Tai Chi Berkeley: Workshops

Lenzie Williams offers single-day, several-day, and week-long workshops throughout the year. Workshop locations in the United States have included the San Francisco Bay Area; Birmingham, Michigan; Norfolk, Virginia; and Washington, D.C. Internationally, Lenzie has taught workshops in The Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, and Israel.

Please contact Lenzie for information on upcoming workshop dates and locations not listed below.

A new message from Lenzie about Tai Chi Camp can be found below, as part of the announcement of the June Walker Creek Ranch Workshop.

10th Annual Tai Chi Chuan Summer Camp: June 22-27, 2008

Lenzie's 10th Annual Tai Chi Chuan Summer Camp will take place from Sunday afternoon June 22 through Friday June 27, 2008, ending at 1pm.

Tai Chi Summer Camp site, Summer 2005 (photo: John Crouse)

The workshop site is a beautiful, quiet conference and retreat center in the coastal hills of Marin County (about an hour north of San Francisco). Attendance is limited to a maximum of fifty participants. Please contact Lenzie Williams for more information or a brochure.

New Considerations for Tai Chi Camp

A message from Lenzie Williams...

I'm quite fortunate and honored to be coming up to the 10th year of my Walker Creek Tai Chi Camp, taught in the "Ben Lo Tradition" (deep and detailed posturing, meditation, and push hands work). Lashi Ben Lo gifted us with this High Standard tradition over three decades ago and continues to hold this standard in his workshops today.

Those of us who started two or three decades ago are now twenty or thirty years older. Some of us have been without a teacher or classes for years. With the added years, and with distance from the regular rigor of guided group training, the expectation to perform at "camp level" is unrealistic, quite a challenge at the least, and in some cases an improbability - even though some of us do maintain that expectation.

This year at Walker Creek Ranch the context will definitely be to hold the same High standard, while allowing for individual adjustments within this context. Holding the 120% group effort, while allowing for the 120% individual effort. The framework and criteria will be discussed the first day of camp.

Some individuals may feel they can't hold up to the physical demand of camp. At some level, that may be true. However, I am continually amazed by the awesomeness and the effect of the power of Group Energy, which takes people to levels beyond what they thought and experienced their capacity to be. So no matter where you are, you will have some level of transcendence.

As well as the physical training there are some other key elements of camp. Spending a whole week immersed in the Profound Art of Tai Chi Chuan, feeling Tai Chi, thinking Tai Chi, talking Tai Chi, sleeping Tai Chi -- what a great way to enhance the embodiment of the Art. So many people have developed friendships and deep connections at camp that have turned into long term Tai Chi comrade relationships, and some have turned into life long dear friendships.

The meals are incredible: such great stories, how interesting and different people work out parenting, relationships, work issues, all the dynamics of life. Yes, the meals are great.

And as my senior student Steve M. said last camp, "we have over 400 years of collective Tai Chi experience among us." This to me is one of the big, hidden treasures of camp. People sharing and assimilating such profound levels of experience, stories, wisdom, and intuition in relation to Tai Chi, that helps open the door to the Heart and Soul of this Infinite Art.

So feel the freedom to have a range as your criteria of what is required for your presence and participation at camp. I welcome you to come and do your best, your 120%. Doing so will be the Honor, the gift of your participation, and the gift of what is received.

With much Love and Gratitude,

Lenzie