T’AI CHI, QIGONG, MOVEMENT, AND RECOVERY

T’AI CHI, MOVEMENT, AND RECOVERY

Ò Step 1-3 É Letting Go

Ò Steps 4-9 É Cleaning House

Ò Step 10 É Personal Awareness- Inventory

T’AI CHI, MOVEMENT, AND RECOVERY

Ò Step 11 -12 É “Prayer and Meditation” Connection É Spiritual Awakening É Practice these principles

T’AI CHI, MOVEMENT, AND RECOVERY

Ò Why Movement? É Self-awareness É Self-discipline É Mind-Body Connection

Ð “Acting out” internal actions

É “Doing Something” Ð Moving meditation common

BACKGR0UND

Ò Tai Chi Chuan mean Supreme Ultimate Boxing, used as an exercise for health it would loosely translate as Supreme Ultimate Exercise or Skill.

Ò  Qi is usually translated to mean the life force or vital-energy that flows through all things in the universe. Gong means accomplishment, or skill that is cultivated through steady practice. Together, Qigong means cultivating energy, it is a system practiced for health maintenance, healing and increasing vitality.

BACKGROUND

Ò  Practices vary from the soft internal styles such as Tai Chi; to the external, vigorous styles such as Kung Fu. However, the slow gentle movements of most Qigong forms can be easily adapted, even for the physically challenged and can be practiced by all age groups.

Ò  Qigong creates an awareness of and influences dimensions of our being that are not part of traditional exercise programs. Most other forms of exercise do not emphasize the importance of adding mindful intent and breathing techniques to physical movements.

SOME BASICS

Ò  All Qigong practices have three things in common: É posture, (whether moving or stationary), É breathing techniques, and É mental focus.

Ò  Some practices increase the Qi; some consolidate it; others circulate it, use it to cleanse and heal the body, store it, or emit Qi to help heal others.

PRINCIPLES OF T’AI CHI AND QIGONG

Ò Principle #1- Slowing Down É Rushing gets you nowhere; be the tortoise in

the race É Take time to walk so you can fly É Promotes stillness and mindfulness

Ð “Moving Stillness”

PRINCIPLES OF T’AI CHI AND QIGONG

Ò Principle #2- Taking it Easy É Be calm, relax É Brute force doesn't work É Release tension É Do only what you need to do at the moment É Easy does it, but do it

PRINCIPLES OF T’AI CHI AND QIGONG

Ò Principle #3- Thinking in Curves É Tai Chi is curved, circular É Straight lines are a plateau É Promotes better energy flow É Change is represented in movement,

PRINCIPLES OF T’AI CHI AND QIGONG

Ò Principle #4- Being Simple É Do what feels natural to the body, don't push É It enhances taking it easy and slowing down É Do what you can do- Serenity Prayer

PRINCIPLES OF T’AI CHI AND QIGONG

Ò Principle #5- Sinking Lower É Don't bend beyond comfort but allow

flexibility to grow- consolidation É "Subway surfing" É Gives energy for movement É Promotes humility

PRINCIPLES OF T’AI CHI AND QIGONG

Ò Principle #6- Appreciating Opposites É Forms and sequences are combination of

opposites É Right brain - left brain É Work with opposites É Promotes harmony

PRINCIPLES OF T’AI CHI AND QIGONG

Ò Principle #7- Staying Balanced É Physical and mental

Ð Mind-Body connections

É Better strength allows better balance Ð Outer balance-Inner balance

É Learn to live more centered and calm Ð Reconciling left and right

PRINCIPLES OF T’AI CHI AND QIGONG

Ò Principle #8- Moving the Whole Package É Whole body moves together É Unified, coordinated movements

Ð Not right or left but right AND left

É Don't get caught up in technical- flow Ð Flow of energy isn’t hampered

É Wholeness and Unity

PRINCIPLES OF T’AI CHI AND QIGONG

Ò Principle #9- Going with the Flow É Continuity and flow, without a break É Like water flowing É Ride with it, not against it É Fight-Flight-Freeze? Or

Flow

É Calmness of mind and body

Ò Breathing É Straight spine; Relaxed shoulders É Broaden lungs and chest É Mouth open, teeth apart, do not purse lips É Sound of fogging a mirror with your breath

PRINCIPLES OF T’AI CHI AND QIGONG

Ò Principle #10- Staying Rooted É Proper posture, alignment through

movement É Weight centered É Promotes stability and connection

SOURCES:

É National Qigong Association (http://nqa.org/) É  Easy T’ai Chi-Qigong, video by Don Fiore É The Harvard Medical School Guide to T’ai Chi- Peter

Wayne, Mark Fuerst É T'ai Chi for Dummies- Therese Iknoian, Manny

Fuentes É A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook

of Strength, Grace, and Healing- Max Strom