The Mind-Body Secrets of Tai Chi and Qigong

Would you like to get healthy and fit, relieve stress, look good,

feel better, and have great energy and vitality? Tai Chi and

Qigong can give you all this and more!

- Mind-Body Secrets ... Shared by Eighty Million People!

Though you may be new to Tai Chi and Qigong, over 80 million

people already practice these two simple exercises daily to keep

themselves fit, healthy, stress-free, and full of energy. This

makes Tai Chi and Qigong the world's most popular exercises.

Originally from China, but now practiced the world over, Tai Chi

and Qigong combine natural, physical movement with breathing,

visualization, and mental concentration, to give you a full body

and mind workout that can't be beat. And no more punishing your

body with grueling workouts - Tai Chi and Qigong use easy,

pleasant movements that anyone can do, anytime, anywhere - no

matter how fit you are to start with.

And unlike most exercises, Tai Chi and Qigong aren't boring!

Instead, the mind is actively engaged, making Tai Chi and Qigong

superior for relieving mental stress and enhancing personal

growth and emotional well-being.

- Effective Enough for Clinics, but Easy Enough for You to Learn

Just look at the list below! These are just a few of the many

benefits reported by doctors, hospitals, research studies, and

participants in Tai Chi and Qigong.

- lowers blood pressure

- greater aerobic capacity

- improves strength, mobility, and endurance

- relieves stress and improves nervous system function

- promotes deeper relaxation and better sleep

- marked increase of immune response (blood t-cell) during and

after practice

- benefits chronic illness

- improves posture and back and spine problems

- clears negative emotions and reduces anxiety

- drops stress hormone (salivary cortisol) levels

- increases respiratory capacity

- increases joint flexibility

- the most recommended aerobic exercise for coronary artery

disease

As a matter of fact, Tai Chi and Qigong are so effective that

they are used in clinics in China and around the world to

successfully treat diseases ranging from hypertension to cancer.

Best of all, both Tai Chi and Qigong are easy to learn, and they

produce benefits more quickly than most exercises. Just five to

fifteen minutes of Tai Chi or Qigong a day will provide you with

all the exercise you need, but have neither the time nor energy

for.

- What is Tai Chi?

In its simplest form, Tai Chi is an exercise that focuses on

natural physical movement, breathing, and mental concentration.

The exercises and practices of Tai Chi come directly from "kung

fu" (Chinese martial arts). Unfortunately, when I say "martial

arts," most people think of forceful, muscular movements of

karate or the impossible acrobatic feats seen in the movies. But

put those out of your mind!

Tai Chi is graceful, slow, and relaxing, and these days, most

people practice Tai Chi not for self-defense, but for the great

health and stress relief benefits it provides.

Tai Chi has a number of exercises, but the basic practice of Tai

Chi is "sets" or "forms." Sets are a series of movements done in

a precise order to help facilitate energy flow, fitness,

relaxation, and mental concentration. Some sets are short, taking

just a few minutes to practice, while others are longer and

require more time to practice. More important than the length of

the set, though, is how well the set teaches you the principles

of natural movement, body structure, and internal energy.

- What is Qigong?

On the surface, most Qigong looks similar to Tai Chi. Most use

natural, physical movements with coordinated breathing,

visualization, and mental concentration, just like Tai Chi. So

how are they different? Well, the basic truth is: Tai Chi is

actually just one form of Qigong!

The term Qigong (pronounced "chee gung" - sometimes spelled "chi

kung") literally means "energy practice." It refers to a family

of practices for health, fitness, energy development, and stress

relief.

Qigong includes more than just movement exercises like Tai Chi.

It also includes standing and sitting meditations, massage,

therapeutic healing techniques, and other health and

energy-building practices. Qigong is also sometimes referred to

as "Chinese yoga."

Qigong practices range from the easy-to-learn to the complicated.

The easy-to-learn forms, however, are often the most powerful.

