The Why of Tai Chi: Modern America Looks to Ancient China

"The Way Of Tai Chi" a new documentary hit Asheville last week. This limited showing was viewed at the exclusive Fine Arts Theater. The film maker Bruce Kennedy created a production which was "undeniably slickly done", in the words of film critic Kranky Hank.

This documentary beautifully moves through various styles of Tai Chi & Qigong adding animation and mountain scenery to make for a compelling story. You will leave this film not only with the answer to the question, "why Tai Chi", but with a list of names and addresses so that you can move forward on the, "Where Tai Chi". The only other questions would be when are you going to get started. Featured instructors are Accem Scott, Derek Croley , Larry Brown, Frank Paolillo, and Jan Gillespie.

Click here for a review

Rainbow Falls Qigong

We would like to thank Chris Lowry for organizing a first time Qigong walk for Jubilee church members to Rainbow Falls in Nantahala National Forest (45 minutes from Asheville). We walked did qigong, walked, talked and did more qigong.
It was great fun! We all thought it would be a great idea to do qigong at other beautiful spots throughout these mountains so stay tuned for more walks in the future.

Conscious Movement Day - Proclaims the Mayor

We were issued a proclamation by Asheville Mayor, Terry M. Bellamy, declaring August 30, 2008, "Conscious Movement Day".
A special thanks to mayor Bellamy and city council for acknowledging Tai Chi/Qigong and Conscious Movement for the last 4 years.
We see a near future where Asheville will be known for its rolling mountains, ginseng, sustainable building, the green revolution and conscious movement.
It will be conscious politicians like mayor Bellamy who will make that vision possible.

Grand Slam !!!

Coming back home to Asheville was an amazing experience. We made it into each of the major media outlets of Asheville during our last week of the Conscious Movement Tour.

Accem got the most incredible write-up in Asheville's Mountain X newspaper:

http://www.mountainx.com/news/2007/082708moving_experiences/

Our interview on National Public Radio was probably our most challenging. We travelled all night from Chicago to Asheville to get to the interview. We did what we always do.. no different. Every two hours we'd do Qigong then switch drivers. After 12 hours of straight driving we made it to the show on time. It turned out to be one of our best interviews of the tour. (get a copy at www.accemscott.com/nprinterview.cda)

ABC 13 (WLOS) aired a segment highlighting Michael and I , our tour and the benefits of Tai Chi to the community. http://www.wlos.com/newsroom/health_alert/vid_140.shtml

Health Quest Live in Philadelphia

This late entry is a must for Michael and I. We finished our Philadelphia trip with a last minute interview with Sara Lomax-Reese and her show HealthQuest Live! on WURD 900 AM Philadelphia. Thanks Sara for a great interview! The next time we're in Philadelphia we would love to be on your show again.
(see www.accemscott.com/wurdinterview.cda for copy of the show)

Qigong in Shiloh

"This was one of the events I was most proud of" says Accem. 'There is a huge movement going on internationally where people know they have to do yoga or some kind of movement, but I haven't seen that kind of insight en masse in the African-American community so far. That's why I'm really proud that the Shiloh Recreation Center agreed to host a walk.' - Accem
Shiloh is a historic African American neighborhood in Asheville, and recent home to Accem's family. We are glad that Miss Emma, a local pillar of the community, came out to join us! And we look forward to moving consciously with more and more members of the Shiloh community. This event was a powerful homecoming for both Michael and Accem and their mission of taking this work to the people.

Conscious Movement hists the Big Screen !!

Conscious Movement hits the big screen at Asheville Brewing Company. We had a night of Conscious movement after viewing a montage of video clips from each of our walks in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, & Asheville.'It was nice seeing our tour up there on the big screen. That took things to another dimension.' - Michael

URTV Asheville's local cable access station helped keep Conscious Movement in the hearts and minds of the people by airing all our previous shows throughout the last week of our tour. We thank all the people at the station for supporting our mission of taking healthy movement to all people.

Accem at Malaprops Bookstore

If people were coming to Malaprops to sit and listen to Accem read from his book, 'American Barefoot Doctor's Manual,' they had another thing coming.Accem read the introduction to his book then proceeded to show the relevance of being your own doctor by leading the large group gathered in a series of health and rejuvenation exercises called Qigong. Michael's mother, Sandy Clark, made a guest appearance as well, leading the group in a Qigong self massage sequence that is part of her regular practice. One of the Malaprop's employees said they hadn't had a crowd that large since Deepok Chopra came to the store!

