APRIL at Taproot
Dear Energy Movers,
World Tai Chi Day happens the last Saturday of every April. It is like an annual reunion, and with the seasonal shift Tai Chi classes in the park bloom along with the gardens. More than coincidentally, it arrives during Earth Month, twinning Earth Day. This beautiful spring weekend I wrote a poem, imagining these two initiatives playing together. Read it on my blog.
In two weeks I’ll be joining the Association of Women’s Martial Arts Instructors (AWMAI) annual conference: Teaching the Teacher. I was generously granted a full scholarship in support of my mission to promote the sport and art of Tai Chi push hands. I am looking forward to this gathering of sisters and fellow teachers from across the country. While I will be traveling back from Columbus, Ohio Sunday April 14th, James McConnell will be leading regular class in Soho.
Save the Dates:
April 21: Q&A Live and Virtual, introducing seasonal workshops at Olo Acupuncture in Chelsea, NYC.
April 27th: World Tai Chi Day
May 5th: SPRING Workshop at Olo: Qi Gong & Tui Shou
If you are interested in more outdoor or virtual offerings in May (Wednesday morning class?) please reply to help me plan ahead.
With warmth and gratitude,
Ilona
MARCH at Taproot
Dear Energy Movers,
Tai Chi & Qi Gong Sunday sessions continue weekly this month. This Sunday 3/3 will be led by my coach and partner James McConnell, and I will be back next Sunday. I am very grateful the class is in good hands when I cannot be there in person.
This month’s new blog article is exploring parallels between parenting and playing push hands. I’m honored to be working with several other parents as well as parents to be these days, and grateful for the wisdom and resources that have been shared with me. If you are one of those people, thank you for sharing a glimpse into the complex parent child relationship. Too often our responsibilities are seen primarily as obstacles to our practice, and time on the training floor as a temporary escape from the chaos, a moment of relief and self care. It is exactly the challenges of real life that make the ongoing dedication and re-dedication to practice meaningful. The full article is still a work in progress and will be available in the next few days on my free blog: https://pushhandsnow.com/new-the-blog/
Updates are steadily rolling out. For now new convenient booking options via doodle are available for Virtual Sessions, and soon will be for In Person sessions as well. Also new billing options are coming: I am now accepting credit card payments through my website.
With warmth and gratitude,
Ilona
FEBRUARY at Taproot
Dear Energy Movers,
The registration period for next Sunday’s Tai Chi workshop with the COREMOTION program is closing tonight. Here is the information one more time:
This event will kick off the Year of the Dragon and the 2024 training season! Rooting Drills with partners, Applications of Tai Chi Form, and Freestyle games will offer tools and insights from my journey to the 2023 World Championship.
Regular Sunday sessions will resume starting 2/25: 4PM Tai Chi Push Hands, 5PM Qi Gong at Randy Warshaw Studio. Please RSVP.
In preparation for the workshop I’ve written a short piece in the style of an instructional manual about uprooting and rooting up. New articles each month here: read more and subscribe
Enjoy the lunar new year!
Ilona
January at Taproot
Happy New Year!
It’s been a big one for our team. Looking back I am still a little bit in awe. Looking forward, this Taproot project is nourishing new ideas while preparing to fully emerge. In case you missed it, my highlights reel from our World Cup win is up on my blog and YouTube channel.
>Watch Here: https://pushhandsnow.com/2023/12/07/world-cup-highlights-ilona-bito-2023/
The Make A Champ crowdfund campaign has officially ended, but our mission has only begun. Thank you belatedly to our latest contributor and my Tari Bali conspirator Miranda Danusugondo!
Please enjoy a new article that was inspired by my 6th grade Tai Chi students. This December they wrapped up the year with a demonstration for their families highlighting their study of empty hand and sword form, and how to play push hands with passion and curiosity. Here’s a brief excerpt:
Push hands is at the hub of my work, connecting spokes of skills and strategies across many disciplines. My simple wish is to share what I love to do and see the sport thrive. This wish is a bud on the growing edge of a bigger dream. Giving to the game gives us back the tools to practice safe touch and peaceful self defense. Embodied learning is the key needed to re-examine our options in social interactions and replace the cycle of bullying with a circle of belonging.
