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FREE WEEKLY EZINE: 
All things Tai Chi and Qigong ...
BIG NEWS: 

Pope Extols Catholic Advocate of
Eastern Mind-Body Practices.



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FEATURE ARTICLE OF THE WEEK ... "HOW THE POPE'S VISIT IS HUGELY IMPORTANT TO EXPANSION OF TAI CHI, QIGONG & MIND-BODY PRACTICES!"

We at WorldTaiChiDay.org wish to extend a bow of thanks to Pope Francis for playing a huge role in dispelling some of the myths about Eastern Mind-Body Practices, that will in time profoundly expand use of the Internal Arts.

Also, this historic occasion also gives us an
opportunity to discuss religion's relationship
with the Internal Arts, as well as something
we rarely discuss here, which is 
"spirituality and the Internal Arts."
We hope you enjoy the discussion. 


 
Here at World Tai Chi & Qigong Day's WorldTaiChiDay.org's FREE 
All Things Tai Chi & Qigong Ezine Newsletter, we like to explore all aspects of Tai Chi and Qigong in all ways.

This week's United States visit was something historic, as the Pope honored 4 Americans:  Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day (Catholic Worker Founder), and last but not least, a man few have heard of ...
Trappist Monk and author, Father Thomas Merton.

Father Thomas Merton was best known for his opening to the power and wisdom of Eastern Meditative Arts as being completely congruent with his Christian spiritual journey.



Here at WorldTaiChiDay.org we have striven to educate the world on "the science" of Internal Mind-Body Arts, to hasten their spread throughout society at all levels.  We have made it clear that Tai Chi and Qigong are NOT religious practices, and can be used effectively by all human beings of any faith, religion, or non-religious beliefs ... and are perfectly suited mind-body sciences for use in public education..

However, as many teachers, like myself, have seen in the past, religion's attitude toward Tai Chi and Qigong fueled by mis-understanding can effectively hobble and slow the spread of these mind-body tools throughout society.  Yet, this week, we have seen how religion's clarity and understanding, can help fuel the spread of the Internal Arts through society, and help the social mind relax and loosen up around these ancient arts, which are also new cutting-edge health and social sciences.  The following will explain how ...



INSIGHT FROM A 40 YEAR TAI CHI, QIGONG, AND MEDITATION PRACTITIONER:

Even though I'd been doing Tai Chi, Qigong, and NeiGong Meditation for 10 years, I was stunned when I began teaching these arts, by how many people back then would "out of the blue" express suspicion of what I was teaching, because it "conflicted with their religion."  I'd been raised a Christian, Bible School, Sunday School, Catechism, etc. and it never occurred to me that my Eastern mind-body practices were anything that conflicted in any way with any of my upbringing in the church. 

WHERE WAS THIS COMING FROM?  I wondered about this and listened to people's concerns, and then over time, discovered that people were hearing this stuff,
this hyper-suspicion of Eastern spiritual practices, from the Vatican and other church leaders.  Don't get me wrong, my classes were filled with Christians (Catholics and Protestants), Jews, Muslims, Hindu, Atheists, Agnostics, etc. over the years ... so it was a small percent who greeted my teaching with suspicion "because some church leader had told them to be suspicious, and to see what I was teaching as antithetical to their own spiritual journey."



BUT, as a teacher, or rather more accurately,  as a human being , that felt really weird and off-the-mark.  I mean, I had one lady with emotional issues whose doctors were prescribing a lifetime of drugs to cover up, while science now knows that stress severely amplifies such conditions ... and now new research shows how Tai Chi, Qigong, and Meditative Mind-Body arts/sciences can naturally alleviate many issues like this over time.  

Then,  as I organized World Tai Chi & Qigong Day over the years, I became aware that this "suspicion" of things Eastern, was in some ways actually hobbling the progress and teaching approach of Tai Chi & Qigong teachers. I noticed some teachers, just a few, but some, bristled at the idea of Qi, or life energy, or the energetic nature of our being and the flow of energy through our Tai Chi and Qigong forms.  They'd use words like "new-agey" which came from a few church leaders.  Of course there is nothing new-agey about "Qi" because its been known about for 100s or 1000s of years. 

