People frequently complain that they have no time to practice tai chi at home.
A beginner only learns section 1 of the form and that section takes 2 minutes to perform.
Is there anyone on the planet who cannot set aside 2 minutes of their day for something useful and productive?
It is all a matter of priority.
Tai chi form was never intended to be a once-a-week exercise. It was designed for daily practice.
Ideally, 15-20 minutes should be set aside for form because the complete sequence takes that long to perform.
A beginner may only have 2 movements to train or a 2 minute sequence, but they should still consider committing up to 15 minutes practice to what they have learned.
Qigong offers an interesting way to exercise the body. When performed correctly, qigong feels to be so mild that it is hard to believe that anything is really happening.
There is no sweating, straining or panting for breath.
The term 'qigong' refers to a variety of exercises designed to cultivate the flow of blood and oxygen around the body, as well as released trapped energy within muscle tissues.
Other spellings commonly used - qi gong or chi kung. It is pronounced 'chee gung'.Our energy is more precious than all the gold in the world. It is a more powerful anti-aging tool than anything else.
Energy regenerates our liver and other tissue cells, flushes toxic waste from the body, helps maintain our ideal weight, keeps our skin smooth and our hair healthy.
The more energy we have, the better we feel and the more beautiful we become.
(Kimberly Snyder)
When you think of exercise, images of sweaty runners, straining weight lifters and exertive yoga postures come to mind. Qigong is not like this.
Few exercises in the world are as easy to perform as 'moving qigong'. No hardship, no suffering, no pain. The main challenge lies simply in doing the movements 'naturally', healthily and comfortably.
Almost anyone is capable of doing qigong; but the real trick is doing it correctly...
Once your body has begun to lose the old habits, it is ready for something new.
Neigong is concerned with instilling physical patterns that strengthen the body from the inside out.• Starts simple but becomes more challenging
• Increases stamina and endurance
• Improves balance
• Stress-relief
• Encourages a calm mind and composed emotions
• Energises
• Does not strain the body
• Strength-building
• Emphasis is placed upon mobile joints, relaxed muscles and natural movement
• Improves skeletal alignment, poise and coordination
• Low-impact
• Can be practiced by most people
As an instructor, it is disappointing when students start lessons wanting to learn a martial art and never get past the beginners qigong class.
Everyone can learn the basic exercises if they commit time, effort and patience to the task.We can address balance and connection once the muscles soften, the joints relax and the body opens. The psoas muscle needs to lengthen naturally; this will aid in strengthening the body without tension, as well as providing stability.
Qigong and neigong serve to internally work and support the body as you perform tai chi. From this foundation, you learn how to move in a tai chi way.Sometimes people have studied a similar system before and use this as a benchmark for comparison; rather than The Tai Chi Classics.
Comparison has some potential flaws: the first is you and your ability to correctly interpret what you are seeing. With tai chi, what you see is not usually what you get - the whole point of the system is to hide the substance.
It is quite common for people to attend a tai chi class and never return. This is alright; tai chi is not for everyone.
New starters also imagine that they can gauge the teacher's ability and understand the syllabus after just one lesson. This is absurdly naive and somewhat arrogant.
Imagine watching a movie such as Project Hail Mary for the first time... If you switch it off during the title sequence, can you honestly claim to have the remotest grasp of the film? You need to see it through to the very end to do that. Having watched the film, you may understand the plot but can you say how it was made, why it worked and be capable of making it yourself? There is clearly much more to a film than the final product that you see onscreen.
A tai chi syllabus is a complex journey of physical practice and psychological change, and only the most dedicated student will ever reach a stage where it makes sense to them.
Not all classes are the same.
We recognise that ours is a little different from the mainstream. Rather than simply perpetuate an unthinking approach to tai chi, we encourage students to engage with the art, to be creative and to ask questions.
