Recommended Summer Reading: The Healing Promise of Qi

The Healing Promise of Qi: Creating Extraordinary Wellness Through Qigong and Tai Chi
by Roger Jahnke, O.M.D

Here is an excerpt.

"Ancient Qi masters developed a formula for health and longevity based on the Qi:

Inner Harmony = Qi Flow = Health and Longevity

This formula is the foundation of all Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and herbal medicine. Concepts in Western science such as coherence, resonance, and integrated body/mind function are parallel to the concept of harmony in China. In the West science points to numerous forms of flow including blood, lymph, brain chemical distribution, nerve transmission and the movements of ions.
When they added the capacity to purposefully cultivate inner harmony through personal practices the ancients created this formula:

Practice + Intention = Inner Harmony = Qi Flow = Health and Longevity 

Exploring Qi and Qigong is like opening a marvelous Chinese puzzle box--boxes within boxes, secrets within secrets. Think of yourself as having just reached a gateway where, only a moment ago, no gate was visible. According Chinese tradition, if you open this gate and enter the realm of Qigong--with sincerity--a multitude of practical benefits will be yours."

Kung Fu Leadership Team Enhances Their Chi

Here's what chi looks like after whitewater rafting!  The Kung Fu Leadership Team paddled The Gorge on the South Fork American River on Friday the 13th of July. (Yes, Friday the 13th! We aren't superstitious.)

What a team!  What good captains--Shih Fu Catherine (on far right) and Shana Maziarz (second from left).  And Shih Fu Eileen solo paddled an inflatable kayak. She now has a river story to tell about swimming Lost Hat Rapids and Satan's Cesspool.

"I'd paddle with the Kung Fu Team anytime!" says Shih Fu Catherine.

How to Stay Cool

"The summer is associated with the Fire element in the Chinese system. The organs ruled by this element are the heart and small intestine as well as the functions of circulation and heating in the body.

Diet and exercise are very important to keeping the Fire element strong. Proper nutrition is vital to maintaining a healthy heart and for providing fuel and heat for the body.  So our diet could be changed by eliminating refined foods, tea, coffee, alcohol and tobacco, and by cutting down on animal fats...

Summer is the time to recharge those internal batteries with solar power. Keep the Fire balanced with Water inside and out, and keep the body loose, getting good exercise. It is a time for growth and coming forth."
--Elson M Haas, MD "Staying Healthy with the Seasons"

Practice Independently on July 4th

There will be no classes on Wednesday, July 4th.
Classes resume on Thursday, July 5th.

Tai Chi increases brain size, benefits cognition

Scientists from the University of South Florida and Fudan University in Shanghai found increases in brain volume and improvements on tests of memory and thinking in Chinese seniors who practiced Tai Chi three times a week, reports an article published today (June 19, 2012) in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.


This was the first trial to show that Tai Chi plus stimulating discussion led to increases in brain volume and improvements on psychological tests of memory and thinking.

Previous trials have shown increases due to more aerobic types of exercise. The group that did not participate in the interventions showed brain shrinkage over the same time period, consistent with what generally has been observed for persons in their 60s and 70s.

"The ability to reverse this trend with physical exercise and increased mental activity implies that it may be possible to delay the onset of dementia in older persons through interventions that have many physical and mental health benefits," said lead author Dr. James Mortimer, professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida College of Public Health.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-tai-chi-brain-size-benefits.html

Where will you take your Tai Chi this summer?

Tai Chi blending with the energy on Waimanalo beach, Oahu. 

David Parry-Jones

Tai Chi Happy Hour - Fridays @ 4pm - Body Balance Studio

Got chi? Come on over to Body Balance Academy every Friday from 4-5pm for open practice.  It's not a class. It's time for all students at all levels to come practice their forms in our beautiful Bamboo Studio. Enjoy the flow, whether you are learning fundamentals, Yang Long Form, Straight Sword, Ba Gua or Xing Yi.  The doors will be open. See you there.