Please upload your WTCQD 2017 videos to Youtube, and send us the link with your report. Please upload your event photos to Facebook and send us the link, so we can share your local event with the world.
SEE WTCQD 2017 REPORTS BELOW ... MORE COMING IN FUTURE NEWSLETTERS!
NEW BOOK REVIEW ...
I DISCOVERED A "PRECIOUS GEM" THIS WEEK ... a GREAT GIFT to the Tai Chi & Qigong Community!
NOTE: To teachers, I highly recommend you urge your students get this. DON'T FEEL INSECURE about NOT KNOWING all the "Chinese Tai Chi & Qigong terms." DON'T WORRY ... NONE OF US DO :-)
Oh, maybe Ken Cohen or the Grandmasters of the styles do, but 99% of Tai Chi teachers do NOT know all these words--which is what makes it such a beautiful gift to our community.
Our students are fellow students with us ... we don't have to know it all ... we can learn from our students, and we do all the time.
What a GEM! I have been studying Tai Chi for 40 years, and teaching for nearly 25 years, and I found this to be a brilliant and precious addition to the Tai Chi library. Even though I've spent my life studying Internal Arts (Tai Chi & Qigong) this library is invaluable to me. There have been so many times over the decades when I've read an article by a Tai Chi or Qigong master or author, and did not know a term they were using. I know this book is well written, because when I received the book, I charged into it to see if "I agreed" with the definitions of the Chinese Tai Chi terms that I was familiar with. I was expecting to "disagree" with some, but found that not only did the definitions agree with my take on Tai Chi, but I learned many things about terms I already knew. For example, "Tai Chi," has been directly translated as "supreme ultimate," but that does not tell you the historical and philosophical meaning behind that direct translation.
This book, "The Taijiquan & Qi Gong Dictionary" defines Tai Chi (Taiji) as "literally 'great pole' (great polarity). A philosophical concept meaning the oneness before duality, from which Yin and Yang originate. The Yin Yan symbol is called TaijiTu."
That is the definition from the book above. I have heard the Yin Yang symbol called the Tai Chi symbol as well, and the above definition of Tai Chi gives you a deep look into Taoist and Tai Chi philosophy ... not just the literal translation from Chinese. The Yin Yang symbol's non-duality is a profound part of Tai Chi, and this book's above definition is profound and accurate. I asked my wife, Angela Wong Douglas, just to make sure on the Chinese translations :-)
This non-duality is seen in that meditative state we enter in Tai Chi and Qigong when we are no longer "thinking about" our meditation or movements, and rather we slip into that "being one with the process" or "being flowed by the movements." When in this state we don't categorize or divide the world with analytical Yang thought ... we drift in Yin consciousness. This is our microcosmic experience of the non-duality that preceded the Big Bang of Taoist thought as reflected in the above definition of "Taiji." This self replication of nature, or the microcosm of our personal experience and the macrocosm of the universal ... is not only a Tai Chi/Taoist concept, but it is at the cutting edge of modern mathematics. Chaos Mathematicians agree with ancient Taoists that there is a self replicating nature within the universe.
WE are a microcosm of the larger universe.
I recommend this book as a MUST for every Tai Chi and Qigong enthusiast on the planet, with this book you'll be able to comprehend every Tai Chi and Qigong article you will ever read, and would be a great tool to bring to seminars and symposiums so that when teachers or masters use a term we aren't familiar with, we can quickly look it up.
Bill Douglas, Founder of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
2009 Inductee to the World Internal Arts Hall of Fame in New York
Author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong" (4th edition)
Author of "The Tao of Tai Chi: The Making of a New Science"
THE 8 BROCADES OF QIGONG
Courtesy of Australian Qigong teacher, Stanislaw (Stan) Sieradzki
SOUTH AFRICA - BEAUTIFUL VIDEO REPORT World Tai Chi & Qigong Day event in 2017 ...
a
Be sure to view the "24 Hours of World Peace" livestream recording of WTCQD events unfolding around the world, click here, and then click on the top video/image on the page.