The Asheville Walk

As Rebecca Bowe of Mountain Xpress stated in her article on the Conscious Movement tour: 'Now it's Asheville's turn.' It was our best walk! The people...the weather....the aura...it was indeed a completion. Everything came together for the walk. Taking a moving meditation through downtown Asheville was truly a spiritual experience. We stopped at Pritchard Park to do a bit of hula hooping with Melanie Mcneal, and we were hosted by two Montford Avenue families who allowed us to do Qigong sequences on their lawns! 'When we reached Montford park I could feel for the first time in a month that our tour was done. It felt great . . .a real sense that we had accomplished something huge . . .something beyond ourselves.' - Accem

Special thanks to Holly, Diane, and Scott of Under One Sky (a powerful group dedicated to finding adaption options for foster children) and to Raven (our senior documentarian for the Asheville walk).

TAO BROTHERS HOMECOMING IN ASHEVILLE

Tao Brothers have come home to Asheville after their national tour. We continue our mission to promote health, wellness and fellowship to all people. Come to our WEEKLONG WELLNESS EXTRAVAGANZA (Check the full schedule of events below).

Also check out the article on Conscious Movement and an interview with Accem in the Aug. 27 issue of Mountain Express. We appeared on Evening Rounds on WCQS-FM and have an interview scheduled with WLOS-TV13.

For any questions, contact us at (828) 252-6851 or taobrothers@gmail.com.

A WEEKLONG WELLNESS EXTRAVAGANZA IN ASHEVILLE

Aug. 24-31
“Conscious Movement Week” on URTV (Charter cable channel 20), the mind-body fitness show will be broadcast every evening from 10-11 p.m.

Aug. 27
7 p.m. – FREE LECTURE: “Better Health Through Conscious Movement” at Malaprop's Bookstore, 55 Haywood Street downtown.

August 28
7-8 p.m. FREE Qigong Workshop. Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd., Asheville. (828)-274-7739.
9:30 – 11 p.m. Screening of the URTV show “Best of Conscious Movement” Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company, 675 Merrimon Avenue, (828) 254-1281. Love offering.

Aug. 29
7:30 - 9:30 p.m. WORKSHOP: Discover Qigong. Register: Namaste Yoga Sanctuary, 57 Broadway downtown (828) 253-6985 info@namasteyogasanctuary.com

Aug. 30
10 a.m. – 12 noon. FREE WELLNESS WALK. City-County Plaza downtown (College St. & Spruce St.) to Montford Park.
2 - 5 p.m. WORKSHOP: Essentials of Conscious Movement. Register: Namaste Yoga Sanctuary, 57 Broadway downtown (828) 253-6985 info@namasteyogasanctuary.com

Aug. 31
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., WORKSHOP: Maximum Health Through Conscious Movement: Prama Institute www.pramainstitute.org, 310 Panhandle Road, Marshall, NC 28753, Directions: (828) 649-9408. $135, includes vegetarian lunch. Register taobrothers@gmail.com, phone: (828) 280-7287.

Sept. 2
5-7 p.m. WORKSHOP: One-Minute Methods for Stress Relief: Mission Hospitals, Loretta Hall, Classroom #6 on St. Joseph Campus (Hospital employees only.) $39. Mission Fitness Center members $31. (Price includes meditation CD.)

Conscious Movement in Chicago

In Chicago, the Tao Brothers did an impromptu demonstration at Flavor Fest, an outdoor festival showcasing organic and natural foods – right in line with our mission promoting a healthy lifestyle! They invited us to do a class on the spot and people enjoyed it so much that the organizers asked us to book a full class for next year’s event. We continued to touch people’s lives with workshops at Karyn’s Raw Café (a raw foods restaurant and day spa) and Discovery Center.

Tai Chi & Qigong - Peaches & Ice cream

We stopped off in Columbus, Ohio to stay a few days with the Gill family (Michael's relatives). In the picture above you see Grandpa Bill Gill and Anna doing some rejuvenation Qigong out by the pond. At 94, Grandpa Gill decided to try Qigong for the first time. He said he felt real relaxed and peaceful. In the next photo we all gathered to enjoy peaches & ice cream, conversation and some Qigong with more of the Gill relatives.

