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THE BIG QUESTION
HOW CAN WE MASSIVELY EXPAND OUR TEACHING INTO THE GENERAL PUBLIC?
HOW A KANSAS HEARTLAND TAI CHI TEACHER FOUND THAT TO "REACH THE MASS PUBLIC" HE HAD TO DEVELOP "2 TRACKS" OF TEACHING ...
ONE, TRADITIONAL ...
AND ANOTHER INNOVATIVE APPROACH FOCUSING ON "TAI CHI AS STRESS MANAGEMENT"
And how this not only got his Tai Chi into corporations, prisons, major medical centers and medical universities, senior care, and public education at all levels ...
but has opened doors for Tai Chi teachers worldwide ... of ALL STYLES OF TAI CHI.
POSSIBLE VIDEO TRAINING SERIES ...
How to Make YOUR Tai Chi and
Qigong a Medically Effective Health Meditation Practice
Founder of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day's Possible Global Education Project ...
TAI CHI TEACHER'S COMMENTS ON PROPOSED
"Tai Chi as Qigong
Medically Beneficial
Health Practice
" Learning and Teaching Program
by Founder of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
Hi, Bill: I am definitely interested in your
video series. Please keep me in the loop as
things develop. Thanks for all of the
wonderful ways you and Angie continue to
make available T'ai Chi and Qigong resources
on a global basis. With all of the controversy
surrounding wellness and healthcare
(especially in America), T'ai Chi & Qigong
have so much to offer, so the timing of your
proposed video series couldn't be better!
Thanks for all you do!
Hi Bill,
I teach tai chi and I would be interested in this course.
Thank you!
Lili Just Simons
Hi, Mr. Douglas
I would be very interested in a video series on
gearing tai chi practice to more medical/ mind/body
specific approaches.
I have presented to a couple different professional
wellness groups but have a hard time getting it to
"stick" with people. There are always a few who will
get into it right away, but I'd like to get a broader
appeal and feel I need to dial in to the stress relief
aspect more specifically. I've been teaching for over
15 years, but I take a lot of time developing structure
and 'fong sung' first in my classes, which doesn't
translate as well to an introductory tai chi for
mindfulness- at least not in such a limited time.
I'd appreciate any insight into fast tracking the
process.
Thanks for all the great work you do and the
information you provide
Mike Wiseman
BILL DOUGLAS'S REPLY TO MIKE (TAI CHI TEACHER IN MONTANA):
Hi Mike,
I think your insights into what the general public
seek are very astute. I had the same issues with
general public/corporate type presentations here
in Kansas and Missouri as you are probably
encountering in Montana. They had to FEEL a
result right away, or it didn't interest them.
That was the sand in the oyster of teaching that
has evolved into the pearl I'd like to share in the
video series ... if there is more interest. Essentially
what I did was I created 2 tracks of teaching:
1) My traditional Long Form, and
2) My "Stress Management Tai Chi" program.
What I saw over the years was that my "Stress
Management Tai Chi" became the bulk, the
backbone of my teaching, because that is what
the general public was needing so badly.
What I have realized over all these years of
getting Tai Chi into corporate wellness, healthcare,
senior care, prisons ... etc. etc. ... is that what the
mass public is desperately needing is "relief from
their stress." Stress disease is epidemic because
the world is changing so quickly, faster than
ever before in human history.
I realized that Tai Chi at its core is a highly
refined stress management tool, so I peeled
back the layers to enable that quality to shine
quickly via a combination of Nei Gong Meditation,
using Tai Chi Warm Ups as a Moving Qigong
Meditation, and then I created a simple Tai Chi
Short Form that becomes much more quickly
accessible as a meditation.
Thanks for your reply. I'm publishing eloquent
replies like yours in our newsletter to show other
teachers your angle of interest, which they may see
themselves in. If I can get more involved,
I can do this training video series cheaper for everyone...
If you're interested in this proposed
Tai Chi as Qigong for Health video series,
reply to:
with "Tai Chi as Medically Beneficial Qigong Health Meditation Practice Video Series"
in subj. line
CLARIFICATION: Dr. of Oriental Medicine, Ted J. Cibik (www.medicalqigongcertification.com) asked me to clarify that the term "Medical Qigong" is a noun that represents a complex training system of detailed progression through acupuncture points, meridians and more, similar to a medical degree training in the West.
