We received some unhappy news today that will unfortunately affect my new Tai Chi class in the near future. Our city council has decided to close our Senior Center by this year’s end. I am very disappointed of course. Many of our seniors are also very disappointed so soon after our class had been started. The city built a new community center so the closing was a possibility. But because seniors will lose some current benefits and will have to pay higher membership fees to use the new facility, it is doubly disappointing.

Huge news! SOHMA Tai Chi is officially an approved Continuing Education (CE) provider for both chiropractors and acupuncturists! We are officially approved by: • The California Acupuncture Board • The Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB / PACE) This is a huge step forward for our school and our entire community. Licensed healthcare providers can now earn required CE credits through SOHMA while learning how to integrate and prescribe Tai Chi directly to their patients for clinical healing and rehabilitation! If you are a practitioner looking to earn your credits, or if you know local chiropractors and acupuncturists in your network who would love to prescribe Tai Chi in their practices, please share this with them! Check out the full details on our website or click the link in our Instagram bio to learn more. Here’s a direct link to our Chiro CE on the PACE website: https://pacex.fclb.org/courses/clinical_applications_of_tai_chi_for_health_professionals__12-hour_ce_certificate_161_21734 Thank you all for being part of this growing movement. 🙌

Please join me in congratulating our newest SOHMA Certified Tai Chi Instructor, @Sophie Gonzalez 🎓✨ Sophie’s journey to certification is a true testament to resilience, inner strength, and the profound healing power of Tai Chi. Facing incredible physical and mental health challenges, including living with PTSD after surviving a gunshot wound, she stayed the course, grounded herself in her practice, and earned her certificate of graduation. Hearing Sophie compare the weight and meaning of her SOHMA certification to her Master of Public Health degree is deeply humbling. 🙏 Sophie, we are so proud of you, and we can’t wait to see the lives you touch as a certified instructor! 📢 To All SOHMA Graduates: Sophie is officially listed on our SOHMA Certified Instructor Directory: 👉 https://sohma.org/tai-chi/tai-chi-instructors/ If you have completed your certification and are not yet listed on the website directory, please send me your bio and headshot! We want to make sure you are visible for community inquiries, referrals, and paid teaching opportunities coming through the SOHMA pipeline worldwide. Drop some love for Sophie in the comments below! 👇❤️

I've been disappointed with how slowly I've been moving through the course, mostly because I'm tackling mulitple courses at once, I'm not a quick study and on top of that, kind of a klutz. then I saw this today and realized, hey at least I'm moving forward:

Another informative and fun monthly Zoom in the books. Whether you were there or missed it, here is what you need to know. Big Announcements 📣 The SOHMA website is launching imminently with a graduate directory so paid teaching opportunities can flow directly to you. Make sure your profile is up to date. Email Kelly at assistant@sohma.org to submit your graduate profile and picture updates. Continuing education credits are now approved for licensed acupuncturists in California (12 CE hours). Chiropractic approval through the PACE program (nationwide) is in its final stage. More to come on physical therapy. California Meetup: August 9th, Heartwell Park 📍 If you are in or near Southern California, this one is for you. I will be out at the park to review forms, give personal feedback, and of course have fun! We will wrap with an informal potluck. Come ready to practice. Community Wins 🌟 Certified Instructors Zola and Odie landed a paid corporate Qigong event that came directly through the SOHMA pipeline and successfully negotiated their rate up before the final agreement. This is exactly what being part of this school makes possible. The opportunities are real, they are coming in, and they go to our certified graduates first. 🌟 Certified Instructor Herbert is in conversations about a city contract in Newark, Delaware covering both adult and youth after-school programming. Ricky is building strong momentum with 15 students per week at the Rec Center and 8 at the YMCA, with a growing Facebook group of 17 members. Melody is averaging 8 students per week and has been invited to launch a senior center program. Rogelio has been cleared as ready to test for certification. 🎓 Key Teaching Reminders 📝 A few things discussed that apply to everyone: When setting your rate, base it on the value of your time including drive time, not on what a rec center typically pays. Your identity and connection with students adds value that goes beyond Tai Chi proficiency alone.