Tai Chi walk

TAI CHI WALK

A talk given on tai chi and qigong walking techniques by Sifu Carlton Hill at HELP library on June 23, 2012.

Taiji or tai chi chaun is the supreme ultimate energy, exercise, healing art, martial art and philosophy combined from ancient china, practiced by millions around the world today for its countless healing benefits. Go for a walk on the park today. You might see people joggers and athletes alike walking and running in their own ways. People have different reasons for walking. Some want to lose weight; others want to be fit, while some want to lower their cholesterol and stress levels. But often times, we have seen that an hour of jogging/walking/running also doesn’t produce the desired results. This is where the tai chi walking technique comes in.   We remain unaware, says Sifu Carlton Hill. We walk without thought, without intention or energy. It then becomes a ‘pendulum walk’ where one is merely swinging his arms and legs while remaining oblivious to the very act of walking. “Don’t just walk,” says Hill, “Move on the earth.” So what does this ‘moving on earth’ mean? It means being aware of every moment, every twitch, every bend of muscle in your body as you walk. This walk involves the three principles of tai chi walking:         ·        Qi movement         ·        Qi mind         ·        Qi meditation Qi means energy- the basic essence of all that is living and non living. We are all connected. There isn’t an in here and out there. We are all energy, made out of the same elements. Knowing the technique to harness this energy is what tai chi teaches. It teaches us to connect not with the mind, but the inner soul of the body, thus providing ‘wholistic’ health. Once this connection is established, anything we want can be achieved, provided it is not out of harmful tendencies. There are many kinds of tai chi walks, the simplest one being the basic tai chi walk. Tai chi draws inspiration from nature. Thus it also has the cow walk, the snake walk and the crane walk. Practicing each of these alleviates stress, improves health and also restores vitality in the body.  Sifu Carlton Hill will be having his Tai chi class in HELP library 4th July onwards. To get the details of the class, contact him on 9892431215 or email him at carlton2360@yahoo.co.in