Center.  Of course, classes will be continuing down in the ID and at Fauntleroy.  But the exciting news is that a New Class will be starting on Beacon Hill at the Jefferson Community Center, Mondays & Wednesdays at 11am to noon.  In this class I will be offering the Chen 18 form, along with Grandmaster Chen’s Longevity Exercises, Silk Reeling, and Chen Style QiGong.  Please come and join us in learning this wonderful style and form.

Why Chen Tai Chi:

I began my journey some 18 years ago now with Yang Style Tai Chi.  Not by choice, but because the teacher that came most highly recommended to me in town taught that style.  After less than a year of practice learning the Yang 24, Master Leung introduced me to some Chen Style Tai Chi.  For me it was love at first spiral.  I had loved the introduction of Tai Chi through the structure and grace and openness of practicing the Yang form, but discovering and learning Chen Style was… expansive beyond belief.  I began to better understand the development and movement of qi.  Through the spiral movements of the form, I felt my practice deepen, my spirit grew lighter, and my roots deeper.  I was able to incorporate the foundations I had learned in Yang Style to this new found love of spiraling open and closed, learning about flow, and the potential of my own strength and connection on a whole new level.  I would really enjoy sharing this art with you as it will only deepen your own understanding and practice of Tai Chi.

Thank you for joining me on this part of my journey and doing what you do to make this world a better place.

All of my best,

Viola Brumbaugh

….  expand & flourish!