Taiji Quan (Tai Chi) and Qi Gong are ancient Chinese exercises which emphasise the unity of mind and body. They involve slow, circular movements with ascending, descending, opening and closing actions as a natural motion of Qi flow in the body, mental concentration, breath control and relaxation – without losing firmness.
Taiji means Yin Yang and is an exercise based on the theory of Yin and Yang philosophy using movement to balance their energy.
Taiji Quan Yin and Yang movements centre on the Dan Tian (the Dan Tian is located under the navel, inside the lower abdomen and is the Qi centre) and involve mental and physical concentration, dynamic and static, empty and full. Ascending, descending, opening and closing – from the Dan Tian. Forward and backward, circling with rotation and revolution. Firm and soft. The whole body is connected as a whole. The movements are coordinated and coherent. The principles of Yin and Yang are embodied – they are opposite and restricted, interdependent, ebb and flow and transform.
Qi Gong is an energy exercise based on the theory of TCM. It includes health and medical Qi Gong. Qi means energy. In TCM, Qi is the most essential substance to constitute the human body and sustain. Its life activity. It is described as life energy and a life force. It is the most important function of the body and without it we could not exist. Gong means ability, skill, the work or exercise. Qi Gong is a mental and physical practising skill that integrates the body’s movements, breath and mind together in a natural manner.
Taiji Quan and Qi Gong are energy exercises, and the difference between them is that Taiji Quan is also used for defence.
Taiji Quan and Qi Gong can help promote and regulate the flow of energy and blood circulation. They dredge the meridians, nourish the organs, strengthen the muscles, tendons and bones. Also, they prevent illness and help to elevate the body’s self-potential and enhance physical and mental health. All these serve to maintain our quality of life and improve longevity.
Over the last few days lots of patients have been telling me they have more phlegm, coughs, runny nose and uncomfortable stomachs, heavy head, fuzzy head, less appetite, sore and tight joints, tiredness and low mood. All of these symptoms are indicative of dampness in the body.
What is dampness?
Dampness comes from our external environment or internally in the body. It may be due to Qi (Energy) deficiency preventing us from moving fluid from the inside to the outside of the body, or the external dampness from the weather or living conditions. Or eating and drinking excessively. It can stay in our body to make us unwell.
Apart from the symptoms listed above, how do we know more if we have dampness in the body?
1. Difficult to wake up in the morning and or puffy eyes and face
2. The tongue is bigger and has teeth marks. The coating on the tongue is thick and creamy.
3. Coughing with phlegm, heaviness in the head, sleepiness, poor memory, feeling depressed or anxiety and sometimes a heavy feeling on the chest.
What can we do?
Lifestyle:
Exercise daily.
Make yourself sweat lightly by having a warm soup or hot tea.
Eat light food, with less salt.
Have a nap if you can.
Do not sleep or sit in a damp place. Keep your clothing and linen dry.
Make sure clean the mould in the house and have indoor ventilation.
Food tips
Food tips:
Have pumpkin soup with ginger.
Barley with mung bean soup – add 1 handful each of barley and mung beans, simmer in 1 litre of water or more for half an hour.
Drink ginger tea, use more ginger in cooking, eat a bit more onion and garlic.
Make sure to go to toilet every day.
Drink less cold icy drinks, eat less sweet, fat and creamy foods, and drink less alcohol.
Qi Gong tips:
Reverse breathing – breathe in and expand your stomach out, breathe out hold your stomach in. Do this a few times in a row, and a few times each day.
Massage your stomach and ribs in a circular motion.
Being healthier makes you happier and being happier makes you healthier.
Traditional Qi’s two concepts are prevention and wisdom.
In Chinese, the definition of “Dan” 丹 is the color ‘red’. “Tian” 田 can be defined as paddy field, or an area that can be mined for treasure or minerals.
In the vast universe, no creature can exist without the core. The principle is that the rotation or revolution of everything in the universe moves around their internal core and external core.
In nature, the core of all kinds of plants, trees and flowers are their roots. Plants cannot exist without roots, for example apples, pears, peaches, and apricots, etc. all depend for living on their roots or core. Seeds are another form of core, which induce plants to germinate, grow and produce fruit. Similarly, a country, company, family, and each person require a core to develop and strengthen. Thousands and millions of cores rotate and revolve endlessly to move, restrict, oppose, wane, wax, and interact with each other to wisely achieve the balance between internal and external. The core unites all things tightly. Meanwhile, the core transmits energy and power to each part of a substance from the inside. Core energy is the vital energy of all creatures; they cannot live without core energy.
Where is this core of life – Dan Tian? The Dan Tian is below the navel inside the stomach area.
What is Qi Core of the body? Human’s core (Dan Tian) of the body is the source of vital energy of life and blood, which includes innate energy,acquired energy, and root of wisdom.
Why is Dan Tian the Core?
Dan Tian is the origin of the seed of humanity. The seed of mankind consists of ovum from female and sperm from male, which originates in Dan Tian.
Innate energy comes from Dan Tian The Dan Tian is a deep source of innate energy. Ovum (Yin) and sperm (Yang) combine together in our body (Yin and Yang), to generate an embryo, and multiply the next generation. Dan Tian is the origin of the fetus, humanities’ innate energy and body. In addition, Dan Tian is vital energy to induce the fetus forming, growth, and giving birth. The innate energy of each person is inherited from parents; and it comes with uniqueness constitution of energy, which decides composition and personality of each person.