>Read the full Article: https://pushhandsnow.com/2023/12/31/if-tai-chi-were-taught-in-schools/
The January Class schedule is up on the taproot website with one important change: Sunday sessions will be on zoom in January and February.
In person class offerings will pick back up after the February 18th Push Hands Workshop. Please save the date and look for a registration link in the February newsletter! 1/28-1/16 I will be out of the country for a teaching residency with Youth Bridge Global in Majuro, RMI but I will keep in touch.
Please read more and subscribe to join the conversation.
It’s always great to hear back from a few folks when these monthly newsletters go out. Even if it’s “please unsubscribe,”- that’s always ok.
View this newsletter on my website.
Thanks again to all who generously contributed in many small and large ways to the missions of Taproot Tai Chi and Push Hands Now in 2023. It’s been an amazing year of dreams coming true.
With Warmth and Gratitude,
Ilona
December at Taproot
Dear Energy Movers,
I am offering three more Sunday sessions in Soho coming up before the solstice. Please RSVP if you have not yet. Share the gift of tai chi and qi gong and invite a friend for free. After this month weekly classes will be on zoom until the Spring, but stay tuned for a few winter workshops popping up. Save the date for C O R E M O T I O N + Push Hands Now on February 18th!
Sunday Push Hands 4-5
Sunday Qi Gong 5-6
12/3 12/10 12/17
Randy Warshaw Studio
115 Wooster St, Buzz 2F
Also, I wrote a little piece about my vision for demystifying push hands. Of course it cannot be fully explained in words but by trying I’m discovering more facets of interest and intention. You can read the entire article on my push hands blog. Here’s a little excerpt.
“…the solo part of my practice is for preparation, as well as mental and physical health. I could perform it anywhere anytime, but I had to come to the World Cup to meet the best players who shared my goal.
Push hands is the key to experiencing tai chi as a living art form, feeding innovation through collaboration. I see a future of tai chi where martial artists from around the world integrate push hands into their practice to further cultivate the ideas of great tai chi teachers, and continue to adapt their training and contests to meet the needs of contemporary society. A signifier of a healthy contemporary tai chi culture will be athletes in tai chi who take their studying, conditioning, and sportsmanship to their fullest extent. We would see more women and young people playing at a high level. The alternate future of tai chi without push hands may become more and more of a ghostly presence, no matter how popular it may become for safe and effective senior fitness classes.
Push Hands is the real test of the underlying principles of tai chi. Without interacting with another body, how do you know the power of moving like water, or the flexible strength of rooting like a tree?…”
Please read more and subscribe to join the conversation.
It’s always great to hear back from a few folks when these monthly newsletters go out. Even if it’s just please unsubscribe- that’s ok anytime too.
Thanks again to all who generously contributed in many small and large ways to the missions of Taproot Tai Chi and Push Hands Now in 2023. It’s been an amazing year of dreams coming true.
With Warmth and Gratitude,
Ilona
November at Taproot
World Champion Title.
Two Gold Medals.
Still Undefeated.
Team USA.
October 28th-29th 2023 was the 8th World Cup of Tai Chi Chuan in Taipei, Taiwan. We have been preparing, studying, drilling, training diligently for this day for so long.
The talent in the Arena was incredible and beautiful to behold. The competition was fierce and full of heart and soul. There were no injuries in any of my matches. I finished them all by technical wins, meaning instead of running out the clock I gained the maximum 7 point lead.
I made new friends from all over the world and learned so much.
THANK YOU!!!
First to James who has beaten two world champions. He has coached me from day 1 in all aspects of the game and insisted that training like a world class athlete would be part of our normal family routine. This trip together with James and Bear is the most awesome and challenging thing we have ever done.
To Grandmaster William CC Chen. He has guided several great players on this journey before, contributing insight and innovations on the applications of his teacher Cheng Man Ching’s Tai Chi.
