2016 Westwater Intensive Training

4/29/2016 - 5/7/2016

I was back at the annual Westwater Intensive Training camp in Utah. This year, although the camp was held a week later than usual, we had mostly cold days and I had to resort to wearing 5 layers of clothing to stay warm. We also had a very powerful wind storm one day during our class, and Master Alex was concerned enough to allow the students to run back to their tents to make sure that they were intact. One of the pegs was a bit loose, but otherwise my tent was solidly grounded. 

This year, the highlight of the camp was learning the entire Yang sword form. Since last fall, I have been learning this bit by bit in the monthly Sunday workshop I attend in New York, but it's been slow going. When Master Alex announced that he will teach the entire form during this year's WW camp, I was very thrilled! For the past ten years or so, it's been my dream to learn this form and it was finally coming true. It is quite a long form, and towards the end it seemed that we won't be able to learn it all, but we were able to finish it. I had some difficult time absorbing the new moves towards the end, but with regular practice, I should be able to retain it well.

As usual, it was nice to see my fellow students/friends from all over the world. I left my sleeping bag and the tent in the storage shed at the camp, as I plan to return again next year! 

2016 group photo

a view from my tent

a dead tree, just outside of my tent, with a hollow trunk housing a bird's nest

a sunrise