On a wild, wet autumnal Saturday in November, members of the TCCKF met at Harborne Hall for a workshop with Angus Clark. Seasoned T’ai Chi players and Qi Gong practitioners will know that Angus is a well respected T’ai Chi instructor with 27 years of study, an author of many books on T’ai Chi and Qi Gong and the founder of the School of Living Movement. Angus had already led a very successful workshop with TCCKF’s south-western regional group earlier in the year, and as a result of this, it had been decided to extend to other TCCKF members the chance to work with and learn from this highly experienced instructor. Angus explained that we were going to work on 5 Core Principles from the heart of T’ai Chi: this was to be an active and dynamic exploration of these principles, working both individually and in pairs or small groups. We quickly started on the first principle, Freeing, by moving around the room to the accompaniment of some lively, joyful Cuban music. After a long and busy week and an early morning drive to Birmingham, this was just what I needed to loosen off the joints, relax tense muscles and let the energy flow. Everyone else seemed to enjoy this, too and there were lots of smiles and laughter. Working in threes, we continued our exploration of the process of Freeing; play and creativity became fundamental to this exploration. In summarising our findings, there was much lively discussion and Angus reminded us of the dynamic relationship between Freeing and Rooting or Grounding, and the confidence which develops from the security of being grounded. The second principle to which we progressed was Aligning. We tried out some partner work on Alignment and Angus made some helpful suggestions on dealing with troublesome ‘stuck’ areas such as hips and legs. Now I know I’m a rookie, but I’d like to bet we all experience difficulties with alignment at certain times, whatever our level of competence or depth of experience. Angus just seemed to have the ability to go right to the heart of the problem. He emphasised the need for making space and time for Alignment. Discussion and the sharing of ideas and solutions to teaching difficulties continued into the coffee break. TCCKF members are a talkative lot, but it is precisely this talking and sharing which is such an important part of workshops. The day continued with a practical investigation of Focusing. Members made maximum use of the huge room to walk (individually or with partners) backwards, forwards and sideways either quickly, slowly, directly or purposefully. (And yes, I was the idiot who fell over backwards.) Somehow, there was time for one of Harborne Hall’s excellent lunches and a few of us took advantage of the break in the rain to grab some fresh air during a quick walk round the garden. In the afternoon, we considered the importance of Sensing and the art of listening: the need for constant monitoring; tuning in; checking; refinement. The workshop ended with a final discussion and summary. Angus emphasised that Being (the fifth Principle) is both the sum of and the contributor to the other four Principles i.e. there exists a dynamic relationship between Being and Freeing, Aligning, Focusing and Sensing. In seeking a better way of Being, there exists the possibility of a raised consciousness for a better world. Angus refers to the 5 Principles as acting as an ‘inspiring platform for creative instructing.’ In common with other TCCKF participants, I certainly found this workshop inspiring and informative and thoroughly enjoyed the day’s activities. A few days later, reflecting on Angus’s 5 Principle approach, I realised that, with confidence, we can all be more creative in our teaching and work with others and resolved to use some of the ideas we’d considered in my own T’ai Chi practice. Jennie Sapsford