WTCQD ... TEXAS STYLE!
Houston, Texas USA World Tai Chi & Qigong Day 2017 Event
World Tai Chi Day video on YouTube from Houston Texas in Marmion Park.
Thanks,
Don
TAI CHI & QIGONG IN UK PUBLIC EDUCATION ... and beyond ...
Yesterday, I did a "Tai Chi & Qigong as Health Practice" presentation for graduating pediatrics physicians, showing them why Tai Chi & Qigong should be every bit as much on their prescription pads as anything else, given that between 60 and 90% of all health issues are caused by stress.
I also encouraged them to keep in mind, that if we got Tai Chi, Qigong, and Mind-Body practices into Public Education, it would head off the majority of common illnesses children and adults face.
AS SYNCHRONICITY WOULD HAVE IT ... when I got home from the University of Kansas Hospital after presenting to the graduating pediatricians ... I got this note from a pioneer of "Tai Chi in Education" in the UK ...
I am a pioneer in teaching Educational Tai Chi in Primary Schools
here in England, in fact my teaching recourse 'Chi for Children'
sells well in the US. I thought you may like to be amused by
reading our 'Shifu Shout Out' newsletter for schools (attached).
Best wishes - Betty UK Tai Chi and 'Chi for Children'
Also, see WorldTaiChiDay.org's "Tai Chi in Public Education," and "Tai Chi in Special Education" below
We've gotten some enthusiastic responses on the PROPOSED "How to Make YOUR Tai Chi a Medical Qigong Health Practice" ... from both those "new to Tai Chi" and from "seasoned teachers" ...
However, I am giving it another attempt,
because "if" I launch it, the more who are involved in it ... the cheaper it'll be for everyone.
with "Tai Chi as Medical/Health Qigong Videos" in subj. line
It'll be a huge additional time commitment and investment on my part, beyond all the work I do to organize WTCQD and to provide all the free resources at WorldTaiChiDay.org ... So,
I simply can't afford to donate this project. Wish I could as I have all the other free resources I've developed to help teachers/enthusiasts spread Tai Chi & Qigong, I just am economically and time wise unable to donate this project. Below are a few of the free resources I've created:
SOME REPLIES WE'VE GOTTEN on the Possible Video Instructional:
Bill,
A multi-part series of videos on
"How to Make Tai Chi a Qigong Medical/Health Practice"
is very relevant and I am interested in it.
I am a newbie Tai Chi Student (only 3 1/2 years)
but I am mainly doing it a a Medical/Health Practice
and I would like to share that with others. I have
recently received a Certificate in Gerontology Studies
and desire to share Tai Chi with or aging population.
Please add me to the contact list, to
keep me updated as this develops.
Thank you,
Joanne Nadovich
Hi Bill,
I have been teaching tai chi and Qigong for over 25 years now and it has developed into
a holistic approach to healing and wellness.
As a nurse (RN) with additional degrees in
psychology (BA) and spirituality (M.Div.),
I have a deep appreciation for the incredible
work that you are doing and I am very
interested in learning even more from
you, so please keep me posted.
Namaste ,
Deanne Hodgson
www.appliedtaichi4u.com
This is a wonderful idea and I strongly encourage
you to pursue the series. I teach Tai Chi to seniors
at the Asian American Resource Center here in Austin.
I'm also on the City's advisory commission on Asian
American Quality of Life which has a strong focus
on health. I intuitively see the connection and the
value, but I love your science-based approach and
want to learn more!
... this is important work you are doing and I want
to stay in the loop on those efforts. Please add
me to your discussion email list.
I teach a 34 hour course with cme's for physicians
and ce's for nurses, social workers, and massage
therapists. I am highly interested in your approach
as well.
with "Tai Chi as Medical/Health Qigong Videos" in subj. line
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" science based approach that after just a one hour class leaves 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.
