Tai Chi & Qigong
The hard and strong will fall. The soft and weak will overcome.
Tao Te King, Verso 76
Tai Chi has is origin in the classics of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Taoism. The principles of their practice imply understanding the movements of energy. The Taoist classics say, “Use the mind to mobilize Qi, use Qi to mobilize the body.”
We can not live in a complete way without exercise. The human being moves in an area influenced by the energies of the earth and the energies of the sky. The relaxed movement, together with a fluid and continuous attention on the body, its energies and its connection with the energies of the environment, produces health and well-being. The harmony of the slow movement, in a world with such a hurry, produces a charming and regenerating contrast to the being who practices Tai Chi.
Tao Yin or Taoist Yoga is a series of exercises practiced by Taoists to cultivate chi, the internal energy of the body according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.The practice of Tao Yin was a precursor of Qigong and was practiced in the Chinese Taoist monasteries for health and spiritual cultivation. Tao Yin is also taught today under the name of “Daoyin Yangsheng Gong” at the Universityof Physical Education from Beijing.
The main goal of Tao yin is to create balance between internal and external energies and to revitalize the body, mind and spirit, developing strength and flexibility in muscles and tendons.
A constant practice of Tao yin will enable the individual to have a deeper understanding, consciousness and awareness of his body and mind and reaching as far as the spiritual world.
Tao Yin, is also known to be a primary formative practice for the well-known internal Chinese martial art, Tai Chi Chuan.
In turn, Qigong is a system of techniques that align the body, breath and mind into a balanced and healthy whole for the individual who practices it . It is used to maintain the health and increase the resistance of the body, to achieve the state of peace of mind and the energetic flow in meditation, for the training of the martial arts, in the prevention, as a complement in the treatments of alternative medicine, etc. According to the Taoist, Buddhist and Confucianist philosophy, the practice of Qigong allows access to the higher states of consciousness and opens us to our true inner nature.
The Main Reasons to Practice Taichi & Qigong:
Improves health and increases healthy lifespan
The slow movements of Tai Chi continuously massage your internal organs, improve and regulate the movement of all the body’s fluids—blood, lymph, synovial fluid
Promotes balance at physical and energetic level
Qi Gong and Tai Chi are relaxing ways to improve your flexibility and balance
Awareness of Self, others, and surroundings
Tai Chi train you to stop creating nervous tensions in each part of your body and mind… You can know yourself and interact with others from a deep sense of relaxation and awareness.
Stimulates mental, emotional and spiritual harmony
May serve as a form of moving meditation, helping you embarking on a profound, lifelong spiritual path.
Yoga and Tai Chi Retreat, Sta Maria da Feira da Feira, Portugal.
This was a wonderful holiday, the teaching was very calm and skilled, and the learning was specific to meet individual needs. Carmen and Eugene are not only excellent teachers, they are good company too. Eugene is very generous with his knowledge, and Carmen's beautiful soul radiates for us all. It was a very busy programme, however, there was no pressure and "opt-offs" were possible at any time. Thank you both for a life changing experience. Love you both, xxx 🙂
Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal - It has been a retreat where you feel a lot of interaction and unity among all! The different nationalities of the participants didn´t prevent us from feeling the togetherness! In a few days we learned how to do yoga and tai chi. We experienced lightness and a lot of joy! 🙂
The words that describe the effects of yoga on me, after a year of practice: transformation, spiritual evolution, well being with myself (joy), calm, overcome problems more easily.