Self-censoring some aspects of the Internal Arts, primarily the meditation or energy aspects of the arts, is something we don't have to do, and especially now since the Pope's visit this week.    

Don't get me wrong.  I don't teach Tai Chi and Qigong as some kind of religion in my hospital and corporate classes ... however, I also do not shy away from discussing "Qi" "life energy" and the energetic nature of our bodies and our universe, in order to help students get a deeper experience.  

But, this awareness made me very curious about where the religious intolerance of Eastern Spiritual practices which are both arts and sciences ... was coming from.




Vatican Warns About Zen, Yoga [meditation]      VATICAN CITY (AP) 

The Vatican Thursday cautioned Roman Catholics that Eastern meditation practices
such as Zen and yoga can ``degenerate into a cult of the body'' that debases Christian
prayer. ``The love of God, the sole object of Christian contemplation, is a reality
which cannot be `mastered' by any method or technique,'' said a document issued by
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The document, approved by Pope
John Paul II and addressed to bishops, said attempts to combine Christian
meditation with Eastern techniques were fraught with danger although
they can have positive uses.


Now again, it is important to realize, this "suspicion" was not universally accepted within the Catholic Church, and I was not daunted by it as a teacher, for like many Tai Chi and Qigong teachers I had taught Tai Chi, Qigong, and Meditation in Catholic, Christian, Jewish, etc. settings and places of worship. In fact, I was invited to present at the National Catholic Youth Conference one year, at the same time that all this controversy was going on, so again, the condemnation of Eastern spiritual practices was not universally accepted, and in fact most Catholics were fine with practicing Eastern meditative practices such as the ones we did in class.

However, on another level, this was a HUGE problem, which I'm sure, like I said above, that many Tai Chi and Qigong teachers are already aware of.  I know I had a few Catholics and Protestants who were very suspicious of my classes, even though their doctor had recommended  Tai Chi, Qigong, or Meditation for their health, and even after I had assured them that "I am a Lutheran, personally, and Tai Chi, Qigong, and Meditation have only been complimentary to my spiritual journey."  Yet, this was a big issue because when the mind is nervous, scared, suspicious, it cannot let go and experience that flowing loose meditative state these arts invoke, which means it is nearly impossible for them to enjoy the massive health benefits of the meditative mind-body practices many of us teach.






HOWEVER, TODAY, WE BRING YOU GOOD NEWS!!!


TODAY, WE HAVE WONDERFUL NEWS ...
THIS SUSPICION OF EASTERN ARTS IS OVER!

Catholics are now, thanks to the Pope extolling Father Thomas Merton, free to explore the benefits of Eastern Mind-Body practices and to enjoy the voluminous health benefits modern science proves they offer.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?   This week when the Pope spoke to the U.S. Congress he recognized the 4 Americans listed above, Lincoln, King, Dorothy Day, and last but not least Trappist Monk, Thomas Merton, a name you will hear more about in coming years.


Trappist Monk, Thomas Merton, recognized this week by the Pope as an important Catholic voice, talks about his journey into Eastern Mind-Body practices, as part of his spiritual journey.





Documentary Preview:  Thomas Merton









Dalai Lama on Thomas Merton's Death
 
"He Was My Most Spiritual Friend."















TAOISM: STUDY OF EBB AND FLOW OF UNIVERSAL ENERGY



Our past  All Things Tai Chi & Qigong Weekly Ezine  has discussed how Taoism, which for many teachers is an integral part of their Tai Chi or Qigong practice whether they realize it or not, is really a study of the ebb and flow of the energetic nature of existence through the microcosm of our own internal experience. When you "feel that flow" in Tai Chi's advancing/yielding, expand/root, you are touching into a sense of this experience of energetic flow.











WHY IS THIS POPE COMMENT SUCH A BIG DEAL?

