Welcome to April’s 50th Anniversary Blog: Margaret “MO” Olmsted and Gerrie Sporken

(Left: Margaret “MO” Olmsted  – Right: Gerrie Sporken)

In honor of the Tai Chi Foundation’s 50 years, each month in 2025, we are publishing blog posts featuring historical material, reflections by TCF tai chi teachers, videos, and photos. We hope the images and words will connect the tai chi community to our school’s many strengths, expand our understanding of the art, and inspire our practice. And who knows? Perhaps something in this series will inspire you to share your experience as well; the door is always open. Welcome to this month’s edition:

Living Tai Chi

Fifty years later, Margaret and Gerrie share tai chi journeys, that began in TCF’s earliest days. 

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Margaret Olmsted (also known as MO) has been studying and teaching with the Tai Chi Foundation (TCF) since 1976. Trained by TCF’s founder, Patrick Watson, Margaret became one of his senior teachers and was recognized as a Legacy Holder— the top tier of teaching. She works with other Legacy Holders to ensure the quality of teaching throughout the School. Margaret also supports the TCF on various committees and helps to lead and organize summer and winter programs. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she teaches live and online classes. Tai chi has consistently been a grounding, relaxing force over the course of her lifetime.

Gerrie Sporken discovered tai chi in 1976 and became deeply passionate about the practice, a devotion that continues to this day. Trained by Patrick Watson, a senior student of the renowned Prof. Cheng Man-ch’ing, she began teaching in 1977 through the School of T’ai Chi Chuan (now T’ai Chi Foundation), sharing the art in Amsterdam, England, Ireland, Austria, and the USA. Integrating tai chi into her acupuncture practice, she’s used its movements to support healing, such as helping those with limited mobility by focusing on the tan tien to cultivate strength and improve circulation. Alongside Pat Gorman, she developed the Roots & Branches program, blending tai chi with the Five Elements theory to harmonize Qi with elemental energies. As a senior teacher, she offers tailored classes in tai chi and Roots & Branches Qi Gong, adapting to seasons or specific groups.

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Join Margaret and Gerrie as they retrace spiritual journeys that began in their early 20s and continue today.

My Spiritual Journey with Tai Chi and Arica

By Margaret Olmsted

MO and Patrick Watson, 1984

As we enter our 50^th year as a tai chi school, I am inspired to look back at how I started my spiritual journey. In 1974, at age 23, I traveled to Cholula, Mexico, to hook up with a cute guy I met at a friend’s wedding. Unfortunately, he came down with Hepatitis and was unable to hang out. So, I traveled around with others I met on the road — it was the 70s, and we were all hippies. I met another cute guy and his friends with a VW bus, and we drove around Mexico together for a while. At one point, we spent the night at a campground and, the next morning, went looking for magic mushrooms that grew out of cow patties in a wet, foggy field.

Success! We took our bagful and headed into the mountains to a place called Agua Azul, which had milky blue cascading waters. We camped out and ate the mushrooms, and within a short time, my perception of reality altered. My awareness expanded — colors were brighter, the sun felt warmer, and the air was magical. My kinesthetic sense heightened. My heart felt open. There was a feeling of almost understanding everything, and then it was gone. But I remember thinking: There’s something else going on, another level of awareness and understanding.

At the same time, I was reading Center of the Cyclone by John Lilly in which he describes his spiritual journey. When I got back to New York City, where I lived in my brother’s elegant brownstone, I finished the book. One section was about John Lilly’s experience in Chile with Oscar Ichazo, who founded the Arica Institute in 1972. I was determined to find something like he described: a community of people meditating together for the purpose of the transcendence of the ordinary. Remarkably, I opened an issue of the Village Voice, and there was a quarter-page ad for Arica announcing an introductory Open House program. I was amazed and delighted!

Read More about MO’s Spiritual Journey

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49 Years of Tai Chi Chuan

by Gerrie Sporken

Gerrie Sporken (right) with Patty Gorman

It all started in the hot summer of 1976, when Paul van Loenen visited my boyfriend Thom and I. Paul arrived with a mission to invite us to an Arica program called the 9 Hypergnostic Systems^TM. That visit would change my life. The next morning, Paul did the first third of the tai chi form for us. I was mesmerized, and I wanted to learn tai chi.

Thom and I decided to go the Arica training in Dorset, UK, and we got the money together to pay for the six-week program. There were about 50 young-to-middle-age people from all kinds of lifestyles. I was kind of green, and when the training was opened in the name of God, I had flashbacks of my Catholic upbringing. I had sworn to never engage with another religion. The trainers were weird in my eyes. Happily for me, Arica turned out not to be a religion but a systematic program to assess your life in all its details, combined with physical exercises, breathing and meditations.

In the last two weeks of the program, Greg Woodson and Stan Swartz came to join us and taught us the first third of the tai chi form. While I thought I would easily learn the moves, it turned out to be harder than I imagined. After one class, I had to lie down because I was shaking from exhaustion. Greg and Stan did not say much at all in class, except that Greg kept whispering in my ear to come to New York to participate in the apprentice teacher program and learn to teach tai chi.

Read More about Gerrie’s Life with Tai Chi

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In 1991, TCF leaders were affectionately known as “The Gang of Eight.” Left to right: Gerrie Sporken, Greg Woodson, Peggy Watson, Sherry Kent, Margaret Matsumoto, Margaret Olmsted, Axel Schwolow, Patty Gorman.

As we celebrate 50 years, our school is now led by a Legacy Advisory Committee —pictured here in 2024. Left to right: Els Eijssens – Legacy Advisory Committee facilitator, Margaret Olmsted – Legacy Holder, Greg Woodson – Legacy Holder, Gerrie Sporken – Legacy Holder, Sherry Kent – Legacy Holder, Vanessa Costigan – Legacy Advisory Committee Member, Jonathan Stow – Legacy Advisory Committee Member, Margaret Matsumoto – Legacy Holder.

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First Discovering Tai Chi and the Tai Chi Foundation?

You can learn more about tai chi by exploring the diverse offerings of the Tai Chi Foundation (TCF). TCF provides live online courses, allowing you to participate in guided sessions in the comfort of your home. These virtual classes offer unique opportunities to connect with experienced instructors, ensuring that you receive personalized guidance and feedback. Additionally, the Tai Chi Foundation offers Teachable on-demand classes, providing a flexible and accessible way to learn at your own pace. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced practitioner, these online resources offer a wealth of knowledge to enrich your tai chi journey. For those seeking a more hands-on experience, check out the regular course offerings of TCF’s affiliated local schools.

TCF is a not-for-profit educational organization that promotes, funds, and teaches programs that enable people to learn tai chi chuan and embody its principles.

Be sure to check out our new TCF 50th Anniversary Shop, where you can find stylish tai chi t-shirts and other great branded merchandise!

The Tai Chi Foundation Editorial Team

Photos courtesy Tai Chi Foundation Inc.

Copyright Tai Chi Foundation 2025