1st Health Qigong Seminar for International Instructors
Leaving home to travel across the world to China to learn with many other instructors from around the world, just before Christmas was both an exciting & anxious thought, but an opportunity we simply couldn’t miss. We were given an amazing opportunity to travel to China with Master Faye Li Yip, President of British Health Qigong Association to attend & be part of this seminar sponsored & hosted by the Chinese Health Qigong Association.
On arrival at the Beijing International Spa & Fitness Centre we were welcomed by our Chinese colleagues & once settled into our comfortable & spacious hotel rooms were treated to an in depth theory seminar by Prof Wang ,,,,,, He gave us an overview of Health Qigong together with some history of the arts. This was followed by a tasty lunch of traditional Chinese food before the official Opening Ceremony which was presided over by Madame Xiao Min, the Vice President of China’s Olympic Committee, Prof Yu Ding Hai, Prof Yang Bai Long, Dr Zhang Ming Liang, Master Wang Lan
They all gave speeches of interest to welcome the 124 Instructors from 31 countries after which we were treated to beautiful, colourful & artistic displays of Traditional Drumming, Dance & Dramatics as well as Chinese Health Qigong. A group of Veterans performed Wu Qin Xi (5 Animals Play) to the traditional music which showed the co-ordination, balance, mental focus & other health benefits that can be achieved through the practice of these arts at any age. We were also entertained by a group of young & supple players who showed a medley of all the Health Qigong Sets as well as the more demanding competition movements & techniques which was a joy to watch. The poise, balance, suppleness & grace with which this performance was executed was truly inspiring.
During the course we were taught by Prof. Yu Ding Hai, the creator of Wu Qin Xi (5 Animals Play), Prof. Zhang Ming Liang, the creator of Liu Zi Jue (6 Healing Sounds) & Prof. Yang Bai Long, creator of Shi Er Duan Jin (12 Brocade) – all the guys on the official dvds.
Their explanations of the history, application & benefits were extensive & their teaching clear, concise & in depth was given with a good humour. We spent our time looking at the movements in detail, practicing & being encouraged to find more depth & feeling in the movements, adding mind & breathing as well as interesting information relating to Traditional Chinese Medicine theory. We were shown how to teach the different stages of learning & given tips on how to teach different groups. We covered all the movements and practiced them to the specially created music at the end of each day.
At the end of each training session every instructor was tested to show their capability of each routine and a pass had to be achieved in all 3 routines to qualify. 114 instructors managed to achieve this, including us.
This is the biggest group of instructors we have had the pleasure to meet & practice with, all getting on very well. It’s so good to be able to meet other Instructors from all over the world & not only practice & learn together but share our experiences, our meals & this special time in Beijing.
The event was concluded with a spectacular closing ceremony & banquet with some skillful demonstrations by the visiting instructors, including our very own Master Faye who performed the Beautiful Sunset Fan routine to perfection.
It was a lovely surprise to have a visit to our hotel from Prof & Mrs Li Deyin, who joined us for one of our evening meals to socialize & meet friends from far & wide.
Carol says “This experience has confirmed that to learn from a dvd or book is such a superficial level as they are mainly geared for beginners to learn the basics & that there is no substitute for an experienced instructor who can transmit the information directly, in order for one to learn the direction & levels of practice. All the Professors here were top level & experienced in their speciality & I feel particularly honoured to have been given this opportunity. Having completed this instructor course, I realize that this is just the start of a very long & interesting journey.”
Vicky says “I have been on a journey of realizing deeper basics over recent years within my own practice & teaching. There are many deep layers of basic practice & this seminar has reiterated this & confirmed my path is correct for me at this time. As an instructor, it is so important to have time for yourself & practice just for yourself, only by this biggest secret of Practice! Practice! Practice! can one be sure to have enough energy & experience to share with others. One of the Professors this week told of a Chinese cultural saying which sums it up nicely “To spread knowledge is like giving tea to your students, you have to make sure you have enough water!’
Article written by Vicky Ahern and Carol Gascoyne
From the British Health Qigong Association website –