Tai Chi Australia

Tai Chi is an Chinese martial arts, but had wings worldwide especially in Australia.

Tai Chi for Arthritis

Tai Chi cures arthritis by a regular functioning of muscles and bones during practice.

Tai Chi for Stress Relief

Tai Chi brings freshness and relieves all stress of mind, soul and body.

Tai Chi Classes

Tai Chi can be learnt by attending regular classes by trained instructor and experienced professionals.

Tai Chi Online

Online video of Tai Chi and the availability of DVDs can also make a learning of Tai Chi.

Monday 31 December 2012

Year of the Snake

Celebrate Chinese New Year and welcome the Snake year with TCFA When: Saturday 9th February, 2013, 6.00pm - 7.30pm
Where: Merrylands RSL Club

View program here

 

The year of the snake begins on Sunday 10th February 2013, the year of 4711 of Chinese New Year. Snake is also called small dragon. Contemplative and private, the snake is not outwardly emotional. They can appear reticent and works very modestly in the business environment. The snake will plot and scheme to make certain things turn out exactly as they want them to. They are not great communicators and can become quite possessive when they set their minds on achieving the interest of a partner. Snake is intuitive, introspective, refined and collective. It is said that snake is the wisdom of a good omen in a family. It means your family is always having food to eat and never go starving. Snake is such a great mediator at business. Because snake body is very soft, they are able to perfectly digest anything easily. The snake flexibility provides them with strong surviving ability in living.  Although snake is very smart, they never show off in front of others. The snake is intelligent and wise, but could be greedy and cunning, so be careful, not to let the poison snake bite you.

Years of the Snake

Snake Years are sixth in the cycle, following the Dragon Years, and recur every twelfth year. The Chinese New Year is calculated according to moon calendar.   

1905*1917*1929*1941*1953*1965*1977*1989*2001

Tuesday 25 December 2012

White or Red Christmas

Drink for a healthier and prettier you during Christmas and New year's holiday. Wines have been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years, make good use of white wine or red grape wine not only for health benefits, but to make you prettier.

Red wine

I do not suggest you over drink during the holidays, but drinking a little red grape wine will not only help your circulation, but also make your skin prettier.  It is studied in Chinese medicine, that a bit of red grape wine, may help you:


·         grape wine can reduce total cholesterol levels, and has anti-clotting effect, can inhibit thrombosis, thus preventing the formation of the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular thrombosis
·         Drinking red wine can prevent breast cancer.  Cancer Research magazine, Los Angeles cancer (cancer of food) Research Centre scientists extracted from red wine called procyanidins B dimer chemical ingredients found this ingredient can make mice breast tumor becomes small.
·         can improve blood circulation and help reduce period pain
·         can prevent the risk of Alzheimer, drink two small cups of red wine a day can protect the heart and reduce the risk of suffering from coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis. There are new studies have shown that red wine can protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Sava Scannell (EgemenSavaskan), University of Basel, Switzerland, the research team led experiment found that red wine contains a lot of one kind of substance, called resveratrol (resveratrol) experiment, this substance has significant anti-oxidation effects, can reduce to Î’ amyloid (beta-amyloid) anomalous concentration in brain cells, play a role in protecting the brain cells.
In Tai Chi theory, everything should be balanced with yin and yang.   drink in balanced amount of red wine may protect brain cells, (1 or 2 cup) , but too much will damage to brain cells, drink in Tai Chi way, only drink excessive amount.
·         may help you sleep better

White wine

Tips if you are working too hard through the year, or you may simply be too busy to look after your skin due to little time, heavy make-up, or poor cleansing. Look at mirror in the morning before you apply make- up, if you find:               

·         your face skin downy
·         not healthy looking,
·         bigger pores, especially around the nose area,
·         red nose with orange skin look

In the case of heavy makeup, oily skin or germs, this tip may help you:

Use half spoon of white wine (must be made of grains) above 55% alcohol
Cleanse your face first, till it is clean and dry,
Tap the white wine on your finger tips and massage, and tap again, gentle massage the affected area, particularly the nose area, gently slide and  circle your finger tips around the area, please be gentle on  your skin as you do this.
Leave it for a while, do not need to wash out, you will find that your skin will be shining, soft and pretty looking.  

This method cleans the pores and gets rid of oily residue and will kill the germs in the pores.   Suggest you try it once, if you are not allergic, keep on trying, depends on your individual situation, the pores will become healthy and beautiful.

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Creating a Harmony Balanced Lifestyle


Change your mind, change your life.  If I am asking you to change your life style, you may not like it. If I am telling you, this change will allow you to become happier and healthier, are you going to change it?

