Monday, May 17, 2010
Tai Chi for health
Most of us know of Tai Chi as the slow-motion, meditative movement that people practice in the parks. It looks peaceful and gracious. And they say it's good for your health. Well...
Tai Chi Chuan (the official spelling is "Taijiquan") is actually an ancient soft or internal martial art from China. Soft indicates the lack of fast and aggressive punches and kicks which are so characteristic of most martial arts, and internal points at a focus on the internal or "energy" aspect of this art of movement. Literally, Taijiquan means Fighting system based on the Taiji philosophy, which is commonly known as the Yin Yang theory.
There are several styles of Tai Chi: Chen style is the oldest, but Yang style the most popular. There is also the Wu style which is less known.
Tai Chi is good for your health, thanks to the gentle movement and the achieved relaxation. There are plenty of scientific studies that prove this and most of them can be found on the internet.
However, when applying the old and almost lost knowledge in your tai chi practice, Tai Chi becomes a true form of self-healing! The term "Old Yang Style" refers to this secret knowledge that has been left out in the traditional tai chi classes (an explanation for this can be found in our blog entry "History of Taijiquan").
The true healing effects of practicing Tai Chi are in the stimulation of the body's energy system: the activation of the dantian or energy center in your lower abdomen, the opening of the main channels or energy pathways and the resulting energy circulations. Resolving energetic blockages and expelling diseased energy from the body lead to improved physical health. This is not just a theory (be it a 2,000 year old and proven one), it is a tangible fact that all of our students experience!
At the Be Well Center, we teach Tai Chi "Old Yang Style." Students will learn the form, a sequence of 108 postures, with a focus on the energy aspect. It is self-healing, fun to practice and beautiful to watch. Health benefits are:
- Gently stretch the spine and joints
- Activation of your energy system
- Boost your immune system
- Release energy blockages
- Expel sick energy, relieving pain & disease
- Quiet the mind, and say goodbye to stress!
- Increased focus & concentration
- Improved breathing
A class schedule can be found on our website and Google Calendar.
Tai Chi Chuan (the official spelling is "Taijiquan") is actually an ancient soft or internal martial art from China. Soft indicates the lack of fast and aggressive punches and kicks which are so characteristic of most martial arts, and internal points at a focus on the internal or "energy" aspect of this art of movement. Literally, Taijiquan means Fighting system based on the Taiji philosophy, which is commonly known as the Yin Yang theory.
There are several styles of Tai Chi: Chen style is the oldest, but Yang style the most popular. There is also the Wu style which is less known.
Tai Chi is good for your health, thanks to the gentle movement and the achieved relaxation. There are plenty of scientific studies that prove this and most of them can be found on the internet.
However, when applying the old and almost lost knowledge in your tai chi practice, Tai Chi becomes a true form of self-healing! The term "Old Yang Style" refers to this secret knowledge that has been left out in the traditional tai chi classes (an explanation for this can be found in our blog entry "History of Taijiquan").
The true healing effects of practicing Tai Chi are in the stimulation of the body's energy system: the activation of the dantian or energy center in your lower abdomen, the opening of the main channels or energy pathways and the resulting energy circulations. Resolving energetic blockages and expelling diseased energy from the body lead to improved physical health. This is not just a theory (be it a 2,000 year old and proven one), it is a tangible fact that all of our students experience!
At the Be Well Center, we teach Tai Chi "Old Yang Style." Students will learn the form, a sequence of 108 postures, with a focus on the energy aspect. It is self-healing, fun to practice and beautiful to watch. Health benefits are:
- Gently stretch the spine and joints
- Activation of your energy system
- Boost your immune system
- Release energy blockages
- Expel sick energy, relieving pain & disease
- Quiet the mind, and say goodbye to stress!
- Increased focus & concentration
- Improved breathing
A class schedule can be found on our website and Google Calendar.
Understanding "Tai Chi" - The History of Taijiquan
The Taiji philosophy is very old. During the Yin Dynasty (1200 BC), taiji theories were used to create the Chinese calendar. In the Zhou Dynasty (696 BC), acupuncture was invented and taiji philosophy was applied to cure illness and maintain health.
In the Tang Dynasty (618-905 AD) there was a martial art known as Sanshiqi which means 37 movements (Xu XuanPing, 701-762). It was a single posture practice: there was no standard sequence as in today's tai chi. But after completing the study of all the postures, they were automatically put together as a continuous movement according to the taiji principle (the style was also called LongQuan: continuous form). Consequently, this must have been an early form of taijiquan: fighting based on the taiji philosophy.
