Rooted Alchemy family, we just surpassed 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. Wow. Back in August, who would have thought we would build a Tai Chi community of over 100,000 people practicing together from all over the world. This journey has been incredibly humbling, and we’re deeply grateful to every single one of you who has been here, practicing, watching, and growing with us. We’re excited for what the future holds and grateful for your patience as we continue building intentionally behind the scenes. Just know that we’re still early, and there is so much more to come. And a huge thank you to Sonny for practicing, teaching, and learning with such depth and integrity that it naturally spread far and wide. Stay the course.

January is such a weird month. It seems to go on forever and at the same time its over in a blink of an eye. Where did it go? I find the older I get the faster time goes by. I take this as a gentle nudge to slow down and this is where my daily practice comes in. It may be Qigong, Tai Chi, breathing practices, meditation etc. A daily moment, whether its 5 minutes or 30 minutes to center myself, slow down and be here now.

February is here, and our beautiful community continues to grow — steady like a seed in the ground, growing from its roots 🌱 Let’s give a warm welcome to our new fellow practitioners! 💡 For our existing members: "What part of your Tai Chi or Qigong practice are you currently focusing on?" (I'll start first, I’ve been pretty consistent with my Qigong practice so far. Now I want to dedicate more time to Tai Chi, especially the Beijing 24 Form💪) @Leigh Bavota @Tony Arruza @Fawnda Cox @Ron Smith @Patricia Van Asperen @Jeannette Jennings @Aliza Heckert @James MacQueen @Al Penna @Michael Domingos @Brian DeFiore @Mike Diboll @Shirley Biggs @Jorge Garza @Eric R @Michele Carey @Elaine Reid @Fiona Gilham-Jones @John McColgan @Dan Rosato @Kate Christian @Judith Gilsing @Alan Everett @Michelle Harden @David Sutter @Rob Norwick @Mark Olson @Kevin Redekop @Ashley Ashley @Randall Bass @Jessie Haase

I found this video last night, thought this community might enjoy it

So I'm in Scotland's Western Highlands and Islands for a long weekend, having come up on the overnight sleeper train to Fort William. I paused the 7-Day Challenge at Day 3 on Friday, so I'm repeating Days 1, 2, and 3 while I'm up here, and resume at Day for when I get home on Tuesday. I do Day 1 in the harbour, it's quiet, not many people around. A beached lobster boat carries my daughter's name "Rebecca". I do Days 1 and 2 by memory: the air is sharp and clean, carrying the scent of Atlantic sea salt and kelp. In the fifty or so minutes I practice, the winter sun shifts over the foothills which part of the town clings to, the earth shifting yellow to red ochre patched with lichen grey-green as the shadows lengthen, the northern water an inky black shimmering gold and silver, slightly viscous in its coldness. The sharp air awakens my lungs, my blood, the flow of Qi; but my cold weather gear is restrictive, and my feet in running trainers struggle to ground in the shifting shingle. The tide is ebbing in, lifting Rebecca on her mooring. Some fishing boats start into port, not wanting to get in their way, I shift location. I do Day three facing west into the setting sun, shining primrose-gold through gunmetal clouds. Ahead of me are the isles of Eig, Rhum, and Skye: Skye's central mountains are snow-capped. Going west across the Atlantic, next stop Nova Scotia. As my gaze follows my hands the sea sunset shimmers, occasional seal and dolphin break the water making wake. This is the first time I've practiced out in nature. Facing west, I've taken off my North Face puffer jacket, gloves and scarf, just trainers, jeans, t-shirt and woollen jumper. Qi warms my body, only my hands feel cold in Wu Ji, Monkey, and Post. I'm reminded of teenage me, must have been what, '74, me 14 or 15? Overawed by terribly precocious Golden Flower meditations I wandered sensing, for the first time in my life, the Unity of Being. The feeling was sublime but uncanny, scared the hell out of me. I never practiced it again. Trying to run before I could walk. The story of my life. Perhaps now at 66 I am ready for it. Nearly. Or perhaps not.