Early Morning Activities…
Morning Qigong and Taijiquan with Phyllis Richmond
Awaken your mind and body to the day’s activities with gentle energy generated by Qigong and Taiji. The soft, flowing movements of Taijiquan evolved over centuries in China as a way to achieve health and harmony, as well as being a martial art. Qigong exercises develop release, energy, vitality, breathing, and mindfulness. Practicing Qigong and Taijiquan daily helps to reduce stress, quiet the mind, develop internal awareness and alertness, improve centering and grounding, increase strength and mobility, and regulate energy.
Biography:
Phyllis Richmond (M.AmSAT, M.STAT) certified as an Alexander Technique teacher at the Brighton Alexander Training Centre (John Nicholls) in 1991. A serious student of Taijiquan since 1998 in the United States, Taiwan, and China, she received her teaching certification from the Yang Style Martial Arts Association in Taiwan in 2013. She also teaches the Shaw Method of Swimming.
Phyllis teaches in Evanston, Illinois and Dallas, Texas and offers workshops and courses for universities and professional programs including the University of North Texas, Southern Methodist University, Northwestern, Rice, Baylor, Vanderbilt, University of Texas, Oklahoma, Central Oklahoma, Louisiana, as well as the Dallas Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Music Institute of Chicago, Keyboard Wellness Seminar, and the American Harp Society.
Phyllis has an MA in Dance Education and is a Certified Laban Movement Analyst (CMA). A former journalist, Phyllis was the Editor of AmSAT News/AmSAT Journal from 2005-2017. In 2012 she received AmSAT’s Distinguished Service Award, the Society’s highest honor.
The Art of Running with Malcolm Balk
Join The Art of Running for a gentle morning warm-up/run and get your day off to a great start. Explore a bit of the beautiful Chicago shore at an easy pace and benefit from a few tips and some expert feedback on how you’re moving. All levels welcome but the ability to run 5k is a definite advantage: it is a run after all! For those who are a little less fit, we will use the walk/run approach to make the more enjoyable and (non) doable. Hope you to see you bright eyed and bushy tailed in Chicago!
Biography:
Malcolm Balk, founder of The Art of Running has been helping people improve their stride for over 30 years. He still runs for fun and occasionally competes in his master’s age category. (Please don’t ask which one!) He also trains AT teachers how to work with runners.
Yoga with David Moore
David Moore, author of “Smart Yoga: Apply the Alexander Technique to enhance your practice, prevent injury and increase body awareness” will be running these yoga classes. These classes will be suitable for all levels of yoga experience, with a focus on the application of AT principles, and the use of modifications to suit different levels of flexibility and limitations which people may have. David will be assisted by Rossella Buono and others he has trained to provide as much personalized individual guidance as possible. Find out more here: Click.
Biography:
David Moore is the director of the School for F.M. Alexander Studies in Melbourne, an AUSTAT and government accredited school which he established in 1998. He completed his training at Australia’s first training school in 1985.
He is the author of “Yoga and the Alexander Technique” and “Smart Yoga: Apply the Alexander Technique to Enhance Your Practice, Prevent Injury, and Increase Body Awareness,” and he runs workshops and retreats in the Alexander Technique and Alexander Yoga in Australia and internationally. His initial yoga teacher training was with TKV Desikachar and his teachers at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Madras from 1979 – 1981. He subsequently trained in Iyengar yoga between 1981 and 1984 in Sydney. The yoga which he now teaches has been greatly modified by the application of Alexander technique principles.