Tai Chi Classes Downtown

Here below from Access to Insight is one of the great teachings of all time given by one of the Buddha’s chief disciples, Sariputta. A clear, taking apart of all tat makes us suffer under the delusion of permanence – it shows the way to keep getting rid of pain of all kinds by showing us how all things are made of insubstantial, ever changing parts. As we learn to work with these processes of dis-assembly we can rid our selves of a lot of trouble in every day life.

The Buddha and His Dhamma (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Maha-hatthipadopama Sutta: The Great Elephant Footprint Simile

translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika‘s monastery. There Ven. Sariputta addressed the monks, saying, “Friend monks!”

“Yes, friend,” the monks responded.

Ven. Sariputta said: “Friends, just as the footprints of all legged animals are encompassed by the footprint of the elephant, and the elephant’s footprint is reckoned the foremost among them in terms of size; in the same way, all skillful qualities are gathered under the four noble truths. Under which four? Under the noble truth of stress, under the noble truth of the origination of stress, under the noble truth of the cessation of stress, and under the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.

“And what is the noble truth of stress? Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful; not getting what is wanted is stressful.[1] In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful. And which are the five clinging-aggregates? The form clinging-aggregate, the feeling clinging-aggregate, the perception clinging-aggregate, the fabrication clinging-aggregate, & the consciousness clinging-aggregate.

“And what is the form clinging-aggregate? The four great existents and the form derived from them. And what are the four great existents? The earth property, the liquid property, the fire property, & the wind property.

The Earth Property

“And what is the earth property? The earth property can be either internal or external. Which is the internal earth property? Whatever internal, within oneself, is hard, solid, & sustained [by craving]: head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, large intestines, small intestines, contents of the stomach, feces, or whatever else internal, within oneself, is hard, solid, & sustained: This is called the internal earth property. Now both the internal earth property and the external earth property are simply earth property. And that should be seen as it actually is with right discernment: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is with right discernment, one becomes disenchanted with the earth property and makes the mind dispassionate toward the earth property.

“Now there comes a time, friends, when the external liquid property is provoked,[2] and at that time the external earth property vanishes. So when even in the external earth property — so vast — inconstancy will be discerned, destructibility will be discerned, a tendency to decay will be discerned, changeability will be discerned, then what in this short-lasting body, sustained by clinging, is ‘I’ or ‘mine’ or ‘what I am’? It has here only a ‘no.’

“Now if other people insult, malign, exasperate, & harass a monk [who has discerned this], he discerns that ‘A painful feeling, born of ear-contact, has arisen within me. And that is dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on contact.’ And he sees that contact is inconstant, feeling is inconstant, perception is inconstant, consciousness is inconstant. His mind, with the [earth] property as its object/support, leaps up, grows confident, steadfast, & released.

“And if other people attack the monk in ways that are undesirable, displeasing, & disagreeable — through contact with fists, contact with stones, contact with sticks, or contact with knives — the monk discerns that ‘This body is of such a nature that contacts with fists come, contacts with stones come, contacts with sticks come, & contacts with knives come. Now the Blessed One has said, in his exhortation of thesimile of the saw [MN 21], “Monks, even if bandits were to carve you up savagely, limb by limb, with a two-handled saw, he among you who let his heart get angered even at that would not be doing my bidding.” So my persistence will be aroused & untiring, my mindfulness established & unconfused, my body calm & unaroused, my mind centered & unified. And now let contact with fists come to this body, let contact with stones, with sticks, with knives come to this body, for this is how the Buddha‘s bidding is done.’

“And if, in the monk recollecting the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha in this way, equanimity based on what is skillful is not established, he feels apprehensive at that and gives rise to a sense of urgency: ‘It is a loss for me, not a gain; ill-gotten for me, not well-gotten, that when I recollect the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha in this way, equanimity based on what is skillful is not established within me.’ Just as when a daughter-in-law, on seeing her father-in-law, feels apprehensive and gives rise to a sense of urgency [to please him], in the same way, if, in the monk recollecting the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha in this way, equanimity based on what is skillful is not established, he feels apprehensive at that and gives rise to a sense of urgency: ‘It is a loss for me, not a gain; ill-gotten for me, not well-gotten, that when I recollect the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha in this way, equanimity based on what is skillful is not established within me.’

“But if, in the monk recollecting the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha in this way, equanimity based on what is skillful is established, then he is gratified at that. And even to this extent, friends, the monk has accomplished a great deal.

