"Mike, Thank you for your kind words.
FYI... Dear Fellow Tai Chi’er, How would you like a chance to kick (sink) back for a week of very focused, very intensive training with fellow Tai Chi students and teachers who, like yourself, are committed to getting the very most from their practice... an opportunity to immerse yourself in Tai Chi and explore what-all its implications are for truly enhancing your life on all levels? The idea of offering a Tai Chi full immersion retreat has simmered on my back burner over the last several years as my particular understandings of Tai Chi and my teaching methodologies have disseminated far and wide via the three books and numerous magazine articles I have written. Now I’m ready to offer just such an event in an awe-inspiring location. Finding the right venue, some perfect setting for Tai Chi with great weather and strong but mellow environmental energy (feng shui), plus good earth ethics presented a bit of a challenge. I’ll tell you more about the venue I’ve chosen shortly. Right now, I am in preparation stages of a retreat that will take place next August. At this writing, I have confirmed both the dates for this retreat and its location (details below). First though, join me back at my drawing board. I’m planning a well structured curriculum designed to help you get more, lots more, out of whatever Tai Chi you practice. Each day of our retreat will start with early morning body-opening and Chi Kung practice, followed by time off for breakfast and settling in. During the day we’ll meet for two 2-hour training sessions, morning and late afternoon. In between training sessions you’ll have ample free time to rest, reflect on and practice all you’ve learned, explore/ hike, or engage in lively Tai Chi discussions with fellow attendees from around the country. Our basis for training will be a traditional Yang form, but we will approach it in a way that emphasizes Tai Chi’s deepest and most natural connections... no matter if you already practice a different form or style, this study will enrich your understanding of Tai Chi at its core. Throughout the week there will be lots of opportunity for personalized attention. My promise to those who attend is that you will emerge from your week of training with a better understanding of Tai Chi’s nuances and a fresh perspective on how Tai Chi can help you to optimize your own human potential. You’ll finish up your Tai Chi retreat week light years beyond of where you started. Evenings will see time for other structured activities, including discussions about Tai Chi principles, Pushing Hands, how to live your Tai Chi in a manner that is congruent with the values intrinsic to Tai Chi, and more. I’ll also introduce instruction in Hanna Somatics bodywork exercises. These unique exercises, developed by a modern pioneer of therapeutic/educational movement, will provide you a means by which you will find relief and release from habituated and amnesiac muscle patterns wherever they might be hiding in your body. It is exactly the patterns of stuckness addressed by these exercises which prevent most people from advancing beyond a certain level of skill with their own Tai Chi. Now for our venue. We’ll be holding our retreat at an expansive ranch setting in beautiful Sand Creek Canyon in the Northern Black Hills of eastern Wyoming. That’s Big Sky country. The ranch is situated on 600 acres of pristine land, which includes a blue-ribbon trout stream - and is in proximity to Deadwood, Devil’s Tower National Monument, Spearfish Canyon, and the Vore Buffalo Jump. The main ranch house, built during the 1930’s, was constructed of massive pine timbers by the finest woodworkers and artisans of the day. It has comfortable accommodations for 75+ people and a large indoor common room. Excepting the caretakers and our chef, we’ll have the place all to ourselves. The grounds outside the ranch house include 5 acres of mowed lawns, perfect for our daily Tai Chi practice. Our retreat will be held from Aug 27 thru Sept 3, 2006. The cost for retreat attendees is $950 pp, with savings up to $150 for those who register early. (details to follow). The fee includes all training and accommodations, plus 3 healthy gourmet meals/day. Not included are airfare, transportation to and from the airport (though we’ll be offering scheduled pick-ups/drop-offs for folks flying in/out), local travel, & meals off site. What to do now... Your skill level or experience at Tai Chi is less important than your enthusiasm and a desire to learn. Part of my teaching philosophy is that people move at their own pace and learn what they’re ready to learn when they’re ready to learn it. Our training will be serious (fun serious, not stern serious), but open to different levels of experience. I am now accepting registrations. And, by