La Gavina is glad to offer a series of tai chi retreats in the beautiful Tuscan countryside. Come experiment mindfulness and relaxation with the practise of tai chi in the midst of rolling hills, olive orchards and vineyards. Our programs include intensive tai chi weeks, more laid back inner balance retreats, and weeks designed to give you a better chance to explore Tuscany. These retreats are both for the absolute beginner and for those who wants to improve their Tai chi.
During your staying you will be able to enjoy our traditional Tuscan meals prepared with fresh ingredients from our organic farm. Staple items include vegetable soups, quiches, pizza, wood oven roasts, home made pasta and home made desserts.
At the request of groups of 10 or more people we are open to modify some of the programs to accomodate guests' preferences.
We
also provide the possibility for private parties to rent out our facilities for their own events.
2008 Retreats
| MAY | JUNE | JULY | SEPTEMBER | |
| Intensive Tai chi | 10 - 15 June | 23 - 28 September | ||
| Inner Balance | 16 - 23 June | 13 - 20 September | ||
| Tao of Tuscany | 19 - 26 May |
A SPECIAL INVITATION for teachers and students of the “Alex Dong International Taijiquan Association” click here
The benefits of an intensive retreat
Tai
chi is a Chinese internal martial art that has been practised for centuries.
Initially born as a system for self defence, lately tai chi has been popularised
as a discipline promoting health and well being. Millions of people in China and
elsewhere in the world now practise this type of gentle exercise to reach and/or
maintain healthy bodies and minds. Due to its slow movements, awareness of
the breath, and focus on the mind-body connection, people tent to refer to
this discipline also as “moving meditation”. It is therefore considered a
perfect antidote to the stress of the hectic modern life. Tai chi, an internal
martial art, develops our ability to focus towards our “inner environment”.
This allows us to get in touch with our muscular tensions, and with our
emotional and psychological blockages. This increased awareness is the first
step towards a deeper understanding of ourselves. When mind and body work
together, our responses to potential physical or psychological threats (either
real or simply perceived) become more in tune with the situation and we do not
respond just to defend our over-inflated EGO. Tai chi is a Taoist discipline
based on the principles of Ying and Yang, and a certain action naturally calls for a balanced
opposite action. From a centred position it is easier to understand the way
things are, and being like trees with strong roots but with flexible branches,
we can act without react, and move without losing our sense of balance. From a
martial point of view, like other internal martial arts, tai chi is based on
developing internal energy and the ability to read the opponent intentions, as
opposed to using physical strength, allowing for defence techniques that may
seem with little effort.
Some of the physical and physiological benefits of the practise of tai chi include: increase in muscle and joint flexibility, gentle action on the cardio-circulatory system, stimulation of the lymphatic system, better posture, and increased balance, which is particularly important to prevent falls in the elderly. Better concentration, higher energy and increased self-confidence are often reported by tai chi practitioners. From the point of view of traditional Chinese medicine, tai chi works on the energy meridians and on the same points used by acupuncture. With the practice of tai chi these points are stimulated through movement and certain postures, instead of by the application of needles. In this way Chi (vital energy) can flow freely in our bodies ensuring well being and vitality. The gentle movements of tai chi, combined with a supportive environment and respect for personal limits, makes this form of exercise suitable for people of all ages and of all levels of fitness.
Nowadays
there are different styles of tai chi that varies in flavour, emphasis, and that
have been changed more or less from the original art. At our retreats you will
be able to practise Dong style tai
chi as taught by the “Alex Dong International Taijiquan Association”. An
orthodox style still practised in accord with the Chinese tradition.
The
Dong Family is now at the 4th generation of Masters with Master Alex
Dong (New York). This tradition of tai chi has a
direct lineage from Yang
Cheng-Fu, the famous founder of the modern Yang style tai chi. Tung Ying Jie (Alex’s great grandfather) studied directly with Master Yang, and also with Li
Xiang Yuan who was a disciple of Hao Wei Jing, founder of the Hao style tai chi.
