3rd Class

My girlfriend must feel sorry for me because she agrees to attend class #3 in the park on White Oak Circle. We arrive 5 minutes after 10. No one else is in the park. Thus, I am right on time. Sharms can only attend till 10:30 so I keep it simple. We start with standing meditation - the nine gates - a lovely way to prepare for tai chi. Next we do a simple qi-gong kidney activation exercise. Then I move through my whole form. Sharms follows along quietly not saying too much. At 10:30 she cruises away on to her next mission, leaving me and my skateboard. The last half hour I do some standing meditation again before practicing the short form another 3 times. A young man sits at the other end of the park on one of the cement and wooden picnic tables while his decent sized dog gallops about smelling things.

I finish class 8 minutes early and utilize the time to research a couple tai chi related items. I find this amazing video of a grand master in my tai chi lineage: http://taichivideos.org/cheng-man-ching-instructing-push-hands/.

Nice skating home. Smooth asphalt, warm air, quiet and peaceful.