Tai Chi Practice Tips from David Parry-Jones

Thanks to PJ for these great ideas about practice. Read more about practice from Matthias Schossig.  Let me know if you'd like to contribute! --Catherine

Practice - Am I doing it wrong?
Practice at home is like practice at the studio when Shifu is working with someone else, or not watching you :) You are working towards a visual/mental ideal you have formed based on your instruction. You know that you are not quite achieving the goal, but you are trying and getting closer all the time. You can achieve that goal sooner if you augment your class learning with home practice.

Practice
To me the term practice means doing an activity to achieve an improvement. Therefore practicing Tai Chi is slightly different from doing Tai Chi - although you obviously learn each time you "do" Tai Chi - practicing implies a specific focus on certain areas to achieve technical or mental "perfection."

My practice thoughts:

• Practice daily, if possible, and at a time where you can be mentally and physically focused. Privacy is good also.
• Have a specific practice goal for that day/time: complete a specific part of the form you have just been shown; improve execution of a move/form; achieve an even flow of  movements; breathing, relaxation, etc.
• Make sure you are relaxed: do some Qi Gong to enhance your focus and relaxation.
• Practice the fundamental "drills" frequently in your practice - slow them way-down, looking for  fluid movements and a gradual weight shift.
• Break difficult moves down into smaller parts:
• Go over the starting and ending positions and the sequence of events between the two. Reviewing/understanding the elements of the move (block, strike etc) will help you "find" the interim positions
• Section 3 example: practice bending down and gathering and shifting weight to one foot utwitho performing the kick.
• Just do waist and arm movements without steps until you feel comfortable.
• Focus on the weight shift for a move without the arm movements (like the Tai Chi walk) - feel your center and weight shifting as you "ground" yourself.
•  Practice some strength building exercises: Qi Gong, Horse stance, Ba Gua
• Have fun - create your own "drills" piecing together some parts of the form that you enjoy or that challenge you - maybe that's all of the form :)
• Take the time to do some Tai Chi separate from practice. Complete the whole form or select something you have learned, and know quite well, and perform that the best way you can - closest to your ideal.
• Recognize the effort you have made and recognize your successes.

Chapter 8 Tao Te Ching

Shang shan jo shui

Best to be like water,
Which benefits the ten thousand things
And does not contend.
It pools where humans disdain to dwell,
Close to the Tao.

    Live in a good place.
    Keep your mind deep.
    Treat others well.
    Stand by your word.
    Keep good order.
    Do the right thing.
    Work when it's time.

    Only do not contend.
And you will not go wrong.

--from a translation by Stephen Addiss & Stanley Lombardo

Tao Te Ching Chapter 48

In pursuit of knowledge,
every day something is added.
In the practice of the Tao,
every day something is dropped.
Less and less do you need to force things,
until finally you arrive at non-action.
When nothing is done,
nothing is left undone.

True mastery can be gained
by letting things go their own way.
It can't be gained by interfering.

--from a new English version by Stephen Mitchell

Q&A with Matthias Schossig, translator of first publication of Tao Te King by Body Balance

Chapter 33 of the Tao Te King

translated by Matthias Schossig

Who knows others is smart.

Who knows himself is wise.

Who conquers others has force.

Who conquers himself has power.

Who achieves has will.

Who knows how to be content, is rich.

Who does not lose his place, endures.

Who is not going under in death, lives.

-o-

"I humbly add this version of the 'only book in the world that has more translators than readers' to the endless flow of ever new versions, which all have their merits. May this effort be for the benefit of all practitioners of the gentle energy arts everywhere." --from the forward to the book

-o-

BODY BALANCE: How did you encounter the German version of the Tao Te Ching by Richard Wilhelm and Arthur Rouselle, the consciousness pioneers?

MATTHIAS SCHOSSIG: I actually studied many translations in my youth, from Bachofen, which I think was the first ever in the 1800s, all the way to contemporary translations, like the Psychedelic Prayers, by Timothy Leary, who picked the most experiential bits of the Tao Te King and turned them into a handbook for inner journeys. Each of these translations has their own merits, some are more scholarly, some emphasize the ethics, some strive to be precise, others are more poetic. I was always attracted by the meditative, experiential aspects of this book, which I consider one of the best things ever written - right next to De Ente et Essentia, by Thomas Aquinas, or Tractatus Logico Philosophicus, by Ludwig Wittgenstein. The author comes right to the point, right from the beginning, by defining the task: to talk about that, which cannot be named by words. There you have it. And this is why I thought it was a good idea to add one more translation to the long line of translations of the only book in history that, someone said, has more translators than readers.

What motivated you to translate their version into English for Body Balance Lotus Group and to publish it on-demand?

