This year was filled with incredible discoveries for me. My journey with Qigong started a couple of years ago and I had the opportunity to explore it further when I was living at a Kung Fu Retreat where I became a Certified Qigong Teacher and where I was able to share this incredible art. Even though Qigong derives from Traditional Chinese Medicine, I only became acquainted with TCM in December, through a like-minded friend who is currently completing her degree as a Chinese Doctor & Practitioner. Amongst some of the resources that she shared with me, one of them was the classic of Chinese Medicine entitled The Yellow Emperor, that I highly recommend.
Getting deeper into this topic inevitably leads one to Tao. Later this year, I ended up spending some time at Tao Garden studying Tantra & Tao with a couple who has dedicated most of their lives to these arts: Colin and Marina.
Tantra & Tao are closely interrelated. Tantra derives from Hinduism and Buddhism and the word Tantra means any systematic broadly applicable “text, theory, system, method, technique or practice”. Tao or Dao derives form the Chinese tradition and it may be translated as way, path, road, principle or even holistic science. Even though they come from separate civilisations, they intermingle in a number of practices, especially when it comes to health therapies. The underlying philosophy is quite similar: Chakras & Dan Tiens, Yoga & Qigong.
The way the human being is addressed and its supreme role in this life form are common to both these ancient ways of living, who are primarily famous for their relevant role in health and longevity.
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