You're Getting To The Core Of Tai Chi And Qigong

Tai Chi Quigong

Tai Chi Quigong is often described as the Chinese Art of Being because its purpose his to help you work with your own life force. It is in essence the adaptation of the gentler discipline of Tai Chi into a martial art. One of its main principles is also to learn how to harness the energy of an enemy and have him do himself in by practicing the Law of No Resistance.

Qui means breath and Gong means "dedicated practice" so of course like ordinary Tai Chi this discipline has to do with breathing. It is a generic also in the way it aspires to connect the human through the divine through the use of controlled breathing.

Tai Chi Quigong is rumored to have been around for about 500 years and is based on the impersonation of animal characters during shamanic dances designed to protect warriors who were at war or hunting. About 1800 years ago, a famous Chinese doctor, Hua To, put together "The Five Animal Frolics" which is what Quigong is based on.

The Five Animal Frolics was created to help people gain more flexibility in their bodies as they get older and to move with purpose and deliberation. It was also designed to correct the way the energy flows in the twelve meridians. These are the same energy pathways that are used in the healing art of acupuncture. Another powerful dance is called The Wild Goose.

When you perform Tai Chi Quigong you are manipulating your energy centers so that they become open, vitalized and work more effectively. Quigong focuses even more on your breathing than ordinary Tai Chi does. Breathing from the abdomen is emphasized to help the lymph system clean it self out. There are many movements in Quigong that have a similar bouncing movement to working out on a Rebounder which is also used as an exercise to aid the lymph nodes.

Quigong also helps wake up parts of the body that may have fallen into disuse. Blood is restored to all of the muscle groups and general body awareness is greatly increased as is flexibility and strength. It is more vigorous than traditional Tai Chi, which is slower in pace. You are more likely to get your heart rate up while performing a series of Quigong postures.

It also helps an individual get rid of "monkey mind". This is the mind that won't stop inventing, creating delusions and acting on wrongful beliefs. The deep breathing that is practiced during Quigong helps quiet the "monkey mind" which of course is a product of every day stress.

One of the healthier aspects of Quigong is that it can be described as a communal dance. This is because you will almost always be performing these routines in a class with others. This is very healing in itself as bonding with human beings in rhythm and breath is one of the very oldest spiritual and medicinal rituals in the world. In ancient China, such communal animal dances were at the root of healing practice-and contributed to the birth of Qigong.