The Liquid Property

“And what is the liquid property? The liquid property may be either internal or external. What is the internal liquid property? Whatever internal, belonging to oneself, is liquid, watery, & sustained: bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, skin-oil, saliva, mucus, fluid in the joints, urine, or whatever else internal, within oneself, is liquid, watery, & sustained: This is called the internal liquid property. Now both the internal liquid property and the external liquid property are simply liquid property. And that should be seen as it actually is present with right discernment: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is present with right discernment, one becomes disenchanted with the liquid property and makes the mind dispassionate toward the liquid property.

“Now there comes a time, friends, when the external liquid property is provoked and washes away village, town, city, district, & country. There comes a time when the water in the great ocean drops down one hundred leagues, two hundred… three hundred… four hundred… five hundred… six hundred… seven hundred leagues. There comes a time when the water in the great ocean stands seven palm-trees deep, six… five… four… three… two palm-trees deep, one palm-tree deep. There comes a time when the water in the great ocean stands seven fathoms deep, six… five… four… three… two fathoms deep, one fathom deep. There comes a time when the water in the great ocean stands half a fathom deep, hip-deep, knee-deep, ankle deep. There comes a time when the water in the great ocean is not even the depth of the first joint of a finger.

“So when even in the external liquid property — so vast — inconstancy will be discerned, destructibility will be discerned, a tendency to decay will be discerned, changeability will be discerned, then what in this short-lasting body, sustained by clinging, is ‘I’ or ‘mine’ or ‘what I am’? It has here only a ‘no.’

“Now if other people insult, malign, exasperate, & harass a monk [who has discerned this], he discerns that ‘A painful feeling, born of ear-contact, has arisen within me. And that is dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on contact.’ And he sees that contact is inconstant, feeling is inconstant, perception is inconstant, consciousness is inconstant. His mind, with the [liquid] property as its object/support, leaps up, grows confident, steadfast, & released.

“And if other people attack the monk in ways that are undesirable, displeasing, & disagreeable — through contact with fists, contact with stones, contact with sticks, or contact with knives — the monk discerns that ‘This body is of such a nature that contacts with fists come, contacts with stones come, contacts with sticks come, & contacts with knives come. Now the Blessed One has said, in his exhortation of the simile of the saw, “Monks, even if bandits were to carve you up savagely, limb by limb, with a two-handled saw, he among you who let his heart get angered even at that would not be doing my bidding.” So my persistence will be aroused & untiring, my mindfulness established & unconfused, my body calm & unaroused, my mind centered & unified. And now let contact with fists come to this body, let contact with stones, with sticks, with knives come to this body, for this is how the Buddha’s bidding is done.’

The Fire Property

“And what is the fire property? The fire property may be either internal or external. What is the internal fire property? Whatever internal, belonging to oneself, is fire, fiery, & sustained: that by which [the body] is warmed, aged, & consumed with fever; and that by which what is eaten, drunk, chewed, & savored gets properly digested, or whatever else internal, within oneself, is fire, fiery, & sustained: This is called the internal fire property. Now both the internal fire property and the external fire property are simply fire property. And that should be seen as it actually is present with right discernment: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is present with right discernment, one becomes disenchanted with the fire property and makes the mind dispassionate toward the fire property.

“Now there comes a time, friends, when the external fire property is provoked and consumes village, town, city, district, & country; and then, coming to the edge of a green district, the edge of a road, the edge of a rocky district, to the water’s edge, or to a lush, well-watered area, goes out from lack of sustenance. There comes a time when people try to make fire using a wing-bone & tendon parings.[3]

“So when even in the external fire property — so vast — inconstancy will be discerned, destructibility will be discerned, a tendency to decay will be discerned, changeability will be discerned, then what in this short-lasting body, sustained by clinging, is ‘I’ or ‘mine’ or ‘what I am’? It has here only a ‘no.’

“Now if other people insult, malign, exasperate, & harass a monk [who has discerned this], he discerns that ‘A painful feeling, born of ear-contact, has arisen within me. And that is dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on contact.’ And he sees that contact is inconstant, feeling is inconstant, perception is inconstant, consciousness is inconstant. His mind, with the [fire] property as its object/support, leaps up, grows confident, steadfast, & released.