Since the easy forms have fewer movements, and because the

movements are repeated a number of times, they allow us to focus

on specific health, fitness, and stress relief issues, producing

deep levels of healing. In other words, what makes them

easy-to-learn is also what makes them powerful.

- How Do I Learn Tai Chi and Qigong?

There are three main options for learning Tai Chi and Qigong and

getting these great benefits: classes, learn-at-home programs,

and the Web.

- Finding Classes

With the increasing popularity of these arts, you may find

classes in your local area. Classes with a certified instructor

are one of the easiest ways to get your start in these great

arts.

To find these classes, check with martial arts schools, community

centers, parks and recreation programs, colleges, spiritual

centers, dance studios, and even New Age bookstores. Also contact

your local acupuncturists, chiropractors, and naturopaths to see

if they have class recommendations. Finally, check with the

National Qigong Association (a non-profit support organization

for Qigong/Tai Chi) for recommendations of professional teachers

in your area (on the Web at www.nqa.org).

When choosing a class, one of the best ways to find out if it is

right for you is to visit in person. Most teachers will let you

at least observe and maybe even participate in a beginners class.

Attend this introductory class, and ask yourself if you believe

the students are gaining benefits that you would like to have.

Also ask yourself if you like to work with this teacher and

these students on an extended basis.

Finally, check the qualifications of the teacher. Teachers should

have certification or teaching credentials from the persons who

taught them. In addition, they should also have practiced Tai Chi

or Qigong for a minimum of ten years to have enough knowledge to

be able to teach effectively. Beyond this, look for other

recognitions, such as a Professional Level membership by the

National Qigong Association.

- Learn-at-Home Programs

If you are a self-motivated individual, or if you are having

trouble finding local classes, a learn-at-home program is a good

way to get started. The greatest benefit to this approach is that

you can learn right in the comfort of your own home at your own

convenience.

Looking for a learn-at-home program is the similar to looking for

a class. You want thorough instruction that will give you the

benefits you want and that is taught by well-qualified

instructors. Unless you are experienced in learning movements one

your own (e.g., from fitness or dance type videos), stick to

programs that teach easy Qigong and Tai Chi styles.

Learn-at-home programs usually involve books or videos, or a

combination of the two. A program that combines both will be

easier to learn that a program that just has a book or just has a

video.

A book by itself is limited to text and still images. This static

format is not the best medium for presenting movement exercises.

A video better shows the movements, but by themselves, videos

tend to be less detailed than books. So combining a book and

video will give you more thorough instruction.

An even better solution than the book/video is an eBook

(electronic book). An eBook is a program that you can download to

your personal computer. It combines the text and still images

from a book with the audio and video - all into one seamless

format right on your computer. You can read about a particular

Tai Chi or Qigong exercise, examine the still images, watch it on

video, then dive into the movement details - all right from one

location with a few clicks of your mouse.

As of this writing, there is only one Tai Chi and Qigong program

that takes full advantage of this state-of-the-art eBook

presentation format. However, we predict that more will be on the

way soon. To learn more about this program, you can visit this

page on the Web at http://learnathome.cloudwater.com

- On The World Wide Web

Speaking of the Web, while there are lots of Tai Chi and Qigong

Web sites, there are relatively few "teach-yourself" sites on the

Web. One way to find the few that are available is to enter the

words "Free Tai Chi" into a search engine such as Google

(www.google.com) and surf through the resulting entries.

Through my own Web site, I teach some simple Qigong and Tai Chi

exercises that you can learn online. They are a good way to get

an introduction to these arts at no cost. Just visit

www.cloudwater.com for more information.

However you decide to learn Tai Chi and Qigong - classes,

learn-at-home programs, or on the Web - I'm sure you'll enjoy all

the great benefits these arts have to offer. After all, who

doesn't want to be healthy and fit, relieve stress, look good,

feel better, and have great energy and vitality? Well, Tai Chi

and Qigong can give you all this and more!

Al Simon, http://www.cloudwater.com (source: naturalhealthweb)

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