The 14th Annual West Coast Summer Tai Chi Retreat in Washington

by Margaret Olmsted

The 14^th Annual West Coast Summer Tai Chi Retreat was held at the Whidbey Institute on Whidbey Island in Washington state on July 15-21, 2024, with 50 participants. Whidbey Island, once home to Lower Skagit, Swinomish, Suquamish, and Snohomish tribes, is a 20-minute ferry ride from Western Washington into Puget Sound, part of the Salish Sea.

With winding trails through the woods, a meditative labyrinth, a peaceful sanctuary, and two beautiful spaces for practicing tai chi, the grounds of the Whidbey Institute were ideal. Accommodations varied from camping under trees or on a wide lawn to a farmhouse with many cozy rooms and snug cabins.

The food, lovingly prepared by head chef Chrstyn Johnson, lead cook Gina Horrocks, and the other amazing kitchen staff, was, as always, extraordinary. Along with fresh, organic, produce-forward meals and vegetarian protein sources, they also included fish or chicken at each dinner. Mouthwatering desserts were also prepared for us. Needless to say, meals at the Whidbey Institute are one of the highlights of the day.

Jonathan Stow and Greg Woodson started us off in the mornings with Tai Chi Rounds and Push Hands before breakfast. Afterward, everyone gathered for Roots and Branches Five-Element Qigong, which Gerrie Sporken taught. It was fun to explore each element and generate qi together. The Five-Element class was followed by Paul Campbell leading us through Professor Cheng Man-ching’s teachings to bring us all to a deep internal state in our Tai Chi Form.  Next came Greg Woodson and Jonathan Stow’s class, where we delved into Tai Chi Principles to find deeper levels of relaxation and rootedness. Before lunch, we had Time in the Art sessions with varying focuses led by senior teachers Paul Campbell, David Goodell, Margaret Olmsted, Greg Woodson, and Jonathan Stow.

In the afternoons, Jonathan and Greg taught Advanced Sword and Fencing classes, while Gerrie Sporken led a Beginning Sword class. There is always more to learn and explore while wielding a sword. “The hilt leads the way” was commonly heard in the room, as was “the body moves the sword.”

Kate Mansfield and Vanessa Costigan continued the Tai Chi Principles work with those students who had not yet learned Sword Form.

In the late afternoons, David Goodell reviewed the third/third of the Tai Chi Form – B3 – which had more students every day as people were eager to refine their form. The rest of us relaxed, read, or napped.

After dinner, Paul Campbell led some participants through calming meditations from the Arica Institute. One evening, David Goodell’s student, Denis Janky, showed us wonderful examples of photographing the night sky called astrophotography. We were in awe. You can see examples of his work at www.deepskyguy.com.

Square dancing turned out to be a particularly fun night! The caller did a great job of keeping us organized despite a lot of confusion and laughter. On the final night of the retreat, we had our traditional talent show, which included jokes, musical performances, poetry, a jewelry display, and a tribute song performed by a group of Seattle apprentices, followed by dancing and socializing.

Many thanks to all who contributed to the evening’s entertainment.

A heartfelt thanks to the teachers and participants who made this summer program such a huge success, including David Goodell and April Hulvershorn for organizing it, Host Will Noble, Co-Executive Director at the Whidbey Institute, Rose Woods, and all the other Whidbey Institute staff for making the retreat such a lovely and inspiring space to practice together.

We hope to see you there next summer!

Photos by: Kate Mansfield and Margaret Olmsted

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