Qi Gong / Tai Ji Quan
Pratice of Qi Gong
« Remove small pebbles from the river to let the water sing joyfully. »
Daoist saying
Positioning the body
Practising Qi Gong begins with the correct positioning of the body’s structure, our human ‘scaffolding’. Sages consider our structure to be the «temple of the soul» or liken it to a marvellous musical instrument.
Qi Gong sessionThe first fundamental step in Qi Gong is to develop our vertical grounding position which we acquire by strengthening the main pressure area of the foot, the HEEL. Its key function is to maintain our body balance through rooting our weight in the earth. Zhuang Zi, (Tchouang Tseu), one of the Daoist grand masters (4th century BC), referred to the heel as the «platform of the being, root of breath»
The channel of breath
Through this just positioning of body weight, on parallel and firmly- grounded feet, ZHONG MAI, the central channel of breath, is slowly revealed. It is a true channel of luminous energy between the coccyx and the fontanelle. And so our centre of being can be formed, becoming elongated, like an invisible column stretching up to the fontanelle.
Gentle stretching and simple and slow gestures, that echo those we experienced in the maternal womb, gradually enable us to learn how to make our bones independent of one another and to separate the tendomuscular chain. And so, the lines of force and the axes of the body can be drawn.
Opening up
Little by little, energy breath makes its way into our infinitely smallest parts. The real work of letting go and opening up takes place by reducing, even eliminating, respiratory, emotional and mental tensions. These same tensions are at the root of a diminished respiratory volume, of stress and of ill-being in our lives. Qi Gong helps us to find an internal space and to reconnect with our true nature.
Confidence is born of this growing stability. Standing tall in life, we can cheerfully share the joy of the present moment and the quality of our true being.
Qi Gong strengthens our immune defences. Above all Qi Gong is an attitude to LIFE that makes us sensient beings, aware of our every gesture, so that we can become builders and architects of our own lives.
