May the Chi be with you

I did it. I actually attended a crash-course on Taichi or Primodial Qi Gong. It burned my whole Sunday; mum and dad couldn't believe how it can be possible to pick this up properly in one day. I wondered myself if this is a pirated version but decided I needed an introductory course. Besides, any exercise would be good for me.

According to the teacher, Andrew Fretwell, this short-form has been in practice for 800 years. He was careful enough to say he is teaching us the form so that we can then advance to focus on other aspects of this exercise as we progress. Interestingly the class was packed, over 25 of us and half of them, men, too! I think most of the people were in their 30s and 40s. More than a couple of the people turned out to be in the medic line, like in muscle therapy work, physio, etc.

My verdict, hmm..I got to learn a set of exercises called earth-heaven but I have to learn to really slow down the moves more to feel the chi. I find I can make yoga effective for me in a shorter time but what I like about qigong is I don't have to lie down or touch the floor with my hands. It seems I can practise qigong the whole day but not for yoga.

Today, my shoulders feel loose and a lot more relaxed. So now all I have to do is make sure I repeat the exercises everyday to keep this up and also to make sure I will not forget the sequences.

Now I know why Bian is in a world of his own when he thinks about his Taichi, and he moves his hands unconsciously.