Acquired energy comes from Dan Tian The Dan Tian is also a deep source of acquired energy. After birth, people rely on energy and blood to survive, and to maintain health. Energy and blood is obtained from nutrition of food and inhalation of oxygen. People digest and absorb nutrition to form energy and blood. The acquired energy from Dan Tian combines nutrition from food and oxygen, generates energy and blood, and supplies it to every part of body all the time. Therefore, people give birth and grow; internal organs work; and bodies do activities.
Wisdom is from the Dan Tian Wisdom is from the Dan Tian, the sun in our body. It can be regarded as the “Gut Feeling” in western countries to some extent (to be continued).
How do we use and strengthen the Dan Tian?
Exercising the movement of Dan Tian’s energy can help improve energy and blood, and movement of internal organs. They are effective methods to balance Yin and Yang in our bodies, help cure and prevent disease, increase longevity, and improve the quality of life, nourish energy and blood, and maintain optimism and help prevent depression, anxiety and dementia,
Benefit for physical and mental health.
Qi Gong and Tai Chi are specially designed to make full use of the Dan Tian Energy.
Methods of daily exercise for Dan Tian:
Open up the body from Dan Tian. Standing: open up Dan Tian to straighten the spine and organs. Walking: heels down, toes up, open up Dan Tian. Sitting: open up Dan Tian – body up right.
Benefits of this include:
Opening up of internal organs makes energy and blood flow and decreases stagnation.
Opening up Dan Tian pushing spine up nourishes the brain to help prevent dementia, depression and stagnation.
Improved blood circulation.
Opens up skeleton and ligaments.
Reduced stress and anxiety.
Maintains optimism and helps prevents depression.
Helps fertility and gynecology problems.
Helps the immune system to help prevent cancer.
Helps improve posture.
Breathing from Dan Tian
It is a strong performance of energy and blood when we are able to breathe by using Dan Tian. Breath will be weak and shallow when we are ill, weak, and getting older. Breathing from the Dan Tian improves blood circulation, enhances energy and blood, and maintains physical and mental health.
Strong energy from Dan Tian leads to strong energy and blood. Moreover, strong energy and blood result in physical health and psychological optimism to help prevent depression, dementia, and stagnation. To exercise Qi Gong and Tai Chi is not only to be undertaken in classes, but also to be considered as natural daily activities. Thus, we can be healthier and have more enjoyment in our lives.
Prevention and wisdom are the principles of Traditional Qi.
Written by: Angela Zhu (TCM Practitioner, Qi Gong & Tai Chi Instructor)
Often my patients tell me that whenever the weather is humid and hot, they feel depressed and pessimistic. These feelings are worse on rainy days. Sometimes they can feel heavy in their body, tired and have digestive problems.
Why does the humidity affect us?
Nature’s effect
Nature is the big universe, and the body is the small universe therefore we are part of nature. When the weather is humid and damp, the dampness from the external environment will cause dampness inside our body. Healthy people have enough Qi (vital energy) to eliminate and adjust the heavy dampness inside their body. But for those whose Qi is deficient or for those who may already have some fluid stored in their bodies, the dampness cannot be eliminated easily. When too much dampness stays in the body, it will make feel people tired and sometimes generate phlegm. When dampness is trapped in the stomach, it can block Qi movement, which may make you feel depressed or anxious.
Too much cold drink and food
Human bodies are supposed to decrease dampness and reduce heat by sweating. In our modern society people prefer to stay in an air-conditioned room or have icy cold drinks but this will keep heat and dampness in the body. With all the heat and dampness kept inside the body it can lead to fatigue, indigestion, and feelings of depression and anxiety. Also, we may catch a cold easily. (Special attention should be given to children)
External dampness plus internal dampness
Women’s health Special attention should be paid during menstrual period. The external dampness may cause abnormal menstruation, period pain and PMT with feeling more depressed and anxious.
Catching chill at night
In the hot weather, we enjoy having icy cold drinks during the day and keeping the air-conditioning on while we sleep at night. When we are asleep, it’s easy to catch a night chill. It can cause fatigue, headaches, make us feel tired, nauseous, and mentally disturbed.
How to look after ourselves in the summer days:
Appropriate amount of sweat every day is necessary. But too much sweat can damage Qi (vital energy)
Exercise properly and gently. Exercise accelerates blood circulation and sweat, which will benefit Qi (vital energy)
Try to cut back on icy drinks and food
Make sure to have a bowel movement every day. It helps with the elimination of waste and dampness.
Drink a lot of water. Urinate frequently.
Fresh ginger has the effect of dispelling cold, clearing damp, eliminating phlegm, and warming the stomach. Drinking ginger tea or using ginger in cooking helps achieve these effects.
Barley has the effect of clearing damp and eliminating phlegm. Put some barley together with rice when cooking rice or put some in when cooking soup.
Watermelon has the effect of removing heat and clearing damp, it accelerates urination.
Mung beans have the effect of clearing dampness and heat. Mung bean soup and mung bean sprouts are perfect food for summer.
Tofu has the effect of clearing heat.
Preserving health in humid summer days has a direct effect on our health in autumn. It also helps our mental and physical health.
Nourish our energy. When you take a drink of cold water you need to spend extra energy to warm up the water before your body can absorb it.
Strengthen the energy of your organs blood circulation. When cold water passes your chest, it may cool your heart, lungs and bronchi and effect breathing.
Protect your Stomach energy. Cold water can make your stomach contract, weaken the energy of the stomach consequently effect your digestion.
Help gynecological health. Cold water can give you period pain, irregular periods.
Help to reduce allergies. So, the energy can flow better in your body.
Help mental energy and enables us to be happier.
I suggest that people with depression, anxiety, tiredness and digestion problems, drink warm water.