During the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), Northern China was controlled by Mongolia. Temples didn't have to pay taxes and were free of military duty in the Mongolian army. For that reason, many young men became monks and lived in temples. The Chinese were weak: they had no weapons or horses and were afraid of the Mongols because they were very cruel. Southern China was only controlled by a minority of Mongols so it was possible to study military techniques in the temples. There was a high interest in the Taiji philosophy to find out how to fight the Mongols: how can the weak defeat the strong?
In these turbulent times in history lived a daoist monk called Zhangsanfeng. He is believed to have created taijiquan. One theory says that he created taijiquan in his dreams. According to another story, one day Zhangsanfeng was watching a fight between a bird and a snake and witnessed that softness could overcome firmness. A third version goes that Zhangsanfeng was watching monks boxing on the Wudang mountain. They used too much force and lacked balance. He thought they would be more efficient if yin and yang were more in balance inside the body and thus created taijiquan.
During the collapse of the Ming Dynasty in 1644, there was an army officer Chen Wangting who returned to his birthplace and started teaching taijiquan, amongst others a routine that consisted of 108 movements. Chen-style taijiquan was born. It was kept secret and rarely shown to people outside the family.
Chenchangxin (1771-1853) made an exception to this rule. A man called Yangluchan (1799-1872) was very interested in boxing. An old boxer who saw that Yangluchan was very talented, sent him to the Chens. Since they only taught family members, he was refused as a student but Yangluchan stayed to work on the farm. At night, he would spy on the teacher and his students until he was caught one day. Master Chen made Yangluchan fight one of his best students and Yangluchan was able to beat him. Chen thought this was so remarkable that he decided to teach Yangluchan everything he knew.
Yangluchan later returned to his birthplace where he started teaching taijiquan. He had many students and was very strong. He liked contests and never lost one! He was the most famous empty force master in history.
The Manchurians who established the Ching Dynasty in 1644, heard of Yangluchan and drafted him into royal service[1]. Unwilling to teach the Manchus – native Chinese still regarded them as barbarians – Yang only taught them a kind of slow-moving form without any philosophy or mental exercise! Yangluchan knew that if the emperor would find out about his modifications, he and his family would be murdered. He couldn't trust anyone and for that reason, he only taught the real tai chi to his sons[2].
YangLuchan had 3 sons: the first one died as a child, the second one was YangYu (1837-1892) and the third one Yangjian (1839-1917). YangYu took over from his father and was very good. Yangjian didn’t really like the hard training. He had many students and taught large, medium and small stance. He reached a high level. His opponents were caught in a passive position : they could not approach him!
Yangjian too had 3 sons: Zhaoxiong, a second one who died young, and Zhaoqing.
YangZhaoxiong (1862-1930) had a strong character. He liked to attack and was an aggressive teacher and as a result, he had only a few students. He mastered ‘spiritual force’, also called ling kong jin or empty force.
YangZhaoqing (1883-1936) was also named YangChengfu. It is under this name that he became very famous. He started promoting taijiquan as a health technique. The true reason was that he lost fights (he was an alcohol addict). Yangchengfu said that every student should have at least one student. Because of this, Yang-style taijiquan became very popular and spread widely.
Even though Yangchengfu didn't grow old, taijiquan is good for health: his students became old!
Prof. Yao HuanZi (1903-1962) was another empty force master. He studied YangLuchan's style of taijiquan under Tong Yingjie. After that, he studied Tibetan esoteric practices and learned some secret techniques. He combined this knowledge with taijiquan and became an empty force master. Professor Yao used his strong external forces to heal patients .
Prof. Yao had several students in Shanghai, one of them was Dr. Shen Hongxun (1939-present) who moved to Belgium in 1987. Dr. Shen studied with some other teachers like Tian Zhaolin and YuJifu, but he was so lucky as to have studied with Xia Zixin who taught Nanpai taijiquan [3]. Characteristic of this style of tai chi is the focus on 37 standing postures. Practicing Nanpai taijiquan leads to the development of spontaneous movement which – when controlled – allows you to develop other specific taiji-jin or forces which can be used for fighting as well as healing. Dr. Shen has been teaching 'Taiji 37' for several years. He noticed that the development of taiji forces has strong health benefits for the practitioner.