Conscious Movement in Philadelphia - Valley Green

A great mix of people came to the Tao Brothers Wellness Walk in Philadelphia, black, white, young, old, Muslim, Christian, Taoist, plump, skinny, advanced qigong practitioners and beginners. Once again, Accem and Michael stirred up the melting pot, breaking stereotypes and getting people relaxing, breathing and moving! Each stop on our journey along the stream in Valley Green brought folks into deeper levels of awareness of their bodies and their surroundings in Nature.

One woman said, “I come here every day to run, but I never really pay attention to what’s around me because I’m so busy with myself. Today I actually saw the trees and the stream.” Others said they were more aware of the light and colors playing around them, or the sounds of the birds. Many said people often told them that they were breathing wrong, but nobody ever told them the right way to breathe. They were very enthusiastic to learn our simple deep breathing methods.

One highlight of the walk was doing movements from the Five Treasures form, produced by the National Qigong Association (www.nqa.org), on a stone bridge over running water. This gave us a concrete example of “being in the flow” with Nature. When it was over, a woman named Rahima said, “I feel like a river of liquids and energy is running through my body!”

Tao Brothers are an affiliate of the National Qigong Association and are advancing the goal of the NQA’s Healing Wave Project by spreading Qigong across America.

Check out a short video of the walk and the powerful testimonials of first-time practitioners at

http://vimeo.com/1555533

PHILLY MEDIA COVERS THE BROTHERS

Our events in the City of Brotherly Love gained momentum today with coverage of Tao Brothers in the Philadelphia Citypaper and the Chestnut Hill Local. Local host Sarah Lomax Reese invited us to appear on her show Health Quest Live on African-American radio station WURD 900 AM. Many thanks to the members of the media for spreading the message of healing our communities!

Tai Chi en Espanol!

Michael is used to talking about Tai Chi and Qigong, but today he did it on Spanish-language radio! He reached out over the airwaves to the Latino population of Philadelphia on the “Tapon-Tapon” (Bumper-to-Bumper) evening drive time show on WTTW 1680 AM. The hosts’ jaws dropped when they heard this red-bearded Irish-looking guy speak to them in fluent Spanish. He told them he was used to breaking stereotypes, especially in his role in the bi-racial teaching team, the Tao Brothers.

“Nobody enjoys life more than Latinos and nobody enjoys spreading health, wellness and brotherhood to all people more than the Tao Brothers,” said Michael, “Latinos are always focused on family, and Tai Chi is a great tool to take care of yourself, your family and your community. We want to share it with everyone.”

Michael now lives and teaches in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. He has used Spanish in his careers since 1989.

Tao Sister's Qigong Birthday

Eleanor Hancock, Accem’s wife, wears the Queen’s crown and shares Qigong with her neighbors on her birthday, August 11. Eleanor teaches classes in martial arts and Qigong in Asheville, NC. Eleanor and Michael’s mom, Sandy Clark, are beautiful Tao Sisters, sharing healing arts with their communities and supporting the Tao Brothers tour through their tireless efforts to get the word out and draw more people to a healthy lifestyle.

National Qigong Association speech

Following up the Baltimore Wellness Walk, Tao Brothers spoke on Aug. 8 at the annual conference of the National Qigong Association, a gathering of some of the most experienced teachers and practitioners in the country.

“Where we differ from most teachers of Qigong is that we really stress racial harmony,” said Michael Clark.

“Tai Chi and Qigong transformed me,” said Accem Scott, “I was raised as a black Muslim. But now my very best friend, Michael, is white. My wife is Caucasian and I have a bi-racial daughter. This work has changed my life and now what we want to do is take that same kind of awareness to people of all colors.”

“We break all kinds of stereotypes,” said Michael, “The white guy is a rapper and the black guy is a doctor. We want to keep challenging people’s idea of race and to promote ways to heal our bodies and our communities.”

Michael performed his Tai Chi Rap at the conference. Scroll down the page to see the video.

