The Arts Defined
Taijiquan
Taijiquan is the familiar Western name for Taijiquan (太極拳), pronounced “tie-jee-chwan” and often translated as “Supreme Ultimate Boxing.” Taiji is the original unity from which yin and yang arise. Quan means fist or boxing, grounding the philosophy in a martial art. UNESCO describes Taijiquan as a traditional physical practice combining relaxed, circular movements with regulated breathing and the cultivation of a balanced mind. Through continuous changes between full and empty, soft and strong, opening and closing, stillness and movement, Taijiquan embodies yin and yang in the human body. It is a fighting art, a health practice and meditation in motion.
All historical evidence as to the origins of taijiquan lead to the Chen family of Wenxian country in the province of Henan, in China. Daniel trained with lineage holders within the Chen family to learn the oldest style of taijiquan.
Qi Gong
Qi Gong (氣功), pronounced “chee-gong,” is commonly translated as “the cultivation of qi.” Qi means breath, vital energy or the animating force of life. Gong means sustained practice, skill or cultivation. Qi Gong coordinates posture and movement, breathing and focused awareness to regulate the body and mind. In traditional terms, it cultivates the quality, circulation and abundance of qi. Some practices are moving and others are still. The nature-based Qi Gong taught here also explores our living relationship with the earth, water, air, sunlight and the changing seasons.