Roel Strzeminski, Spiritual Healer/Teacher and Qigong Instructor, studied Taiji 37 with Dr. Shen Hongxun, Taijiquan Tiantan Style (Mountain of Heaven style) with his daughter Shenjin and San Shou (free style tai chi partner form) with his son ZhengYu.
Bibliography:
The Dao of Taijiquan, Jou Tsung Hwa
Empty Force, Paul Dong
T'ai Chi Classics, Waysun Liao
Basics of TCM, Shen Ziyin & Chen Zelin
Yang Family Secret Transmissions, Douglas Wile
[1] Teaching for the royal family was one of the reasons why the Yang style became so well-known.
[2] When the revolution of 1911 ended the ruling Ching Dynasty, the noble families scattered all over the country, and so did their tai chi. Many of them became tai chi teachers, saying they had been taught by Masters of the Yang family.
[3] Nanpai Taijiquan is "Southern School" Taijiquan. This was the only school who taught tai chi in the form of standing postures and has ceased to exist since WW II.
In the Tang Dynasty (618-905 AD) there was a martial art known as Sanshiqi which means 37 movements (Xu XuanPing, 701-762). It was a single posture practice: there was no standard sequence as in today's tai chi. But after completing the study of all the postures, they were automatically put together as a continuous movement according to the taiji principle (the style was also called LongQuan: continuous form). Consequently, this must have been an early form of taijiquan: fighting based on the taiji philosophy.
During the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), Northern China was controlled by Mongolia. Temples didn't have to pay taxes and were free of military duty in the Mongolian army. For that reason, many young men became monks and lived in temples. The Chinese were weak: they had no weapons or horses and were afraid of the Mongols because they were very cruel. Southern China was only controlled by a minority of Mongols so it was possible to study military techniques in the temples. There was a high interest in the Taiji philosophy to find out how to fight the Mongols: how can the weak defeat the strong?
In these turbulent times in history lived a daoist monk called Zhangsanfeng. He is believed to have created taijiquan. One theory says that he created taijiquan in his dreams. According to another story, one day Zhangsanfeng was watching a fight between a bird and a snake and witnessed that softness could overcome firmness. A third version goes that Zhangsanfeng was watching monks boxing on the Wudang mountain. They used too much force and lacked balance. He thought they would be more efficient if yin and yang were more in balance inside the body and thus created taijiquan.
During the collapse of the Ming Dynasty in 1644, there was an army officer Chen Wangting who returned to his birthplace and started teaching taijiquan, amongst others a routine that consisted of 108 movements. Chen-style taijiquan was born. It was kept secret and rarely shown to people outside the family.
Chenchangxin (1771-1853) made an exception to this rule. A man called Yangluchan (1799-1872) was very interested in boxing. An old boxer who saw that Yangluchan was very talented, sent him to the Chens. Since they only taught family members, he was refused as a student but Yangluchan stayed to work on the farm. At night, he would spy on the teacher and his students until he was caught one day. Master Chen made Yangluchan fight one of his best students and Yangluchan was able to beat him. Chen thought this was so remarkable that he decided to teach Yangluchan everything he knew.
Yangluchan later returned to his birthplace where he started teaching taijiquan. He had many students and was very strong. He liked contests and never lost one! He was the most famous empty force master in history.
The Manchurians who established the Ching Dynasty in 1644, heard of Yangluchan and drafted him into royal service[1]. Unwilling to teach the Manchus – native Chinese still regarded them as barbarians – Yang only taught them a kind of slow-moving form without any philosophy or mental exercise! Yangluchan knew that if the emperor would find out about his modifications, he and his family would be murdered. He couldn't trust anyone and for that reason, he only taught the real tai chi to his sons[2].
YangLuchan had 3 sons: the first one died as a child, the second one was YangYu (1837-1892) and the third one Yangjian (1839-1917). YangYu took over from his father and was very good. Yangjian didn’t really like the hard training. He had many students and taught large, medium and small stance. He reached a high level. His opponents were caught in a passive position : they could not approach him!
Yangjian too had 3 sons: Zhaoxiong, a second one who died young, and Zhaoqing.
YangZhaoxiong (1862-1930) had a strong character. He liked to attack and was an aggressive teacher and as a result, he had only a few students. He mastered ‘spiritual force’, also called ling kong jin or empty force.