World Tai Chi & Qigong Day has laid out a science based case on how the spread of Tai Chi, Qigong, and other Mind-Body Meditative practices can save the world vast sums on saved healthcare, reduce corporate costs by the hundreds of billions of dollars, vastly improve the quality of education, and reduce violence in the world.  WE SEE ANCIENT EASTERN WISDOM AS A GIFT TO THE WORLD ... and we want it shared as widely as possible.



This powerful advocation of Thomas Merton, the Trappist Monk who was the driving force in bringing Eastern mind-body wisdom to the West, will unfold over coming years in the national and global psyche, relaxing around the idea of mind-body practices ... which in time will allow them more deeply into medical science, public education, special education, corporate wellness, penal rehabilitation, etc. etc.     This will change the world, one central nervous system at a time, and we will all be better off for it.

The Dalai Lama has said that 'if we taught every school child how to meditate in school, in a few short years there would be no violence on the planet.'  And science backs up his claim, proving that mind-body meditative practices actually increase the size of the empathy and compassion parts of the brain and shrink the stress-fear parts (which are the trigger for violent reactions).

Therefore, the Pope's extolling of Trappist Monk, Thomas Merton, who was best known as the huge force he was in bringing awareness of the powerfully positive qualities Eastern meditative practices have, to the West ... can usher in a new time where mind-body practices are even more quickly woven into society at all levels ... and will affect the entire world, as it improves individuals lives.  The world can now breathe easier, and relax into the benefits of Eastern Mind-Body practices ... and we'll all be profoundly better off for it.

        






















  HOW THE POPE'S HERALDING OF THE VALUE
  OF THE WORK OF FATHER THOMAS MERTON
  OPENS DOORS FOR TAI CHI & QIGONG ...

   A Religion Welcoming Meditation into Its Practice ...

         
In honor of the Pope's welcoming spirit, we thought that we might mark this occasion with doing something we have usually avoided in the past ... which is, discussing the "spiritual dimensions of Tai Chi and Qigong."  We stick to science, because science is embraced by all, so we find common ground there.

But, as the Pope is teaching the world ... we may be able to find commonality in our spirituality as well, and f or many Tai Chi and Qigong practitioners the line between Tai Chi and Qigong as a health science, and a spiritual journey, has been blurred at times, if not fully embracing one another in profound ways at times.

This is a sticky topic, because many Tai Chi and Qigong practitioners are atheists who have their own wonderful Tai Chi journey.  Many Tai Chi and Qigong teachers are working to integrate these arts/sciences into public education, which demands that we only consider the scientifically proven aspects of these art (and that is good, we need this in schools). Again, Tai Chi and Qigong are not dogmatic religious practices ... yet, we are multi-dimensional beings and aspects of our lives can overlap, and we chose this week of the Pope's entreaty in America to explore this aspect of Tai Chi and Qigong.

So, as I was saying, for many of us who have spiritual experiences in our lives, it is not unusual for Tai Chi and Qigong and Meditation to provide a clarity of mind that seems to enhance and result in spiritual insights where we see ourselves and our world in whole new ways.

Which is another reason the Pope's advocacy of the work of Father Thomas Merton is such a huge event for those of us who have had a spiritual component in our Tai Chi and Qigong practice and experience.  Now, for one of the world's largest religious institutions to say it is okay to expand Eastern Spiritual Contemplative practices into their spiritual journey (which is what Father Merton's work focused on), is a great affirmation what many of us have experienced in our personal lives and practice.

So, to reiterate, those who are agnostic or atheist can absolutely enjoy profound benefits from Tai Chi and Qigong, and anyone can profoundly benefit from them as a medical science health practice ... but now, according to one of the world's largest religious institutions ... it is now okay for them to also be part of our spiritual world, if we so desire.

Our spiritual journey becomes freed to become what it is, we no longer have to try to restrict it to only wisdom from one culture, one teacher, or one belief system.  Like water, our spirituality can flow among all peoples and benefit from the wisdom of all peoples ...






