All of our lives are dictated by the changing seasons, which are marked by reoccurring events such as Christmas holidays, the clocks changing or annual sporting and social events. For myself the Easter holidays have now become firmly associated with the Instructor’s Annual Retreat. It is an intrinsic part of my year and one that I relish and look forward too.

I also have the wonderful opportunity, depending on how the Easter holidays fall, to share my Birthday with everyone even though my actual age is subject to much discussion! Sharing my Birthday with all of my fellow instructors from all the ‘4 corners’ of our tai chi community is a privilege.

Many great relationships have been forged over the years and are renewed each year at this retreat. For myself this year the area that stood was the progress that many of my fellow instructors had made in their practice and understanding of what it means to ‘link’ and ‘sink’ with someone.

In fact the word from the retreat is SLINK! Watch out for the next edition of our magazine where a definition might appear; perhaps we might even get SLINK into the next edition of the Oxford English dictionary!

Gary (Instructor Limehouse, UK)