We had started some in-depth discussions of individual chapters in our Lotus Group, and listened to Didi Ananda Lalita who demonstrated how much music this language has by reading chapters to us in Mandarin Chinese. What struck me in these discussions was how much the Tao Te King is a manual for the correct practice of Tai Chi. Tai Chi is much more than a martial art or a series of physical postures. It radiates and transforms our entire lives. And the Tao Te King can be used as a manual for Tai Chi Practitioners how to apply their inner work to their lives.

Editor's note: The book is available on-demand from Lulu.com. 
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/tao-te-king/18794930

How did you come to be a translator and what topic areas do you usually work with?

I started out in the eighties as a translator of non-fiction literature. I translated many esoteric and self-help books. I actually came to translating out of an interest in books, which were only available in English. I really wanted these in German, so I approached German publishers and asked if they were interested in these books. When they were, my next question was if they pay me to translate these books. This way, I became a translator/literary agent. Some of the books made their publishers and their authors very rich. Like John Gray, the author of "Men are from Mars - Women are from Venus" - a great book by a great guy. Anyway, for me, there was not so much money in translating books - translators are bottom feeders in the literary world. Although their work is very important, it is not generally recognized. Have you ever read the review of a foreign novel, in which the translator was mentioned? I haven't. It is kind of a blind spot.

You are both a dedicated tai chi practitioner and a dedicated singer.  How do those aspects of your life complement one another?

I am studying singing with Walburga Ziegenhagen, my wife, who teaches a special kind of singing, which is known as the School of Uncovering the Voice. We like to say that singing is 90% listening, and only 10% production of tones. It is like in Tai Chi, which I think is 90 % inner focus, and 10% physical effort. We "listen" to the flow of Chi in our bodies, just as we listen to the vibration of sound in singing. And our work is tuning in. The breath moves the blood, and the blood moves the Chi, as Shih Fu Eileen says. In singing, the breath moves the tone, and the tone drives the musical form.

Matthias by Tom X

We are all arrows in mid-flight...

The Zen saying "If you want to climb a mountain, start at the top" is a way of summing up how we break the fetter of doubt. Doubt is unclarity and an unwillingness to commit. It's fear and confusion. Doubt is allayed by our developing a clearer vision of where we're headed in life. When we're going anywhere, we have to start with a sense of where we're headed. First we start at the top of the mountain, keeping our goals in mind, and then we begin the journey. We of course have to fully accept that we're also starting from where we are, but we also have to accept that where we are is not a place. We are all arrows in mid-flight; where we are is a moment on a trajectory, not a position at rest.

--from "Living As a River" by Bodhipaksa

In Support of Tresa Honaker's Healing and Recovery UPDATED

One week ago, Tresa Honaker of AirAligned Aerial Dance Group (She is also a Kung Fu student at Body Balance Academy) took a 15 foot fall from the silks at rehearsal and broke her back and several ribs.  She's been through surgery for the spinal cord injury and will be moving to rehab in San Francisco.

UPDATE 1/30/12: Tresa has started a six-week rehab program in San Francisco. Read her reply in the comment below this post.

From her Facebook page:

In all honesty, the pain has been immeasurable. No words. Pain medications do what they can, but the rest is your body's response to trauma and you learn to trust it more allowing the pain to move through you rather than fighting it. At this point, it looks like my ribs are healing quickly, some problems that I've had with my lungs beginning to collapse are being resolved, my spine is healing from my surgery, and in a few days I should be ready to move to a rehabilitation center in San Francisco. Then I will begin to learn how to dance in a new way.

Thank you so much to everybody. A special thanks to Joe who hasn't left my side. Calls, questions and emails are all welcome.

If you would like to contribute to Tresa's Recovery Fund there are several ways to do so:

UPDATE: Tresa has a Fundrazr on Facebook that is easy to contribute to and share. It has a looooong link, so I made this tinyURL: http://tinyurl.com/7mrqb96  Please feel free to share it.

Through PayPal : benefittresa@gmail.com

Julie Lang for the Benefit of Tresa Honaker at Citizens Bank of Northern California, 305 Neal Street, Grass Valley, CA 95945. If you have any questions for the bank directly to make sure your donation gets to the right account, their number is 530-478-6000.

Please "Like" AirAligned aerial dance group on Facebook to stay current with Tresa's healing process.

Student Appreciation Event - Feb 3, 6pm

Please join us for this all school event on 

Friday, February 3 at 6:00pm

-- Black Sash Forms by our most advanced Kung Fu students --

-- Tai Chi Straight Sword demonstration --

-- Tao-inspired dance and music performed by Bill Douglass, Anya Devi and Joe Fajen --

Light food and beverage buffet to follow

Please RSVP at the studio by Monday January 30th

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon!

See you there!