“And if other people attack the monk in ways that are undesirable, displeasing, & disagreeable — through contact with fists, contact with stones, contact with sticks, or contact with knives — the monk discerns that ‘This body is of such a nature that contacts with fists come, contacts with stones come, contacts with sticks come, & contacts with knives come. Now the Blessed One has said, in his exhortation of the simile of the saw, “Monks, even if bandits were to carve you up savagely, limb by limb, with a two-handled saw, he among you who let his heart get angered even at that would not be doing my bidding.” So my persistence will be aroused & untiring, my mindfulness established & unconfused, my body calm & unaroused, my mind centered & unified. And now let contact with fists come to this body, let contact with stones, with sticks, with knives come to this body, for this is how the Buddha’s bidding is done.’

The Wind Property

“And what is the wind property? The wind property may be either internal or external. What is the internal wind property? Whatever internal, belonging to oneself, is wind, windy, & sustained: up-going winds, down-going winds, winds in the stomach, winds in the intestines, winds that course through the body, in-&-out breathing, or whatever else internal, within oneself, is wind, windy, & sustained: This is called the internal wind property. Now both the internal wind property and the external wind property are simply wind property. And that should be seen as it actually is present with right discernment: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is present with right discernment, one becomes disenchanted with the wind property and makes the mind dispassionate toward the wind property.

“Now there comes a time, friends, when the external wind property is provoked and blows away village, town, city, district, & country. There comes a time when, in the last month of the hot season, people try to start a breeze with a fan or bellows, and even the grass at the fringe of a thatch roof doesn’t stir.

“So when even in the external wind property — so vast — inconstancy will be discerned, destructibility will be discerned, a tendency to decay will be discerned, changeability will be discerned, then what in this short-lasting body, sustained by clinging, is ‘I’ or ‘mine’ or ‘what I am’? It has here only a ‘no.’

“Now if other people insult, malign, exasperate, & harass a monk [who has discerned this], he discerns that ‘A painful feeling, born of ear-contact, has arisen within me. And that is dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on contact.’ And he sees that contact is inconstant, feeling is inconstant, perception is inconstant, consciousness is inconstant. His mind, with the [wind] property as its object/support, leaps up, grows confident, steadfast, & released.

“And if other people attack the monk in ways that are undesirable, displeasing, & disagreeable — through contact with fists, contact with stones, contact with sticks, or contact with knives — the monk discerns that ‘This body is of such a nature that contacts with fists come, contacts with stones come, contacts with sticks come, & contacts with knives come. Now the Blessed One has said, in his exhortation of the simile of the saw, “Monks, even if bandits were to carve you up savagely, limb by limb, with a two-handled saw, he among you who let his heart get angered even at that would not be doing my bidding.” So my persistence will be aroused & untiring, my mindfulness established & unconfused, my body calm & unaroused, my mind centered & unified. And now let contact with fists come to this body, let contact with stones, with sticks, with knives come to this body, for this is how the Buddha’s bidding is done.’

The Space Property

“Friends, just as when — in dependence on timber, vines, grass, & clay — space is enclosed and is gathered under the term ‘house,’ in the same way, when space is enclosed in dependence on bones, tendons, muscle, & skin, it is gathered under the term, ‘form.’

Dependent Co-arising

“Now if internally the eye is intact but externally forms do not come into range, nor is there a corresponding engagement, then there is no appearing of the corresponding type of consciousness. If internally the eye is intact and externally forms come into range, but there is no corresponding engagement, then there is no appearing of the corresponding type of consciousness. But when internally the eye is intact and externally forms come into range, and there is a corresponding engagement, then there is the appearing of the corresponding type of consciousness.

“The form of what has thus come into being is gathered under the form clinging-aggregate. The feeling of what has thus come into being is gathered under the feeling clinging-aggregate. The perception of what has thus come into being is gathered under the perception clinging-aggregate. The fabrications of what has thus come into being are gathered under the fabrication clinging-aggregate. The consciousness of what has thus come into being is gathered under the consciousness clinging-aggregate. One discerns, ‘This, it seems, is how there is the gathering, meeting, & convergence of these five clinging-aggregates. Now, the Blessed One has said, “Whoever sees dependent co-arising sees the Dhamma; whoever sees the Dhamma sees dependent co-arising.”[4]And these things — the five clinging-aggregates — are dependently co-arisen.[5] Any desire, embracing, grasping, & holding-on to these five clinging-aggregates is the origination of stress. Any subduing of desire & passion, any abandoning of desire & passion for these five clinging-aggregates is the cessation of stress.’ [6] And even to this extent, friends, the monk has accomplished a great deal.

