TAI CHI / QI GUNG / QI GONG
It has been said that "all tai chi is qi gung, not all qi gung is tai chi". While there is some truth to this, tai chi and qi gung, or qi gong, are in fact 2 different things. The Shaolin Wing Chun kung fu approach to health is based on "chi". Chi literally means air, water vapor or atmosphere. Chi represents "vital energy" around and within us. Our bodies are loaded with energy. There is sound energy which is why a doctor can use a stethoscope. There is heat energy - 98.6 when we are healthy. There is the electrical energy of our nervous system. Tai Chi is based upon unifying chi or the energy of the body. Qi gung, sometimes spelled as qi gong, which can be translated as “Life Energy Cultivation”, is a practice of aligning body, mind and will. Qi gung was specifically designed for health and healing. Research from such prestigious institutions as Johns Hopkins and Harvard University has verified significant health benefits to routine practitioners. Increases in strength, balance and immune system response, decreases in stress, anxiety, blood pressure, depression and pain are just a few of the effects noted in their studies.
The tai chi and qi gung belief is that the body is self-healing under normal circumstances. Illness is seen as the result of the body's natural healing process being hindered. Through observation and experimentation, Shaolin monks have developed practices which not only strengthen the body's own immune system but also return the body to a more natural state of functioning.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Through the Meng's Tiger Dragon tai chi and qi gung program you will learn sitting, standing and moving meditation. You will tap into the 36 Shaolin breathing techniques. You will learn the differences between the tiger and the dragon and what yan and yin really mean besides their direct translations as "the sunny side of the hill" and "the shady side of the hill". You will learn information taught in the monasteries over a thousand years ago and still taught today. For those working on their balance or on being able to stand, almost all of our exercises can be done while seated! The level of physical ability is absolutely unconnected to the ability to do qi gung. There are no strength, stamina or flexibility requirements. All that is needed is a desire to learn. Contact us to start your free 2-week trial.