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Wushu & Tai Chi NSW at the International Wushu Competition in Hong Kong – August 2018

On 20 – 24 August 2018, Wushu & Tai Chi NSW team participated in the Hong Kong International Wushu Competition. There were both modern and traditional Wushu, Health Qigong and contact events. Around two thousand people in more than 170 teams from various countries including Canada, Portugal, Malaysia, Greece, India, South Africa and, of course, China, took part in this annual tournament.

Our small team of six from Australia did very well having won a number of medals in Tai Chi (including weapons) and Health Qigong. Big thanks to the Wushu & Tai Chi NSW for supporting and training the team for this competition. Well done, everyone!

 

 

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Photos courtesy of Gary Leung and Wylan Ho. 

Unlocking the Mystery of Qi in Taijiquan and Qigong

On Howard Choy’s Lecture  “Unlocking the Mystery of Qi in Taijiquan and Qigong”

by Dr. Khoo Cheng Choo

Howard Choy , the Principal of  Berlin-based  Shou Yi Taijiquan and Qigong,  is an internationally recognised  Taiji, Qigong & Feng Shui expert.  On 12 June 2018, he presented a most intriguing  and engaging lecture on “Unlocking the Mystery of Qi in Taijiquan & Qigong” at Macquarie University, Sydney.

Howard, who has been a Tai Chi practitioner and instructor with over fifty years of experience spoke about the interrelationships of the  Dao, the intertwined Yin and Yang and the mysterious Qi which impact our daily lives and yet which are difficult to define and quantify.  He also demonstrated practices in the Chen and  Yang styles that would help to cultivate Qi internally for health, self-defence and even Feng Shui.

The audience in the almost full capacity lecture theatre listened, spellbound, as Howard explained and demonstrated his ideas about internalising Qi in Tai Chi and Qigong practices. 

The lecture generated and raised many interesting  questions about Qi  that were enthusiastically debated by Howard and amongst the participants who were remained in the theatre till 9.00 pm well after the lecture was finished. 

It is hoped that, when Howard visits Australia next time, he will continue with  another extended and stimulating lecture on the mystery of Qi in Tai Chi & Qigong.

More information is available on Wushu Herald Facebook page.

Selected videos will be available soon. 

Download presentation slideshow

Unlocking the Mystery of Qi in Taijiquan and Qigong – Your Key to Efficacious Internal Practices.

By Howard Choy (Cai Hong 蔡洪), B.Arch. (UNSW), Principal of Shou Yi Taijiquan and Qigong in Berlin and Europe.

Abstract

There is a lot of misunderstanding and mis-information about the traditional Chinese concept of Qi 氣in Taijiquan and Qigong, as they became main-stream and globalised.

Some modern “masters” promoted Qi as being some kind of magical force that can throw you to the ground without even touching you, have you ever wonder why it works to some but not to others? How do you “fajing” with Qi? How can one man with Qi can withstand being pushed by 10 without losing his balance? What does it mean to circulate and to utilize your Qi for health and for self-defence?

How can I get more Qi? Come and find out, Howard can explain and show you how to cultivate and use your Qi in an efficacious way. Hopefully with this understanding, it will take you to another level in internal practice and improve your Taijiquan and Qigong further.

In a span of more than 50 years, Howard has practised, taught and studied with some high-quality lineage holders in both the Chen and Yang Family Taijiquan (Chen Xiao-Wang and Yang Sou-Chung), as well as in Choy Lee Fut Kung Fu and Lohan Qigong with Chen Yong-Fa. Howard has a practical and no-nonsense approach to the Internal Arts.

Come and join us, all are welcome, no matter what style or which school of Taijiquan and Qigong you come from. This is a one-off event and we are here to share, to ensure the continued survival and proper propagation of this unique Chinese cultural heritage.

Register for this event 

About the Presenter:

Howard Choy (Cai Hong 蔡洪), B.Arch. (UNSW), ex. Chief Instructor and Principal of the Sydney Tai Chi and Qigong Centre, was born in China more than 60 years ago and migrated to Australia at an early age. He has kept his language and culture intact through his continual involvement with Tai Chi, Qigong, Choy Lee Fut Kung Fu and Feng Shui throughout his life. Howard is now based in Berlin and teaches mainly in Europe but visits Australia from time to time.

Australian Participation Rates in Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong: Where is Everyone?

by Brian Corless

In the March, 2017 edition of the Tai Chi Association of Australia newsletter I wrote about the benefits of tai chi chuan for mental health and commented on published survey data from the USA by Dr. Romy Lauche* and colleagues (2016) which highlighted differences in U.S. participation rates between yoga and tai chi. At the time I noted that similar rates on participation for tai chi in Australia were difficult to obtain as the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in its Participation in Sport and Physical Activity report of 2012, grouped participation data for “Tai Chi” under the category of “Martial Arts” together with data for other martial arts such as kungfu, karate and taekwondo etc., whereas yoga was given its own distinct category for participation data. My point was that it would be helpful for the Australian tai chi community to have easier access to this information so that we can assess where we are now and consider how to best promote tai chi’s physical and mental health benefits into the future.

Recapping the results of Dr. Lauche and colleagues’ (2016) paper, it was estimated from the 2012 U.S. National Health Interview Survey of about 35,000 participants, that about 7 million people (≈3%) in the U.S., of a population of about 240 million, had practised tai chi at least once in their lifetime, and about 2.6 million (≈1%) had done so in the previous 12 months. The estimate of people who had practiced tai chi in the previous 12 months in 2012, showed only a slight increase (≈100,000 participants) from the estimate of 2002, compared to the larger increase for the 12-month participation rate for yoga which rose from an estimated 10 million in 2002 to 21 million in 2012 (an increase of ≈11 million participants). The authors suggested that a more aggressive marketing approach to publicly promoting yoga in the U.S. was a possible explanation for its success. The data also showed that compared to non-tai chi users, tai chi participants in the U.S. were more likely to be female and older than 30 years of age, and that younger age ranges were generally more represented in yoga research studies, compared with older age ranges in tai chi research. Those interested in other characteristics of tai chi and qigong users are referred to Dr. Lauche and colleagues’ (2016) paper.

I am now pleased to say that…

Read full article

About the Author:

Brian Corless is a (recently retired) Clinical Psychologist and now full-time Tai Chi practitioner on the South Coast of NSW. He trains in Tai Yi Taijiquan with Sifu Wang Yunkuo in Sydney.

 

TCAA Open Tai Chi Competition – Sydney 2018

On Saturday 2 June 2018, Sydney University Sports & Aquatic Centre was hosting the Open Tai Chi Competition organised by Tai Chi Association of Australia (TCAA). TCAA is one of the oldest non-profit Tai Chi organisations in Australia that can be applauded for maintaining its policy of the competitions open to anyone interested and properly skilled. Usually, it includes bare-hand forms, weapons and push-hand sparring. 

For the first time this year, the Wushu Herald had an opportunity to witness this event. It was encouraging to see Tai Chi practitioners from many places in NSW and, surprisingly enough, judges not just from New South Wales but from Queensland, South Australia and Victoria as well. However, it seems that there were not many (if any) competitors from these states. 

The Wushu Herald does not have a complete list of participants and results but, no doubt, the full report will be published by TCAA shortly.

All competitors did really well and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours!