One year ago, Karin Collins Taiji & Qigong opened in the Fremont area and they’re celebrating with a new schedule.

The studio is also introducing new classes for kids and adults. Weekly classes for TAIJI KIDZ resume Tuesday, January 17th. And the TAIJI KIDZ MidWinter Break Day Camp is taking registrations for February 20 – 24.

TAIJI KIDZ focuses on developing basic Taiji principles to increase self-awareness, better connections to others, improve listening skills & foster greater cooperation. Kids will learn basic meditation & calming practices, do strength, fitness & flexibility training and learn the fun interactive aspect of Taiji that boosts confidence in all aspects. KIDZ have fun & parents are assured that their kids are learning personal health-inspiring activities and non-violent ways of interacting with their friends.

Ten-year veteran teacher, Karin Collins welcomes new beginners as well as seasoned practitioners to her exciting new classes for 2012. All are welcome to try a class for free. Contact Karin or visit the site for more details.

A look around the neighborhood to catch some of the stories falling through the cracks…

Friends of Fremont Peak Park are hosting a work party on Sunday, October 2nd from 10 am to 1 pm. Get ready to do a little planting, a little weeding and some mulching (as well as having some fun). RSVP to info@FremontPeakPark.org.

The Korner Kitchen checked in to let us know that their Fall/Winter menu will include Baked Potato Soup, Vegetarian Chili, Corn Chowder, Tomato Basil, White Chicken Chili, Red Chili, Southwest Chicken Fiesta, Country Mushroom & Sour Cream.

Incoming cookbook store The Book Larder gets previewed in the Seattle Weekly this week.

Eng3, a company that has developed new ways to improve how the human body responds to damage from free radical buildup, has recently moved into a facility near Fremont (4041 Roosevelt Way NE). Go say hi sometime.

Karin Collins Taijiquan & Qigong has a ton of new classes going on, including Balancing the Heart Qigong class, the Beginning Yang Style Long or Short Form class or the Taiji Workout—a great way to cross-train, work out & meditate all in one. Also, check out this video of their recent Taiji Retreat in Bandon, OR.

Karin Collins Taijiquan & Qigong (222 Etruria St. #200) has tons of classes both inside & out with plenty of choices for adults and kids going on this summer. One in particular is a great opportunity to introduce your kids to Tai Chi…the Taiji Kidz Summer Camp.

Taking place between July 5 – 8, this Taiji (Tai Chi) camp for kids focuses on developing Taiji principles to increase self-awareness, better connections to others, improve listening skills & foster greater cooperation. Kids 8 & up will learn basic meditation & calming practices, do strength, fitness & flexibility training and learn a fun interactive 2 person Taiji form to demonstrate their new skills.

Contact Karin with questions and to register and make sure you check out their other classes like Balancing The Heart Qigong. Read more about Karin, her studio and her practice here.

Some news, notes and happenings around town…

Join Council member Mike O’Brien, Don Stark and a representative from the Mayor’s office for a panel discussion on Seattle Utility Taxes and Rates at LTD Bar & Grill on March 16th between 12 – 3pm. They’ll discuss how these taxes & rates currently affect business, where the money is spent and how these business expenses will change in the future.

If you stop by the White Rabbit, make sure you try The Looking Glass. The aqua-colored cocktail consists of blueberry Stoli, hpnotiq liqueur (a blend of fruit juices, premium vodka and cognac) and a splash of sour.

Speaking of the White Rabbit, Boise musician Marcus Eaton brings his unique blend of rock, reggae, flamenco, jazz and folk to The White Rabbit in Seattle’s Fremont District for a solo acoustic performance on Saturday, March 12th at 8 pm. For more information, visit www.marcuseaton.com.

Seattle Weekly’s Jason Sheehan scours Seattle for the best pie in town and he finds it at…Pie. “I ate well at Pie and walked away happy.”

Over at Karin Collins Studio, they’re hosting movie night on Friday (the very funny “Shaolin Soccer“) while next weekend will be the “Balancing The Heart Qijong Workshop” March 19th and 20th. Visit www.karincollins.com for more info.

Are you a bottle, sign or electrical artifact collector? Then you better head over to the Insulator/Bottle Collector’s Get Together at B.F. Day on Saturday at 10am.

Karin Collins Taijiquan & Qigong recently opened in Fremont and I had a chance to speak with Karin to find out a little bit about the practices, the history of the business and what newbies might expect if they stop by.

Tell us about your history with Taiji & Qigong and what led you to open your own studio here in Fremont?

I had no idea how profound my study of Taiji & Qigong would become when I started in January of 2000. I signed up for one class, and within a couple weeks, signed up for everything I could take. I’d grown up in the theatre, studying dance and movement, and when my theatre days were over there was something missing. Taiji and Qigong were the vessels that re- launched me into the content satisfaction I find while in motion. I was drawn to them as a refined and complex set of skills for fluid movement; an internal study of self, patterns, and potential; and a unique way to connect to our environment and those around us. I’ve been fortunate to study with many talented teachers from Seattle, as well as from abroad in both practices.

About two years into my training I was encouraged to consider teaching and by 2003, I was teaching regularly. I’ve been certified in multiple Qigong forms for health and wellness, the Yang 24 Taiji Short Form and the ‘5 Section’ Taiji Curriculum. Additionally, in 2009, I spent 3 months in an intensive training, analogous in Taiji training to a Master’s Degree program, to complete an in-depth study in the Traditional Yang Style Taijiquan Curriculum, which includes solo forms, interactive work & weapons training (Details about these forms can be found on the website).

I began looking in February 2010 for a dedicated studio. Originally, I was looking in various neighborhoods, including South Lake Union, Westlake and others. Plans had been made for offers on other spaces, but it wasn’t until I found the now nicknamed ‘Triple 2’ in July that I truly believed I’d found a long-term home. Fremont is a vibrant and ideal neighborhood and, because of its central location, convenient for both my current students and newcomers. The green, yellow & red-trimmed building at 222 Etruria is visible from the Burke-Gilman trail, the bridge and Nickerson with plenty of free street parking.

The studio has been renovated to make the best use of its open, expansive space, natural light, and enticing water views of the ship canal. The open feeling and water view lends perfectly to the calming and stress-reducing nature of the classes.

In addition to my classes, workshops and events, I have 3 offices with various therapeutic practitioners including Acupuncturists, Massage therapists, a Naturopathic doctor as well as a Life Coach and Reiki master.

The ‘Triple 2’ Genesis from Karin Collins on Vimeo.
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