Q&A with Senior TCC Teacher Paul Ciske

Oakland, California | Accredited 1991

When and where were you accredited? By Justin? Paint a picture about the experience.

I was accredited in 1991 by Steve Ridley in Alameda, California. My sponsoring teaching was Valerie Lawson-Smith. My memory of it was mainly hanging out with my co-participants Barbara Riley and Linda Meyer. I remember us being somewhat irreverent. At some point during that time or later I remember Linda and I doing disco T’ai Chi Chih (TCC).

How did you learn originally about TCC? Why did you become accredited?

I was working as an exercise physiologist in a cardiac rehabilitation program, and we were having Cardiac Rehab Day in February of 1990. Valerie came and did a demonstration of TCC. I remember feeling a sensation between my hands like a breeze coming through. We were inside so I knew there was not a breeze and was intrigued by the feeling. I then took classes with Valerie and with my background and skill in movement she encouraged me to get accredited.

How has your teaching changed over the years?

I had a big gap in my teaching after the athletic club where I was working closed — although I did continue a practice group with those that were previously participating in the class at the club. Some major shifts in coming back to teaching were the perspective of lightness/uplift, which I now refer to as bi-directional grounding, the sense of space and being held by space, and the center/tan t’ien as a representation of the universal.

Relate a teaching experience you had that made you laugh at yourself. 

I remember switching the arms while doing Working the Pulley, so the right arm was at my shoulder when my left leg was forward. I could tell something was off, but it still seemed to flow. One of my participants pointed out that I had done it backwards. At the moment it was probably more embarrassing and laughable later.

Share an “aha” moment from your teaching.

I recall the first time the TCC was doing the TCC and the veil of separation was lifted. I was in Hong Kong on a layover and coming back from a six-week pilgrimage to India. I had time to leave the airport and went to a park and was doing TCC there when it happened.

Share an innovative teaching method that you have developed or learned from another teacher. 

These are more insights that came to me from other teachers. The first was from Wendy Holmes, who I trained for accreditation. She had written a poem which described her mistaking moving leaves as a flock of birds. After that I was noticing the illusion that happens in Cosmic Consciousness Pose. In looking in the distance through the overlapped fingers, the fingers have the illusion of doubling. I am reminded of the illusory nature of life.

The second insight was from Sandy McAlister. We were doing Pulling in the Energy, and she made the statement that the stars are in all directions from us. I realized I had the bias that the stars were just above in the sky. It brought a new perspective in thinking of Pulling in the Energy from all directions.

PYRAMIDS

words

flowing

from my heart

to the edges

around me

settling

in

let 

them come

or they won’t 

be there next time

or maybe

they will

change

side-

tracking

it is called

when we get lost

in our own

image

space

By Diana Daffner