Chapter 81 Tao Te Ching

Truthful words are not beautiful.
Beautiful words are not truthful.
Good men do not argue.
Those who argue are not good.
Those who know are not learned.
The learned do not know.

The sage never tries to store things up.
The more he does for others, the more he has.
The more he gives to others, the greater his abundance.
The Tao of heaven is pointed but does no harm.
The Tao of the sage is work without effort.

Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg on Gratitude

Thanks to David Parry-Jones for pointing out this meditation on gratitude.

"The Fall to Me" a poem by Eva Rose Dunklin Floyd

The Fall to Me

The fall to me is a wunderful place,
all the gladns poring out of everyoens hans.
The fall to me is a hanful of Love,
and a growing fire in my hart.
The fall to me is a place to grow, and lern,
a place to be happy and sad.
The fall to me is a time to right poms and storees,
a time to play in the falling levse, and the rain.
The fall to me is a time to be grateful and glad,
a time to sow and nit and eat cookies
and other deserts like that.
The fall to me is a time to selebrate.

Eva Rose Dunklin Floyd, Age 8.
11-11-11

Note: Eva practices Kung Fu at Body Balance. Her mother, Annette, practices Tai Chi and is a member of the Lotus Group.  We thank them for sharing this writing.

Learning about Nonviolent Communication

Thank you to Robin Caywood (mother of Brom, a Kung Fu student at Body Balance), who visited the Lotus Group to present a series of interactive workshops on NVC (Nonviolent Communication).

Here's a bit more information from the national website for The Center for Nonviolent Communication.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is based on the principles of nonviolence-- the natural state of compassion when no violence is present in the heart.

NVC begins by assuming that we are all compassionate by nature and that violent strategies—whether verbal or physical—are learned behaviors taught and supported by the prevailing culture. NVC also assumes that we all share the same, basic human needs, and that each of our actions are a strategy to meet one or more of these needs.

People who practice NVC have found greater authenticity in their communication, increased understanding, deepening connection and conflict resolution.

Thank you, Robin, for introducing us to this wonderful tool.

Big Weekend at Body Balance: Kung Fu & Tai Chi Promotions plus Push Hands Seminar

This Friday at 6:00pm, join the Kung Fu practitioners for a special sash promotion ceremony, complete with African drumming and kora music.

Saturday morning at 10:00am is Tai Chi with Tea and promotion ceremony for those who have completed the first set of Fundamentals and Sections 2 & 4 as well as the First Palm of Ba Gua.

On Saturday from 11:30am until 1pm, join Shih Fu Eileen for a Push Hands Seminar. This seminar is open to all Body Balance students at any level of experience. You will learn to experience the virtues of yielding and redirecting through the Push Hands form.