Grandmaster Huang (黃乾量) and the Tien Shan Pai (天山派) Lineage

Tien Shan Pai  (天山派)

Tien Shan Pai is a northern style which originated in the Tien Shan mountains of northwestern China. It is well known in Taiwan as an effective fighting style. At the same time, it also contains graceful empty-hand and weapons forms stressing rhythm and “ing shou”–the demonstration of power accentuated by solid thuds made by the hands. Tien Shan Pai self-defense is characterized by attacks from the side coupled with multiple blocks, so that if one block fails, the second can cover. Footwork is considered essential to countering attacks; Tien Shan Pai focuses on low, steady steps to the side, along with swift “hidden” steps to trick the opponent.

Read more about the Tien Shan Pai style here.

Huang Chien-Liang

Huang Chien-Liang (黃乾量)

Grandmaster Huang completed his academics by completing his college education, earning a B.S. degree from the National Chung Shing University, Taiwan, R.O.C. Since then, he developed his dedication for Kuo Shu and has trained in it for over 50 years and taught for more than 40 years. In his devotion to this doctrine, he founded and served as Chairman and first term President of the World Kuo Shu Federation, and, in 2006, was re-elected for a second term. He finished his second term in 2010 and currently serves as Chairman of the Board. He is also President of the United States Kuo Shu Federation, and in 2000, he was the first inductee into the Kuo Shu Hall of Fame.

Since 1988, Grandmaster Huang has promoted and sponsored numerous national and international Kuo Shu championship tournaments; from 1986 to 2000, he served as Head Coach of the United States Kuo Shu Team, which competed in the World Cup and other international tournaments. Grandmaster Huang has been called the “Maker of Champions” because of the many competitions his students have won in forms, weapons and full-contact Lei Tai fighting. In addition to his students winning World Lei Tai Championships, at the 2nd World Kuo Shu Federation Tournament (Singapore, 2006) and the 3rd World Kuo Shu Federation Tournament (Germany, 2009), his students also won Gold medals in Tai Ji Quan form, weapons, and Push Hands. Grandmaster Huang founded the U.S. Kuo Shu Academy in Owings Mills, Maryland, USA, and teaches Tien Shan Pai Kung Fu, along with other Northern styles, as well as Tai Ji Quan, Xing Yi Quan, and Ba Qua Zhang. He was Director and Chief Arbitrator of the 7th World Cup Chinese Kuo Shu Championship in Taiwan.

Grandmaster Huang Chien-Liang

Grandmaster Huang is the only full heir to the 63rd generation Tien Shan Pai Supreme Master Wang Chueh-Jen, “the Double Broadsword King of China”. As the outstanding supporter of Tien Shan Pai in the world, Grandmaster Huang has concentrated his efforts in the arena of the United States, Europe and South America. He is known internationally as “Kuo Shu World Bao Qing Tian”; China’s most famous judge, and is an international Kuo Shu Coach/Instructor and international Kuo Shu Referee “A”, the highest ranks, by the International Chinese Kuo Shu Federation (ICKF). In 2004, Grandmaster Huang received his 10th Tuan degree, the highest rank from TWKSF and was certified at the 10th Tuan level by the World Traditional Martial Arts Union.

Grandmaster Huang travels around the world teaching seminars on a variety of topics, including Dao Meditation, and he has produced videos on Tien Shan Pai, Qin Na, Tai Ji Quan, and Xing Yi Quan. He designs and implements instructor, judge and referee certification programs, and has also introduced a new grading and ranking system for TWKSF. He has been an adjunct professor in Tai Ji Quan at the Community College of Baltimore County in Essex, Maryland for over 25 years, and formerly taught Tai Ji Quan at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. He has spent much time assisting in the training of Lei Tai full-contact fighters from the United States and other countries; these fighters have gone on to win full-contact competitions at national and international Kuo Shu tournaments, including the World Kuo Shu Tournament.

See more photos and read more about Grandmaster Huang here.

Wise ways to meet the summer season from Shih Fu Eileen

This year Summer clearly demonstrates the explosive, yang nature of the Fire Element. Chi is abundant and at the peak of the seasonal rhythms with long, hot days. The Fire Element brings rise to the activation of the Triple Warmer Meridian (also know as Triple Heater or San Jiao) which brings balance to the body's systems and regulates internal body temperature.

The Heart pumps the blood and according ot the ancient Neijing is considered the ruler of the human body, as well as the seat of consciousness and intelligence. Making the choice to nourish this crucial element in daily practice, life will be long, healthy and secure.  Summer is also the time of Pericardium (Heart Protector) and the Small Intestine.

Pericardium Meridian, Copenhagen School of Shiatsu

Small Intestine Meridian, Copenhagen School of Shiatsu

Cooling, yin practices such as Tai Chi will help to keep cool this summer. Please feel free to utilize Body Balance Academy anytime we are open for classes. We'll keep the temperate at about 73 degrees in the studio. Please feel free to take extra classes during any heat wave. The tea corner is always a place to catch up on work or watch as this year's International Competition Team practices the skills they will take all the way to Baltimore at the end of July.

Thank you for all your support for our largest team ever.