I know that some Tai Chi teachers are frustrated that they are not seeing such dramatic medically measurable health results with their students dealing with Type 2 Diabetes, or Heart Disease, Chronic Pain or Fibromyalgia, Hypertension, etc. Dr. Shin Lin addresses this by talking about the difference between "Tai Chi as an exercise" and "Tai Chi as a Qigong practice."
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 Medical/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
After 25 years of teaching in some of the largest health institutions in the world, working with patients dealing with many different common health challenges ... I have evolved my Tai Chi method into a Qigong for Health practice. 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.
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 Medical/Health Qigong" for teachers and 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
as Medical/Health Qigong 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 Qigong Medical/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 Qigong Medical/Health 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 Qigong Medicine 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 medical Qigong approach to 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?
Below is a short video that proves how our Tai Chi as Qigong Meditation approach to Tai Chi has profoundly affected people's health in medically measurable ways. NOTE: This series won't be designed to "make you learn a new Tai Chi or Qigong style," it will be designed to give you a sense of how to use your current style to illicit such results. Its a new approach to Tai Chi, evolved over 25 years of teaching in some of the largest health centers, organizations and institutions ... not a new form of Tai Chi. I believe that ALL Tai Chi offers the potential for the same medical benefits, when approached from a Meditative Qigong angle. I have created a highly effective, and very accessible to the general public, method that produces tangible measurable health results, and can do so very quickly, applying it to your current Tai Chi practice.
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"
A pharmacologist and a surgeon in one of my 8 week courses found that their chronic hypertension that had been medicated for many years ... disappeared after "8 weeks" of my Tai Chi as Qigong Meditation course at their hospital. The surgeon had limited mobility and chronic pain for years from a whiplash injury ... disappeared after 8 weeks in this program. The stories go on and on ... see below videos.
Students often see big benefits from Tai Chi ... IF they stay with it for a long period of time ... but it takes time. HOWEVER, 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."
Because my book has often been a Tai Chi best-seller over the years, I have been commissioned to present for the
National Parkinson's Foundation and organizations all across the United States, at one point being commissioned to create a simple Tai Chi DVD for Parkinson's in Los Angeles that was provided by physicians throughout the United States for free to patients dealing with Parkinson's disease by a major pharmaceutical company I partnered with on this pioneering project. This was what solidified this unique Qigong Meditation Approach to Tai Chi program I created ... as following the DVD's release that major pharmaceutical company flew me all over the United States to do short presentations. It demanded of me to leave people with something that could have a real impact on them
in that short one hour presentation.
Following this national tour, I began a several year program of teaching for the University of Kansas Hospital & Kansas University Medical Center, using this same approach to Tai Chi, and began seeing amazing medically measurable benefits in participants in the classes I created at the hospital for people dealing with heart disease, chronic pain, MS, Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes, etc. This is a wholly unique approach to Tai Chi, with proven results ... a seemingly simple, but elegant approach. It looks effortless and simple on its face, but I may create a video series to peel back the layers, so that this can be replicated by any Tai Chi teacher.
Presenting Tai Chi at national Fibromyalgia conference
I was also commissioned to consult or present for the National Council on Aging, the American Heart Association, the Fibromyalgia Conference, and for physicians in the Parkinson's Neurology Dept. at the Kansas University Medical Center, for the Spine and Chronic Pain Dept., the Cardio Dept., and will be presenting in June for all the graduating Pediatric Medicine Physicians at the University of Kansas Hospital. I have much to share with you.
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
In this video, I give a cursory explanation of the unique approach to "Tai Chi as Qigong Medical/Health Meditation" to Dr. William Tsang of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in the famed "Tai Chi Research Center" at the university, when in Hong Kong a few years ago, meeting with the U.S. Consulate there about our work at World Tai Chi & Qigong Day.
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 Qigong Medicine" 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 Qigong Medicine" in the subj. line.