One Man's Report ...  How Tai Chi and Qigong Grounded My Christian Understanding ... and how it can do so for anyone of any religion ...

The "sinking" we talk about in Tai Chi requires an all encompassing "letting go" so that we can sink onto the Vertical Axis line and root into the earth.  This trains us in what I call "the art of letting go."

Many teachers have some version of the long elongation of the back as we bend, or roll, over and then just hang ... allowing all the meat we are to just sag on the bone ... and we surrender to the cleansing pull of gravity.  

When doing this, over the decades of practice, I have realized that it is impossible to let your heart just sag and release ourselves completely to gravity's pull "if it [our heart] is still holding onto anger or resentment or grudges."  

In my Christian education it was pounded into us how important it was to "forgive others" for wrongs they'd done to us.  I'd grown up thinking it was some grandiose act of will as if I were doing some holy favor to others to "forgive them."  How do you go about the act of "forgiving," in a real visceral way, not just as some intellectual effort we were told we must do?

My mind-body practice showed me that that is not real forgiveness, forgiveness is letting go of my tight heart on a real visceral level.  I can feel it give and sag in my chest when hanging over in that Qigong exercise, as I think of letting my heart exhaling again and again and letting go of all the tight things its held, releasing them into gravity's pull.  In effect, my heart is "sinking" the way a Tai Chi player's relaxing body sinks from leg to leg in the forms.

MY INSIGHT.  As we let our heart sag or sink in that Qigong exercise, we begin to realize that we feel better when our heart "lets go" of the tight things it holds onto.  We feel lighter and nicer and calmer and more present when we finish the Qigong letting go exercise.  Over time, I began to realize that "forgiveness" is not done as a favor to others, it is done because our holding onto those tight feelings ... hurts us.  Now, it does make the other person's life easier if we forgive them, but when we know in our most internal self on an utterly visceral level that this "letting go," this "forgiveness" makes us feel better ourselves ... well, that is a powerful spiritual insight.


Qi is About "Letting Go"


So, again, Tai Chi and Qigong are NOT religions, and are mind-body sciences which can be taught in public schools. However, these internal arts can also reveal great spiritual truths, because profound spiritual truths are universal to ALL of humanity.  They unfold through us when we can relax open to them, at least that has been my experience.  I feel like I more deeply understand on a real tangible level things that I had only been able to entertain intellectually via my religious education, and as all great spiritual leaders have told us ... what can be told ... is not the real truth, it is larger and ever expanding and can only be experienced ... not understood or articulated (see below religious quotes on this).

And today, we see the Roman Catholic Church evolving, un-gripping, and opening to newer, higher, lighter ways of seeing the world we live in and to the universal wisdom of humanity ... and Eastern spiritual practices, via Father Merton and Pope Francis's role in that evolution.

Science is now proving that meditative arts actually change the brain's structure to make us function with more empathy and compassion, the empathy and compassion parts of meditator's brains actually increasing in size as they integrate mediation into their lives.  This is complimentary to ALL religious and humanist philosophies, as compassion is the cornerstone of ALL major religions (see below).

Therefore, Tai Chi, Qigong, Meditation practices are friends and allies to ALL religious traditions, but again, Atheists can enjoy their benefits as well, because these practices will make Atheists' empathy and compassion parts of their brains larger as well :-).

One book we highly recommend is "The Biology of Belief" by a cell biologist, who points out that Charles' Darwin's epic book on evolution actually only mentions "survival of the fittest a few times.  What he most credits human's evolution to the top of the foodchain with ... is "LOVE."  Darwin mentions the power of love, community, and compassion, as the glue that holds humanity together and enables us to work in concert, and THAT is what is responsible for our evolution to become the masters of the planet.








I have just three things to teach: simplicity,
patience, compassion. These three are
your greatest treasures.

