Tai Chi can be many things: moving meditation, martial art, and an exercise to improve relaxation and balance. It is also an effective tool to “pump” energy around your body. In the style I study, tai chi forms can be described as an expression or an application of qigong.
By learning to expand your awareness within all the parts of your body it is possible to dissolve blockages that slow your natural flow of energy. Once the nervous system relaxes and the muscles soften, the student of qigong can begin to apply their increased energy toward their goals. If a complicated tai chi form is attempted without first softening the mind and body, the result is less likely to be relaxation and ease and more likely to be tension and stiffness. In this way, we begin with gentle qigong work to create the foundation of any successful physical activity, including tai chi chuan.
My classes cover both qigong and tai chi as intertwined arts. They support and define each other, much like Yin and Yang. Better yet, they are both tools that positively effect the routine activities we undertake every day. Being able to release tension and increase your energy level are skills that can help everyone.
Please join me at 8am on Monday mornings to learn about the energy of your own body.
Green Leaf Tai Chi 