-Shih Fu

You have just 250 milliseconds to catch a fall

You have about 1/10 of a second to catch a glass of water when you knock it over.

You have 1/4 of a second  to catch a fall. That's the minimum time the brain needs to regiater that your body's off-kilter and to do what it takes to avoid a tumble.

"Anything less than 250 milliseconds--you're probably not going to catch yourself," says Daniel Ferris, a University of Michigan professor of kinesiology. In a recent study on balance, Ferri's team homed in on the left sensorimotor cortex,

an area of the brain thought to be responsible for coordinating motion. When you realize you're falling, this region responds first, sending out the neural signals that set your body in motion to (ideally) restore stability--all within a quarter-second. Now that's what we call quick thinking. - Spirit Magazine, March 2014

(Thank to Susan Fink for this tidbit.)

Tao Te Ching Chapter 40

Returning is the motion of the Tao.
Yielding is the way of the Tao.
The ten thousand things are born of being.
Being is born of not being.

What's the Enneagram?

Shih Fu Eileen introduced Body Balance students to the Enneagram many years ago. Local practitioner Marion Gilbert has spoken many times to the Lotus Study Group. Shih Fu Tina teaches Enneagram workshops.  So, I was really pleased to see that the Enneagram Institute has upgraded its website.

It's much easier to explore the nine personality types, take tests that would help you assess your own type. There's even a great feature comparing the relationships between all the types.

The Nine Types of the Enneagram

Marion Gilbert teaches and affiliates with Enneagram in the Narrative Tradition. That organization is different from EI.  Enneagram in the Narrative Tradition also has a good website to explore the personality types, take a test to determine your type and find trainings and workshops.

What's the Enneagram? Here's an answer from the Narrative Tradition group:

The Enneagram is a powerful tool for personal and collective transformation. Stemming from the Greek words ennea (nine) and grammos (a written symbol), the nine-pointed Enneagram symbol represents nine distinct strategies for relating to the self, others and the world. Each Enneagram type has a different pattern of thinking, feeling and acting that arises from a deeper inner motivation or worldview.

The Enneagram fosters greater understanding through a universal language that transcends gender, religion, nationality and culture. While we are all unique, we share common experiences. As representatives of each type tell their personal stories in the Narrative Tradition, we see that the ways people meet life’s challenges and opportunities fall within the nine personality types.

Enjoy exploring the Enneagram!

From one point of view, the Enneagram can be seen as a set of nine distinct personality types, with each number on the Enneagram denoting one type. It is common to find a little of yourself in all nine of the types, although one of them should stand out as being closest to yourself. This is your basic personality type.
Everyone emerges from childhood with one of the nine types dominating their personality, with inborn temperament and other pre-natal factors being the main determinants of our type. This is one area where most all of the major Enneagram authors agree—we are born with a dominant type. Subsequently, this inborn orientation largely determines the ways in which we learn to adapt to our early childhood environment. It also seems to lead to certain unconscious orientations toward our parental figures, but why this is so, we still do not know. In any case, by the time children are four or five years old, their consciousness has developed sufficiently to have a separate sense of self. Although their identity is still very fluid, at this age children begin to establish themselves and find ways of fitting into the world on their own.
Thus, the overall orientation of our personality reflects the totality of all childhood factors (including genetics) that influenced its development.
- See more at: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/how-the-enneagram-system-works/#sthash.KvECcBUt.dpuf

Everyone emerges from childhood with one of the nine types dominating their personality, with inborn temperament and other pre-natal factors being the main determinants of our type. This is one area where most all of the major Enneagram authors agree—we are born with a dominant type. Subsequently, this inborn orientation largely determines the ways in which we learn to adapt to our early childhood environment. It also seems to lead to certain unconscious orientations toward our parental figures, but why this is so, we still do not know. In any case, by the time children are four or five years old, their consciousness has developed sufficiently to have a separate sense of self. Although their identity is still very fluid, at this age children begin to establish themselves and find ways of fitting into the world on their own.
Thus, the overall orientation of our personality reflects the totality of all childhood factors (including genetics) that influenced its development.
- See more at: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/how-the-enneagram-system-works/#sthash.KvECcBUt.dpuf

From one point of view, the Enneagram can be seen as a set of nine distinct personality types, with each number on the Enneagram denoting one type. It is common to find a little of yourself in all nine of the types, although one of them should stand out as being closest to yourself. This is your basic personality type.
Everyone emerges from childhood with one of the nine types dominating their personality, with inborn temperament and other pre-natal factors being the main determinants of our type. This is one area where most all of the major Enneagram authors agree—we are born with a dominant type. Subsequently, this inborn orientation largely determines the ways in which we learn to adapt to our early childhood environment. It also seems to lead to certain unconscious orientations toward our parental figures, but why this is so, we still do not know. In any case, by the time children are four or five years old, their consciousness has developed sufficiently to have a separate sense of self. Although their identity is still very fluid, at this age children begin to establish themselves and find ways of fitting into the world on their own.
Thus, the overall orientation of our personality reflects the totality of all childhood factors (including genetics) that influenced its development.
- See more at: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/how-the-enneagram-system-works/#sthash.KvECcBUt.dpuf