To clarify, my use of the phrase 'medical qigong health practice' is not meant to indicate the classical medical doctorate program of Traditional Chinese Medicine. But, as detailed in my explanation, it is used here as an adjective to describe how my program helps adjust Tai Chi's possible applications. My possible training videos would not be about teaching tai chi teachers and enthusiasts new systems of Tai Chi, Qigong, acupuncture, etc., but rather how to "re-focus" their current Tai Chi on another aspect of Tai Chi training, the stress
management aspect, and to learn how to make it more accessible and immediately beneficial to the general public.
When I use the terms 'medical and health' it is to reflect the profound medical and health benefits students and clients have received from this Tai Chi approach I have evolved over 2 decades of teaching in major health institutions, corporations, penal institutions, public schools, senior care institutions, etc. and seeing the results.
-- Bill Douglas, Founder of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
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THE PROPOSAL ...
I have created tons of free resources to tell Tai Chi teachers how to get into society at all levels, by doing presentations in public education, special education, health networks, corporate wellness, senior, and penal rehab. settings. But,
how do you actually create a one hour Tai Chi presentation that will actually have a big impact on people in such situations like a corporation or a hospital? Easier said than done. But, while Angela and I have been organizing WTCQD for nearly 2 decades,
I have been pioneering this very presentation myself by evolving my Tai Chi into an extremely effective "Tai Chi as Qigong Meditation" medically beneficial science based approach that after just a one hour class can leave participants with profound tangible immediate benefits. I am considering sharing this process with enthusiasts and teachers worldwide, for the same reason we created WTCQD, because I think it can help spread Tai Chi into the world at all corners of society.
Over the last 2 decades I've offered "marketing tips" to help Tai Chi teachers grow their classes, by doing one hour presentations in public libraries, hospitals, corporations, etc. BUT, CONVENTIONAL TAI CHI IS DIFFICULT TO "HOOK" SOMEONE'S INTEREST IN ONE HOUR ... which is why I'm offering something to you in this article ...
maybe
. My presentations seem simple, but to learn to make Tai Chi benefits immediately felt and simple, takes years to learn how to do. I cannot explain it in WTCQD newsletters ... it would require a multi-level video instructional program. One I may be willing to create ...
IF there is interest in it.
I teach about 100 students in a typical week, but in
some months, up to 200 students per week, or more.
That is a VERY large student base. How do I do it?
Especially given the fact of so many hours I spend
away from my own local practice, in my work promoting
Tai Chi and Qigong teachers and organizations
efforts around the world each year.
How do I engage and keep the interest of so many students?
I make Tai Chi a simple elegant Qigong Medically Beneficial Health
Meditation experience. It has taken me decades of global
research into Tai Chi, Qigong, observing teachers worldwide
and absorbing lessons and techniques from all of them,
as well as research into Yoga, various Meditation, Physics,
Chaos Mathematics and Neuro-Science, to conceptualize
and to create this "simple" approach. But, I believe
I can share the technique with you in a video series
I am pondering creating.
-- Bill Douglas, Founder of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
You can do this as well. I am NOT talking about getting you to learn a new form of Tai Chi or Qigong, but by adding another angle to your practice or teaching ... a very easily accessible Meditation angle that students can enjoy benefits from the first day ... it can expand your reach into your community profoundly.
I have done it for 25 years, creating a full time professional Tai Chi teaching career.
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Something happened to me while doing a Tai Chi teacher training in North Africa last month ... that made me decide to do something I have never done before ... to consider doing a Tai Chi Teacher Training program in "Tai Chi as a Medically Beneficial Qigong Health Practice" for teachers & others worldwide.
What happened in Africa, was a French Canadian Tai Chi teacher, well versed in Tai Chi training, was stunned by the Tai Chi as Qigong Meditation techniques I exposed him to, exclaiming at the end of the training, "Bill, that was FANTASTIQUE!."
The look of wonder on his face, on the face of a man steeped in Tai Chi, but never exposed to this angle of Tai Chi |
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as Medically Beneficial Qigong Health Meditation, stuck with me, and made me decide to make this offer (perhaps, depending on if any of you reply with interest. See below). It wasn't the first time this had happened. In our travels around the world, my Tai Chi as Medically Beneficial Qigong Health
Meditation approach had really amazed highly experienced Tai Chi practitioners worldwide.
I am considering the possibility of doing a multi-part series of videos on "How to Make Tai Chi a Medically Beneficial Qigong Health Meditation Practice." Before I put such effort into a project like this, I would need to know if there is interest. If there is interest, I will create a free Introduction video this summer. The ensuing videos, I would make available on Youtube, but would need to charge for them. Why? Some might ask. Well, because I simply can't afford to give myself away entirely. Organizing WTCQD and providing all the free resources we've given out freely for nearly 2 decades, has demanded time away from my own local Tai Chi teaching in Kansas City (which costs me and Angie dearly in time away from our own local teaching practice). To create effective video instructionals is both time consuming and expensive.