AGAIN, TO CREATE THIS WOULD BE A LOT OF WORK AND TIME COMMITMENT ON MY PART ... SO I AM NOT PROMISING TO DO THIS ... I'll see if there is any interest out there first (judging by email queries I get), and then decide. But, I do believe this could dramatically boost Tai Chi's popularity, and the spread of Tai Chi, or else I wouldn't even ponder it.
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"
"Somehow, I stumbled upon this little gem. Folks, I give you 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Tai Chi and QiGong' by Bill Douglas and Angela Wong Douglas". I highly recommend giving it a read!"
-- 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
"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
"As a practitioner of taichi and qigong after discovering your DVD and your book the Complete Idiot's Guide to Tai Chi & Qigong (both of great help), I know the benefits because it has helped reduced my anxiety/panic attacks significantly.
Best wishes and continue the great work in educating the world to the benefits of tai chi
-- Fee Young, United Kingdom
"
I'd like to say that your videos are the best Tai chi videos I've seen. You explain everything in detail, and the steps are easy to follow.
I found it quite easy to follow your instructions.
-- Francesca Sato, Rome, Italy
A must have for stressed people. In my daily work I get loads of stress, which causes my shoulders and neck to tighten up. I was impressed by the sitting Qi Gong exercise as I felt really what Bill said. It calmed me down and I felt it during the following days too.
I am looking forword to my 'unstressing moments. Even during stressed moments I think to my 'unstressed moments' and I can control my stress/emotions. Thanks Bill for being the guide. -- Johan Pyfferoen, Veurne, Belgium
University of Kansas Hospital's "TAI CHI as Qigong Meditation for HEART DISEASE,"
created by Bill Douglas, Founder of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
University of Kansas Tai Chi as Qigong Meditation Instructor, Bill Douglas
Patients dealing with Stroke Rehab.,
Type 2 Diabetes, Parkinson's, etc.
Tai Chi for Parkinson's Disease:
Dr. Peter Wayne, Harvard & Dr. Lewis Sedarsky, Brigham & Women's Hospital ...
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.
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.
One World ... One Breath
Where ever you are on World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, stop at 10'am
and take a few moments to breath in and out. As you breath in
connect to your present moment experience what ever it may be.
Hold your breath and allow your physical body to relax around
that feeling. As you breath our release and tension and struggle
and join in the wave of peace moving across the planet.
This is the most beneficial thing you can do to invite peace and
presence into your life.
Thanks to my dear friend
Bill Douglas for starting the wave and
creating the space for this to take place and grow.
-- Jay van Schelt, Colster, Connecticut
NEW STUDIES RELEASED ...
TAI CHI REDUCES DEPRESSION!
PUBLIC RELEASE:
Study finds tai chi significantly reduces depression symptoms in Chinese-Americans
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
A 12-week program of instruction and practice of the Chinese martial art tai chi led to significantly reduced symptoms of depression in Chinese Americans not receiving any other treatments. The pilot study conducted by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
enrolled members of Boston's Chinese community who had mild to moderate depression.
Unique Exercises For Depression: Tai Chi And Rock Climbing May Help Ease Symptoms, Studies Find
Subjects in the tai chi group were taught traditional moves and were asked to practice them at home three times a week. At the end of the 12-week period, the researchers found that their depression symptoms improved more than the other two groups. A follow-up assessment three months post-intervention revealed the tai chi group sustained their improved symptoms.
Punta Gorda, Florida USA WORLD TAI CHI & QIGONG DAY 2017 ...
Tunis, TUNISIA WORLD TAI CHI & QIGONG DAY 2017 ...
I was very delighted to meet you Bill
-- Habiba Ben Othman, Tunis, TUNISIA
Langenthal, SWITZERLAND WORLD TAI CHI & QIGONG DAY 2017 ...
Greatings from langenthal switzerland
tai chi gesundheit natur am 29.04.2017
QI TALKS ... National Qigong Association
QI TALKS REMINDER!