-- Lao Tzu, father of Taoism


Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and
beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience ...
-- Colossians 3:12  











The sage has no interest of his own, but takes the interests of the people as his own. He is kind to the kind; he is also kind to the unkind: for Virtue is kind. He is faithful to the faithful; he is also faithful to the unfaithful: for Virtue is faithful.
- Tao Te Ching


 
 Allah created nations and tribes that we might know one another, not that we might despise one another.
- The Koran


 
Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it to you.
- Socrates


 
A man obtains a proper rule of action by looking on his neighbor as himself.
- Hindu Psalm


 
Regard Heaven as your father, Earth as your mother, And all things as your brothers and sisters.
- Shintoism, Oracle of the Kami of Atsuta


 
This is the sum of Dharma [duty]: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you.
- Brahmanism


 
Don't do things you wouldn't want to have done to you.
- British Humanist Society



Seek to be in harmony with all your neighbors; live in amity with your brethren.
- Confucius



The law imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as themselves
.
- Roman Pagan Religion


 
Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone.
- Sikhism


 
We affirm and promote respect for the interdependence of all existence of which we are a part .
- Unitarian


 
One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts .
- Yoruba (Nigeria)


 
That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good for itself.
- Zoroastrianism




















VIDEO GALLERY OF PAST WORLD TAI CHI & QG DAY EVENTS! 
See below video gallery of past World Tai Chi & Qigong Day Event Celebrations worldwide ...

In 100s of cities in over 80 nations mass Tai Chi and Qigong Day exhibitions and teach ins are held to educate the world about mind-body internal arts benefits, and to provide a beautiful example of the world coming together across all boudaries to celebrate personal and global health and healing.

 





WTCQD Fills Streets and Townsquares throughout Latin America and the World!
-- Associated Press Television, BBC World News, and carried by media worldwide 







WTCQD in Havana, Cuba
-- Agence France Presse Television 





WTCQD, Mass Event in Montevideo, Uruguay







BREATH-TAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL WTCQD Flashmob, Stops the Rat-Race at Antwerp, Belgium's Central Train Station ...








 





Egyptian National News Covers MASS WTCQD event in Cairo, Egypt ...










International News Covers Jerusalem, Israel's MASS WTCQD event  ...











Indonesia's MASSIVE WTCQD Event








Tunisia North Africa's MASSIVE WTCQD Event










Porto, Portugal's MASSIVE WTCQD Event









New York City's Central Park MASSIVE WTCQD Event









Hong Kong, China's MASSIVE WTCQD Event










Puerto Rico's MASSIVE WTCQD Event ...











Auckland, New Zealand's MASSIVE WTCQD Event, Starts the Global Wave ...


 Click to view WTCQD Video Gallery of Past WTCQD Events Worldwide ...





















#1 TAI CHI & QG TEACHING / LEARNING TIP ...

PATIENCE IS THE KEY ...

         
According to surveys, the #1 reason students drop out of Tai Chi classes is because of "a lack of patience on the part of the teacher."  From my over 20 years of teaching experience, I believe that the #1 reason students drop out is because of "a lack of patience on the students part." This isn't an article about making the student or teacher  wrong or  right , it is about discovering the most effective ways to help students stick with Tai Chi or Qigong, by looking at what goes on in students and teachers minds during the learning/teaching process.

ON TEACHER IMPATIENCE ...

When I began teaching, I would offer explanations on various things like postural alignment, body positions, sinking, Qi, Qigong Breathing, etc., and would get frustrated when students didn't seem to "hear what I was saying," often over and over again. I eventually began writing things down, and eventually made videos they could look at to give them support in their learning journey, which of course I now share with all teachers/students worldwide. Referring students to effective books and video resources can take a lot off of a teacher's shoulders.

Dan Tien & Vertical Axis Qigong Breathing Sinking Your Qi




Over two decades of teaching I realize, its not that they weren't listening or trying, it was because they get overwhelmed with information. They are trying to learn new body movements, and whole new ways of thinking about their posture, breathing, and sensing their own being. It is like we are teaching juggling, and we throw a whole bunch of balls to a student struggling to just hold one ball, learning the physical movements. They get frustrated, so the last thing they needed was for me, their teacher, to get frustrated.