From one point of view, the Enneagram can be seen as a set of nine distinct personality types, with each number on the Enneagram denoting one type. It is common to find a little of yourself in all nine of the types, although one of them should stand out as being closest to yourself. This is your basic personality type.
Everyone emerges from childhood with one of the nine types dominating their personality, with inborn temperament and other pre-natal factors being the main determinants of our type. This is one area where most all of the major Enneagram authors agree—we are born with a dominant type. Subsequently, this inborn orientation largely determines the ways in which we learn to adapt to our early childhood environment. It also seems to lead to certain unconscious orientations toward our parental figures, but why this is so, we still do not know. In any case, by the time children are four or five years old, their consciousness has developed sufficiently to have a separate sense of self. Although their identity is still very fluid, at this age children begin to establish themselves and find ways of fitting into the world on their own.
Thus, the overall orientation of our personality reflects the totality of all childhood factors (including genetics) that influenced its development.
- See more at: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/how-the-enneagram-system-works/#sthash.1QyZr0RW.dpuf

From one point of view, the Enneagram can be seen as a set of nine distinct personality types, with each number on the Enneagram denoting one type. It is common to find a little of yourself in all nine of the types, although one of them should stand out as being closest to yourself. This is your basic personality type.
Everyone emerges from childhood with one of the nine types dominating their personality, with inborn temperament and other pre-natal factors being the main determinants of our type. This is one area where most all of the major Enneagram authors agree—we are born with a dominant type. Subsequently, this inborn orientation largely determines the ways in which we learn to adapt to our early childhood environment. It also seems to lead to certain unconscious orientations toward our parental figures, but why this is so, we still do not know. In any case, by the time children are four or five years old, their consciousness has developed sufficiently to have a separate sense of self. Although their identity is still very fluid, at this age children begin to establish themselves and find ways of fitting into the world on their own.
Thus, the overall orientation of our personality reflects the totality of all childhood factors (including genetics) that influenced its development.
- See more at: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/how-the-enneagram-system-works/#sthash.1QyZr0RW.dpuf

From one point of view, the Enneagram can be seen as a set of nine distinct personality types, with each number on the Enneagram denoting one type. It is common to find a little of yourself in all nine of the types, although one of them should stand out as being closest to yourself. This is your basic personality type.
Everyone emerges from childhood with one of the nine types dominating their personality, with inborn temperament and other pre-natal factors being the main determinants of our type. This is one area where most all of the major Enneagram authors agree—we are born with a dominant type. Subsequently, this inborn orientation largely determines the ways in which we learn to adapt to our early childhood environment. It also seems to lead to certain unconscious orientations toward our parental figures, but why this is so, we still do not know. In any case, by the time children are four or five years old, their consciousness has developed sufficiently to have a separate sense of self. Although their identity is still very fluid, at this age children begin to establish themselves and find ways of fitting into the world on their own.
Thus, the overall orientation of our personality reflects the totality of all childhood factors (including genetics) that influenced its development.
- See more at: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/how-the-enneagram-system-works/#sthash.1QyZr0RW.dpuf

From one point of view, the Enneagram can be seen as a set of nine distinct personality types, with each number on the Enneagram denoting one type. It is common to find a little of yourself in all nine of the types, although one of them should stand out as being closest to yourself. This is your basic personality type.
Everyone emerges from childhood with one of the nine types dominating their personality, with inborn temperament and other pre-natal factors being the main determinants of our type. This is one area where most all of the major Enneagram authors agree—we are born with a dominant type. Subsequently, this inborn orientation largely determines the ways in which we learn to adapt to our early childhood environment. It also seems to lead to certain unconscious orientations toward our parental figures, but why this is so, we still do not know. In any case, by the time children are four or five years old, their consciousness has developed sufficiently to have a separate sense of self. Although their identity is still very fluid, at this age children begin to establish themselves and find ways of fitting into the world on their own.
Thus, the overall orientation of our personality reflects the totality of all childhood factors (including genetics) that influenced its development.
- See more at: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/how-the-enneagram-system-works/#sthash.1QyZr0RW.dpuf

From one point of view, the Enneagram can be seen as a set of nine distinct personality types, with each number on the Enneagram denoting one type. It is common to find a little of yourself in all nine of the types, although one of them should stand out as being closest to yourself. This is your basic personality type.
Everyone emerges from childhood with one of the nine types dominating their personality, with inborn temperament and other pre-natal factors being the main determinants of our type. This is one area where most all of the major Enneagram authors agree—we are born with a dominant type. Subsequently, this inborn orientation largely determines the ways in which we learn to adapt to our early childhood environment. It also seems to lead to certain unconscious orientations toward our parental figures, but why this is so, we still do not know. In any case, by the time children are four or five years old, their consciousness has developed sufficiently to have a separate sense of self. Although their identity is still very fluid, at this age children begin to establish themselves and find ways of fitting into the world on their own.
Thus, the overall orientation of our personality reflects the totality of all childhood factors (including genetics) that influenced its development.
- See more at: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/how-the-enneagram-system-works/#sthash.1QyZr0RW.dpuf

Artist Reception at Body Balance June 13, 12-3pm | Linda Byrne & Tina Heck

Beautiful Art in a Beautiful Space

Absorbing the natural beauty around us in Nevada County, come and see how two local artists have translated what they see, feel, and experience into art.

