Awaken, Heal and strengthen Your Mind, Body and Spirit with Tai Chi Gong.
It is quite often that a new student will ask what is the difference between Tai
Chi Chuan and Chi Gong? I am sure everyone who's engaged in the practice of
Chi energies or Healing through Tai Chi and Chi Gong, will have a valid and
unique answer.
Without getting too technical, my suggestion is that Chi Gong, the science of Internal Energy, is practiced usually as one movement at a time, in a repetitive motion, while Tai Chi is practiced in longer sequences known as forms, or kata, in Japanese.
Dwelling on the comparison between Tai Chi and Chi Gong time and again, it evoked a new train of thought in my mind, which eventually formulated into my favorite style, Tai Chi Gong.
Back to the beginning
We all know that necessity is the mother of invention. There is an ongoing challenge to guide the new students as well as occasional visitors, through the internal energy arts.
Working out with beginners, who are struggling with the Tai Chi form and giving up in the first three months due to frustration of not being able to remember the entire sequence, I had to come up with a solution.
The principal that guided me in transforming the classes, and catering beginners and intermediate levels is that Tai Chi can become Chi Gong but Chi Gong is not necessarily Tai Chi.
Tai Chi by definition is an Internal Martial Art, for better health. To many, the Martial aspects and applications are simply less of a concern. However, it is important that everyone will experience the internal energy arts and go through the series of powerful mind/body exercises that awaken the senses, stimulate the mind, and fill their body and Spirit with abundant energy.
One way to understand Chi Gong, is that it was created as a comprehensive introduction to authentic Tai Chi. It allows us to fine-tune our practice before moving on to more complex Tai Chi. A tool to assist intermediate and advanced students, and help them grow and improve over time.
Golden Age students are attracted each day to the practice of Tai Chi Chuan , which has been known for centuries to promote deep relaxation, excellent health, and prevent injuries and illness, with potential to help chronic conditions such as Arthritis and Osteoporosis.
The challenge is to try and benefit even the beginners from the valuable movements of Tai Chi and Chi Gong. To ensure that it assists them in loosening joints and building muscles, tendons and ligaments, and improving circulation of blood and Chi energy.
By segmenting one movement at a time from the Tai Chi Chuan form, and repeating it continuously from 10 to 100 times, it can open the gates of the practice of Tai Chi Gong.
One single movement can teach us to find balance between strength and flexibility, increase bone density, and massage the internal organs, improving our quality of life and daily physical performance.
Before adapting it as my favorite style, I tried it over a period of several years. Suddenly students were reporting that it revitalized their health and well being. Senior citizens as well as younger students, who started only a month or two earlier, became very enthusiastic about the immediate feelings and listed benefit from the exercise and the ease of Tai Chi Gong.
Through Tai Chi Gong I found that I could guide students into deep relaxation, breath, meditation, stretching and power strengthening techniques.
Playing the movements from the Tai Chi forms, one at a time, repetitively, we were applying the core principles of Tai Chi and Chi Gong, and this allowed us to tap into the abundant universal energy.
The Tai Chi Gong's mind/body approach can improve health and can easily be integrated into everyone's home, in the park and even nursing homes and clinics.
But most importantly, this mind/body approach empowers individuals to play an active role in their journey towards better life.
Gadi Levy-Golan,