Another interesting article from Yang-Sheng e-magazine.There is considerable evidence that taiji and Qigong can help strengthen your immune system. Doctors do not claim to fully understand what happens, but they do agree that taiji and Qigong help. One way that they may work is by activating our relaxation response. Another way that they may work is by activating our lymphatic system.
Read more here.
In December, Mei taught a very successful weekend Tai Chi workshop in Boulder, Colorado.Seen here some of her students showing a little of what they learned during the intensive two-day session. Students were able to complete the Tai Chi 18-form.
Afterwards, one of her students wrote to her and said, “The tai chi form feels amazing! Very blissful and peaceful. Thank you for teaching me.”
When you do your taiji form, you catch glimpses of deeper layers of stillness inside your movements. However, without a standing qigong practice, your taiji form will never give you complete access to the summit.
Imagine being on a hike, when you are just about to cross the tree line and you get a glimpse of the trail leading just a little higher. Before you arrive at the summit of a mountain, you catch glimpses of what lies waiting at the top. As you come closer to the top, a panorama spreads out before you. You breathe in the crisp air at the summit and see other distant peaks out on the horizon.
When you do your taiji form, you also catch glimpses of deeper layers of stillness inside your movements. But here’s the problem, without a standing qigong practice, your taiji form will never give you complete access to the summit. Just like that feeling of being there at the summit, breathing in different air, and gazing out onto the unfolding landscape of still, distant peaks all around you; standing qigong lets you soak in layers and layers of stillness that slow-motion movement can never quite reach.
Read more: Why Your Slow-Motion Movement Practice is Not Slow Enough
Mei and her gold medal winning students at Xianghe 2011
Taking time out from teaching at the Long Tou Shan Martial Arts School this October, Mei travelled to Beijing with three of her students to the CFWS (Chinese Martial Arts Association) 2011 Beijing competition at Epoch City, Xianghe. While she was judging the senior level competitors, three of her students including her son Da Zhu won gold medals performing Chen and Yang style routines. “The weekend was an excellent opportunity to see a broad range of styles and forms including taiji and kungfu” said Roy, one of Mei’s students, “there was also a chance to watch two famous calligraphers at work and we all got to take home personal pieces of art”.
Mei Tai Chi, with the able assistance of Roy Hanney, has been redeveloping the web site under WordPress, and we have just gone live! Please bear with us while we correct any broken links and plugins. We hope everyone will find the new web site to be informative and interesting!
A reader asks, “Can the people who have a natural talent to quiet their thoughts and clean their mind, not by effort and struggling, but only through insight, point the way for others?” I feel they can, or I wouldn’t be writing this column, though each person has to awaken meditation, or whatever name one [...]Digest powered by RSS Digest
November 2011 issue of Yang Sheng: Lots of articles on Qigong, Tai Chi, biophotons, training tips, research, and more.
The emagazine is available for download here
.Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) is an E-magazine and a network for all Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga, Reiki, mindfulness and meditation practitioners, health seekers, and spiritual cultivators. It promotes philosophy and methods of self-healing, positive mind and health preservation, and shares knowledge and experiences with those who are interested in the subjects and their applications in everyday life.
Yang-Sheng merges traditional life-nurturing knowledge with modern scientific research and clinic evidence, and combines ancient wisdom with our own experience to support our daily practice and well-being, and to reach true meaning of health in body, mind and spirit… Your contribution, participation, sharing and suggestions are truly appreciated.
Regular meditation appears to actually increase the size of the brain
The practice – an essential part of Buddhist and Indian Yoga traditions – has entered the mainstream as people try to find ways to combat stress and improve their quality of life.
Now new research suggests that mindfulness meditation can have benefits for health including improved immune function, reduced blood pressure and enhanced cognitive function.
The study, published in the latest issue of the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, draws on existing scientific literature to attempt to explain the positive effects.
Read more HERE.
Mei & students with Grandmaster Chen Zheng Lei
While Mei was teaching at the Long Tou Shan Martial Arts School this Spetember she had the opportunity to introduce her students to Grandmaster Chen Zheng Lei.
Mei has been apprenticed to the The Grandmaster since 2003 and though she trains with him once a year this was a unique opportunity for her to intrioduce some of her students to Chen Zheng Lei in person.
Mei & Daniel with students at the Wanderingdao Retreat 2011
This autumn 2011 Mei took a few weeks off from teaching in Boulder, Colorado to collaborate with Daniel Li Ox. Together they ran a Wanderingdao Retreat at her Long Tou Shan Martial Arts Schoolin Yangshuo, China.
This retreat was held by one of the most wonderful rivers in China and focused on developing the water power, promoting grace and flow through a Meditation, Qi Gong, and Tai Chi program. Look out for more collaborations with Wanderingdao in the near future!