My own Tai Chi and Qigong Meditation practice over these decades has made me more aware, and more patient. It has rewired my brain to be more open-minded and patient, so that I could better comprehend student's struggles. My teaching has become far more patient over the years, and my student teachers are very patient as well due to my own insights and sharing them with my student teachers about the importance of "being patient," "always being supportive," and knowing that students may not hear what you are saying the first time, or the 3rd time, or the 8th time ... because they are juggling a lot of balls.

I also learned how to teach "in layers," giving students a wide leeway, letting them fudge details on movements a bit so they can just experience the gross physical motions a few, or many times, and then as their mind and body acclimates, slowly adding deeper insights and details over time. I also refer them to these WorldTaiChiDay.org newsletters filled with discussions like this on the challenges of learning TC and QG. When I give students new details, I tell them, "I am only giving you more nit-picky details because you are doing this very well. If you were struggling, I wouldn't give you such details. So, when I get nit-picky it is because you are doing really well." And this takes some pressure off of them.

Now, having said that, I still see a lot of students drop out, just as all teachers do over the years, and my experience has shown me what this next discussion topic is about.

ON NEW STUDENT IMPATIENCE ...

Everyone these days is in a big hurry, the world is moving fast, and everyone feels 6 steps behind of social changes, technology changes, etc. etc. Change is good, but everyone is feeling a quickening in their lives because the world is changing so much faster than ever before in history, and we are all being a bit rattled by this rapid change, which accounts for so much of the modern plague of stress disease (which by the way is what is driving a lot of new students to Tai Chi and Qigong.)

Here's how I see most new students dropping out. When they begin a new Tai Chi or Qigong class they are going to feel bewildered. This is unavoidable, and bewilderment is part of the Tai Chi and Qigong journey. Sifu Arthur Rosenfeld of New York released a brilliant book titled "Tai Chi -  The Perfect Exercise," and in it he points out that the #1 quality that will insure a new student's ability to stick with and learn Tai Chi is not physical prowess, strength, dexterity, or any of the things we normally associated with success in sports or physical endeavors ... but what will secure a new student's success in Tai Chi is "their willingness to be okay with a sense of bewilderment."

Arthur Rosenfeld's Tai Chi Book


Sifu Rosenfeld hit the nail on the head from my experience. I will see new students get so frustrated with themselves sometimes because they cannot fully understand and grasp everything that Tai Chi and Qigong, even beginning Tai Chi and Qigong involve. These are new ways of seeing themselves, their bodies, their minds, the relationship between the two.

In my advanced class I was teaching Push Hands to some new advanced students, and one expressed great frustration after about 3 minutes of instruction, and exasperated exclaimed, "I don't get it!" and I could see her frustration.

I explained, "Now, if you could get this in just 3 minutes, there really wouldn't be very much to it, would there? Let's just relax and play at it for a while, let your body acclimate to the motions for a while, and then your mind will be able to sense other factors over time. It will come. Just breathe, relax, and be patient with it. It will come in time."

I saw a light go off in her eyes, this made sense to her once I enunciated it. It took me 20 years to get here, years ago her frustration would have just frustrated me, and we'd have endured a very frustrating Tai Chi class :-)

So by reminding students that they are not "going to get everything right away," and that they need to be okay with that and just play at the Tai Chi and Qigong and don't hold the outcome so tightly, because "it will come" over time. Just remember to "breathe" and "relax" and "play at it," and "it will come."  I also recommend Sifu Arthur Rosenfeld's brilliant book above to many of my students as well, as he so clearly articulates challenges students may face.