If you think this series could be of interest to you, you need to contact me at:
billdouglas@worldtaichiday.org with
"Tai Chi as Medically Beneficial Qigong Health Meditation Practice Video Series" in the subject line of your email, and I'll add you to a contact list, to keep you updated as this develops. If there is interest in this, I may also add at some point,
live online classes to support this
Tai Chi as Medically Beneficial Qigong Health Meditation Practice Video Series to further enhance your own Tai Chi practice or teaching.
But, if you think this would interest you in the future, you NEED to contact me above, because I will not proceed with this project if I don't hear any interest.
How You Know this Works ... Proof is in the Pudding ...
How Did This Unique Approach Evolve?
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PBS Affiliate, KCPT TV
Bill Douglas's
Tai Chi as
Qigong Meditation
Program at the
University of Kansas Hospital
"How Tai Chi Benefits
Chronic Health Conditions"
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What if you could show them big benefits THE FIRST DAY, in a one hour presentation?
Results People Can Feel THE FIRST DAY ...
See below testimonial reports from
a one hour corporate presentation I did for Quintiles, Inc. employee staff ... which is indicative of similar reports from employees at some of the world's largest corporations I presented this same program to: Hallmark, Inc.; Sprint; Associated Wholesale Grocers; BMA Financial; Americo; Catholic Hospice Workers; and for U.S. federal department employees.
Bill,
Thank you so much for coming to Quintiles today... the glowing
comments I have rec'd should make you feel great!!
I'm not sure
the last time I was involved in a project that received this
much positive feedback so fast.
Thanks, see below reports from employees ...
Molly, Quintiles, Inc.
*********
"I wanted to thank you for arranging for Bill Douglas to present
the Stress Relief workshop using Tai Chi & Qigong. I can't believe
the difference a one hour presentation class could make. I noticed
I actually felt lighter when I was walking and it felt like I could
actually feel my joints moving.
I know this sounds strange but since I've had my hip and knee
problems I never feel my joints moving when I walk. I also noticed
I could feel my shoulders start to tense up because they've been
in that position for so long but at least now I was aware of it and
could let them relax again.
I was able to breathe in more deeply than I have been able to do
for months because of my allergy induced asthma. I swear during
the breathing exercises I could actually feel my lungs open up and
I feel more alert and not as tired as I was starting the day."
**********
"I really enjoyed today's Tai Chi/Qigong class. I came to class
with a headache that had lasted a couple of days. After class
the headache was gone and I felt relaxed and refreshed."
Why am I considering doing this now? I turned 60 this year. I realize that I will not be around forever, and have had a unique opportunity, to meet and study with and learn from medical and Tai Chi and Qigong masters all over the planet ... and having to teach Tai Chi for 25 years in the Heartland of America ... where if you don't show results fast ... people don't stick with it ... and being commissioned to produce 4 editions of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong," one of the most highly rated Tai Chi books on Amazon.
Some suffer from the delusion that writing a book that makes Tai Chi and Qigong seem simple is an easy task ... but, I'll tell you ... it is the opposite of easy ... it takes years and years to learn how to do so ... and the editorial staff at Penguin Alpha, and Macmillan Publishing, etc. in New York where my books were published DEMANDED THAT I EXPLAIN TAI CHI & QIGONG IN AN EASY TO UNDERSTAND WAY ... AND I'M HERE TO TELL YOU ... THAT IS
THE OPPOSITE OF EASY ... but, I did it, the reviews prove it. Explaining Tai Chi in complex ways is a piece of cake, compared to putting in the years of honing a way to explain complex concepts in easy, tangible, immediately applicable ways. See these reviews of my book by the United States All Tai Chi Forms Grand Champion, Hong Yijao, and other Tai Chi experts:
"Sometimes Chinese culture can be difficult to explain.
Sifu Bill Douglas successfully uses American culture to
explain the art of T'ai Chi Chuan. He simplifies difficult
concepts, making them easier to understand. This book
takes the best parts of T'ai Chi and makes them
understandable [to Westerners] without requiring a
grounding in Chinese culture and history."
