The Chinese have studied the energy of the human body for thousands of years. Our bodies are filled with energy but often it gets blocked within us and so over time our vitality wanes. The Ancient Chinese Arts of Tai chi and Chi kung offer unique exercises and movements which “cultivate” or build up and release the dormant energy within us which in turn enables the body and the mind to achieve high levels of fitness. The exercises promote deeper and slower breathing improving the supply of oxygen to the heart and effectively, stimulate, exercise, cleanse and massage all the body’s internal systems.
The beauty of these exercises is that you learn to fuse relaxation, alertness and exertion at the same time. Most of the Chi Kung (translated as energy cultivating) exercises are performed while standing on the spot-it is very much a case of “Standing still to improve your fitness and general well –being.” This therefore makes Chi kung accessible to most people. These classes have profound effects on people’s energy, core strength and endurance and promote calmness and awareness. Tai chi can be considered to be a “moving Chi kung”- a moving meditation if you will. Learning a Tai chi form enables you to appreciate how to really listen to your body as you move, improving your posture, ease of movement and flexibility, muscle tone and grounding whilst also providing you with the benefits associated with Chi kung, mentioned previously. Within the class each person is in their own space, on their own journey, listening to their body as they work.
My classes are taught very much from a Shiatsu Therapist’s perspective whilst remaining as faithful as possible to the ancient arts. I therefore identify for participants, which meridians benefit from which exercises and we look to tailor the exercises for each individual, as the class progresses. The Tai chi/Chi kung classes run over 10 weeks-one hour per week. The classes consist of 30 minutes Chi kung, followed by 30 minutes of Yang Style Tai chi. (Yang Style involves gentle flowing movements, suitable for most) By the end of the course each participant will have a set of exercises which they can use at home to continue to promote their own health and well-being.
For more information on the classes or to book, please contact the clinic on 01603 528704 or contact Gary Moore MRSS on 01603 614735 or at garyr.moore@talktalk.net