T’ai Ch’i and Qi Gong
T’ai Ch’i and Qi Gong have similar approaches to body
fitness and alignment. They can be learned alongside any other form of exercise
and will in many instances augment the process of regaining and/or maintaining
fitness.
I will be teaching simple sequences of movements that you
can practice and develop in your own time. Emphasis initially will be placed on
body alignment within the movements.
In the eastern philosophical approach to health one of
the important features is body alignment, structure and breath. If we begin to
misalign our structure through our activities during busy everyday life, then
the internal structures, including the internal organs can have impaired
function and in turn may lead to ill health. If we have a raised shoulder
through carrying bags then immediately, if this is not corrected, we can see
that one lung has more skeletal space than the other and so an imbalance is
created.
T’ai Ch’i and Qi Gong both ask us to become aware of our
body as a whole and enables us to become conscious of our own alignment so we
can correct ourselves. This style of exercise is very much about self awareness
and generating positive change for ourselves whenever we have a space in the
day. Often we are only aware of our bodies when they hurt, however we can be
self aware of improved structural alignment to maintain a supple, fluid grace.