Linda Byrne, a professor at Sierra College, works mostly in acrylic and printmaking media, often combining the two on canvas using woodcut, monoprints and collagraphs, sometimes printed on handmade papers. By mounting prints, on canvas, she develops images using paint and color to extend or change meaning. Woodcut images from multiple blocks and collaging new elements cut from other prints tell new visual stories. Painting over the prints with acrylic adds directness and the sensuality of color, allowing her to put flesh on the black and white bones of the woodcut, and add layers of meaning through obscuring or enhancing various areas.

Linda's art on the left, Tina's on the right

Tina Heck, working with acrylics on canvas, focuses primarily on Sierra landscapes. She works with color, form, and light to capture both concensus and discord in the complexities of the Sierra Nevada terrain in these larger scale pieces.

An avid followers of the American Arts and Crafts movement and the woodcut prints and lithographs that emerged in the 1920's and 30's, a small series of paintings are reflective of those earlier styles of printing in flat colors and hand-drawn shapes.

Art is on display at Body Balance Academy from now until July 31, 2015. 

Join Linda and Tina for an exclusive showing of their artwork and a chance to meet the artists at the studio on Saturday June 13th from noon until 3:00pm.

Tai Chi is not poetry, but listen to this...

When I heard Wendell Berry's reading of this poem, I immediately thought of Tai Chi. Not just the form or the experience of practicing the form, but the entire Taoist way of life. Berry has lived much of his life close to the land, stewarding a family farm in Kentucky. He thinks, writes and speaks about this relationship to the earth, and to each other, with reverence.  Listen to the poet reading and maybe you will agree.

Poet, novelist, farmer Wendell Berry

 
HOW TO BE A POET
(to remind myself)

Make a place to sit down.
Sit down. Be quiet.
You must depend upon
affection, reading, knowledge,
skill — more of each
than you have — inspiration,
work, growing older, patience,
for patience joins time
to eternity. Any readers
who like your poems,
doubt their judgment.

Breathe with unconditional breath
the unconditioned air.
Shun electric wire.
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensioned life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away from anything
that obscures the place it is in.
There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places
and desecrated places.

Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.

Thousands of years of Chinese medicine observations confirmed: researchers "discover" that seasons affect your health

It's no secret to those of us involved with Chinese health practices such as Qigong, Tai Chi, and Kung Fu: our health is intimately connected with the seasons.  But if you'd like modern scientific research to back up the thousand year-old tradition of The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, here's the story from NPR News.

Among other "discoveries" outlined in the story--

Inflammation, which is caused by the immune system becoming overactive, says John Todd, a geneticist at the University of Cambridge who led the research, has long been associated with a lot of the health problems that spike in the winter.

No one knows how the seasons affect our genes. But there are some obvious possibilities, Todd thinks.

"As the seasons come on it gets colder, the days get shorter," he says. "So daylight and temperature could be factors."

Other researchers say the findings could have far-reaching implications.

Xie xie.

Body Balance Lotus Study Group | Understanding and Practicing the Ancient Teachings

Each Wednesday after the 4:00pm Advanced Tai Chi Class, the Lotus Study Group meets at Body Balance. The Group is led by Shih Fu Eileen. Her objective for Group members is:

The stated objective of the Lotus Scholars is:

Balancing philosophy, form refinement and health practices to:

Optimize and integrate lifelong health through Tai Chi as a practice and a way of life. Develop a deeper awareness of the philosophical components discovered through the analysis of ancient wisdom in the context of a modern world.

Shih Fu Eileen chooses the reading material, makes reading and writing assignments, invites guest teachers and leads advanced floor work for the members.

Just a few weeks ago, we used a Christian tradition called lectio-divina. We opened a book of ancient wisdom (scriptures), then chose and read the passage aloud. Afterwards, we wrote responses and shared them aloud. Some members have given me permission to share their writings.

First the reading: Chapter 19 of "The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu" by Hua Hu Ching, translated by Brian Walker.

Nineteen
To the ordinary person, the body of humanity seems vast.
In truth, it is neither bigger nor smaller than anything else.
To the ordinary person, there are others whose awareness needs raising.
In truth, there is no self, and no other.
To the ordinary person, the temple is sacred and the field is not.
This, too, is a dualism which runs counter to the truth.

Those who are highly evolved maintain an undiscriminating perception.
Seeing everything, labeling nothing, they maintain their awareness of the Great Oneness.
Thus they are supported by it.

Our responses:

Words lose me,
the Tao moves me.
-Shih Fu Steve

Practice non-separateness
-Sue Simmons

a smile
a frown
the same
yet not the same
different yet the same
rest 
breathe
return
-Shih Fu Eileen

Practice with people
they are the greatest challenge.
One may sit with silence
but reject the noise.
Can you be in the world
but not of the world
seeing the Oneness in the many.
-Shih Fu Chris

What is holy? the
temple, the field, you and me,
vast humanity
-Shih Fu Catherine

The Lotus Group is open by invitation. A student who has completed learning the 108 long form is eligible for membership. Speak with Shih Fu Eileen if you are interested.

