T'ai Chi Ch'uan

T'ai Chi Ch'uan is said to have been developed in the thirteenth century by Cheng san Feng.T'ai Chi Ch'uan, literally "Supreme Ultimate Fist," is a centuries-old Chinese discipline for health, relaxation, meditation, self-defense and self-cultivation.

Sometimes called Chinese or Taoist yoga, it emphasizes relaxation and inner calm rather than strength. Because of this, it can be learned by anyone, regardless of age, sex, or athletic ability. It is practiced slowly and evenly in circular patterns.

T'ai Chi Ch'uan is considered a healing exercise because of its reputation for alleviating many ailments, such as hypertension, gastric problems, arthritis, heart disease, and anemia.

It improves circulation, balance, and helps relax and strengthen the nervous system. The stretching movements make the body limber, tone up muscles and help release tension. Practitioners find that it creates a sense of well-being.

As meditation, T'ai Chi Ch'uan is a way of harmonizing body and mind dynamically. It fosters an inner quiet that nourishes a continuing awareness. It blends easily with other kinds of meditation. As a martial art, it is one of the inner schools based on yielding and cultivating inner energies. It avoids use of external strength.

The philosophy of T'ai Chi Ch'uan is rooted in Taoism, which advocates natural effort, and in the I Ching, or Book of Changes. The movements and inner teachings are derived from the complementary relationship between Yin and Yang, two fundamental forces that create and harmonize the Universe by their interaction.

The interaction of Yin and Yang is vital to the practice of T'ai Chi Ch'uan since physically and mentally the practitioner is continually shifting between empty and full and soft and hard to achieve a proper and evolving equilibrium.

This produces both physical and mental flexibility and the power to adapt to circumstances in a way that provides the practitioner with the necessary leverage to deal with a martial opponent or someone less physical but still combative.

This practice produces the ability to yield while maintaining contact that will ultimately produce a satisfactory resolution. At the same time, T'ai Chi Ch'uan has the capability to produce strength physically by the proper repetition of the movements. In addition to generating the qi, or inner energy, which revitalizes the system, it also produces jing, sometimes referred to as inner strength. T'ai Chi Ch'uan masters are famous for their strength, cultivated through years of practice.

The perseverance in practicing T'ai Chi Ch'uan requires and reinforces mental strength and stability because of the focus and concentration that are inherent in its correct practice.

Qigong, also known as ch'i kung or ch'i gong, is an ancient Chinese discipline that involves the mind, breath, and movement to create a calm, natural balance of energy that can be used in work, recreation or self-defense.

Qigong exercises have a reputation in China for aiding in the treatment of heart disease, high blood pressure, pulmonary emphysema, arthritis, digestive disorders, arteriosclerosis, skin diseases, depression, cancer, and many other illnesses.

For those seeking physical fitness, qigong loosens the joints and increases flexibility and suppleness, while strengthening the sinews and tendons. It has been known to improve the function of the internal organs, delay aging, and prolong life.

Qi, or ch'i, is an intrinsic energy in the body that travels along pathways in the body called meridians. At certain points along the pathways, acupuncture points, acupuncturists may place needles to cure or alleviate a patient's conditions. The purpose is to restore the flow of qi to a natural, healthy balance.

Qigong exercises are intended to achieve the same goal through use of the mind, breath and movement. There are thousands of qigong exercises, some for specific purposes. One of the best kinds of qigong exercises is T'ai Chi Ch'uan, which can also be used for self-defense. Treating people with qigong can be traced back 2,500 years in China to the Warring States Period. People found out by accident that when a man with qigong released his energy on an injury, the affected part would heal quickly.

From then on, qigong was often used to treat war injuries. It was later extended to various diseases.

The book, "Wonders of Qigong,"compiled by China Sports Magazine and published by Wayfarer Publications, describes the discovery of ancient documents about ch'i kung and another related fitness exercise called daoyin.

Daoyin exercises are a method that combines regulated breathing with body movements and it is good for all the joints in the body, particularly the shoulders, waist, knees and the respiratory organs. The daoyin exercises were merged into ch'i kung methods to form a body of techniques practiced today.

Qi is most often defined as life-breath, a vital force, or spirit. When used in connection with neo-confucianist Li (the eternal principle), qi means matter-energy.

Ch'i is said to come out of the Tao (a source that is itself inexpressible) to create Yin and Yang, which create Yin and Yang energies.

Qi is inherent in everyone and everything. It is a Chinese word for something that really is universal. So long as a person breathes, he or she has vital qi.

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