“Now if internally the ear is intact…

“Now if internally the nose is intact…

“Now if internally the tongue is intact…

“Now if internally the body is intact…

“Now if internally the intellect is intact but externally ideas do not come into range, nor is there a corresponding engagement, then there is no appearing of the corresponding type of consciousness. If internally the intellect is intact and externally ideas come into range, but there is no corresponding engagement, then there is no appearing of the corresponding type of consciousness. But when internally the intellect is intact and externally ideas come into range, and there is a corresponding engagement, then there is the appearing of the corresponding type of consciousness.

“The form of what has thus come into being is gathered under the form clinging-aggregate. The feeling of what has thus come into being is gathered under the feeling clinging-aggregate. The perception of what has thus come into being is gathered under the perception clinging-aggregate. The fabrications of what has thus come into being are gathered under the fabrication clinging-aggregate. The consciousness of what has thus come into being is gathered under the consciousness clinging-aggregate. One discerns, ‘This, it seems, is how there is the gathering, meeting, & convergence of these five clinging-aggregates. Now, the Blessed One has said, “Whoever sees dependent co-arising sees the Dhamma; whoever sees the Dhamma sees dependent co-arising.” And these things — the five clinging-aggregates — are dependently co-arisen. Any desire, embracing, grasping, & holding-on to these five clinging-aggregates is the origination of stress. Any subduing of desire & passion, any abandoning of desire & passion for these five clinging-aggregates is the cessation of stress.’ And even to this extent, friends, the monk has accomplished a great deal.”

That is what Ven. Sariputta said. Gratified, the monks delighted in Ven. Sariputta’s words.

Notes

1.: In passages where the Buddha defines stress, (e.g., SN 56.11, DN 22), he includes the statements, “association with the unbeloved is stressful; separation from the loved is stressful,” prior to “not getting what one wants is stressful.” For some reason, in passages where Ven. Sariputta defines stress (here and at MN 9 and MN 141), he drops these statements from the definition.
2.: The compilers of the Pali canon used a common theory to explain the physics of heat & motion, meteorology, and the etiology of diseases. That theory centered on the concept of ‘dhatu’: property or potential. The physical properties presented in this theory were four: those of earth (solidity), liquid, fire, & wind (motion). Three of them — liquid, fire, & wind — were viewed as potentially active. When they were aggravated, agitated or provoked — the Pali term here, ‘pakuppati,’ was used also on the psychological level, where it meant angered or upset — they acted as the underlying cause for activity in nature. For more on this topic, see The Mind Like Fire Unbound, Chapter 2.
3.: AN 7.46 (quoted in The Mind Like Fire Unbound) cites a wing bone and tendon parings as examples of items that will not catch fire. Perhaps the passage was meant as a comical parody of someone who, having seen another person start fire with a fire stick, tried to imitate that person without understanding the basic principle involved. If you used a fire stick and wood shavings, you would get fire. If you used a wing bone instead of a fire stick, and tendon parings instead of wood shavings, you wouldn’t.
4.: This statement has not been traced in any other part of the extant Pali canon.
5.: See SN 12.2.
6.: Although the fourth noble truth — the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress — is not explicitly mentioned in this discussion, it is implicit as the path of practice leading to the subduing of desire & passion, the abandoning of desire & passion for the five clinging-aggregates.

Calm Chicago at Midtown Athletic Club

15 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by Calm Chicago in Stress Management, Stress reduction, Tai Chi, Taiji

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Chicago, midtown athletic, Midtown tennis, mind and body workout, mindfulness, mindfulness meditation, tai chi, taiji

I’m proud to announce the advent of new classes twice a week at Chicago’s premiere tennis and athletic club, Midtown Athletic. Starting Sept. 4 I’ll be teaching Tai Chi for Tennis!

Tuesdays 7:10-8pm

Sundays 11:10am-12pm

“Billie Jean King has called Midtown Athletic Club “the best place to play tennis in the world.” We happen to agree. Midtown Athletic Club Chicago, originally established in 1970 as Midtown Tennis Club, is one of the world’s largest indoor tennis facilities and a state-of-the-art fitness center. Providing members with top-notch instruction and exclusive amenities, Midtown Chicago features 18 tennis courts, a 3,200 square foot group fitness studio, dedicated Pilates and cycling studios, exciting social events, and a pro shop. Join now to enjoy a complete tennis, fitness, and social experience in the warmth of our friendly, community atmosphere.”