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 65 True Nature

The ancient Masters
didn't try to educate the people,
but kindly taught them to not-know.

When they think that they know the answers,
people are difficult to guide.
When they know that they don't know,
people can find their way.

If you want to learn how to govern,
avoid being clever or rich.
The simplest pattern is the clearest.
content with an ordinary life,
you can show all people the way
back to their own true nature.

-from a new English version by Stephen Mitchell

"Throw open every bone and muscle of the body" | The Philosophy of Tai-Chi Chuan

Ponder this excerpt from the book "The Tao of Tai-Chi Chuan: Way of Rejuvenation" by  Jou, Tsung Hwa, 1981

"Before starting to practice Tai-Chi Chuan, stand erect [facing north]. Keep the head, neck and torso in one line, perpendicular to the earth, but relax as completely as possible. Avoid any nervous or muscular tension, any conscious facial expression. Empty your mind of thought. The result will be a look of serenity, representing the state of Wu-Chi.
   
The starting stage of Tai-Chi Chuan can be compared to a seed being planted in the ground in the spring. Something inside this seed is changing to a sprout. In much the same way the concept of practicing Tai-Chi Chuan is formed in the very first moment of change; everything is mobilized in a physical as well as in a mental sense. This transition from outer stillness to readiness for movement is called going from Wu-Chi to Tai-Chi.

Once the stage of Tai-Chi begins, one has a strong intention to practice Tai-Chi Chuan. The weight of the body rests squarely on the feet; in other words, one must be rooted to the ground. The Chinese say, "The root of the body is in the feet", this rootedness evokes the image of the earth. One's head and spine should be straight. In order for the spirit of vitality, or Shen, to ascend to the top of the head, it must be held as is suspended by a string from the ceiling of the room. The image of the sky is evoked by the says, "The spirit of vitality, or Shen, reached to the top of the head". By relaxing totally, one aims to throw open every bone and muscle of the body. In this way one allows the intrinsic energy, or Chi, to sink to the Tan-Tien, a point three fingers width below the navel and two fingers' width inside the abdomen. This principle, represented by the image of the humanity, is described as "the Chi sinks to the Tan-Tien."

When one practices Tai-Chi Chuan for years, gradually one will feel that every movement of Tai-Chi Chuan is the movement of the universe. One's body may be perceived as moving like the branch of a tree, blown every which way bu the wind. One's breathing will be part of the movement of the universe as well. The awareness of the environment being engaged in a gigantic cosmic dance will suddenly dawn on you. You and the universe will become identical, like the Tai-Chi diagram. You are then the Tai-Chi and the Tai-Chi will be you, or you will be the universe and the universe will be you."

You are already a wonder of life. Just "be".

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

"Happiness means feeling you are on the right path every moment. You don't need to arrive at the end of the path in order to be happy. The right path refers to the very concrete ways you live your life in every moment.

In Buddhism, we speak of the Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. It's possible for us to live the Noble Eightfold Path every moment of our daily lives. That not only makes us happy, it makes people around us happy. If you practice the path, you become very pleasant, very fresh, and very compassionate.

Look at the tree in the front yard. The tree doesn't seem to be doing anything. It stands there, vigorous, fresh, and beautiful, and everyone profits from it.  That's the miracle of being. If a tree were less than a tree, all of us would be in trouble. But if a tree is just a real tree, then there's hope and joy. That's why is you can be yourself, that is already action.  Action is based on non-action; action is being.

It's better not to try so hard but just to "be". Then peace and compassion are possible in every moment. On that foundation, everything you say or do can only be helpful. If you can make someone suffer less, if you can make them smile, you'll feel rewarded and you'll receive a lot of happiness. Then you have a path and you enjoy every step on your path, you are already someone; you don't need to become someone else."

---Thich Nhat Hanh

Live long and prosper. Eat like you live in a Blue Zone.

A Blue Zone is a place where more people live past the age of 100 than anywhere else on Earth.  The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is one of the Blue Zones.  That's where Shih Fu Eileen holds the annual Body Balanace retreat. At Blue Spirit Retreat Center in Guiones, Costa Rica.

Playa Rosada at Blue Spirit, Nosara, Costa Rica

Recently, the Blue Zones were in the news from NPR.  

"Want to live to be 100? It's tempting to think that with enough omega-3s, kale and blueberries, you could eat your way there.

But one of the key takeaways from a new book on how to eat and live like "the world's healthiest people" is that longevity is not just about food.

The people who live in the Blue Zones — five regions in Europe, Latin America, Asia and the U.S. researchers have identified as having the highest concentrations of centenarians in the world — move their bodies a lot. They have social circles that reinforce healthy behaviors. They take time to de-stress. They're part of communities, often religious ones. And they're committed to their families.

But what they put in their mouths, how much and when is worth a close look, too. And that's why Dan Buettner, a National Geographic explorer and author who struck out on a quest in 2000 to find the lifestyle secrets to longevity, has written a follow up to his original book on the subject. The new book, called The Blue Zones Solution, is aimed at Americans, and is mostly about eating.

