Sometimes I have dreams that I am “swimming” through the air. I love it when I wake up from one of these dreams because for a few brief moments I can actually still feel the solid molecules of this ambient space. This is what Tai Chi feels like to me. I felt like I was dreaming in an awakened state while watching Scott Cole’s session “Yoga Tai Chi Fusion” this morning. First let me say that Cole has an amazing presence. He commands softly, and effuses balance. He’s a wonderful presenter.

Cole and attendees harnessed the chi in the room. I swear if you squinted your eyes just so you could see streams of colored energy flowing from everyone’s fingertips. There was yin—the soft skirting movements, opening and closing gates with ease. And then there was yang—an attendee’s teenage daughter sitting on the sidelines drumming the top of her thighs to the downbeat. It all made perfect sense.

Expo Facto I hope you had a chance to visit the IDEA Expo before the hall closed. I thought I had all the toys a woman could possibly need, but I was wrong. I am drawn to products that will help me maintain and improve my function. Read: I am a myofascial release junkie, it is true. Ask any other IDEA staff member and he/she will tell you I am inevitably rolling something on my tight spots and stretching out one muscle group or another. There were products that addressed this, which is a valuable addition to any fitness pro’s toolbox. I also enjoyed the many new educational offerings. Bottom line: if you’ve thought about how great it would be to have x, y or z in your practice, it was probably represented in the Expo hall. If you missed it this time around, make it a priority next year.

Video Variety Early thirty this morning, way before sessions started, I visited You Tube. This is how I entertain myself away from home, and how I sometimes get snippets of news (as well as old video clips of the Cocteau Twins). This morning I viewed IDEA’s video award winners. If you haven’t done this already, I highly recommend it. The clips were creative and fun and quite entertaining. The next time you need a stealth smile, look up one of these videos. Heck—send in one of your own!