YangZhaoqing (1883-1936) was also named YangChengfu. It is under this name that he became very famous. He started promoting taijiquan as a health technique. The true reason was that he lost fights (he was an alcohol addict). Yangchengfu said that every student should have at least one student. Because of this, Yang-style taijiquan became very popular and spread widely.
Even though Yangchengfu didn't grow old, taijiquan is good for health: his students became old!
Prof. Yao HuanZi (1903-1962) was another empty force master. He studied YangLuchan's style of taijiquan under Tong Yingjie. After that, he studied Tibetan esoteric practices and learned some secret techniques. He combined this knowledge with taijiquan and became an empty force master. Professor Yao used his strong external forces to heal patients .
Prof. Yao had several students in Shanghai, one of them was Dr. Shen Hongxun (1939-present) who moved to Belgium in 1987. Dr. Shen studied with some other teachers like Tian Zhaolin and YuJifu, but he was so lucky as to have studied with Xia Zixin who taught Nanpai taijiquan [3]. Characteristic of this style of tai chi is the focus on 37 standing postures. Practicing Nanpai taijiquan leads to the development of spontaneous movement which – when controlled – allows you to develop other specific taiji-jin or forces which can be used for fighting as well as healing. Dr. Shen has been teaching 'Taiji 37' for several years. He noticed that the development of taiji forces has strong health benefits for the practitioner.
Roel Strzeminski, Spiritual Healer/Teacher and Qigong Instructor, studied Taiji 37 with Dr. Shen Hongxun, Taijiquan Tiantan Style (Mountain of Heaven style) with his daughter Shenjin and San Shou (free style tai chi partner form) with his son ZhengYu.
Bibliography:
The Dao of Taijiquan, Jou Tsung Hwa
Empty Force, Paul Dong
T'ai Chi Classics, Waysun Liao
Basics of TCM, Shen Ziyin & Chen Zelin
Yang Family Secret Transmissions, Douglas Wile
[1] Teaching for the royal family was one of the reasons why the Yang style became so well-known.
[2] When the revolution of 1911 ended the ruling Ching Dynasty, the noble families scattered all over the country, and so did their tai chi. Many of them became tai chi teachers, saying they had been taught by Masters of the Yang family.
[3] Nanpai Taijiquan is "Southern School" Taijiquan. This was the only school who taught tai chi in the form of standing postures and has ceased to exist since WW II.
Monday, January 18, 2010
The Five Tibetans
The five Tibetan rites, a.k.a. The Five Tibetans, are five exercises that have numerous benefits when practiced on a daily basis. Once you know how to perform them correctly, it will only take you 5-10 minutes per day. A small investment in time, but with great rewards!
These exercises resemble yoga poses you go in and out of, with 21 repetitions of each. Most people gradually build up to that, or when in a hurry, only perform 7 reps of each exercise.
Important - actually, crucial is the way of breathing during the practice, since the healing and rejuvenating effects take place on the energy level.
The origins of these exercises may be questioned by some, yet the RESULTS are not! We have seen so many improvements in students with spinal and other problems, and fairly quickly, and we highly recommend everybody to learn them!
At the Be Well Center, we teach The Five Tibetans in 3 classes by appointment. That's all it takes: a total of 3 hours and $36.00, and a daily commitment to practice 5 to 10 minutes at home.
Read the testimonials in the "Comments" section below, and give us a call to schedule your class (805) 460-9907.
These exercises resemble yoga poses you go in and out of, with 21 repetitions of each. Most people gradually build up to that, or when in a hurry, only perform 7 reps of each exercise.
Important - actually, crucial is the way of breathing during the practice, since the healing and rejuvenating effects take place on the energy level.
The origins of these exercises may be questioned by some, yet the RESULTS are not! We have seen so many improvements in students with spinal and other problems, and fairly quickly, and we highly recommend everybody to learn them!
At the Be Well Center, we teach The Five Tibetans in 3 classes by appointment. That's all it takes: a total of 3 hours and $36.00, and a daily commitment to practice 5 to 10 minutes at home.