It's time for the next installment of Qi Talks hosted by Vicki Dello Joio! Call or log in and join us for a qi-filled hour of information, discussion, and Q&A with another leader from the world of the Energetic Arts. Qi Talks airs the second Thursday of the month from 8:30-9:30 PM Eastern. It's FREE and open to anyone and everyone interested in learning more about Qigong and the Energetic Arts.
Thursday, June 8, 2017, 8:30pm Eastern
Chungliang Al Huang
Slowing Down in a Fast World: Asian Wisdom in Western Living
We live in a fast-paced world, full of anxiety, distractions, and fear. In his book Quantum Soup: Fortune Cookies in Crisis, Chungliang Al Huang asks, "Have we grown so used to the pace that slowing down is frightening?" The challenge of finding resilience has never been greater. Can we slow down and recapture the connections that have suffered with the speed of daily living? Master Huang will assist listeners through Tai Ji metaphors, active visualization, sonic chanting mediation, and deep circular breathing methods with some qigong basics in the spirit of Taoist wisdom of "Wei Wu Wei"-doing by not forcing the doing, spontaneously following Nature's Way to being fully alive.
CHUNGLIANG AL HUANG, born in China, was immersed in the traditional study of tai ji, kung fu, brush calligraphy, and classic Chinese scholarly arts from a young age. In 1949, his family fled mainland China for Taiwan where he continued his studies. Huang came to the United States in 1955 first to study Architecture, with graduate work in Cultural Anthropology and Comparative Philosophy and Choreography. His intuitive knowledge of the ancient wisdom and rich traditions of his native China led to early collaborations with philosophers and scholars Joseph Needham, Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts, John Blofeld, Gregory Bateson, and Huston Smith.
In demand as both a keynote and motivational speaker at conferences and workshops around the world, Huang returned to China in 1982 as a consultant to prominent American business groups. He is now the director of the International Lan Ting Institute with its Chinese base in the sacred Wu Yi Mountain, an UNESCO World Triple heritage Site, rich with historic, religious, and cultural arts traditions; and its United States base in Gold Beach on the Oregon coast. From the renowned Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, to the world's major capitals, he shares the stage with luminaries such as the Dalai Lama and anthropologist/primatologist Jane Goodall.
Huang was featured in the 1988 inaugural segment of the PBS series A World of Ideas, moderated by Bill Moyers. He is the recipient of the prestigious Gold Medal from the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China, a fellow at the World Academy of Arts and Science, and an assembly member of A Parliament of the World's Religions.
As a performer of East-West cultural arts synthesis, he has performed at major world stages and international dance festivals, pioneered the Modern Dance movement in the Republic of China,1966-67, and directed the Hong Kong Dance Company in 1985. He and his wife, dancer Suzanne Pierce, were the first artists-in-residence at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (KCPA) at the University of Illinois since its inception. In 2013, KCPA revived Huang's signature "The Tao of Bach," combining Tai Ji dancing with music of J.S. Bach, with cellists David Darling and Michael Fitzpatrick, flutist Alexander Murray and harpist, Ann Yeung. The first "Tao of Bach" concert was a collaboration with The Paul Winter Consort at St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York City in 1980, and concluded at the Grace Cathedral in San Francisco 1982. in celebration of KCPA's 50th anniversary in the 2018-19th season, Huang will restage a world premiere of Gustav Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde," based on Tang Dynasty poems by Li Bai and Wang Wei. In addition to Paul Winter and the "Tao of Bach" musicians, Huang's other performing collaborators have included singer John Denver and Joan Baez, flutists Paul Horn, Michael Faust and Lorna McGee, pianists Lorin Hollander and Robert Levin, and acoustic harpist, Andreas Vollenweider.