To the former world champions and US team members who have been working with me one on one for the past six months: Jan Lucanus, Jan Childress, Tom Otterness, and Maximillion Chen.
To all of my training partners, especially MVP Michael Weston, and also every person who has come through for #pushhandsnow
To my family, because our parents are truly our first teachers. Thanks Mom! Thanks Dad! I love you!
To all of my teachers in the internal arts and martial arts who gave me the foundation to develop my practice to this level: most of all Daria Fain of C O R E M O T I O N, Sifu Koh of Bo Law Kung Fu, and Sensai Wagener of Genshinkan Aikido.
To all of my Tai Chi students with Taproot, at Blue School and Little Red School House, also my workshop participants at Shift Seattle and Valley Spirit in Beacon.
To my generous sponsors from Make A Champ! Geniuses Kathy Westwater and Jae Lee, Joshua Margolis of Mind Over Matter Fitness Consultants, Jamee Culbertson and Marie Favorito of Universal Tao Boston, Angela Mulligan, and Gorgas!
What’s MAKE A CHAMP? My crowdfunding campaign is still LIVE until we raise enough to balance our travel and training budget. In many ways I’ve been lying low on social media and social life in general in order to focus on my true goal. I have received so much support in ways other than $$ and feel so blessed. I hope that this win will inspire more people in the US, martial artists, athletes, especially women and young people to learn and share this game: this public announcement is just the beginning of our mission to promote peaceful martial arts. Read for more context here:
https://makeachamp.com/ilonabito/
WHAT’S NEXT?
I’m bringing back MAT TIME for a special share / experiment in performance…
Friday 11/3 7PM
Moving Body Resources
112 West 27th Street, 4th floor
I’m teaching private sessions and group classes…
Sunday Push Hands 4-5
Sunday Qi Gong 5-6
11/5 11/12 11/19 12/3 12/10 12/17
Randy Warshaw Studio
115 Wooster St, Buzz 2F
Keep in touch!
With Warmth and Gratitude,
Ilona
OCTOBER AT TAPROOT
Happy Autumn!
This month’s newsletter is a brief update about new indoor and outdoor classes! Back to School Season private/semi-private and virtual training offers are still good too 🙂
SUNDAY QI GONG
5:00-6:00 PM
Randy Warshaw Studio
115 Wooster St Buzz 2F
Oct 1, 8, 15
$20 Drop in / $50 Monthly
TUESDAY TAI CHI
11AM-12PM
Tompkins Square Park
RSVP for meeting location
OCT 3, 10, 17
$20 Drop in / $50 Monthly
THURSDAY TAI CHI
6:30-7:15 PM
South Orange Family YMCA
RSVP to be my guest!
PUSH HANDS NOW
SUN-WEDS by appointment
FREE/ pay what you want
With Warmth and Gratitude,
Ilona
SEPTEMBER at TAPROOT
Dear Energy Movers,
This is the back-to-school, time to ignite your weekly practice schedule newsletter. Along with rustling up push hands partners in NYC and beyond, I’ve also been maximizing my cross training and conditioning regimen this summer. I’m excited to get back to our regular class schedule, and available times for personal training and private lessons are filling up!
I know from experience the benefits of the buddy system, so I’m offering to train two people for the same price as one. This special price is for pairs of people that want to schedule and train together.
I also offer one session FREE when booking 10 or more sessions in advance.
Personal Training: The Tai Chi form is practiced softly and internally, but it is meant to balance and refine, and not replace external conditioning. If you’re interested in getting deeper into strength training, HIIT cardio, kickboxing, or mat classes focused on functional movement & core activation I’ve got some fun in store for you! Sign Up & Info
That said, I still think the best deal to max out your training is to come play push hands with me, next chance is today at 4PM: Push Hands Now
Sunday Qi Gong: will continue 5:30-6:30 outdoors starting today 8/27! Weekday Tai Chi (in person/ on zoom) will go back on the calendar if two more people can sign up. Classes will move indoors to Randy Warshaw Studio starting in October: Updated Class Rates & Schedule
First Friday: I hope you are enjoying the end of your summer. September 1st our new Center is open for visitors, just let us know if you want to come for a casual tour, potluck, and practice by the pond. We can pick up and drop off people from the Harriman bus/train station. Overnight options available. (We are very close to the NY Renaissance Festival!)