Why should we pay attention to what the people in the relatively isolated Blue Zone communities eat? Because, as Buettner writes, their more traditional diets harken back to an era before we Americans were inundated with greasy fast food and sugar. And to qualify as a Blue Zone, these communities also have to be largely free of afflictions like heart disease, obesity, cancer and diabetes. So clearly they're doing something right."

Playa Rosada near Blue Spirit, in Nosara, Costa Rica

"Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
We'd love to be invited for dinner by a centenarian here, where they #putaneggonit all the time. One delicious-sounding meal Buettner was served by a 99-year-old woman (who's now 107) consisted of rice and beans, garnished with cheese and cilantro, on corn tortillas, with an egg on top.

As Buettner writes, "The big secret of the Nicoyan diet was the 'three sisters' of Meso-American agriculture: beans, corn and squash." Those three staples, plus papayas, yams, bananas and peach palms (a small Central American oval fruit high in vitamins A and C), are what fuel the region's elders over the century."

Read more.

You are in good company! 3 million Americans practice tai chi says Harvard Medical School

Researcher Catherine Kerr practices outside to “feel the sensations of the sun and wind and the ground beneath my feet.” (Photograph by Jim Harrison)

Here are just a few highlights from a 2010 article in the Harvard Magazine:

For anyone who practices tai chi regularly, “brain plasticity arising from repeated training may be relevant, since we know that brain connections are ‘sculpted’ by daily experience and practice,” explains Kerr, who is investigating brain dynamics related to tai chi and mindfulness meditation at HMS. “Tai chi is a very interesting form of training because it combines a low-intensity aerobic exercise with a complex, learned, motor sequence. Meditation, motor learning, and attentional focus have all been shown in numerous studies to be associated with training-related changes—including, in some cases, changes in actual brain structure—in specific cortical regions.”

Scholars say tai chi grew out of Chinese martial arts, although its exact history is not fully understood, according to one of Kerr’s colleagues, assistant professor of medicine Peter M. Wayne, who directs the tai chi and mind-body research program at the Osher Center. “Tai chi’s roots are also intertwined with traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy, especially Taoism, and with another healing mind-body exercise called qigong,” he explains. “Though these roots are thousands of years old, the formal name tai chi chuan was coined as recently as the seventeenth century as a new form of kung fu, which integrates mind-body principles into a martial art and exercise for health.”
Tai chi chuan is often translated as “supreme (grand) ultimate fist”: the first part (“tai chi”) refers to the ubiquitous dialectical interaction of complementary, creative forces in the universe (yin and yang); the second, the fist, is what Wayne describes as the “manifestation or integration of these philosophical concepts into the body.”

...

Tai chi, considered a soft or internal form of martial art, has multiple long and short forms associated with the most popular styles taught: Wu, Yang, and Chen (named for their originators). Plenty of people practice the faster, more combative forms that appear to resemble kung fu, but the slower, meditative movements are what many in the United States—where the practice has gained ground during the last 25 years—commonly think of as tai chi.

...

Surveys, including one by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (http://nccam.nih.gov/health/taichi), have shown that between 2.3 million and 3 million people use tai chi in the United States, where a fledgling body of scientific research now exists: the center has supported studies on the effect of tai chi on cardiovascular disease, fall prevention, bone health, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis of the knee, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic heart failure, cancer survivors, depression in older people, and symptoms of fibromyalgia. One study on the immune response to varicella-zoster virus (which causes shingles) suggested in 2007 that tai chi may enhance the immune system and improve overall well-being in older adults. However, “in general, studies of tai chi have been small, or they have had design limitations that may limit their conclusions,” notes the center’s website. “The cumulative evidence suggests that additional research is warranted and needed before tai chi can be widely recommended as an effective therapy.”

Most recently, Wayne and his fellow researchers have focused on balance issues and on cardiovascular and bone health—areas where tai chi’s benefits have begun to be evaluated most rigorously. “We’ve conducted systematic reviews of the literature, and in older people there is sound evidence that suggests tai chi can improve balance and reduce risks for falls, which have significant consequences on public health, particularly given our aging population,” he reports.
Wayne points to a study by Fuzhong Li at the Oregon Research Institute (which carries out assessments of tai chi’s impact on health conditions, including a current project with Parkinson’s patients): it looked at 256 elderly people, from 70 to 92 years old, and compared how they benefited from tai chi and seated exercise, respectively. “They reported greater than a 40 percent reduction in the number of falls in the group that received tai chi,” Wayne reports. “This is a very significant finding. Older people with thinning bones are at very high risk for fractures; a fall related to hip fracture, for example, is associated with a 20 percent increase in mortality within one year and very high medical costs.”

...

Yet from a Western scientific standpoint, it’s difficult to pinpoint why and how tai chi affects us. In typical drug trials, a well-defined chemical compound targets physiological systems, and outcomes can be measured against placebo controls. But tai chi is a multicomponent intervention, Wayne notes, with many active ingredients—movement, breathing, attention, visualization, and rich psychosocial interactions with teachers and other students. All of these can affect many physiological systems simultaneously. Moreover, many of the older study subjects also have complex chronic conditions, so identifying a logical control is challenging: it’s just not possible to have a placebo in a tai chi study. “For these reasons,” he says, “we need to be creative in designing tai chi trials, and cautious in interpreting the results.”

