A Few Biographical Notes
My name is Marie-Elisabeth Pfiffer, I’m born in France and live in Switzerland since 2006. I started to draw in childhood, studied arts at a faculty in Paris after my baccalaureate, but stopped after a few months as I didn’t resonate with the teaching orientation, and the state of mind of the art world the teaching was conveying. I just wanted to learn to draw and get some technics.
After a few years of accumulating experiences on many levels, and a move on in the south of France, I started my “Martial Arts path” at the age of 25 and never stopped since … in parallel with a deep Spiritual Quest exploring different Spiritual Path looking for answer, and relief, to a deep feeling of being dissociated from life.
I can’t separate my drawings activity from my physical practices, meaning Tai Chi and Qi Gong, as they’re both extension of the same source, same energy manifesting itself in different forms.
My relationship with drawing was very sporadic and a source of struggle as at first it just made me face a deep feeling of powerlessness, not being able to give form to the images I had in my head. I was for a long time confronted to my limitations, due mostly to a lack of technic, and didn’t had the courage to face it and act accordingly.
It’s only recently that technic has finally synchronized with the flow of inspiration, and today I see that I draw exactly what I want to draw, I could not do something else, and I needed to arrive at a certain maturity to give birth to my current work of art.
I don’t plan to draw this or that, I receive an image, put it on paper, and then start the contemplation and understanding of what’s represented.
.
My relationship with Tai Chi and Martial Arts was much more fluid and harmonious and was a continuous stream without the internal chaos I had with drawings. It’s been almost 30 years since I started my long love story with Martial Arts and particularly Tai Chi Chuan.
What attracted me first in that field, consciously, was the philosophy and not the physical aspect of the practice, and I realized over time that what kept me hooked to it were very deep patterns of insecurity and anger, which the practice helped me to process.
All of this led me to where I am now, still fascinated, curious and deeply in love with what I do.
I’ve started to teach 20 years ago and this was also a great source of learning and joy, and I’ve learned as much of my students as they’ve learned from me.
I don’t want to make this presentation too long but I could write essays on my journey with Tai Chi and Meditation as it teaches so much … an infinite source of discovery and understanding of myself and the world.
MARTIAL ARTS
My first contact with Martial Arts was at the age of 6 with judo, which didn’t last very long.
Then in 1996 I came back in the field practicing Shaolin Kung Fu and Wing Tsun for a few years.
In parallel I’ve experimented free boxing, and different other Martial Arts, but just as an exploration, to discover other practices and approach.
At the same time I started Tai Chi with Jean-Jacques Galinier in Toulouse who was my master for 10 years and to whom I’m infinitely grateful as he was an excellent practitioner on technic level but also a great teacher who also transmitted to us the right mindset. I love and respect him for the great teacher he was for me, and the human being he is.
After a While I stopped Kung Fu and Wing Tsun to work only with JJ Galinier who was also a martial arts teacher, teaching Tang Shou Tao which was a synthesis of the internal martial arts ; Pakua, Tsing Yi and Tai Chi.
In the field of Tai Chi I’ve practiced with the traditional weapons ; the sword, the fan, double fan, saber, and staff and also Tuei Shou which is the practice with partner, and Martial applications of the form, with partners too.
I’ve travelled to China, in the YUNNAN and particularly Kunming, and spend a few months learning and practicing with 2 masters.
I started to teach after 6 years of intensive practices, and when I left Toulouse to live in Switzerland I started to teach full time, giving 11 classes a week.
I teach Tai Chi, Qi Gong and Meditation now.
I also used to teach the Tai Chi Sword, Fan, and Tuei Shou, pushing hands.