Conscious Movement in Baltimore

You’ve heard of the Blues Brothers, well we are the Tao Brothers. With all the energy and twice the soul! Accem Scott and Michael Clark, a black man and a white man dedicated to bringing health, wellness and fellowship to all people. Join us on the Conscious Movement Across America Tour Aug. 7-31 in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago and Asheville North Carolina. (see below for dates and times)




The Tao Brothers kicked off their Conscious Movement Across America tour today with the first of four Qigong Wellness Walks at Druid Hill Park in Baltimore, MD. Powerful forces of Nature were brewing as we gave many Baltimore residents their first taste of Qigong. We began Qigong walking around Druid Lake and soon the sizzling summer sun was obscured by rumbling thunderclouds. As we did the movement “Draw Down Heaven Qi” from the Five Treasures form, the Heavens opened up and poured their cooling rain upon us. Despite being drenched, a die-hard crowd continued with the walk and exercises along the 1.5-mile journey.

“Rain or no rain, I feel really satisfied that today we launched a dream that Accem and I have had for five years. We are taking the practice to a national audience.” said Michael Clark.

“It was like a Native American rain dance,” said Accem Scott. “We called on the Heavens and they replied. The challenge for me was to choose my attitude. Do I see the rain as problem that forces us to quit, or as a sign to keep going and flow with the situation just like it is? We chose to go on."

One man said, “I’m glad I stuck it out. I feel more energized than when I got here.”

Local practitioner Pete Theodoropoulos summarized the joy of the art when he said, “We are made to be perfectly at peace, radiant, happy, joyful and powerful. And when the energy is coursing through, that’s what we feel. That’s why Qigong works, you know. You say, okay, I’m going to use these exercises to make it flow like it’s supposed to.”

The event had an impact beyond those who attended, because an article quoting Accem, myself and Janet Sullivan, the president of the National Qigong Association, appeared in
the Baltimore Examiner, a newspaper with a circulation over 400,000. The article let folks know that they could study more about Qigong at the NQA’s annual conference taking place just outside Baltimore this weekend.

CONSCIOUS MOVEMENT ACROSS AMERICA 2008

Conscious Movement Across America is a grass-roots approach to self-healing and healing our communities. Our free Wellness Walks and accompanying workshops teach folks how to relieve stress and stimulate their body’s internal medicine through mind-body techniques like Tai Chi and Qigong. These arts are based on breath, movement and meditation. We aim to bring health, wellness and fellowship to all Americans across racial, economic and religious boundaries.

TOUR DATES

Dates and locations are subject to change. Call (828) 280-7287 for latest updates.

To Register: Unless otherwise specified, contact Tao Brothers taobrothers@gmail.com; (828) 280-7287. Register for Chicago workshops directly with the sponsoring organization.

Tuition: All Wellness Walks are free. For tuition for workshops in Chicago or at Namaste Yoga Sanctuary in Asheville, call the sponsoring organization. Otherwise, contact Tao Brothers. One-Minute Methods For Stress Relief (2 hrs.) is $39. The all-day workshop Maximum Health Through Conscious Movement is $125 (except for Asheville at the Prama Institute where it is $135 and includes a vegetarian lunch). Payment in cash or check is preferred. For credit card payment, call (828) 280-7287.

BALTIMORE

Aug. 7

6-8 p.m. FREE WELLNESS WALK: Druid Hill Park. From Druid Park Lake Drive, enter the park on Swann Drive. At 2nd stop sign, park at Columbus statue on right by Druid Lake.

Aug. 8-10

Be sure to check out the National Qigong Association Annual Conference near Baltimore. Tao Brothers and other teachers and practitioners from across the nation will be there. (http://www.nqa.org/ or 888-815-1893)

Date & Location to be announced.

WORKSHOP: One-Minute Methods For Stress Relief.

PHILADELPHIA

Aug. 16

10 a.m. – 12 noon. FREE WELLNESS WALK. Valley Green/Wissahickon Ravine area of Fairmount Park. Meet at first parking lot past the park entrance on Valley Green Rd.

Aug. 17

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. WORKSHOP: Maximum Health Through Conscious Movement: Chestnut Hill Towers, 7600 Stenton Ave., Philadelphia, PA (community room)

CHICAGO

Aug. 23

10 a.m. – 12 noon. FREE WELLNESS WALK. Meet by the lake at N. Lakeshore Dr. and W. Hollywood Ave., and head south to W. Lawrence Ave.

