Issue 54 - Tse Qigong Centre

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Manchester for a demonstration.Everyone being like a family, they invitedme to come along to practise in one ofthe local parks before the event. We alltrudged out on the frozen ground to ahuge open field where the wind washowling away. At first, I was fine, butwithin fifteen minutes, I could no longerfeel my toes and my fingers and my teetheven began to chatter. It was worse thanwinter time in Chicago as it was a damp,bitter cold.I remember vividly how Tse Sifutook pity on me (or so I thought) andhanded me a eight foot wooden WingChun pole and told me to hold it extendedperfectly parallel with the ground whilein low horse stance. (The trick was alsoholding it at arms length at its end.) So,of course, I tried and sure enough I beganto feel my extremities again. However, Iquickly realized that I had traded one kindof suffering for another, one that onlythose who have experienced Wing Chunpole can understand.The point is not to tote around aWing Chun pole for winter practice, butto listen to your body. I was in thecompany of more senior practitionerswhose bodies had reached a level ofhealth and conditioning that I had not.So you should not try to push yourself toofar, but on the hand, you should also notbe too easy on yourself.Our Qigong practice shouldconnect with nature, otherwise, eventhough we do the correct breathing,relaxation and postures, we will bemissing the profound force of theuniverse. Ancients knew that to moderateQigong practice according to the seasonswas to act in accordance with nature. Soin the winter, we can practise later anddo more warming, Yang exercises.Otherwise, you will be too cold to standit outside. That is why for beginners, youshould dress warmly and listen to yourbody. You only have a small choice ofexercises to do and so you do not havethe choice of practising something moredynamic to make you warmer. The mostimportant thing is, if you feel chilled, thendo not try to be tough and just stand it.Slowly let your body get stronger and thenyou will not even notice the cold likebefore. If you do practise inside, makesure that you practise near an openwindow, to allow the air in the room toexchange as you practise.If we want to have good health,we have to work on it. Once you reachone level, it is like reaching a plateau onthe mountain. To see more things, wehave to climb a bit higher to see from adifferent view. So keep practising andeventually we can all sit down for teatogether at the top of the mountainby Sihn KeiEmail Sihnkei@qimagazine.comThe ChallengeWuyung believed himself to be the greatest boxer in the whole of China. And to prove it, he issued a challengeto every Master, of every great martial arts style known. And then he waited. On the appointed day, only onechallenger appeared, an old woman bent with age and half blind. ”Is this a joke?,” raged Wuyung. ”No,”replied the old woman, in barely a whisper. ”I have come to accept your challenge”. ”But my challenge is to theMasters. Not some worn out washerwoman.” ”Maybe so,” answered the old woman. ”But if you can defeatme, then you will be worthy indeed of the title Grandmaster.” And without warning with a speed that belied her appearance, shestruck Wuyung, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there with ease. He struggled. He pushed. He used every ounce ofstrength he possessed but she would not be moved. ”This is atrick,” raged the humiliated Wuyung. ”Let me up and this time youwill not be so lucky.” The frail old woman released him and, redwith fury, he let loose a devastating volley of kicks and punches,that would have felled an ox, let alone a decrepit old woman. Butshe just swatted them off as one swats flies And as before, withoutany warning she lunged forward and wrestled him to the ground,pinning him with ease. ”Was that really the best you could do,”she mocked. ”Let me up and I shall show you what I am capableof.” And once again she set him free. And again Wuyung launcheda powerful and vicious attack, only to have it shrugged away inthe same manner as someone dismissing rain drops. By nowWuyung was tired and confused. Whatever he tried had no effect,and he realised that however hard he tried he would not be ableto defeat her. And with tears of frustration in his eyes, he turned tothe old woman,” If I am unable to best an ancient crone, crippledwith age, and half blind, how can I ever expect to defeat theMasters. I have been such an arrogant fool. And I have dishonouredmyself.” With his head hung in shame, too humiliated to meet hergaze, he asked ” please, will you tell me who you are?” At that point she disappeared, whereupon all the Masters appeared frombehind the rocks where they had been hiding. Master Liu, of the White Crane school, said to the dispirited Wang should not feelashamed at his defeat. “You see, the old woman who challenged you is someone you could never hope to beat, for she is OldAge herself, and none of us, however skilful, can hope to survive against her.” Wuyung understood the lesson. He bowed deeplyto all of the Masters, turned and walked away. He had learned humility through defeat and this he would carry for the rest of hisdaysby Brian HaywardQi Magazine 15
Jin Gang Walking GongThis is a very good type of Qigong for middle agedpeople who find they have muscle problems, such asaching, weak, easily bruised and stiff muscles. It is alsogood if you find that old injuries in the muscles do notrecover and become normal.This Qigong is also good for your legs and arms andcan help make your joints more flexible, by stretching the legsand arms. It is also good for the blood circulation, breathingand lungs and can in fact help many different kinds ofconditions.Jin Gang Walking Qigong covers both movement andstillness and is safe and easy to learn. Regular practice willhelp to improve your muscle tone and condition as well asyour overall health.Fig 1.1. Ready position.Stand naturally with yourfeet as wide as your shoulders.Your toes should face forward andyour hands should hang naturallyby your side. Slightly bend yourfingers and keep the palms facingdown. Close your mouth gentlyand allow the tongue to rest onthe upper palette. Keep your headstraight, breathe naturally andrelax the whole body. Fig 12. Jing Gang Climbs the Mountain3. Jin Gang Worships BuddhaLift your left knee as highas your waist, keeping all themuscles of the left leg relaxedand all the weight on the right.Meanwhile, raise up and openyou hands so that the palmsface forward. At the same time,breathe in through your nose.Fig 2Fig 2 Fig 3Stretch the left leg andstep forward; then immediatelybring the right foot forward nextto the left to balance it. Nowbring your hands down to theDantian as if your are gatheringsomething. At the same time,allow your upper body to leanforward a little and look downslightly. Fig 34. Separate the Clouds and Look forthe SunTake a big step forward with your left leg, allowing theweight to shift forward on this leg. Your right (back) heel shouldlift off the ground. Meanwhile breathe in and let your bodyturn to the left. Lift up the left hand with the palm facing outand drop the right hand down, also with the palm facing out.Look up and open your body and breathe out quickly. Fig 4Now step forward with the right foot and repeat theabove movement for the right hand side. Fig 4aFig 4Fig 4aQi Magazine 16
Page 2 and 3: Cover: Grandmaster Ip Chun, his fat
Page 4 and 5: POBox POBox POBox...VeryExcitingNew
Page 6 and 7: WORLD TAI CHI &QIGONG DAY7 April 20
Page 8 and 9: to an emotion and the emotion forki
Page 10 and 11: Chen style Taijiquan was developedi
Page 12 and 13: Chinese people are very superstitio
Page 14 and 15: In those times men could have as ma
Page 18 and 19: 5. Moving by the Wind.Step forward
Page 20 and 21: The most deep seated wish that all
Page 23 and 24: Simple andA martial art is much mor
Page 25 and 26: quickly. So in Wing Chun, your punc
Page 27 and 28: Important Points for Good Chi Sau1.
Page 29 and 30: Tendon and Peanut SoupThe Chinese b
Page 31 and 32: Today it seems as if everyone has h
Page 33 and 34: “When youpractise, youshould find
Page 35 and 36: The Dragon is a symbol of China, as
Page 37 and 38: defgThis is one of the most powerfu
Page 39 and 40: Qi MattersThe answer to this questi
Page 41: fig. 3The entrance leads to a narro

Issue 54 - Tse Qigong Centre

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