qigong for UK tai chi STUDENTS

UK TAI CHI LTD

This section of the Little Yin site has been developed to support the work that Sue does with Betty Sutherland for UK Tai Chi Ltd, www.uktaichi.com, the country's foremost provider of Tai Chi related courses. Betty specialises in the Wudang style of Tai Chi Chuan.

USING QIGONG SENSIBLY

UK TAI CHI and Sue Dunham cannot take responsibility for your fitness to do these exercises. Tai Chi and qigong are not a substitute for regular medical care. It is the responsibility of the individual to seek advice and consent from their medical practitioner if they have any concerns.

Why do qigong with Tai Chi?

Any qigong exercises can be done with Tai Chi, often as a warm up but they are also useful because students come to Tai Chi with an expectation that there will be benefits to their health. Although Tai Chi is primarily a martial art, there is much evidence to support its ability to promote health. However it seems that, in China, health cultivation is more strongly linked with qigong.

Betty and Sue have a commitment to providing Tai Chi or qigong to all ages and abilities, and we are particularly grateful to have had the chance to work with the Spinal Injuries Association, SIA. To support this, we have included the qigong used at SIA Healthy Living Roadshows.

The choice of qigong exercises in this section have been driven by

• A need to warm up before Tai Chi and bring body and mind to the class
• The cultivation of good posture
• Identifying qigong where health benefits can be explained
• The illustration of principles common to qigong and Tai Chi - that can be picked up by Betty for teaching Tai Chi

Using principles common to qigong and Tai Chi is not just limited to posture but, through Betty's thorough knowledge of Tai Chi, the qigong movements themselves are illustrated in the Wudang form (sequence of movements of the Wudang style of Tai Chi Chuan). This different use of the same movements - for health cultivation and martial purposes - deepens the understanding of students of these ancient Chinese arts.

How to find out more

We should stress that the instructions on qigong exercises given here are not intended to be comprehensive. They are to support the work that Sue and Betty have delivered to classes. Please contact Betty if you wish to ask about tuition in Tai Chi or a combination of Tai Chi and qigong using the www.uktaichi.com contact page. If you are interested in qigong, particularly to support acupuncture or tuina treatment, please see Sue's pages on this website or contact her.