Aug. 24

10 a.m. – 5 p .m. WORKSHOP: Maximum Health Through Conscious Movement: Karyn's Raw Café, 1901 North Halsted Street, Chicago. TO REGISTER, CONTACT (312) 255-1590 or karyninfo@karynraw.com.

Aug. 25

6:30-10 p.m. WORKSHOP: Maximum Health Through Conscious Movement: Discovery Center, 2940 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago. TO REGISTER, CONTACT: http://www.discoverycenter.cc/ or (773) 348-8120

ASHEVILLE, NC

Aug. 27

7 p.m. – FREE LECTURE: “Better Health Through Conscious Movement” at Malaprop's Bookstore, 55 Haywood Street downtown.

August 28

7-8 p.m. FREE Qigong Workshop. Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd., Asheville.
(828)-274-7739.

9:30 – 11 p.m. Screening of the URTV show “Best of Conscious Movement” Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company, 675 Merrimon Avenue, (828) 254-1281.

Aug. 29
7:30 - 9:30 p.m. WORKSHOP: Discover Qigong. Register: Namaste Yoga Sanctuary, 57 Broadway downtown (828) 253-6985 info@namasteyogasanctuary.com

Aug. 30

10 a.m. – 12 noon.
FREE WELLNESS WALK. City-County Plaza, downtown (College St. & Spruce St.), to Montford Park.

2 - 5 p.m.
WORKSHOP: Essentials of Conscious Movement. Register: Namaste Yoga Sanctuary, 57 Broadway downtown (828) 253-6985 info@namasteyogasanctuary.com

Aug. 31

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WORKSHOP: Maximum Health Through Conscious Movement: Prama Institute http://www.pramainstitute.org/, 310 Panhandle Road, Marshall, NC 28753, Directions: (828) 649-9408.

For my birthday I cut all my hair off and spent the weekened up on our land contemplating the next couple of months and what I would need to do and be to make the Conscious Movement Tour happen.

It was a very eye opening experience being up there taking that time to be with myself and nature. I'm off now to Philadelphia for my grandmothers 99th birthday then on to Baltimore

and Chicago. I hope to connect with sponsors and organizers as I go.

Conscious Movement Across America

Tao Brothers
Conscious Movement Across America

This August, thousands of people will join together to learn easy, cost-effective tools of healthy living at "Conscious Movement Across America" events in Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Asheville, North Carolina. Your organization could gain new customers, visibility and recognition as a healthy lifestyle company by supporting these events.
Your sponsorship is tax-deductible through the NewBirth Foundation, which as a charitable project of the National Heritage Foundation, shares its 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) Federal tax status.
Conscious Movement Across America aims to bring health, wellness and fellowship to all Americans across racial, economic and religious boundaries through FREE multi-cultural Walking Meditations in major cities. In addition, we offer workshops that teach people how to use breath, movement and meditation practices to relieve stress, encourage their body’s natural healing mechanisms and resolve conflicts peacefully. In our years of teaching, we have seen how these practices are far more than an exercise routine; they are empowering and transforming ways of life!
We believe that as more and more people incorporate these healthy, peaceful techniques into their lives, they will move from healing themselves to healing their communities and the planet. Aren’t these values that we want our leaders to embody? Isn’t this a goal we all should support?
The Tao brothers are Accem Scott and Michael Clark, a bi-racial teaching team with more than 30 years of combined experience in movement, meditation techniques and methods of complimentary medicine. We chose the name "Tao Brothers," because it reflects our mission: brotherhood and sisterhood through practices that encourage mind-body harmony. We draw from many traditions: Chinese, European and Native American.
We are counting on your support to make our vision of global health, wellness and fellowship a reality.
We need help in the following areas:
Advertising and promotion (including your newsletters and email lists)
Hotel rental
Car rental
Meeting / Event space
"Celebrity" master of ceremonies for events
Solar wagon
Sound system
Water supplies
Print services and materials
computer (mac laptop for daily blog and video uploads)
Tee-shirts
All donations will be acknowledged and gratefully appreciated.

Sincerely,

The Tao Brothers