I personally have experienced so many people suffering from headache, poor sleep, shoulder stiffness, no appetite, backache…………… , they have told me:  Sue I am very healthy, my blood pressure is not high, my blood shows I have nothing wrong…………

I am going to ask you, what are those symptoms you are suffering then?

It is true that if you go to see a western doctor, the tests may indicate there is nothing wrong with you and the doctor will resort to giving you panadol to help reduce the pain, or pills to help you sleep. In Chinese Medicine, it is very wrong, all those symptoms show that you are either yin or yang and not balanced , which causes your meridians to be blocked somewhere, causing the pain.   A good example of imbalance is sleep disorder – either sleeping too much or not able to sleep.

Those symptoms are caused from long term irregular life style – not having enough to do, thinking too much, or long term chronic stress.   Often people with an irregular lifestyle refuse to listen and communicate with their mind and body, they know on some level that they should take action, but they do not want to change their current life style or refuse to change themselves.  They just simply ignore themselves, and keep on suffering till they become sick or end up lying in bed.

I have been advised by so many people including my family members, such as alcoholics, that when they are suffering in bed, the doctor will advice them to stop and they all can stop alcohol, but sadly they can only live in bed for the rest of their lives as the damage has already been done.   

Chronic diseases like cancer, high blood pressure and faulty arteries do not happen in one day.  They are the result of long term chronic stress with symptoms that gradually appear and increase and may change day by day.  It may be likened to an apple that appears to be bit rotten on the surface, it has  not changed the quality of the whole apple yet, but you should pay attention on it.  Once the whole apple turns rotten, or 1/3 of it turns rotten, it may effect the cells of the whole apple.  Even tasting the non rotten part of the apple, is already likely to taste horrible.   Even though one half of the apple looks good, the bad cells have already developed and the sickness has taken place. Once your blood shows it is wrong, you are sick.  Once you have put the head of sickness on you, it is not easy to take it off.

Chinese medicine studies the regulation of nature, monitoring the quantity change, not quality change.   Once you have the symptoms of disease, I strongly suggest you pay attention to them and take action to change your life style.

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Qigong Massage

Massage is an excellent way of strengthening the immune system and maintaining good heath. Qigong massage is an extension of Qigong exercise and meditation and is a wonderful way to nourish the mind, body and spirit, and maintaining harmony in all systems.  Qigong massage can easily be done on oneself or with a partner.

The benefits of Qigong massage include improved muscle tone, increased blood circulation, stimulation of the lymph system, elimination of wastes and toxins, stress release and increased relaxation response. Qigong massage can be used to rejuvinate the entire being from head to feet. 

General Head Massage   

Great for sinusitis, respiratory allergies, headaches, anxiety or depression.

Massage the bridge of the nose with both sides of the middle fingers. Complete six circular rubbing motions moving from the top to the outside, down toward the nose and then into the point above the inside corner of the eye. 

Move the hands up from the bridge of the nose to the top centre of the forehead. 

Spread the hands apart with the fingers of the right hand moving down to the right temple and the fingers of the left hand moving down to the left temple. Massage the temples in a circular motion six times.

Move the hands up to the top of the head and bring them down the neck. Rub the back of the neck - up and down the tendons that extend on either side six times.

Move the hands up to the outside of the neck until the lower point of the jaw joint is felt. Rub that six times.

Now move the hands back to the bridge of the nose and in a smooth motion, trace the outline of the eyebrows to the temple and then move the hand down to the hollow of the cheek.  Repeat this motion three times.

With care, slowly rotate the head, stretching the neck so the right ear is almost touching the right shoulder. Then slowly shift the head to the front so the chin is touching the chest. Then move the head to the left so the left ear is almost reaching the left shoulder,  Now move it slowly toward the back.  Look up at the ceiling. Repeat three times, then reverse direction and repeat again.

  • Please do not perform massage on any area where there are skin eruptions, localised infections or malignancies, swelling, or recent surgery.


Tuesday 27 November 2012

Preparation Before Practice

Since the basic aim of Tai Chi and Qigong is to cultivate a state of tranquillity, it is worth eliminating as many distracting factors as possible by preparing in advance.  A few simple preparatory considerations will not only enhance the practice, but make it much more enjoyable and provide many beneficial outcomes:       
  • Choose an appropriate place to practice. The environment should be clean and quiet with plenty of fresh air.  Do not practice when hungry, very full, too tired, or after drinking alcohol, otherwise it will be difficult to relax and concentrate the mind.  Eating too much hinders the circulation of qi and blood, and alcohol disturbs the qi mechanism.
  •  Begin the practice with full body warm ups by doing preparation exercises or stretching exercises.  This helps to bring the body into the practice state and prevents injuries.  
  • Wear appropriate clothing so that the body is comfortable and allows for smooth blood circulation. Avoid any tight or restrictive clothing or items such as belts, watches, jewellery, tight shoes or high heels.
  • Relieve the bladder and bowels before practicing and avoid doing any intense physical activities prior to practice, to assist in calming the mind and body.
  • Attempt to ease the mind and emotions as much as possible before practice. If the emotions are particularly turbulent and unsteady, try taking a walk in the fresh air until the mind is calmer and strong emotions have been released.

