cultivate chi on the Yuba River, sunrise October 8

Shih Fu Catherine invites you to join with her and the Tsi Akim Maidu for Calling Back the Salmon Ceremony at sunrise, Saturday October 8th at Sycamore Ranch Park (off Highway 20, 4.5 miles west of Parks Bar bridge).

Each year for the past 11 years, the Tsi Akim Maidu tribe has invited everyone to join them for a sunrise ceremony to call the salmon back to their ancestral home in the Yuba River. This ceremony invites us to cultivate chi in our own backyard, to join energies to heal the river ecosystem and to heal our relationships with each other.  Learn more about the tribe and the history of this fall celebration at http://indigenouspeoplesdays.org
http://www.callingbackthesalmon.com/

Don't miss this unique local cultural experience. Ask Catherine about the ceremony if you are interested to attend and participate.

What does chi look like to you?

Water moving over rocks, sunlight moving through water, rocks resting on river bottom

an excerpt from Chapter 41 Tao Te Ching

When a superior person hears of the Tao,
he immediately begins to embody it.
When an average person hears of the Tao,
she half believes it, half doubts it.
When a foolish person hears of the Tao,
he laughs out loud.
If he didn't laugh,
it wouldn't be the Tao.

Congratulations to Tai Chi students who attended the promotion ceremony

It was a real joy to see how much you all embody the principles of Tai Chi in your practice. We hope you feel encouraged by the support of the entire Body Balance Academy to deepen your studies and continue to enjoy all the health benefits that Tai Chi and Qi Gong has to offer.

Xie xie for being wonderful students of Body Balance.

Happy Mid Autumn Festival

This festival celebrates the harvest moon on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. That's today, September 12th.

What "promotion" means...this Saturday

At Body Balance Academy, we have promotion ceremonies about every other month.  The next one is Saturday September 10 at 10:00am.  You may have noticed that this ceremony coincides with our curriculum: we spend about two months teaching/learning each section of the Yang Style Tai Chi form.

The promotion ceremony is an opportunity:

• for students to demonstrate their knowledge of Tai Chi principles as expressed in the Yang Long Form,
• for the instructors to see all students at one time, performing the section that they just learned,
• to celebrate the growing community of Tai Chi practitioners,
• to meet other members of our community (e.g., those who come to class on T/Th night if you attend M/W morning classes)
• to enjoy the inspiring music of Bill Douglass and friends,
• ________ (your favorite reason here).

Through out the years that BBA has held these ceremonies, I've heard some students say that even the word "promotion" doesn't appeal to their sense of what Tai Chi means to them.  Some are not interested in performing "in public".  Or they perceive the promotion as a "test" of their ability.  Some have asked, "What are you writing about us on that piece of paper?"

Shih Fu Eileen has said over and over that the promotions are NOT a test.  She, and the other instructors, works with students in classes to make sure that they grasp the fundamentals and principles of each section of the Tai Chi form.  Students are invited to the promotion to celebrate what they've learned and accomplished through diligence and hard work.  Everyone who comes to a promotion has already demonstrated their mastery of the section.  We welcome students to come together with the entire school to practice together, enjoy music and drink tea.

This Saturday, a group of Lotus Scholars will present a special musical performance that sets the poetry of the Tao Te Jing to South Asian dance steps. Conceived by Bill Douglass and Anya Devi, this performance includes readings by Anya, Matthias Schossig and Catherine Stifter.  Anya will dance to the tabla percussion of Joe Fagen.

Come for music, come for practice, come for a celebration of knowledge, but don't miss Tai Chi with Tea this Saturday, September 10th at 10:00am.