Tai Chi for Tennis:

Take your tennis game to the next level by practicing simple, flowing movements based on ancient Tai Chi principles. Improve balance, agility, strength, and coordination.

If interested, please contact the club directly for more info.

Ask for :

Angela Gusman | Group Fitness Director

Midtown Athletic Club
2020 West Fullerton Avenue | Chicago, IL 60647
773-235-2300
Angela.Gusman@midtown.com | www.midtown.com

Tai Chi Medication in Motion for Heart Condition Sufferers

09 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by Calm Chicago in Meditation, Tai Chi

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Alternative, Andrew Weil, calm chicago, health, Heart failure, integrative medicine, Martial arts, meditation, NPR, qigong, stress relief, T'ai chi ch'uan, tai chi, taiji, yang 24-form tai chi

Here’s a great story from NPR, about how tai chi is like a “medication in Motion” for those suffering from heart failure or other heart troubles. Side effects? Increased peace, feeling of well being, greater capacity to breathe, handle stress easily and over all good feeling in the body and mind. Hmmm… a lot different from all those drugs out there which despite their potentially beneficial qualities, come with warnings, like, your head might blow off! And, tai chi and qigong work with your body and mind holistically, integrating the various parts as opposed to a more traditional allopathic approach which in the west tends to slice and dice the human body as if the old song, The leg bone’s connected to the thigh bone…“ wasn’t true. All our different parts are interconnected and the best treatment acknowledges that. So, of course you should see your doctor and get what ever treatment you need. I’m just suggesting what Dr. Andrew Weil and others advocate, the use of a more integrative approach.

So where ever you are, find a good teacher and start to go with the flow.

Photo by Robert F. Bukaty/AP from NPR web page.

RoK’n 2nd Friday

09 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by Calm Chicago in About our center

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Arts, body and mind, Buddhism, Chicago, Drawing, Education, Friday, Illinois, mindfulness, Peace, qigong, sitting meditation, stress-reduction, tai chi, taiji, Visual Arts, Yang 24-form, Yang tai chi

RoK Teasely drew the night away at Calm Chicago as part of last night’s 2nd Friday festivities.

All you had to do was give him three words and he’d make you a drawing, an idea he calls, “Drawing Out Souls.”

He made some lovely pictures and people really seemed to love the work made just for them on the spot.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

If you missed your chance to get a drawing, no worries. RoK will be back next month for 2nd Friday, July 13th 6-10pm!

Also, don’t forget, tomorrow Calm Chicago has 18-Form Qigong from 9:30-10:15, then tai chi from 10:30-11:30 in the morning. Hope to see you there.

Yang Tai Chi 24-form Video

28 Monday Nov 2011

Posted by Calm Chicago in Tai Chi, Taiji

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Buddhism, mindful practice, tai chi, taiji

Dan Bien/Single Whip Posture

I humbly offer this video of my own recent practice while on retreat at MABA. I hope you may find it useful in your own practice.

Tai Chi Weekends

18 Friday Mar 2011

Posted by Calm Chicago in About our center, Tai Chi, Taiji

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chicago yang tai chi, ping tom park, tai chi, taiji, Yang taiji 24-form

De-Stress Your Weekend

I’m changing the schedule up to return to my original practice of reserving the mornings for my own training, so I can better serve you, the students.

As the saying goes; One door closes – another opens. Many have asked for an evening class time … So, I’m happy to announce that starting today, in celebration of Spring being nearly officially upon us …

Friday evening classes at Ping Tom Park from 6-7pm.

from park district web site

Every Friday, weather permitting. All welcome, no previous experience required. Just come in comfortable attire and soft shoes and let’s get started. $15/class.

This is a great way to end your work week and let go of the stress you’ve been toting around. Shift your gears to a lower speed and bring yourself the peace resulting from uniting the body, breath and mind. I’ll be teaching 18-form qigong, known as Shi Ba Shi and Yang 24-form tai chi (taiji).

Ping Tom is lovely – water, bamboo, cypress trees and flowers. Very very nice. So come join me. Together we can make ourselves and the world around us more peaceful one breath at a time.

Take a look at this neat article from Huffington Post about the many wonders of qigong.

And here’s another good one, about everyday benefits of tai chi. (also spelled taiji.)

The best way to find out, is of course, through your own experience. So come on out. You’ve got nothing to lose but your stress, anxiety, headaches, restlessness, agitation, worry, sleepless nights … and so much more.

And, please bring your friends. We’ll have a great time.

