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Magical energy?
A lot of modern tai chi classes talk
about 'qi'... They give the impression that a magical energy is going to transform
your health.
Our classes will never mention qi. We are not going to be
talking about qi, auras or anything mystical. We are
grounded in medically-sound, functional practice - in
the physical world, not in the fantastical.
I would
strongly recommend Newcastle Tai Chi to anyone who is keen on trying out,
learning & further developing tai chi skills for various health benefits or
martial arts purposes. Even if you are a complete novice and don't know much
about what tai chi is or how that might be of any benefit - just give it a
go, you will find it worthwhile!
I have been working in healthcare for many years and I can assure, I found
these skills to be of particular benefit for relaxation, stress-relief,
improved movement control, balance and direct self-defence strategies. If
you wish to pursue the martial arts route, the school has got a robust
training syllabus/grading system which would also interest those who seek a
more challenging form of tai chi.
(Dr Laxmikant Ekade)
Results
Sifu Waller has been training since 1975, so
is incredibly experienced. His classes tend to attract
doctors and medical workers, as well as
interest from hospitals. Why? Because we get
results.
We aim to improve circulation, balance, coordination,
ambidextrous body use, skeletal alignment and tension in the body, along
with reducing anxiety by remaining rooted in the here and now.
This said, the classes aren't going to be medical or in any way 'heavy'. The
exercises are moderate,
accessible and can be easily performed by most
adults.
Qi
Qi is pronounced 'chee'.
The Wade-Giles spelling is 'chi'. The Pinyin spelling is qi.
What is qi?
Qi is a problematic topic... In
The Tai Chi Classics it usually
refers to breath.
Unfortunately, people disagree upon the meaning. Some people see it as being
about breath, others energy.
Maybe the confusion resides with the fact that deep breathing makes the body
feel energised...
A precise definition of qi is difficult (akin to 'Tao').
Tai chi?
The 'chi' in tai chi is not qi. The name 'tai chi' refers to the
yin/yang diagram. It has nothing to do with
breath or qi energy.
History
Historically, the word qi was often applied as an explanation in lieu of a
more scientific understanding.
This has led to qigong and tai chi teachers applying the word
liberally.
No belief is required
There is little scientific evidence to explain exactly what happens
to the body as a result of doing qigong and tai chi - apart from the obvious
physiological benefits.
However, many case studies (involving
large groups of people) have recorded a significant improvement in health.
They muddy the water, to make it seem deep.
(Friedrich Nietzsche)
A convenient catch-all
Some tai chi people use the
word 'qi' a lot.
It is a catch-all employed to explain pretty much
everything they don't really
understand.
Virtually anything can be attributed to qi.
This makes genuine knowledge,
skill and real
understanding less important to such exponents since qi explains
everything. But does it?
Science vs folklore/mysticism
The difficulty with the whole subject of 'qi energy' is that it is
very controversial. Does qi energy exist?
Can you scientifically/medically
prove it?
Is it possible to improve qi energy flow?
What precisely were the ancient Chinese
referring to?
Qi energy is akin to a belief system. Rather than rely on genuine
scientific facts, people immediately resort to superstition and
speculation.
This is incredibly lazy.
It is far more honest to simply say that when it
comes to qi energy you don't know for sure.
Qi fantasies
Chinese movies have long depicted qi as being an energy force projected
through the hands, like lightning. This is obviously
fantasy.
Unfortunately, some kung fu instructors have pretty
outlandish ideas concerning qi, qigong and tai chi. If they use words
like "etheric", "aura", "visualising golden
light"... be wary.
Auras, mystical forces &
qi?
One student was desperate to see an aura. She was a
really nice lady but had adopted the 'spiritual shopper' approach to
alternative health.
She was always attending courses on sound healing, hypnotherapy, crystals,
dream therapy, transcendental meditation, yoga and shamanism.
Her desire to see an aura was akin to people who look at a potato and see
the baby Jesus.
Why is she so keen to see an aura? Isn't the human
body miraculous enough? She should read a GCSE Biology text book and marvel
at how the nervous system or the eyes work.
(Mathew Sebastian)
The real world
Dreamers like to chat about qi, auras and so forth. When it comes to the
actual work we do in class, they become flaky and
struggle quite badly.
15 minutes of standing qigong is torture
for them and prolonged physical training is met
with alarm.
Tai chi is rooted in the real
Please do not come to our classes wanting to talk about auras, glowing
lights, astral projections, spirits, superstition, magic,
myth, fantasy and folklore.
Zen, Tao and tai chi is
rooted in the real. Your tai chi needs to have
meaning, substance. Perhaps your life needs these
very same things too?
Learning about qi
We would like to emphasise the fact that our classes never feature any
discussions about qi.
Our students focus upon tangible physical methods designed to improve
alignment, awareness, relaxation and skilful body use. People learn real,
reproducible skills and gain substantial benefits.
Qi is some sort of 'fairy dust'...
Some kung fu (Chinese boxing) instructors talk about qi all the time. Qi is made to sound
like 'fairy dust' - it can magically cure all ailments and impart amazing
powers. This is clearly not true.
What
does qi have to do with
fighting? Absolutely nothing. If you want to talk about qi in the martial
arts, I'd say that it doesn't have anything to do with the martial arts.
They're talking about intention mostly, and they're calling it qi because it
sounds more mysterious.
(Tim Cartmell)
Page created 3 March 1994
Last updated
31 July 1997