TO TEACHERS, one thing that has helped me profoundly, is my Sitting Qigong energy meditation practice. My teacher, Jais Booth, taught me a wonderful exercise to practice while sitting in my car before I enter the class every day. It involved a Nei Gong exercise where I open to the energetic field of my being, and then think of allowing all the loads, worries, expectations ... just lift off and out of me ... and even letting go of any plans I had for the class ... released into the expanding energy that is unfolding through us. I let go of everything and think of letting the group energy or consciousness of that class flow us as a group to where ever we will all flow that day. I let an uncontrolled lightness expand through me, and by the time I walk into class, I don't feel the burden of being a teacher anymore, I feel as though I am coming to the class just like the students are, to enjoy and have some fun. I am no longer the leader of the class, but a fellow student (who happens to have decades more experience in Tai Chi and Qigong, and am ready to share my insights, just as any good friend or fellow student would do). It lightens up everything, taking pressure off me, and loosening the class experience for everyone.



by Bill Douglas

Bill was the 2009 Inductee to the Internal Arts Hall of Fame in New York; author of
The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong (4th edition, Bantam-Penguin Books, New York); recipient of the Extraordinary Service in the Field of Qigong Award (National Qigong Association); and of the Media Excellence Award (World Congress on Qigong).  Bill has taught Tai Chi and Qigong Meditation for many of the world's largest corporations and health networks; and in pubic schools and special education, prisons, drug rehabilitation programs, and for churches, synagogues, and government.

























OOOPS!

Correction:
In a newsletter we reminded everyone that the OFFICIAL T-SHIRT PHOTO CONTEST IS STILL OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS, see article below on Official T-Shirt Photo Contest, and how to enter with your WTCQD Event photos. The Prize Packages offer several hundred dollars worth of DVDs and books from many of the world's top Tai Chi and Qigong teachers.

In that newsletter article we wrote the Keith Jeffery (who generously donated several valuable Tai Chi DVDs for the "Official T-Shirt Photo Contest" prize package), had an upcoming  Symposium and Teacher Training in November , but got the dates wrong.

Keith Jeffrey's upcoming symposium and training is actually Nov. 13 - 15








"I love your World Tai Chi & Qigong Ezine
Newsletters  - they are always filled with terrific information.  Thanks!"
-- Dr. Keith Jeffery, Founder of " Easy Tai  Chi "







"How precious your newsletters are--a great gift
to the global family of Tai Chi and Qigong!

WorldTaiChiDay.org's "All Things Tai Chi & Qigong"
weekly newsletter with photos, videos, events,
articles, medical research, that we receive in your
newsletters every week are a treasure that lights
the path of our Tai Chi and Qigong journey.

Due to your global efforts for almost two decades,
organizing WTCQD on the last Saturday of April,
the world has gained a new history, and become
a better place. There are no words to express
the meaning of this inspiration your ongoing work
provides ... One World ... One Breath.

All I can say is, on behalf of the global Tai Chi and
Qigong community, THANK YOU SO MUCH!" 
-- Professor Jose 
Milton de Oliveira, Brasilia, Brazil

 

















2 FEATURED WTCQD 2015 EVENT VIDEOS OF THE WEEK ...

JOINVILLE, BRAZIL AND MONTREAL, CANADA

Joinville, Brazil WTCQD 2015 Video Montreal, Canada WTCQD



Further down in this newsletter, find a Video Gallery
of other 2015 World Tai Chi & Qigong Day Event Videos ...


ENJOY OUR PAST WORLD TAI CHI & QIGONG DAY NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE OF OUR "ALL THINGS TAI CHI & QIGONG" EZINES ...

Unique and insightful articles on Tai Chi and Qigong, breaking TC / QG Medical Research, and TC / QG News from all over our beautiful planet ... One World ... One Breath ... reporting on and celebrating the work of Tai Chi and Qigong professionals worldwide ...

Also, see gorgeous videos and photo montages of WTCQD events held worldwide.

WTCQD, Iran, Children







What Makes World Tai Chi & Qigong Day the Most Profound Human Event?

We Provide FREE Banner/Flyer/Poster artwork, Organizing Kits, Media Kits, and more to help you expand TC & QG into your community.


New Research: Tai Chi Treats Heart Disease!




