Alan Avansado, a Taichi teacher, invites you to a reinvigorating weekend on November 27-29, 2015 at the Holy Family Retreat House, Cabrera Rd, Dolores, Taytay, Rizal. He will teach beginners how to move and be one with "Life Energy Flow" through Taichi & Qicong. Below is his article that captures these ancient Chinese practices of well-being in a nut shell.
The gentle movements of Taichi and Qigong
aim to improve our health through body stances that will keep our mind, body
and spirit in harmony. Both originated in China and are currently widely
practiced worldwide for their health benefits.
Taichi has been referred to as meditation
in motion. This ancient art consists of
movements or stances that are martial arts based (i.e. with martial arts
applications). Qigong forms are stances that are also designed to keep the chi
to flow freely along our body’s meridians. It differs from taichi in the sense that the
stances do not necessarily have martial arts basis or application. Both forms when practiced regularly will
ensure that the flow of chi reach all parts of our body.
Taichi and Qigong focus on ensuring that
Chi flows smoothly and continuously throughout our whole body. Chi is often referred to as the “life force”
(aka PRANA for those familiar with yoga). It is a vital force that keeps us alive. It has been said that where the chi flows, the
blood follows. Within our body are energy
pathways or meridians (energy vessels) that act as super highways for the chi
to flow. One can imagine the veins and
arteries within our body as network of pipes or vessels that allow our blood to
flow and supply our cells with oxygen. It
is also through these vessels that our blood collects the wastes and toxins for
cleansing (primarily by our vital organs – the kidneys and liver). Similarly, the meridians are pathways that are
also related to our internal organs. For
example we have the kidney meridians, the bladder meridians etc. Any blockages in these meridians will
subsequently cause problems or failure to those organs. Practicing Taichi and Qigong regularly helps
in keeping our mind, body and spirit healthy.
A body that remains static or inactive tends
to bring blockages that subsequently cause imbalances within the body. Taichi and Qigong, together with acupuncture
and acupressure massage assist in removing these blockages and bring back the
balance into our system. Taichi and Qigong aims to “tonify” (regulate
and stimulate) and keep these meridians active. These
gentle movements or “exercises” assist in keeping the chi to flow freely by
removing possible blockages.
For more information, pls. contact us at hfretreathouse@gmail.com.