Architect, performing artist, brush calligrapher, Huang is also a celebrated author, with a number of best-selling books to his credit. These include the classic
Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain, which has been translated into 17 languages and is now in its 43rd year of publication. Other popular titles include
Essential Tai Ji,
Quantum Soup, and T
he Chinese Book of Animal Powers. Huang is co-author of
Tao: The Watercourse Way (Pantheon Books) with Alan Watts and a series of books, co-authored with Jerry Lynch on sports/body/mind training including the best-selling
Thinking Body, Dancing Mind (Bantam Books). As a teacher/mentor, his intuitive knowledge of the intellectual and spiritual aspects of East-West Synthesis, along with his total devotion to his students, have endeared him to thousands of people around the world.
www.livingtao.org
HOW TO ATTEND QI TALKS LIVE
Please make a note of the following process for easy reference when calling or logging in. This process remains the same each month.
TO CALL IN TO ATTEND QI TALKS:
Call (712) 770-4160
Enter access Code 797574
TO LOG IN VIA YOUR COMPUTER TO ATTEND QI TALKS:
Connect to www.freeconferencecallhd.com
Click on blue box that says "HD Conferencing"
Click on "Dial in via our VoIP Dialer"
Select the conference phone number (712) 770-4160
Enter Access Code 797574
Enter your name
WHY SUPPORT OUR HEALTH & HEALING EFFORTS?
World Tai Chi & Qigong Day brings the world together for health & healing ...
Tai Chi and Qigong have become household words in the last years. World Tai Chi & Qigong Day's #1 goal has been to educate the mass public about the health and life benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong, and our work has profoundly contributed to this growing global awareness of Tai Chi & Qigong.
2nd, we created the
Medical Research Library at WorldTaiChiDay.org to educate Tai Chi and Qigong teachers about the growing medical research on Tai Chi and Qigong health benefits and how it treats many major health issues.
3rd, we taught Tai Chi and Qigong groups worldwide on how to
contact and work with local, regional, and national media, to cover their World Tai Chi & Qigong Day events, and then how to use that media exposure as a vehicle to educate the world about the medical research on Tai Chi and Qigong.
4th, we taught Tai Chi and Qigong groups worldwide how to work with
local and national government officials and agencies, to proclaim Tai Chi and Qigong's benefits for their city, province, state, and nations' citizens.
5th, we taught Tai Chi and Qigong groups worldwide how to utilize Official Proclamations on their WTCQD events, to gain media and public exposure and recognition.
6th, we compiled video and photos of events worldwide to create
mini-documentaries that groups could share worldwide to get even more Tai Chi and Qigong groups involved in World Tai Chi & Qigong Day.
TOGETHER, WE ARE CHANGING THE WORLD ...
"Your organizing of this global event
has been very helpful in gaining media
attention for the benefits of Qi Gong &
Tai Chi and in creating awareness of
our school and classes."
-- Howard Fraracci - Qi Gong teacher
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
HOW DO YOU INSPIRE TAI CHI & QIGONG GROUPS WORLDWIDE?
WORLD EVENTS DO NOT BUILD THEMSELVES
It takes a huge amount of work, a vision that you hold onto even when times are tough, and some artistry
17 years of receiving and gathering videos and photos from World Tai Chi & Qigong Day events, inspired us to create video montages and libraries of past events. WHY?
To inspire more and more Tai Chi and Qigong groups worldwide to organize and hold World Tai Chi & Qigong Day events around the world. In the beginning, our events were mostly the US, Canada, and Europe.
Then, Hong Kong joined in, and events spread across Asia. Then Egypt held mass events, and events have spread across Africa. Brazilia, Brazil's early work inspired groups all across Latin America. New Zealand and Australia have held events all over their nations.
THIS IS A TON OF WORK, A LABOR OF LOVE, WE HAVE GIVEN THE WORLD FOR 17 YEARS NOW.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUPPORT OUR GLOBAL HEALTH AND HEALING EFFORTS?
Make an announcement at your WTCQD events that our Official World Tai Chi & Qigong Day T-Shirts are still available after WTCQD as supplies last, at www.worldtaichiday.org
Let them know they can wear a beautiful and
meaningful piece of history!
Click to view or order. (Note: orders at this time will not arrive before WTCQD. But, we will get them to you after the event :-)
You can still order T-Shirts even after WTCQD, as supply lasts.