Read the entire article here: http://harvardmagazine.com/2010/01/researchers-study-tai-chi-benefits

Chapter 32 Tao Te Ching

Burney Falls (McArthur-Burney Falls State Park)

Eternal Tao has no name.
Although simple and subtle,
no one in the world can master it.

If those who rule could grasp it,
everything in the world would honor them,
heave and earth would join
to rain sweet dew on the people
without a command being given.

Rule is begun by naming,
but naming can proliferate.
Know when to stop.
Know when reason sets limits
to avoid peril.

Imagine Tao's presence in the the world:
it flows like streams and rivulets
into great rivers and the sea.

--A new translation by Stephen Hamill

Chapter 37 | Hua Hu Ching

A superior person cares for the well-being of all things.
She does this by accepting responsibility for the energy she manifests,
   both actively and in the subtle realm.
Looking at a tree, she sees not an isolated event but root, leaves, trunk, water, soil and sun:
   each event related to the others, and "tree" arising our of their relatedness.
Looking at herself or another, she sees the same thing.

Trees and animals, humans and insects, flowers and birds:
These are active images of the subtle energies that flow from the stars throughout the universe. Meeting and combining with each other and the elements of the earth, they give rise to all living things.

The superior person understands this, and understands that her own energies play a part in it.
Understanding these things, she respects the earth as her mother, the heavens as her father,
   and all living things as her brothers and sister.

Caring for them, she knows that she cares for herself.
Giving to them, she knows that she gives to herself.
At peace with them, she is always at peace with herself.

Healing Hands

"Humans can build all kinds of sophisticated instruments because of the magnificence of the hands and the fingers. Another higher function of the hand is the power of healing. Knowing the major points of the hands and fingers will enable you to stimulate and maintain the organs in good function." - Mantak Chia in his book Chi Self Massage: The Taoist Way of Rejuvenation

illustration by Juan Li

The palms are where all major energies of Chi join. The palm can be the place from which the life-force is sent out to heal others or yourself. The palm is also the place where energy can be received and enter into the bone structure and into the major organs.

The pericardium (P-8) is the main place of energy concentration. You can collect the energy in this point and transmit stronger energy from this point. (Figure 3-1)

The large intestine (LI-4) is the major point which controls all the pain in the body, especially in the sense organs (eyes, ears, nose) and headaches. (Figure 3-2)

The fingers are connected to the organ's meridians. (Figure 3-1 and 3-2).

Massaging the hands and palms will help to increase the flow of Chi along the related meridians and will result in a harmonious increase of the functions of respiration, circulation and digestion.

Wu Chi Posture Refinement

Wu Chi (Formless Form)

Stand with feet shoulder width apart.
Toes pointing forward, or if more comfortable, pointing slightly apart.
Knees are slightly bent.
The bowl of the pelvis is neutral, nothing spills out.
This stance causes the lower back to flatten, as if you were leaning against a wall.
Pull the navel toward the spine to help flatten the low back.
Shoulders relax down and back, opening the chest.
Allow the heart to move forward, drawing the should blades together toward the spine.
Adjust the head so it is on top of the spine.
Slightly tuck the chin.
Let the arms form a gentle "ward off" as they move forward.
Palms face slightly inward, toward the tan tien.

Heaven gently pulls the head and upper torso upward into the universe.
Earth gently pulls the tailbone toward the center of the planet.
Upper body rising and lower body descending creates space in the center.
Qi fills the space.

Turn your attention to the breath.
Notice your natural rhythm.
Now lengthen the inhale and exhale.
Make each inhale as long as the exhale.
Deepen the breath bringing it all the way into your center.
Let the belly be soft.
Fill the tan tien with your breath.

Feel the energy of Qi moving in the breath, blood and nerves.
As you breathe deeply, continually adjust toward ease in the posture.

This alignment supports the cultivation of Qi.
Do this alignment at the beginning and end of your Qi Gong or Tai Chi practice.

You can also use the Wu Chi posture as its own complete meditation.

Qigong, Tai Chi and Yoga are All Rooted in the Cultivation of Qi

"Our longing to continuously improve ourselves and maximize our potential and even bring peace to our own little corner of the world leads us to ask, 'How can I learn to cultivate Qi? How can I gain access to the promise of Qi with all its benefits and gifts?'

The answer? Cultivate Qi! With sincere intent, you can evolve through the phases of Qi cultivation and mastery that have been recognized for thousands of years. In your personal practice, through exposure to wise instructors and in communication with your fellow practitioners, you will consistently evolve through the phases in perfect timing. There is no rush; this is not a race. Relax into it.

Most important is that every kind and style of Qigong--including Tai Chi and Yoga--shares a basis in essential principles...However, in every unique school or system these phases and the essential principles are clothed in the accouterments of that particular approach. Each has its particular practices, movements and philosophies. The good news is that this multitude of forms and traditions is rooted in a common foundation of principles."

---The Healing Promise of Qi

Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration in Nevada City, Sunday March 8th

Body Balance Academy practitioners join the community celebration of the Year of the Sheep.

