Dear Tom Gohring's School of T'ai Chi:

Studying T'ai Chi with Sifu Tom Gohring and Mr. Kade Green has been one of the most profound experiences in my life. In the short time I've been studying, T'ai Chi has incorporated itself into every part of my life, from running to reading. Learning the form and the internal alignments of T'ai Chi has sharpened my awareness. Not only has my level of awareness of my body increased, but my mind has begun to incorporate that sense of balance that we are always searching for in the Form. This awareness has now become a torch to light the way through the dark places in my life.

The best example of how T'ai Chi has helped me is when I was kicking my drug habit. I had gradually smoked more and more during my college career, and by the time I graduated I had a pretty strong habit. I had stopped studying T'ai Chi during my last year of college, but when I started working full-time I decided to come back to the school. At this point I had recognized something was wrong in my life, but was not willing to admit I had a habit. But it wasn't more than two months after I picked up T'ai Chi again that I had quit smoking entirely. Something about the practice helped me realize that I was out of balance and I had to let go.

With each level of training to reach I discover a new challenge to overcome, and they are always challenges I face in the rest of my life. I avoided push-hands for quite a while because I was uncomfortable being so close and having to be touching a stranger. I probably spent the first month dealing with my body issues, but because I could practice it in a safe environment I quickly overcame my fears. Now, after a year of push-hands, I've decided to study Asian bodywork.

The Taoist philosophy that T'ai Chi is based upon has provided me with a spiritual center that I had previously lacked in my life. The above example of me moving from detesting human contact to wanting to study a field where that is all you do is a perfect example of Taoist attitude I have adopted. But I was brought up without religion. The only system I had faith in was science, and it gave me a sense of superiority that was beyond my knowledge and experience. T'ai Chi exposed me to a world where things happened that could not be explained by science, but still could be observed. The emptiness that was created by not having to know why all the time has opened my life up to limitless possibilities. I will always be grateful to Tom and Kade for the space they have opened in my life.

Sincerely,
Sam R.