The Dong style, therefore, combines the
softness of the Yang style with the
development of more internal energy through the practise of the Hao and still
maintains the original principles of a martial art.
Dong
style tai chi curriculum includes a Slow set (108 movements), similar to the
traditional Yang. This is a continuous sequence of movements practised in order to
develop control, flexibility, balance and focus (it takes 30 – 45 minutes to
be completed). Later, if interested, it is possible to learn more advanced forms
like the Fast set, the Hao set, the Fajin set and weapons (sabre, sword, spear,
sticks). These forms are practised to develop better body control and to refine
internal energy, rather than for offence. Chi Kung exercises for energy (chi)
circulation and push hands are also taught.
Claudio Corbelli lived in North America for 8 years in North America, where he completed a PhD in Biology, and during this period he studied tai chi with Master Alex Dong. Claudio has been attending intensive camps and workshops in the United States, Canada and England. From 2005 Claudio is a teacher of the “Alex Dong International Taijiquan Association”, and since then he taught classes in Newfoundland, Canada and Gloucester, Massachusetts. Claudio also studied under other senior teachers of the Dong family including Grand Master Dong Zeng Chen. Now Claudio has moved back to Siena to open a Dong school (the first in Italy) and to spread this style in his home country. Constant practise, clarity and structure in teaching, and passion in sharing his knowledge of tai chi are the principal characteristics of Claudio as a teacher. Claudio is also interested in other oriental disciplines and lately has started practising Tibetan Buddhist meditation.
The
benefits of an intensive retreat
Going to an intensive tai chi retreat is nothing like taking weekly classes. The practise environment, mindfulness, the degree of relaxation, and the lack of external distractions allow for quicker and deeper understandings of the teachings, and for higher benefits. In tai chi, an internal martial art, it is not the quantity of instruction that matters, but how much we are able to incorporate in our body and into our practise. In an intensive retreat, our awareness and ability to examine ourselves grows exponentially with the passing of the days, and ultimately it is this ability of introspection that determines the results of our practise. The number of forms is not as important. This makes a retreat very useful both for the beginner and for the more advanced student.
Our Practise Hall
This is mainly up to you! We are able to adapt the teachings according to the guests/students’ requirements, needs and abilities. If you are a beginner we will start from the fundamentals of tai chi, if you are a more advanced student we will start from the fundamentals of tai chi. Does this seem strange? To learn this discipline correctly we have to have strong foundations, otherwise we will be building a castle made out of paper. From a practical point of view in a retreat you will be learning the warm up exercises, chi kung, part of the slow set and the some basics of push hands. This will give beginners a general introduction of tai chi and will provide them with enough material to start their own tai chi journey. If you are a more advanced student or if you come to an intensive retreat, we will probably proceed faster, but the emphasis will still be on the principles of the Dong style. It will be possible to study more advanced forms if you are already a Dong student, if you keep studying with us, or if a bigger group (> 10 people) makes a specific requests to study a specific aspect of tai chi.
Claudio Corbelli
Via del Pignattello 55, 53100 Siena, Italy
tel: +39-331-3267316
e-mail:
claudio.dongtaichi@gmail.com
http://www.alexdongtaiji.com (Master Alex Dong)
http://www.dongtaichi.com
(Grand Master Dong Zeng Chen)
http://www.tungkaiying.com
(Grand Master Tung Kai Ying)
http://slowset.home.comcast.net/
(Pacific Northwest - Andy Holmes)
http://www.taichiclub.com
(Montreal Tai Chi Club - Grace Chu)
http://taichitoni.com
(Santa Barbara California - Toni DeMoulin)
http://www.taichichuan.cz
(Prague, Czech Republic - Jitka Horalkova)
www.travel-quest.co.uk/tqretreat.htm (Specialist Travel Listings - Vacanze Benessere)