-- Sifu Yijiao Hong, USA All-Tai Chi Grand Champion and
USA Team member; Certified International Coach and
Judge, International Wushu Federation
"Douglas has achieved for QiGong what Apple did for the
computer. He's brought it to the people ... great place to start
for beginners. ... Teachers may also find this an excellent manual
'on how to explain these concepts to the general public...'"
-- R. Poccia, stress management instructor,
Beyond Anonymous, San Francisco
"Visionary! If you only buy one book on T'ai Chi, then this
is the book. This book is all you ever needed to know to
change your life. I have taught T'ai Chi for several decades
myself, yet I have now read Bill's book from cover to cover
seven times, and still get something new from it each time."
-- Dr. Michael Steward Sr., D.MA, Ph.D., MA, Senior
Coach for Team USA, Inductee of the World Sports
Medicine and World Martial Arts Hall of Fame
If you look through the amazon reviews of my book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong," (4.3 out of 5 stars, 80 reviews) you'll see that this book, which encapsulates this unique "Tai Chi as Qigong Medical/Health Meditation Approach," has in and of itself,
literally changed people's lives
. If A BOOK did this, imagine what results you can get by learning to use it live in classes.
This is a reflection of the potential this unique "Tai Chi as Medically Beneficial Qigong Health Meditation Practice" approach I've evolved, and am willing to share now, at this ripe old age of 60, because I want all Tai Chi teachers and students to know about this, which is the fruit of working with health institutions worldwide
,
corporate wellness departments of some of the world's largest corporations, public education, penal and prison professionals, and meeting and being exposed to the work and techniques of perhaps more Tai Chi and Qigong teachers than anyone on the planet.
I don't want to take this lifetime of development with me when I leave this planet.
So, if you are curious about this coming to fruition, again, email me at
billdouglas@worldtaichiday.org with
"Tai Chi as Medically Beneficial Qigong Health Meditation Practice Video Series" in the subj. line.
Yours in the quest to spread Tai Chi & Qigong benefits
throughout society at all levels worldwide.
Bill Douglas, Founder of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
Creator of the University of Kansas Hospital, and Kansas University Medical Center's Tai Chi as Qigong Meditation program;
Creator of the "Tai Chi & Qigong for Parkinson's" DVD,
provided free as a public service by physicians all across the United States to patients with Parkinson's
* 2009 Inductee to the World Internal Arts Hall of Fame in New York;
* Recipient of the World Congress on Qigong's "Media Excellence Award";
* Recipient of the National Qigong Association's "Extraordinary Service in the Field of Qigong Award";
* Recipient of the US Tai Chi Chuan Federation's "Tai Chi Leadership Award";
* Author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong (4th edition, Penguin)
* Author of "The Tao of Tai Chi: The Making of a New Science"
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-- G.T. Francis, Customer Service, Intramural-Recreational Sports, University of Virginia
As a long time university professor,
I am not easily impressed, but I
consider Bill to be an excellent
teacher. His instructions are very
clear, well structured, and easy to
follow. I am extremely grateful to
you for this extraordinary
teaching tool. Well done!
-- Larry, Pennsylvania, United States
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"Living an extremely unhealthy life style & taking numerous
medications for arthritis, depression, and pain . . . then one day
while browsing in the library I discovered a book, The
Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi and QiGong. I was so
impressed that I ordered Bill's videos [Anthology of T'ai Chi
& Qigong: The Prescription for the Future]. Now that I am
practicing T'ai Chi and QiGong daily I am off most of my
medications. People keep telling me I look "different" and
that I look happy. Well, I am happy and I feel great!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
-- Dave Long, Washington
| University of Kansas Hospital's "TAI CHI as Qigong Meditation for HEART DISEASE,"
created by Bill Douglas, Founder of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
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University of Kansas Tai Chi as Qigong Meditation Instructor, Bill Douglas
Patients dealing with Stroke Rehab.,
Type 2 Diabetes, Parkinson's, etc.
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Tai Chi for
Parkinson's Disease:
Dr. Peter Wayne, Harvard & Dr. Lewis Sedarsky, Brigham & Women's Hospital ...
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Tai Chi as
Qigong Science
Dr. Shin Lin, researcher at the University of California at Irvine, has been a pioneer in studying the medical science behind Tai Chi, when taught as a Qigong exercise, as well as Qigong's science.
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WTCQD Founder's note: We have had a very successful Tai Chi for Parkinson's disease and MS at the University of Kansas Hospital, that has been very beneficial to people dealing with both MS and Parkinson's.
Qigong Workshops in
Paraná, Entre RÃos, Argentina
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