Hong Kong Event Dr. Luk


Hong Kong World Tai Chi & Qigong Day organizer, and renowned martial arts champion, Dr. Luk speaks on how & why she now focuses her energy on healing Qigong ...


Breaking Research: Tai Chi Benefits Those with Arthritis!

The Science of Kindness and Compassion ...


Click to read newsletter ...











OFFICIAL T-SHIRT PHOTO CONTEST STILL OPEN ...
Did you take a single person photo of someone wearing an Official WTCQD T-Shirt? 
And a large group photo of people doing Tai Chi or Qigong at your WTCQD event?

If so, you can send in the "best 2 photos" (one each of the above) by replying to this newsletter, and putting "WTCQD OFFICIAL T-SHIRT PHOTO CONTEST" in the subject line, with photos attached as jpeg files.

We are looking for one intimate close up of a person doing Tai Chi or Qigong in an Official WTCQD T-Shirt at your WTCQD event, and then a wider vision mass group photo of your larger WTCQD event as they do TC or QG with the world.  Reply to this email w/ 2 photos.


T-Shirt Montage





SPECIAL THANKS TO DR. KEITH JEFFERY, creator of Easy-Tai Chi systems, for his generous donation to the several hundred dollar Prize Packages of DVDs, Books, from some of the top Tai Chi and Qigong teachers worldwide.



MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

Dr. Keith Jeffery will presenting  his annual Easy Tai Chi Symposium and Teacher Certification is Nov. 13 and 14th.

Contact Keith at:  http://easytaichi.com/index.htm










 
How T'ai Chi can help with chronic health issues
KCPT Television: How T'ai Chi can help with chronic health issues









TAI CHI & QIGONG MEDICAL RESEARCH OF THE WEEK! 
TAI CHI & QIGONG LOWERS HYPERTENSION ...


CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that under well-designed conditions, Tai Chi exercise training could decrease blood pressure and results in favorable lipid profile changes and improve subjects' anxiety status. Therefore, Tai Chi could be used as an alternative modality in treating patients with mild hypertension, with a promising economic effect.

 
Read more at NIH:
 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14629852

 
 

 

 

 

They located 26 relevant studies including 9 randomized controlled trials, 13 nonrandomized controlled studies, and 4 observational studies. Among the studied reviewed, 85% reported reductions in blood pressure in those who practiced Tai Chi, but the study quality varied, and 2 of the most rigorous studies showed that blood pressure was not affected by Tai Chi practice. - Medscape Today, from WebMD, 10/26/2010
 

Read entire article at:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/729132

 

 

 

 


A growing body of evidence suggests Tai Chi practice, even over short periods of time, may improve cardiovascular health. Depending on how it is practiced, Tai Chi has been characterized as a low to moderate intensity exercise. Three studies are briefly discussed to illustrate the types of evidence available to evaluate the impact that Tai Chi may have on components of cardiovascular health. Young et al. [4] conducted a well designed, randomized controlled trial with 62 subjects that compared the effects of aerobic exercise versus Tai Chi on blood pressure in mildly hypertensive older adults. Over the 12-week study period, Tai Chi was observed to be equally effective as aerobic exercise in reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

-- Tufts University

 

 

 

 










CIG 4th Edition


A Tai Chi & Qigong Standard Used by Students AND TEACHERS of all Styles of TC & QG

From the Founders of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, a TC & QG standard that promotes all teachers of all styles in its FREE Appendix A Schools Directory, and is highly useful to all styles ...






"Visionary! If you only buy one book on T'ai Chi, then this is the book."
-- Dr. Michael Steward, Sr., D.MA, Ph.D., MA, Senior Coach for Team USA, Inductee to the World Sports Medicine and World Martial Arts Hall of Fame


IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE 4TH EDITION OF THIS ACCLAIMED BOOK, YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS BOOK ... NOW WITH NEARLY 150 WEB VIDEO SUPPORT VIDEOS!
..

Link to Additional Resource and Reviews of this Book

World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
913-648-2256 | billdouglas@worldtaichiday.org | http://www.worldtaichiday.org
 


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