Mark your calendars and welcome the Year of the Sheep at Nevada City’s Chinese Lunar New Year Festival on Sunday, March 8, from 12-3 p.m. Mini-parade from the Chinese Monument on Commercial Street to the Robinson Plaza, where there will be entertainment, food, and exhibits. Bring the whole family!

Chinese New Year Festivals are rare in rural communities, and the Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra is proud to present this celebration, our fourth year in a row. The community parade begins at 12:00 noon at the Chinese Monument on Commercial Street (the old Chinese Quarter), led by ceremonial Lion Dancers from Eastern Ways Martial Arts of Sacramento. The mini parade entourage, which includes community entries, will make its way down Commercial Street and end at the Robinson Plaza where the Lion Dancers will spearhead an afternoon of Asian culture and entertainment. Food will be available for sale on Union Street.

What's That Tingling Sensation? Qi!

--from The Healing Promise of Qi by Roger Jahnke, O.M.D.

Through your practice you will learn to feel the Qi within your own body. It is a sensation that is unique to each person. Here are a few of the sensations that are typical:

• tingling in the hands, feet, cheeks
• feeling fluffy internally like clouds moving inside
• a sense of flowing or circulating
• feeling radiant or luminescent
• feeling that the surface of the body is porous
• spreading warmth in either the limbs or torso
• the feeling of being tipsy on wine
• energy moving in the belly
• release of tension in shoulders or neck
• decrease of pain
• sensation of a magnetic field between the hands
• sensation of heat coming from the hands as they pass over the face or body parts
• the urge to cry or the release of tears
• a sense of reconnecting with a lost part of oneself
• a sense of the transcendental or spiritual
• a feeling of coming home
• a feeling of ecstacy or bliss

There is no correct way to experience the Qi sensation. If you are fully awake and attentive in the experience you will probably ask, "What is that sensation?" Most of us have these experiences bu then fail to take the time to investigate them.

Kwan Yin's Quatrain #8 | Living the Tao

Living the Tao

In the forest, the pines and cypresses grow straight up

And neither rain nor wind, snow or frost can harm them--

One day to come you'll see what it all was for...

And these will be the pillars of the temple of community.

-From KUANYIN Myths and Prophecies of the Chinese Goddess of Compassion By Martin Palmer and Jay Ramsay with Man-Ho-Kwok

10 Tips for Winter Health

Staying Healthy With the Seasons is a very popular, easy to understand, health guide by Dr. Elson M Haas. This book is recommended reading for Body Balance Academy students seeking natural ways to harmonize with the seasons for life-long health.

Here is the short list of ten tips for winter health. Click the link for more details about each one of the ten listed here:

1. Take time for reflection.
2. Reduce stress.
3. Get quality sleep.
4. Increase the relaxation in your life. Learn some relaxation exercises or practice yoga, Tai chi, Qigong, or Pilates exercises. These gentle practices can be done almost anywhere, regardless of the weather. (Congratulations, Body Balance students! You are way ahead on this one!-Shih Fu Catherine)
5. Nourish yourself.
6. Be sure you’re getting enough Essential Nutrients.
7. Avoid over-indulgence.
8. Have fun. Laugh.
9. Make time for love.
10. Nourish others.

Karen Armstrong on Compassion (Shu)

In this long book review from the Brain Pickings newsletter, author Karen Armstrong traces the evolution of compassion across religions, cultures and time. Her own life story is as fascinating as her study. Reviewer Maria Popova writes that 

“Compassion… asks us to look into our own hearts, discover what gives us pain, and then refuse, under any circumstance whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else.”

Later in the review she writes, "In fact, the first person to formulate the Golden Rule predated the founding figures of Christianity and Islam by five centuries and a millennium, respectively — when asked which of his teachings his disciples should practice most tenaciously, “all day and every day,” the Chinese sage Confucius (551–479 BCE) pointed to the concept of shu, commonly translated as “consideration,” which he explained as striving “never to do to others what you would not like them to do to you.” Armstrong clarifies:

A better translation of shu is “likening to oneself”; people should not put themselves in a special, privileged category but relate their own experience to that of others “all day and every day.” Confucius called this ideal ren, a word that originally meant “noble” or “worthy” but that by his time simply meant “human.” Some scholars have argued that its root meaning was “softness,” “pliability.” But Confucius always refused to define ren, because, he said, it did not adequately correspond to any of the familiar categories of his day. It could be understood only by somebody who practiced it perfectly and was inconceivable to anybody who did not. A person who behaved with ren “all day and every day” would become a junzi, a “mature human being.”

Read more.

Shen is the awareness that shines out of our eyes when we are truly awake

 

Shen is best translated as Spirit. It is an elusive concept, perhaps because, in the medical tradition, it is the Substance unique to human life...Shen is the vitality behind Jing and Qi in the human body. While animate and inanimate movement are indicative of Qi, and instinctual organic processes reflect Jing, human consciousness indicates the presence of Shen.

Shen is associated with the force of human personality, the ability to think, discriminate, and choose appropriately, or, as is commonly said: "Shen is the awareness that shines out of our eyes when we are truly awake."

--from The Web That Has No Weaver by Ted J Kaptchuk, OMD