Tai Chi Chuan or Taiji or Tai Chi, and Qigong, Chi Kung, are all a kung fu practice. Tai Chi is considered among the martial arts as one of the most effective fighting mechanisms. But Tai Chi is many things, not just martial arts. Kung fu means a focused practice with high level skill. So Tai Chi can also be a healing art, bringing about health and wellness through the circulation of Qi, or life energy.
In this video Sifu Susan decides to play with Qi during her camping trip. Her friend has low back pain, so Sifu Susan experiments with sending her Qi, her healing life energy, into her friends low back to relief low back pain. Afterward, they also play in Tai Chi or Qigong Push Hands. Rather than using outward force, called “Li” in Chinese Martial Arts, she uses Yi (intention) to move her Qi and then move the person. It is a soft approach where the person receiving the force, feels absolutely no force! Susan is using the lightest of touch throughout this video, yet is moving the person.
Interesting to note that just as Sifu Susan gets her energy levels up, there is lightening and thunder! Her hair was literally standing up on end and she had goosebumps. Fun stuff. As her friend Maggie said, "God is telling us we are ready to do this."
Susan firmly believes that God is the ultimate energy source and she is merely a conduit or helper.
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Tai Chi is a mind, body and spirit practice and can be considered moving meditation. It improves balance, creates strength with less effort, teaches proper body mechanics and good posture. It is great for cross training, high level athletes and people with disabilities. It can decrease joint pain, relieve arthritis pain, and help with low back pain, neck pain. It also is a great way to calm down and relieve stress. Tai Chi heightens your mental health awareness, soothes your autonomic system, turns off the flight or fight response, and teaches you to deal with day to day stress in a more effective way. Furthermore, the Qi can be used to create a natural remedy of healing for pain relief in others, whether physical pain, mental pain, emotional pain or spiritual pain.
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Please note, Tai Chi Chuan, Tai Chi and Taiji are all the same martial arts practice. Qigong, Chi Kung, Chi Kong, are also referencing the same type of Qigong exercise for improved health. The spellings are different but the connotation are the same!
Improve your Life. Do Tai Chi.