Ellen, Chris and I must have tried around twenty different Vouvrays at a degustation in the Cave of M. Huet, who produced them all using “Methode Bio-dynamique”. This method was developed by the Austro-Hungarian social philosopher and spiritualist, Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925), who was the founder of anthroposophy, a spiritual and, to a degree occult, doctrine, which tried to understand the world by looking at the nature of man rather than that of God. Bio-dynamics is concerned with the dynamic relationship between organisms and their environment. For example, Steiner considered that in agriculture the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers over a period of time poisons the earth; they are absorbed by plants such as vines through their roots then are passed into the fruits of said plants (in this case grapes) which are then ingested by humans and animals (in this case in the form of wine). A recent British survey of fruits and vegetables on sale in British supermarkets found chemical residue from pesticides and fertilisers in between 25-48% of produce.
About a year ago I was involved with an internet TV show on martial arts and the environment. The producer had been thinking about this in terms of the old stories about copying animal movements, but in the case of Tai Chi Chuan there is considerably more to it.
The essence of the Book of Changes is certainly more than 3000 years old. The concepts of Yin and Yang are represented respectively by a broken line _ _ and by an unbroken line ___ . The broken line represents Earth and the vagina of the female, while the unbroken line represents Heaven and the penis of the male; the Earth is fertilised by rain falling from Heaven which in turn causes plants to shoot their flowers up and their roots down. On a simplistic level, living organisms such as ourselves are composed of Yin and Yang, so we take our fuel in the form of breath and water from Heaven and our food from Earth and after processing them in our bodies we return the waste products to Heaven and Earth again. To maximise the absorption of these fuels and thereby the amount of energy in the body, physical practice such as Qi Gong and Tai Chi Chuan became important as did the place and time of practice.
Caves and mountain-tops, because of their intimate connection with Heaven and Earth became particularly popular places for practice. Indeed the Tai Chi Classics (An Interpretation of The Practice of The 13 Tactics) invite us to be “still as a lofty mountain and move like a great river”.
Our relationship with the natural world is pithily expressed in the Chinese characters representing Qi (vital force/energy), Jing (vital essence) and Shen (spiritual essence). Qi contains the rice plant (fundamental food and rooted to earth and stretching to Heaven, with the vapour given off when it is cooked; Jing contains the rice plant and also giving birth and the colour of plants; Shen shows the sun moon and stars suspended from Heaven and (Humanity) expanding outwards towards them. Various methods of breathing combined with hygienic exercise were developed to harness these 3 Treasures and produce the state of Heaven, Earth and Humanity in unity.
This combination of breathing and hygienic exercise was later further combined with martial techniques to produce the internal martial arts forms and Kung methods which exist today; this includes Tai Chi Chuan and Tai Chi Nei Kung. When practicing both Tai Chi Chuan and Tai chi Nei Kung, there is considerable emphasis on the body being rooted through the feet to the earth and thus being well balanced while simultaneously allowing the spirit to ascend by maintaining a straight (though not necessarily erect) line from the crown of the head through the spinal column to the tailbone so that the central nervous system is correctly aligned and to develop abdominal breathing. In turn this means the interaction of the Three Treasures is enhanced.
The Tai Chi Chuan Discourse says, “The root is in the feet” and talks about severing the root of the opponent. This rooting for balance is of crucial importance in pushing hands. For example, in fixed step pushing hands, the body is like a plant or tree (or any flower of your choice), rooted through the feet to the earth while the rest of the body sways and bends in accord with the elements (according to the way our partner/opponent responds). We can apply the same method of swaying with the head and upper body when using body evasion in self-defence. Equally in both pushing hands and self-defence we try to sever the root of the opponent in order to unbalance him and take advantage of the openings this provides. In the sword form we have the technique of “Turn Body Plant Sword”, which precisely involves sinking and rooting.
”Many Tai Chi techniques express the deep relationship that practitioners had with the natural (but not necessarily animal) world. From the Nei Kung we have “Embracing the One (a reference to the unity of Heaven, Earth and Humanity)” and “Planting A Fence”. From the hand form there are “Seven Stars (Ursa Major or The Dipper)”, “Cloud (a pun on the similar sounding Chinese character for turning) Hands” and “Sweep Lotus Leg”. For the sword, the list includes, “Dispel Clouds to see Sun”, Magic Hand Picking A Star”, “Shooting Star Chasing The Moon” etc. The sabre has “Cloud Sabre Hide Sabre”, “Climb Mountain Look into Distance”, Searching The Sea” etc. Tai Ch spear contains “Facing The Wind Blowing The Willow”, “Waves Going Up and Down”, “White Rainbow Soaring to The Sun”, “Plum Blossom Opens Five Petals”. In pushing hands we have “Reeling Silk” (as if from a cocoon) and “Cai Lang (The Uprooting Wave)”. Finally there are less well-known techniques such as “Flying Flower Palm” and “Five Element (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire & Earth) Arms”
It is true that Chinese martial arts and Qi Gong are to some extent based on animal movements, so we have Praying Mantis, Dog Boxing,, Monkey Boxing, Dragon Sign, Snake Style etc. just as the spirit of Tai Chi sabre is based on the tiger while the spirit of the spear and sword is based on the dragon. Many Tai Chi movements are, however, based on dealing with animals rather than copying their movements, so we have.”Spin Around to Rein in The Horse”, “Catch A Giant Tortoise from The Bottom of The Sea”, “Embrace Tiger and Return (the tiger) to Mountain” and many more.
In recent years I have been running summer camps in France, Ireland, Hungary, Sweden and the UK. Weather permitting, it is a method of getting back in touch with the natural world. Even when training indoors, I often switch off the lights. Our eyes and other senses were not designed to be stimulated constantly by light and other electrically produced sensations. Computers, DVDs and mobile phones are twice over – in their production and in action, pollutants. If you are going to practice martial arts, try to do it the bio-dynamic way. By the way, I bought two cases of the wine.