KUNG FU AND TAI CHI
Practicing Kung Fu and Tai Chi are truly magical experiences. You change yourself in ways you never considered. You might be surprised by the profound personal metamorphosis and not recognize yourself. As with all martial arts, you study for self-improvement, for understanding, for emotional health, for humility, for physical prowess and, as a result, you become a better human being, able to better facilitate your domain of influence, corporate or internal. These are arts whose physical demands are great, yet they are readily adjustable based on one’s changing physical prowess, one's devotion, one's objectives and one's motivation.
Kung Fu
The words "kung fu" have come to represent all the Chinese martial arts styles. The entire list of tai chi benefits below can be applied to kung fu training since kung fu, the general category, includes tai chi. Kung fu training develops the spirit in a way that is quite rare. For those who practice, growth is exponential. For those who are hobbyists, the training still has tremendous benefit.
Private and group lessons are available.
Tai chi is graceful, martial movement that rejuvenates the body, mind and spirit, energizes the body through organ stimulation and builds personal life force (called chi) by opening up the joints, tendons and muscles. Through continual practice, one learns to identify and protect his/her personal domain – both physical and emotional.
Instruction
Group and private instruction are available on the beach, in the studio and at the client’s office or residence. An initial evaluation is performed to discuss and define client objectives, short and long term, and to determine any specialty issues and the proper path for a successful journey.
Benefits
This training gives you a sense of peace in your daily life. It can enhance rehabilitation, regeneration, core training, certainly self-confidence, self-motivation, general alignment and wellness.
Here is a list of benefits:
1) opens up the vascular system
2) improves cardiovascular health
3) massages the internal organs
4) lubricates the spine
5) regulates blood pressure
6) regulates weight
7) produces gamma brain waves, serotonin, endorphins and adrenaline
8) reduces cortisol by reducing stress
9) boosts the immune system
10) increases muscle tone, muscle strength and overall muscularity
11) improves flexibility, dexterity, agility, mobility, adaptability
12) improves power of concentration, mental focus
13) develops reflexes and improves reaction time
14) increases physical speed
15) increases mental speed
16) reduces the need for chiropractic by improving alignment of the joints
17) puts you on a higher level
18) makes you feel amazing
Chi Kung
Chi Kung is a glorious practice, and is coupled with tai chi training. Chi kung is performed without a great deal of external movement. The motion comes from inside. By maintaining a stable position such as a small horse riding stance, the practitioner is able to generate energy from the body’s center (just below the belly button, front and rear) and store it as life energy which can increase your lifespan.
Meditation
Tai Chi became this writer's first successful meditation practice. Although I had tried consistently for five years to achieve meditative integrity through mantra repetition (repetition of a word or words to remind you to keep your attention in one spot) for two-and-a-half hours each day, I did not succeed at quieting the mind until I focused it on one tai chi movement as I was executing it. In wanting to achieve correct tai chi movement, my attention was unavailable for any external thoughts about health, wealth, wardrobe, décor, children, parents, success, failure, ice cream or yogurt.
The tai chi (along with kung fu and chi kung) allows you to turn on your own personal switch of meditation by the simple rotation of a joint or the movement of a wrist. The facility of stimulating all the nerve endings with one thought or movement comes with the discipline of experience, but, I believe, uses a natural learning curve the more time one continues to practice.
Lineage of Diane Gold
A student of Sifu J. K. Duran, currently of Boca Raton, Florida, whose master (Diane's grandmaster) is Grandmaster Wai Hong of Chinatown, New York, Diane operates a kung fu and tai chi school in Boca Raton.
Kung Fu is Chinese in origin and is based upon animals and elements in nature. Tai Chi is also Chinese, is based upon the movements of the snake and the crane, based upon much older martial concept, can be traced back 400 and 700 years, looks good and feels great.
World Tai Chi and Chi Kung Day
Diane Gold supports the global healing and world peace movement that is World Tai Chi and Chi Kung Day. This day represents a worldwide series of tai chi/chi kung events beginning at 10:00 a.m. local time zone on the last Saturday of April each year. There are 1,600 events in over 63 countries. Here is a link to photos of the events in both 2006 and 2007 in Boca Raton of which she has been the overseer for nine years.
Experience vs. Observing
Experiencing tai chi or any of the martial and meditative arts is profoundly different from observing it. You are encouraged to try it for yourself to see if it fits your program.
Questions and Comments
Your questions and feedback are welcome and appreciated. Please do not hesitate to send an e-mail to: doitnow@dianegold.com.