Know About Us (June 1991)

Since the last annual conference I wanted to write a few words on “How T’ai Chi Chih influences my life.”

My name is Lise Calestagne. I live in Quebec, in the Laurentiens, a region known for its beautiful mountains and its excellent ski centers. I’ve done T’ai Chi Chih since 1989. When I began, I was very sick. I was suffering from hypoglycemia and severe food allergies.

T’ai Chi Chih allowed me to get in contact with this vital energy that is our life source. From this moment, my life has changed. Month by month, physical, mental and psychological changes were appearing. After two years of regular practice–one hour of T’ai Chi Chih, half an hour of meditation and half an hour of Chi Kung, five days a week–I have become almost as healthy as before. I particularly take a lot of time in developing the spiritual aspect that T’ai Chi Chih implies and that teaches us a better contact with ourselves and others.

I do ZAZEN everyday, have meditation groups at home twice a month and this summer I will lead a “Shiatsu-massage” formation, which is another excellent way to equilibrate energy. I find that these techniques are a very nice complement to the practice of T’ai Chi Chih.

Also, I own a senior citizen home with room for 15 persons. This experience is very fulfilling and gives me the chance to apply what I’m learning through practice in my everyday life.

T’ai Chi Chih is becoming very popular in my region. From September to December ’90, I taught to six different groups of about nine students each. Of these, two groups were already at their second session. I also had three students taking private lessons. At the winter session, I had decided to take less groups because of changes in my work, but I finally ended with four groups, one of them being a group of elderly and another one a group of persons suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

This last group is particular; we are working together all year long, 45 minutes a week. It is an interesting experience I’m doing with T’ai Chi Chih and this disease. After only three months, the results are already encouraging. Psychologically, they feel stronger; they can already feel the tingling in the fingers; four of them have improved their balance. T’ai Chi Chih has definitely become a very important part of their life.

Everything that is done in T’ai Chi Chih as to be translated in French in order to facilitate the learning of the students. For this part, my daughter Chantal, who has just earned a degree in translation is a very good collaborator.

This year, I intend to teach T’ai Chi Chih in Quebec’s enterprises in a perspective of improvement of the quality of life in working environment. I have already received a very positive response from the Department of Work and Technology. I’m actually working on an oral presentation that will be presented to the corporations.

I think that this whole process, that has started with the T’ai Chi Chih practice, has really improved my physical, mental and spiritual health. My special thanks to Justin Stone, Steve Ridley, and to my dear teacher Renee Wilson from Vancouver.

I say a big hello to all the teachers I have had the pleasure to meet and make a date with them in August in Minneapolis. And to all those I don’t know yet, don’t forget, it’s a date in Minneapolis, to the Annual T’ai Chi Chih Conference!

Peace and Joy and Love,

– Lise