all means free to pass this along to other Tai Chi enthusiasts who may be interested. Best Tai Chi regards, John Loupos Your host and teacher for this event... John Loupos is the owner/ founder of Jade Forest Kung Fu/ Tai Chi/ Internal Arts, HQ’ed in Cohasset Ma, with two authorized branch facilities. John has been teaching martial arts since 1968 and practicing Tai Chi since 1975. His internal arts experience covers a wide spectrum. He is also trained in Classical Homeopathy and Hanna Somatics. He is the author of “Inside Tai Chi...”, “Exploring Tai Chi...” and “Tai Chi Connections...”, with a companion instructional DVD due for release in 2006. His articles have appeared in Taijiquan Journal, Inside Kung Fu magazine, and the Journal of Asian Martial Arts. John was also featured as a presenter at the 2005 Zhang San Feng Festival and has been invited back for 2006. John is guided in his role as a Tai Chi teacher by his beliefs that: 1/ Tai Chi Chuan can be more than something we do, rather it can become an indelible part of who we are,... 2/ the essential principles of Tai Chi are universal, regardless of the style,... 3/ Tai Chi is a mind/body discipline that can help us optimize our human potential as ‘self-masters’,... and 4/ Tai Chi should be as much fun as it is work. Hope you’ll be able to join us. === Big Sky Tai Chi Retreat 06 Additional event information Greetings Fellow Tai Chi’ers, Our dates are confirmed for Sun, Aug 27 - Sun Sept 3. I’ve included information below on registration procedures and will provide an even more detailed follow-up letter for participants once confirmation payment has been received. To help you plan well ahead, attendees should arrange travel plans to arrive at the Ranch A Education Center lodge (details to follow on registration) between noon - 6 pm on Sun, 8/27. You may care to note that the airlines serving Rapid City are American, Skywest/Delta, Frontier, Great Lakes, Northwest/KLM, and United. Joel Bielstein, who operates my satellite Jade Forest branch in Rapid City, and his mom Karel, will be our local contacts. Joel and Karel will be offering a courtesy shuttle from the Rapid City airport to the ranch. There will be two shuttle trips (at least), one leaving RC early/mid-afternoon and a second one departing later in the afternoon. Once registrants have provided me with their flight info we’ll do our best to plan shuttles around arrival and departure times. Cars can be rented at the airport. Or, if you prefer to pool on a rented car with other attendees let me know and I will try to put like-minded people together. Once you are confirmed registered, or for anyone arriving late or preferring to make their own transportation arrangements, driving directions/maps will be made available, as well local cell ph #’s for our shuttle drivers. Please let me know your preference on this no later than 5/1/06. Our first evening together at the ranch has dinner being served at 6 pm and then some free time for settling in prior to an intro/orientation gathering at 8 pm. Please try to make orientation if at all possible so everybody can get started on the same root. Training will begin the following morning. A chart of the week-long daily training schedule will follow with maps, etc. Departure will be the following Sun morning after early workout and breakfast. Shuttles will taxi back to RC airport, again taking into account flight departure times. Checkout is by noon. I am now accepting reservations for the Big Sky Tai Chi Retreat. Fees are as follows: Payment in full before: 12/1/05 @ $800 after 12/1 but before: 1/1/06 @ $850 after 1/1 but before: 2/15/06 @ $900 Payment rec. after 2/15/06 @ $950 Cancellations/refunds by - 4/15/06 100% less $50 before: 8/1/06 50% Cancellations after: 8/1/06 no refund Instructor’s note: In response to several inquiries, if you are an Instructor wanting to bring students of your own to this retreat you are eligible for an additional discount. For each of your students who prepays by 6/1/06 (space permitting) you will receive a rebate in the amount of $50, to be administered at the retreat. To register you may send payment in full at this time or a deposit to hold your space. Applicable discounts apply according to discount deadlines. Checks may be made out to Jade Forest. Mail to: Jade Forest, 130 King St, Cohasset, Ma, 02025. Once you are registered I will notify you to confirm your space. Further information will be sent out during Feb to help you prepare for a successful event. Again, I’m extremely pleased with the enthusiastic interest the Tai Chi community has shown in this retreat. It’s already shaping up to be a memorable and unique experience for all the Tai Chi enthusiasts who are planning to attend.
Best regards, John Loupos"
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