Ancient Chinese system of exercise puts us in touch with our inner selves says OKTAY TULGA
Why are people around the world so interested in the ancient Chinese system of exercise known as Tai Chi? Is it because they have been inspired by the Grasshopper in the seventies Kung-Fu TV series? Or is it because they are going through a mid-life crisis and are looking for some kind of escapism? Perhaps it is a desire to do something new and to follow the latest fashion.
You can only get the answer from an experienced teacher like Rentao Revasio of Switzerland who has twice visited Cyprus to hold Tai Chi seminars. Revasio says that people practice Tai Chi because they want to find the genius within.
He says that everyone has a special gift, but most are unaware of it. Only once the genius inside us is discovered can we fully express ourselves and feel more alive. When practising Tai Chi, mind and body are in a state of meditation and movement. This teaches us to live in the moment and be centered. Being focused and centred on the moment puts us in touch with our inner self and, ultimately, makes us understand who we are and what we really want in life.
Imagine if Albert Einstein was a shoemaker. Would he have been content with his work and his life or would he have been a much happier man if he discovered his genius for science? And would Jimmy Choo derive any satisfactions from working in a science lab, missing his calling to design shoes? If you want to achieve personal happiness and contentment, it really matters what you do. It is essential to feel happy about what you are doing if you are to enjoy your short life. This is why it is so important to keep searching and trying out new things because only then is it possible to find the personal path to happiness. Tao can help.
Tao is ‘the way’ or ‘the path’. Everyone has their own path and only when on it can feel true joy and contentment in the journey of life. There are fundamental Taoist practices for finding this path. Tai Chi Kung is one of these systems. Taoism is not a religion so anybody can practice it, and in so doing draw life-force to the body from the universe; Taoists call this Chi.
According the ancient Taoist, Chi is found in the essence of the air we breathe and food we eat yet it is not detectable. When breathing and eating correctly we take life energy (chi) into the body and it actually binds the cells of the body together. We are made up of cells but what actually holds these cells together is chi (life force).
Lack of life force speeds up ageing, when Chi is depleted, the body weakens and is less resistant to harmful outside elements. More Chi means more life. According to Taoist teaching, there are three kinds of Chi: parental chi (time of conception cannot be changed); from the air (can be changed with exercise); from food (can be changed by changing diet).
Perhaps someone has not been lucky enough, genetically, to store enough Chi that would give vitality. But one can always make up for the lack of Chi with the right exercise (body and mind) and correct nutrition.
Those starting Tai Chi Kung will start to feel some changes, not only physically but also mentally and spiritually because all three are connected. If one improves, the others follow. What is great about Tai Chi Kung is that it can be performed at any age as it works with the body’s natural rhythm.
There are many different types of Taoist exercises and systems. For me, the most effective and complete is the Universal Healing Tao System of Grand Master Mantak Chias. This is the system I practice and teach. Mantak Chia studied under different masters around the world and collected their teaching under one system – Universal Healing Tao. You can go to his excellent website to learn more about this system (universal-tao.com) or contact me. This could be the change you need in your life to feel more alive and energetic.
Oktay Tulga is a Tai Chi instructor (Universal Healing Tao), Tel: 99 553648