Late Summer Hike: Saturday September 2nd we will go “off campus” to hike and practice along the Appalachian Trail. “Qi Gong Hiking” does not require a prior qi gong practice but is an invitation to immerse our awareness together in the dynamic of the changing seasons. Ilona will guide the hike, a meditation on the Earth element, an exploration of the Bear frolics, and other exercises that cultivate the Earth’s wisdom of equanimity and abundance. Please RSVP by 8/31 to coordinate details.
Thank you for keeping in touch. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
With Heart & Soul,
Ilona
Dear Energy Movers!
I am so full of news but I must be careful where to begin so that I don’t burst. So, with heartfelt gratitude, I hope you will stay in touch, read on, or scroll down to save the dates. Receiving invitations from out of town schools to lead Push Hands Workshops this summer is a dream come true. Inviting my first guests to the land that will become Taproot Center is a dream still in the making.
Since Fall 2022 I have been working to prepare a new home for Taproot Tai Chi that is close to nature while close enough to the city. I am so lucky to co-own this land and I hope to share with my community the health and happiness that it offers my family. Situated on ten acres overlooking our private pond is the entrance to Taproot Center, quietly alive with the beauty of forest and wetlands. For those who want to get out of town for a bit longer, this will add Room & Board or camping options that can upgrade our upcoming third Qi Gong Hike in Harriman Park to a “Forest Retreat Weekend.” I expect Tai Chi classes to take place here regularly as I make connections locally in and around Monroe.
To celebrate the soft opening of this space, we are opening our doors on July 7th for a Group Meditation Practice followed by a potluck dinner. If you are interested in attending the First Friday Meditation Potluck, or the Qi Gong Hike on Saturday July 8th, RSVP is required by Thursday July 6th. Friday’s Meditation will be silent from 5:00-5:30 PM, offering time to be with one’s self in between being with nature and with each other. The Summer 2023 Qi Gong Hike will explore soft openings in another sense, cultivating the heart’s readiness to bloom. Be prepared stand, hike, stretch, swim in the lake, hike back, and practice some more.
Later in July, on the other side of the river, I’ll be at Valley Spirit Acupuncture and Internal Arts in Beacon, offering three sessions to dive deep into Tai Chi Push Hands. Here’s a preview of the schedule…
-Sat 5-7 Push Hands Now, a meet up for anybody.
-Sun 9-12 Iron Shirt Qi Gong into Tai Chi Form
-Sun 1-4 Tai Chi Form into Push Hands Technique
I am excited to have the time to teach the two person form and go deep for this one, since I had so much fun at Sil Lum Kung Fu in Seattle last month, breaking down the applications of tai chi techniques, and putting them back together to train the root in competitive play.
In summery summary, mark your calendars:
July 7-8
First Friday Meditation Potluck & Qi Gong Hike
At Taproot Center in Monroe, NY
(Rain Date July 14-15)
Please reply to taproottaichi@gmail.com for location details.
Friday FREE/Pay-what-you-want. Saturday $60 members, $90 guests.
Shuttle transportation to/from train or bus available with RSVP. Room & Tents available for additional fee.
July 22-23:
Push Hands Workshop Weekend
At Valley Spirit Acupuncture & Internal Arts in Beacon, NY
Register at: www.vsaisa.com
Full Weekend $130 or $65 for one session
Ongoing Classes:
$15 (First class FREE)
Sunday Qi Gong
5:30-6:30
at Tompkins Square Park
7/2, 7/9, 7/16, 7/30
NEW Saturday Push Hands
3:30-4:30
at Tompkins Square Park
7/15 & 7/29
COMING SOON Tai Chi by the Pond
Thursday/Friday Time TBD
at Taproot Center & Via Zoom
Monthly Membership $50-$100 includes all ongoing classes and discounted rates for private training and events.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
With joy and gratitude,
Ilona Bito
Taproot Tai Chi 