Ancient Chinese Practices of Tai Chi and Qi Gong
The penultimate Continuing Education seminar of 2021 will take place on Thursday, October 28th, at 3pm, and will be on the ancient Chinese practices of tai chi and qi gong (pronounced CHEE-gung). Our speaker Stella Zack Idiz, will be speaking to us from Oxford, England, where she gives classes on these fitness routines that combine slow, deliberate movements, meditation, and breathing exercises, to help your circulation, balance, and alignment.
What is rooted is easy to nourish.
What is recent is easy to correct.
What is brittle is easy to break.
What is small is easy to scatter.
Prevent trouble before it arises.
Put things in order before they exist.
The giant pine tree grows from a tiny sprout.
The journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath your feet.
~ the Dao De Jing
From the roots of Daoist and Buddhist traditions, qi gong, originally a 2500-year-old ancient Chinese art form for cultivating and moving life (gong = to work, cultivate) energy qi, to improve harmony of mind and body, is still widely embraced today as a path to health and vitality through movement, deep gentle breathing, visualization and meditative techniques.
As qi gong is an experiential practice, after giving a brief introduction of the history, basic principles, tenets, precepts, and systems of qigong, Stella will spend some time practicing together with us. You are welcome to sit or stand during this, as qi gong is eminently adaptable to honor every stage of our aging and/or aching selves. You are your best judge. Please wear comfortable clothes for some gentle movement beginning with a joint opening sequence, preparing us for wuji or emptiness stance (a standing or sitting meditation), followed by a beautiful fluid form called the Eight Silk Brocades.