July marks the beginning of another cycle of our public sessions, as our program is designed around two six-month semesters—January through June, and July through December—each structured to complete an independent, full Tai Chi routine. For Tai Chi Club, July was another exciting chapter, marked by a strong and spirited start within our local community. It was also a month full of highlights and features, as both the club and I were honored to be spotlighted by local organizations and media, with many memorable moments captured in photos.
Trophy Housing at the EBRP Main Library
We’re honored that the East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library graciously accepted our expression of gratitude by housing our 1st Place Group Trophy on the second floor. On July 6th, members of the competition team gathered at the library and took a commemorative photo with Ms. Mary and the trophy. We were thrilled to be featured once again on the library’s social media channels—and even more delighted by the outpouring of compliments and support from the community. I felt so encouraged to continue sharing the art and joy of Tai Chi.
The trophy looks so beautiful on display I am thinking seriously about which style of trophy cup would look best sitting beside our first one. With that in mind, everyone in the class could work harder to earn another top award—not only for your self-motivation, but to build a meaningful and eye-catching collectible series for our beloved library.
Media Feature
My intention to share Tai Chi began with something that touched me deeply when I was reading about petroglyphs—ancient carvings that looked like pictographs, almost like written language. But historians don’t consider them the beginning of civilization, because they were made by individuals, not used by a group of people. That idea stayed with me. It reminded me it is only meaningful when people are moving forward together.
That’s the heart of my Tai Chi Club: growing as a team. I hope that when people look back on our time, they don’t just see a few individuals who excelled in Tai Chi because they had access, but a community that grew through free, shared opportunities—using Tai Chi to connect and improve together.
Thanks to The Advocate, our club is featured again. From the very beginning, I’ve never had to promote my classes on my own—thanks to the incredible support from the East Baton Rouge Parish Library system and The Advocate. Their encouragement has allowed our Tai Chi Club to reach more people than I ever imagined. In return, all I can do is continue to study harder, grow deeper in my practice, and share everything I’ve learned with anyone who is interested—freely, and for as long as I can. That is my promise.
LSU Library Health Event
One of the most beautiful things about our public sessions is the way they bring people of different age and background together. That’s how I met Frances—a kind, graceful, and talented lady who truly shined in our hand form class. Thanks to her, I was invited to participate in a staff-only wellness event hosted by the LSU Library.
I set up a Tai Chi booth and had the pleasure of practicing with LSU faculty and staff. Many of them flowed effortlessly with the movements and even picked up the technique of opening and using a Tai Chi fan with surprising ease. Their enthusiasm and natural ability truly impressed me.
Although I had to miss my family’s Disney trip due to this commitment, I have no regrets. The joy of sharing Tai Chi in such a vibrant and supportive environment made this an unforgettable experience. It was a meaningful reminder that Tai Chi can find a home in every corner of our city—and I’m so happy to be part of that journey.
Thanks to Frances for inviting me and sharing the event picture!
Fantastic Start of the Fan Routine
This month, I introduced a new fan routine to our public session—and while it brought a cheerful new energy to the class (that snipping sound always lifts the spirit!), I understand it wasn’t an ideal shift for everyone. I know Karen enjoyed the fan, while Lindsey may have hoped for more sword practice. Others expressed a desire to continue or restart the hand form.
To meet everyone’s needs, we adjusted: half the class time is now dedicated to reviewing the hand form, and the other half to exploring the fan routine. No worries—July went wonderfully, and everyone made great progress.
As the weather cools and my schedule settles down, I definitely plan to restart our outdoor sword sessions. This time, though, I hope to move forward with the more advanced 42-Movement Tai Chi Sword routine, instead of repeating the 32-movement one. I understand it might not suit everyone right away, so we’ll take our time and consider what works best together. 😊
Also, a big thank you to Yao Zeng and Dennis for taking class pictures and videos this month! We had gone picture-less for a while, and it feels great to have those memories captured again.
Continued Sword online sessions
With all the energy we exhausted for my work, the competition, new fan routines, and fulfilling other tai chi related volunteer commitments, my online instructional sessions took a short pause over the past two months. I recently received a comment on our YouTube channel asking, “Where’s the instruction for the next movement?” That gentle reminder really touched me.
Despite the ongoing summer heat, I’m happy to share that we finally managed to film two sword sessions—one at LSU and one at the Main Library—as well as a fan session at Fontainebleau State Park. It wasn’t easy because I came from the north:), but it was worth it. When I read that people are waiting for the next part, I feel encouraged to keep going.
After all, “free forever” isn’t just a slogan—it reflects the attitude and commitment to doing everything I can to make Tai Chi accessible and fulfilling for everyone in our community.
Sword Movement 15-16
Sword Movement 17-18
Instructions on the new fan routine is under way as well.
Fan Movement 1-3
Group Committement
Our library has treated us so well—providing the best classrooms, supportive staff, and a welcoming space for our practice to grow. So… what can we do in return? 😊 How about this: let’s give back to the library what we’ve learned from the library!
We’re already dreaming up a special way to celebrate Lunar New Year 2026—with hand form, fan, and sword performances led by our very own Tai Chi Club members. Everyone is welcome to be part of it! You don’t need experience—just a willing heart. Join me in class, and step by step, we’ll prepare something beautiful together.
Upcoming Classes in August
Our Hand Form classes at the EBRP Main Library will continue this August at 6 PM on August 3rd and August 17th, 2025. I’ve made a small but exciting improvement to our website—now you can add the August class dates directly to your phone calendar just by clicking the date!
More clickable links for future class dates will be added next week. I hope this makes it even easier for everyone to stay connected and keep practicing together.