After a week’s rest over Easter, in a place like Lightning Ridge, away from the fast flowing river of modern life, I often find my mind pondering ideas like: “Train your Qi (chi) slowly, use your Qi (chi) fast.” “If you only train Kung Fu...
Qi (pronounced Chee), is the Chinese word for life energy, a vital force that flows through all living things. Qigong (pronounced Chee Gong) is a form of gentle exercise that uses different movements that are repeated a set number of times. They often stretching the body, increasing...
Many people think that Chinese Medicine only includes Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. There are actually 8 areas that encompass Traditional Chinese Medicine, and in fact, Acupuncture and Herbs are at the bottom of the list! 1. Meditation 2. Movement/Exercise 3. Diet/Nutrition 4. Astrology/Cosmology 5. Geomancy 6. Bodywork (massage) 7. Herbs 8. Acupuncture and...
As we age our body degenerates. There is a loss of muscle power and the joints and connective tissues become weak and stiff. Our blood circulation stagnates and vitality decreases. Our glands function less optimally and our immune system fatigues. Rehabilitation and recovery times get...
Here are some classic Chinese proverbs that indicate the importance of exercise for good health and longevity. “Men are born soft and supple, dead they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and...
In Chinese thought the mind is viewed as having two parts - the emotional mind and the wisdom mind. The emotional mind is likened to a monkey, the Mind Monkey. A monkey that chatters constantly and jumps around from branch to branch (or thought to...
I recently noticed a post on one of our Facebook pages that gave a limited view of breathing. It described breathing as only involving inhaling, exhaling, and holding. Now, as a description of the physical mechanisms of breathing this is fairly accurate. But if you think this also...
Why a Daily Practice Part II – in a recent newsletter I talked about the importance of practising daily to reap the ultimate rewards of the arts we practice – Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Qigong, Stretch Therapy, etc. This is all well and good when...
As the seasons change so to should our lifestyle habits. During Winter our Qi moves deeper inside the body and has less of an inkling to rise to surface and communicate through our pores with the environmental Qi of Heaven and Earth. We should cover...
There are just over two months until our next Camp where we will be focusing on developing a relationship with our Qi. This will include stretching the channels that carry our Qi, releasing tension to aid Qi flow, integrating whole body movement to stimulate...