Beginning Taiji Qigong

For anyone who begins Taiji Qigong there first experience should be one of accessibility, it should be undemanding and comfortable. In this context there is potential for improvement in one’s health and well-being.

We live in a society geared towards segmentation and the body is seen as a ‘mechanical thing’. In the course of our lives we follow routines, create patterns, which become habitual and ingrained into our very being. The purpose of Taiji Qigong is to begin the process of clearing away ingrained habits allowing us to reunite with our own truth and nature, to restore the balance of the body, mind and spirit. We are looking to release that which is physically and mentally locked away, to repossess the organic humane in ourselves.

Taiji Qigong first of all asks us to engage the body, mind and the spirit - to become balanced - with a renewed engagement through conscious intent (Yi), within a conscious organised structure of form and movement, working towards realigning the posture and re-orientating the mind to produce one whole through posture, breath and intent.

Through slow continuous movement energy is engaged and flows from and to all parts of the body evenly and completely in to every cell. With this motion we gain our equilibrium and protective energy begins to course throughout the body’s fascia system, reintegrating the whole.

At a foundation level Taiji Qigong can be said to be the art of the spine, which creates the link between humanity, heaven and earth. Working with the spine, lengthening, straightening, uplifting and aligning, we adjust the structure to contain and support the internal organs. This structural work begins the transition from the use of large muscle groups to more subtle muscular interactions. Spinal alignment solidifies the centre of gravity, enhancing balance.

Taiji Qigong practice develops, cultivates, builds and utilises the whole muscular system of the body. Constant, balanced motion in the eight directions moves our body fluids through the system in an even, constant flow. It aids the strengthening of the respiratory system, breathing deepens, duration is extended., relaxed and sustained, encouraged, directed and focused by movement, structure and shape.

The degree of accuracy and precision of the practice of the physical aspects of Taiji Qigong determines the depth of penetration of the practice into the very being of the practitioner. It is through this process that we begin to awaken to the true potential of the mind(Yi).

Taiji Qigong draws on the strength building and body unifying methods of the Internal Martial Arts and Health Cultivation Arts of China. Its methods increase accessibility and minimise injury, allowing practice throughout one’s life. Taiji Qigong is a methodology, which can direct one to the knowledge of how to unify oneself with life.

Our lives absorb this essence as we practice. By doing, it is done to you. There is no intermediary, its authority lies in the truth of the practice itself, and unifying internal and external purpose. This process begins with the organs of the inner ear, which sends messages to the cerebellum, which are crucial in the regulation of movement, coordination of balance, equilibrium and other motor activities. This stimulation may elicit feelings of calm and emotional clarity. The vestibular stimulation in most adult life styles is limited. Taiji Qigong movements address this issue through change of directions through clockwise and anti-clockwise turns as well as changes in spinal angle.

When beginning Taiji Qigong we also gain further from meeting in group situations. The dynamic, which is available from interaction within the goup, is refined and enriched as the years go by. Taiji Qigong is the art of interacting with others. Without respect and cooperation with and for others, access to the understanding and the skills of practices such as ‘skilled hands’ is limited. Development requires interaction between ourselves and others, practice cultivates sensitivity and responsiveness, not from a conflict base or that of imposition, but from a position of compassion where listening, and gaining insight leads us to the conscious awareness, and thereby skilled action.

Taiji Qigong is a journey of exploration of self. The instructor gives the guidance, but they cannot take the journey with you. For each one of us it is a personal journey of exploration of yet unseen horizons, a journey of potential. This is not a linear journey, nor is it ordered through time, physicality or space, or directly linked to intellectual analysis. Benefits of practice and the attainment of skills unfold naturally.

As noted above Taiji Qigong is enriched by the principles of Chinese martial, medical, and philosophical activities, the practice contains the potential of purpose, therefore practice, enjoy, explore your self.

Enjoy your Practice