It seems incredible that a year has passed since I last wished everyone a Happy World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day, which falls this year on April 28th.
At 10 a.m. local time, wherever you are in the world, there will be what they describe as, "A global health and healing event that will be held in hundreds of cities in sixty nations. Free and open to the public these events welcome anyone interested in personal and global health and healing."
The aim is to send a wave of positive healing "energy" around the world and draw attention to the benefits of T'ai Chi and Qigong.
You can visit can visit http://www.worldtaichiday.org to find events being held in your area that will be offering free teach-ins and exhibitions.
If you look on the left-hand side of the website under "Everyone's Resources" you will find a great many extra resources, primarily related to T'ai Chi and Qigong and health, including a list of much of the research that has been done. It is just a list of papers and their summaries, but is a good place to start if you are not a specialist. There are also lists of places where you can learn T'ai Chi.
In my view, learning the basics of T'ai Chi and Qigong from a competent teacher is one of the best investments that you can ever make in yourself.
Now to that picture at the top of this article. It is not a hoax! You can find it at the Taichi Heartwork website.
I have had the privilege of studying T'ai Chi and Qigong with eight superb teachers on three continents. I learned a very great deal from each of them. The one who really resonated with me was Grandmaster John Kells, an Irishman who was a disciple and adopted son of Dr. Chi Chiang Tao.
John introduced more than 10,000 people to these arts, and many of them saw him demonstrate his internal force by throwing people without any physical contact. I have experienced it myself many times, and it is very real.
It is a by-product of personal development and a great deal more than a party trick. Very few of the Masters that I have known have developed themselves this far. If you get the chance to meet one, it can be life-changing.
For years now various scientists have claimed to have made machines that can generate this kind of force. So far I have not been convinced, despite having traveled to China, Russia and a dozen other countries to look at some of these gadgets.
If I find one that works, I shall let you know.
Until then, consider developing your own Qi. (It's sometimes spelled Chi or Ki). Next Saturday may be just the excuse that you need!
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