Read the testimonials in the "Comments" section below, and give us a call to schedule your class (805) 460-9907.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Be Well Center in the news
Healing abounds at Be Well Center (Atascadero News - Nov 12, 2008):
http://www.atascaderonews.com/fe_view_article_window.php?story_id=1453&page_id=72&heading=0
http://www.atascaderonews.com/fe_view_article_window.php?story_id=1453&page_id=72&heading=0
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Reiki - the gentle art of healing
During a 21-day meditation in 1922, the Japanese monk Mikao Usui discovered a form of healing where one can tap into an unlimited supply of “life force energy”. He also gained knowledge of how to attune others to do the same. This form of healing is known as Reiki.
Reiki is a healing modality that restores energy balance and vitality by reducing stress and promoting relaxation. During a session, the client remains fully clothed on a massage table while the Reiki therapist places his/her hands on the body either intuitively or in an ordered progression of positions.
There are many benefits of this gentle healing system:
- reduces stress and promotes deep relaxation;
- brings clarity e.g. about work or relationships;
- helps heal physical injuries and emotional hurts;
- brings relief from chronic pain.
Also consider Reiki sessions when you are recovering from injury, when you are in a time of preparation for surgery and later during the recovery period. Many have reported miraculous results.
To enjoy a Reiki session, call the Be Well Center and schedule your appointment.
You can also learn to treat yourself and your family with Reiki by taking a Reiki class (Level 1 and/or Level 2). Each class is a one-day workshop in which you receive the attunements to connect with the Reiki energy and learn hand positions to help yourself and others heal.
Roel Strzeminski is a Spiritual Healer & Teacher, Reiki Master Teacher (Usui-Tibetan tradition) and Qigong Master.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Inner Wisdom - Spiritual Healing
As you know, Be Well Center offers healing modalities & classes focused on integrating all levels of your being: Spirit, Mind and Body. One approach to healing that covers the Spiritual aspect, is the INNER WISDOM class, facilitated by Roel Strzeminski.
During 15 years of experience as a Spiritual Healer & Teacher, Roel learned that ultimate healing happens on a spiritual level. This is true for physical problems, as well as emotional issues, relationship problems and personal or other drama in daily life. Private healing sessions can be literally life-changing, but healing - and self-improvement - is a journey and to be of better service on your path to happiness, we offer weekly Inner Wisdom classes.
Inner Wisdom is a spiritual healing class. What that means is that we explore and gain deeper understanding of the spiritual aspects of ourselves, our life and the challenges we encounter.
Let's give an example. All too often, we forget about our Soul and we identify with our body. When we look in the mirror and see ourselves, we say "That's me." Well, that's not really true. You are not your body, you are a Divine Soul who resides in the body. Your Soul is eternal, your body is not. When we learn to see this Truth, a lot of things become different. A new perspective and new ways to look at things will not only help you heal old hurts, but also give you the insight and empowerment to avoid future problems and to help create the life of your dreams.
When you heal and expand your consciousness, healing takes place on all levels, happiness returns and abundance flows.
During the Inner Wisdom classes, Divine guidance and help is always - and often tangibly - present. You don't have to do everything by yourself. When the going gets tough, call for help. God always answers, and there are a 100,000 Angels by your side! Just ask, and it is given.
"There is only one religion, the religion of Love."
During 15 years of experience as a Spiritual Healer & Teacher, Roel learned that ultimate healing happens on a spiritual level. This is true for physical problems, as well as emotional issues, relationship problems and personal or other drama in daily life. Private healing sessions can be literally life-changing, but healing - and self-improvement - is a journey and to be of better service on your path to happiness, we offer weekly Inner Wisdom classes.
Inner Wisdom is a spiritual healing class. What that means is that we explore and gain deeper understanding of the spiritual aspects of ourselves, our life and the challenges we encounter.
Let's give an example. All too often, we forget about our Soul and we identify with our body. When we look in the mirror and see ourselves, we say "That's me." Well, that's not really true. You are not your body, you are a Divine Soul who resides in the body. Your Soul is eternal, your body is not. When we learn to see this Truth, a lot of things become different. A new perspective and new ways to look at things will not only help you heal old hurts, but also give you the insight and empowerment to avoid future problems and to help create the life of your dreams.
When you heal and expand your consciousness, healing takes place on all levels, happiness returns and abundance flows.
During the Inner Wisdom classes, Divine guidance and help is always - and often tangibly - present. You don't have to do everything by yourself. When the going gets tough, call for help. God always answers, and there are a 100,000 Angels by your side! Just ask, and it is given.
"There is only one religion, the religion of Love."For more info and a class schedule, please visit www.beweLLLiving.net
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