August Practice Notes—Olympic Inspiration

If the Olympics serve any purpose, it's to inspire and awe. The same kind of honing of skills of body and mind go into t'ai chi practice. If you haven't tried t'ai chi yet, now's your chance to learn some of the basic movements and enjoy the good feeling and health benefits that the very accessible and adaptable art of t'ai chi can offer. If you've practiced for a while, use the Olympics to study how high-level athletes incorporated some of the identical principles into their work.

For more Olympic coverage, see the Taijiquan Journal blog.

"When will China host the Olympics?"

"Reaching for Gold: The YMCA and the Olympic Movement in China from 1895-1920"
Commemorating an achievement 100 years in the making, "Reaching for Gold" chronicles the answer to a question posed by a YMCA Secretary in China in 1908 while promoting physical culture in China.
Please join the Kautz Family YMCA Archives, the University of Minnesota China Center, and the Friends of the University of Minnesota Libraries for the exhibit's opening reception on Friday, August 8, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Elmer L. Andersen Library, on the U of M's West Bank campus.
The China Center also invites you to stay on campus to watch the 2008 Olympics opening ceremonies in the Coffman Union theater, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
For directions and accessibility information, please visit http://special.lib.umn.edu/ymca/visit.phtml or call 612-625-3445.
The exhibit will be on display in Andersen Library through September 27, 8:30-4:30 Monday through Friday, and after Labor Day on Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.