Ancient Chinese Practices for Modern Success

Unlocking Potential with Tai Chi and Qigong

Photo by Irham Bahtiar on Unsplash

With levels of stress and burnout on the rise in our frenetic modern world, how do we access the potent combination of mental and spiritual training that traditional Chinese approaches such as Tai Chi and Qigong can deliver?

Part of the problem is that we don’t realise just how powerful and effective ancient Chinese training of the body and mind can be. Let’s take a closer look at where these ancient practices can take you.

The Foundations: What Are Tai Chi and Qigong?

Tai Chi (Tai Chi Chuan) is a slowness-counts Chinese martial art, comprising a combination of movements, meditation and breathing exercises — designed for defence against in-form opponents — that has been simplified into a serenity-promoting exercise of easing movements.

Qigong (‘Chi Kung’) is a system of co-ordinated body posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used to mobilise and balance the body’s Qi, (pronounced Chi), or vital energy.

Both are types of bodily manipulation derived from TCM, (Traditional Chinese Medicine), designed to improve ‘qi’, or the flow of energy through a person’s body, to reduce emotional or physical discomfort and encourage health and…