Tai Chi Seasons of Energy

An immersive weekend Tai Chi retreat in the hills of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom exploring the Air/Metal element, seasonal energy, and the Tai Chi forms Cloud Fists and Wind Hands.

Autumn is a season of transition. The heat and abundance of summer begin to fade as cooler air arrives, leaves fall, and nature turns toward simplicity and release. In Tai Chi practice, this is the season of the Air/Metal element—a time associated with clarity, discernment, breath, and the ability to let go of what is no longer needed.

Held at Karmê Chöling, this retreat combines Tai Chi, moving meditation, and energy cultivation in a supportive environment surrounded by forests, meadows, and the brilliant colors of autumn. Participants will explore how movement can help us align with the seasonal rhythms of nature while cultivating balance, vitality, and inner clarity.

Take any one or all of the programs in this series.

Tai Chi Summer:

Tai Chi Autumn: Register on THIS page.

Tai Chi Early Winter

This retreat may be a good fit if you:

• Are curious about Tai Chi and moving meditation.

• Want practical tools for stress reduction, balance, and well-being.

• Feel drawn to seasonal living and a deeper connection with nature.

• Are interested in Taoist approaches to energy cultivation.

• Wish to deepen an existing Tai Chi or contemplative practice.

• Enjoy learning through direct experience rather than theory alone.

At the center of the retreat are the forms Cloud Fists and Wind Hands. Inspired by the movement of clouds across the sky and wind moving through the landscape, these forms embody the qualities of lightness, adaptability, circulation, and release.

In Taoist practice, the Air/Metal element is associated with the lungs and large intestine, the breath, the immune system, and the body's capacity to release what is no longer needed. Through careful attention to posture, alignment, intention, and movement, participants will learn how these forms cultivate and circulate Air Chi throughout the body.

Rather than approaching energy as an abstract concept, we will investigate it through embodied practice and direct experience.

Throughout the weekend, participants will practice:

• Foundational Tai Chi principles and body mechanics.
• Standing Like A Tree postures to develop structure and internal awareness.

• Silk Reeling exercises to cultivate whole-body integration.

• Push Hands practices that develop balance, sensitivity, and coordination.

• The forms Cloud Fists and Wind Hands.
• Breath awareness and moving meditation.

• Traditional correspondences linking season, direction, color, the senses, and the body's energetic pathways.

Together these practices reveal the intimate relationship between the rhythms of the body and the rhythms of the natural world.

The retreat includes a blend of:

• Tai Chi instruction and guided practice.

• Partner exercises and movement exploration.

• Teachings on seasonal energy and Taoist principles.

• Personal reflection and informal practice.

• Time to walk the land and experience the autumn landscape.

The atmosphere is relaxed, supportive, and experiential, allowing participants to learn through practice rather than performance.

Participants will have:

• A working understanding of Cloud Fists and Wind Hands.

• Foundational Tai Chi skills that can be continued at home.
• Greater awareness of breath, posture, and body mechanics.

• Practical methods for cultivating balance, clarity, and vitality.
• A deeper understanding of the Air/Metal element and its relationship to seasonal change.

• A richer appreciation of the connection between human beings and the natural world.

Joseph Pascutazz is a long-time Tai Chi practitioner and teacher with more than twenty years of daily practice. His teaching emphasizes direct experience, proper body mechanics, energetic awareness, and the living relationship between Tai Chi and the natural world.

This retreat is part of an ongoing seasonal series exploring the five elemental energies and their correspondences within both nature and the human body.

Do I need previous Tai Chi experience?
No. The retreat is open to both beginners and experienced practitioners.

Is Tai Chi physically demanding?
Tai Chi is a gentle practice that can be adapted to a wide range of ages, abilities, and fitness levels.

What is the Air/Metal element?
The Air/Metal element is associated with breath, clarity, discernment, and release. In traditional Taoist practice, it corresponds with autumn, the lungs, the large intestine, and the body's ability to let go and renew itself.

What should I bring?
Comfortable clothing for movement, walking shoes, a water bottle, and layers for Vermont's changing weather.

Will I be able to continue practicing after the retreat?
Yes. Participants will leave with practical exercises, principles, and movement practices that can be integrated into daily life.

Whether you are discovering Tai Chi for the first time or deepening an established practice, this retreat offers an opportunity to slow down, reconnect with the wisdom of the body, and explore how balance can arise naturally when we learn to move with the rhythms of nature.

Joseph's workshop was extremely insightful, inclusive, and well-run. Having no previous experience with Tai Chi, I found this program to be a great introduction to the power of moving meditation. After two days, I feel a real sense of Tai Chi's ability to work with the energy in both nature and myself.

This is a wonderful introduction to Tai Chi and connecting to the elements and seasons both internally and externally. Engaging and thorough, Joseph is an excellent teacher!

Joseph is an amazingly skilled, gentle and engaging teacher. This workshop helped me invoke my potential to engage with my inner energy and interact with the external, joining them together.

A great introduction to Tai Chi for me, a senior citizen with good health but limited physical meditation experience... looking forward to more.

Friday, please arrive 3:00 - 6:00pm for registration.
Dinner will be served at 6:30pm.
The program will officially begin at 7:30pm.

On Sunday, the program will finish by 5:00pm.

Approximately two weeks before the start date of a program we confirm that we have sufficient numbers to hold the event. On the rare occasion when enrollment is too low, we may need to cancel a program. If this happens, we will notify all registered participants as soon as possible and provide a full refund of the program and accommodation fees paid to us. The center is not responsible for airfare or other travel expenses incurred. For this reason we recommend purchasing refundable travel tickets or travel insurance whenever possible.

Visit our Directions and Transportation page to see different options for traveling to Karmê Chöling including our Rideshare board.