Happy Practising!

                                              
http© Copyright philld and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1043128

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Tai Chi and Abdominal (Diaphragmatic) Breathing

Tai Chi is a must for preventing disease.  When performing Tai Chi, the whole body becomes involved, with the hands, eyes and trunk in continuous uninterrupted motion, like a flowing stream.  The legs act as the base and the waist as the axis around which the trunk moves and rotates. As the body relaxes both mentally and physically, the breathing becomes rhythmic and enhances abdominal breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing.

Abdominal breathing occurs through the movement of the diaphragm, the sheet of muscle that separates the lungs and abdomen. During inhalation the diaphragm moves downward, causing the navel area to move out.  During exhalation, the diaphragm moves upward and the abdominal area moves inward. The motion of the diaphragm massages the abdominal and pelvic organs such as the liver, stomach and intestines. It improves digestive, metabolic and excretory functions, as well as toning the muscles of the abdominal wall.  Other benefits include improved cardiac functioning and lymph flow, as well as oxygenation of the blood and circulation. It is an excellent method of stimulating the relaxation response, resulting in less tension and an overall sense of well-being.

Abdominal breathing is the most natural and efficient way to breath. Due to tension, poor posture, restrictive clothing and lack of training, however it is often forgotten.  Once this technique becomes a part of daily life and correct breathing is restored, there will be great improvement in physical and mental well-being.

Noses Are Made For Breathing

Another important factor concerning breathing that is worth mentioning, is the importance of breathing through the nose and keeping the mouth closed. Breathing through the nose ensures that the lungs will receive the right volume of air that has been correctly filtered, disinfected, warmed and humidified. In this way, sensitive lung tissue will not be irritated.  Mouth breathing should be avoided, as it causes a whole host of problems. Some problems associated with mouth breathing are hyperventilation, or over breathing on a permanent basis, which may seem normal over time.  Mouth breathing is directly related to the majority of upper respiratory tract infections and especially, ear, nose and throat, inflames adenoids and sinuses. 

Mouth breathing can also create dental problems. Mouth breathers tend not to keep the tongue in the correct place. When the tongue is in the right place, at the roof of the mouth, the upper jaw develops correctly and has a functional U shape.  When a person is a mouth breather, the tongue drops to the floor of the mouth and the cheek muscles push inwards. Because there is no support from the tongue, the jaw becomes V shaped. This is turn creates further problems where speech and swallowing can become dysfunctional. 

Diaphragmatic breathing using the nose is an excellent way of controlling the breathing rate and depth, and may significantly assist any dysfunctional breathing patterns to return to normal.


Abdominal Breathing Practice


Sit or lie down on the back and relax the whole body…
Ensure that the mouth is closed and that the breath is flowing though the nostrils…
Observe the natural breath without controlling it in any way…
Continue observing the natural breath for some time…
Place the right hand on the abdomen at the navel centre, and the left hand over the centre of the chest…
The right had will move up with the inhalation and down with exhalation…
The left hand should not move with the breath…
There should be no tension in the abdomen. Do not force the movement in any way.
Try not to expand the chest or move the shoulders…
Feel the abdomen expanding and contracting…
Continue for a few minutes breathing slowly and deeply…

Don't forget, abdominal breathing can be done at any time, any place!

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Welcome to our first blog!

Our aim for this blog is to bring together a range of topics about Tai Chi and Qigong.  The subject of Tai Chi and Qigong is rich and multifaceted and will no doubt provide many insightful and thought provoking topics.

Tai Chi originated in China and was tradionally considered a martial art used for self defence. Tai Chi has grown in popularity and is practised extensively all over the world as a form of sport and as a means of keeping fit and preventing and curing many diseases such as high blood pressure, arthritis, kidney problems and many more!

Qigong (pronouned chee-gong) proven to be more than 5000 years old is a soft, slow and meditative Chinese form of exercise for fitness, health and spiritual balance. It is said that Qiging was developed from the accumulated experiences of daily life and work.  As with Tai Chi, Qigong has a sound philosophical basis. Qigong intersects with the philosophy of Taoism, Zen Buddhism and Confucian practices of self-cultivation.

We look forward to bringing you more articles about these wonderful practices - so stay tuned!