Hillary

Calm Chicago

Time Magazine says, “Tai Chi is the Perfect Exercise”

10 Thursday Mar 2011

Posted by Calm Chicago in Tai Chi, Taiji

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chicago meditation center, fitness, mind and body, tai chi, taiji, Yang tai chi

Check out this terrific article from Time Magazine and share it with your friends who may be curious about what all this tai chi business is.

Here is the link to the article.

I’ll just add that the article closes with saying that younger folks might need a greater aerobic challenge than tai chi presents. Maybe. Everyone is different but there are many forms of tai chi some of which move at a pretty good clip. Even the Yang 24-form which is normally done fairly slowly, can be done fast to increase the aerobic potential. And, I can tell you doing the form over and over, nice and slow gets my heart rate up to 135 easily.

As well, for advanced students, as you move through the form slowly, chewing on the fine details and uncovering the buried treasure for mind and body, one of the things you find is the forms natural centrifugal tendencies. This allows you to develop and make the most of those on many levels.

Let me know what you think. Come on in and try it out. Got nothing to lose but your stress!

Tai Chi, Meditation and the Lorenz Butterfly

03 Thursday Mar 2011

Posted by Calm Chicago in About our center, Tai Chi

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meditation, mindful practice, stress-reduction, tai chi, taiji

My philosophy for teaching,

practicing, living tai chi,

qigong and meditation

is all about being practical.

These are practices that yield immediate practical results that improve with repetition. Best of all, at least a little bit every day. Better five minutes of reallyy strong focus than 25 with the mind wandering all over. They are means to seeing reality clearly, without the fog of emotions obscuring our understanding. Through practice, and looking for ways to apply our discoveries in practice to the “daily grind” (time to change that label, eh?!), we learn accept life, moment by moment, without judgement, either positive or negative and to adapt as the stream of events presents various changes and challenges.

from yang tai chi shi ba shi qigong first posture

Taiji, qigong and meditation (sitting, standing or walking), are all ways of learning to be mindful, allowing us to do one thing at a time, peacefully. Most importantly, we reduce our stress this way and the stress of everyone around us.

Sensitive Dependency on Initial Conditions from Wikipeadia

Because all things, all beings are interdependent

and interconnected, the more we are mindful,

the more the whole world becomes more peaceful.

“We are each of us, a Lorenz Butterfly. And as such, we affect everything around us in ways we cannot possibly predict.” When we go through the world in anger, jealousy or other negative emotional states, we tend to see the world negatively, in fact creating conditions for anger and jealousy to arise. On the other hand, when we go through our day peacefully, trying to balance or actions and the things we say, the state of our own minds, in a balance of wisdom and compassion, observing without judgement, good or bad, love or hate… we can see things just at they are, and accept that.

So, in the interest of creating the greatest possible harmony, I use tai chi, qigong and meditation as ways to help individual students reduce their own stress by guiding them towards directly experiencing life as a flow of moments, thoughts, words and actions, (in effect choices we make). Those moments are endlessly arising, existing and ceasing, one after the next. The more we try to live very simply, blamelessly, letting go of each moment as it passes, whether pleasant or not pleasant or just in-between, the less stressful life becomes. Those ripples of peace, spread out from us, endlessly. Through our simple practice, we create conditions for more happiness for ourselves and others.

Form is emptiness ... emptiness is form - calligraphy in our school

Let me know what you think. I’m eager to hear.

Tell us about your study where ever you are,

your discoveries and practice.

Together we can help support each other in practice.

Everything Old is New Again

02 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by Calm Chicago in About our center

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chicago meditation center, qigong, tai chi, taiji

We’ll be returning effective immediately to our old space at:

2147 S Lumber St Suite 504 (free parking! near red line and busess)

Call or email me for the access code before your first visit.

Nice to be back with Sifu Matt (my husband) and sharing the space for our various teachings.

There will also be adjustments to the schedule in consideration of my new routine with Storycatchers Theatre.

Now that spring is nearly here, we’ll also soon be holding all tai chi and qigong classes in Ping Tom Park, with its lovely aromatic cypresses, water and pagoda.

Ping Tom Park Pagoda

It’s very easy to find and a clearly identifiable landmark … So, come join us! New schedule coming soon. Happy Spring everyone. I hope the new changes will serve to support your practice. Thank you for stopping by.

Calm Chicago: Mind/Body Center

~ Mindfulness Meditation and Mind/Body Exercises for Every Day Living

Tag Archives: taiji

Tai Chi Classes Downtown