Page 44 - SPIRE JulySep 2022 3rd Issue DIGITAL

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The history of Tai Chi and Qi Gong goes back 4,000 years. Through the centuries,
each discipline has developed numerous variations and forms. At Asian Crane

Tai Chi, the forms most practiced are Yang style Tai Chi (1820), while the Qi
Gong forms include the Eight Piece Brocade (1150), Five Animals (110), and the
use of Chinese meditation or Baoding balls. Using slow movements, both Tai Chi

and Qi Gong draw in cosmic Qi energy to harmonize respiration, circulation, and

muscle toning that lead to improved mental focus and calmness.
Tai Chi succeeds when its' practitioners stay rooted with earth and Qi, the
elements from which their physical strength and vitality comes. Because its'

techniques relax both body and mind; it nurtures balance and confidence.
Although Qi Gong uses a less intricate sequence of steps and gestures, it too

brings a state of Qi meditation grown from graceful movements, mind, and
breath.

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