The other in Taijiquan
By Christian Unverzagt
Taijiquan has undergone many transformations in the course of its history. Its central aspects of combat, the cultivation of qi and meditation have been, and still are, assigned different levels of importance. Christian Unverzagt takes the view that all three aspects can only achieve their full effect in combination with each other. With regard to martial art, »the other« plays a decisive role. Here, the special way in which Taijiquan does not fend off an attacking force – instead neutralising it by the practitioner connecting with the attacker and his force – is decisive for the art’s effect on the flow of qi, for calming the spirit and for its potential for violence avoidance. In this way we can simultaneously experience a great deal about ourselves.
Moving outward together with the spring
By Katrin Blumenberg
With spring the yang phase of the year begins: aspects of strength move outwards once more, a youthful sense of enterprise takes the place of sedate winter cosiness. The transition is often erratic until spring has finally won through with its own form of aggressiveness. In the fourth part of her series in which Katrin Blumenberg takes a psychosomatic-based view of the organ function sphere, she describes how we can use this strength in ourselves creatively and also to bring about necessary changes. In Qigong we can sense our emotions and hear what the feelings assigned to the element wood have to say to us.
Martial arts – a path to enlightenment?
Martial arts and personal development
By Dr. Helmut Jäger
Asian martial arts are viewed, in addition to the sporting aspects, as paths to extensive per- sonal development. Helmut Jäger questions what qualities are actually developed on the various paths and whether these tend to calm or inflate the sense of self. Here he emphasises the possibilities opened up by learning in an open context, free of hierarchies or mystical teachings. He also discusses the significance of physical training for the development of greater awareness, because it offers the potential for nurturing unconscious or neglected areas of one’s personality and for integrating these in the unity of body and mind.
Qigong in the prevention and cure of chronic diseases and cancer
By Zheng Buyin (Part 2)
Qigong can be an effective method for activating powers of self-healing. In the previous issue, Zheng Buyin discussed the genesis of diseases from the perspective of Chinese medicine and explained why standing exercises are particularly helpful for perceiving unhealthy changes within the body at an early stage and for dissolving the blockages that cause these. In the second part of his article he describes the role and the interaction of relaxation, calm and naturalness as well as the three phases that practitioners usually pass through when they regularly train the standing exercises. He provides extensive practice instructions for the »Rider Stance« in Shaolin Neijin Qigong.
Internal martial arts and new paradigms
By Eric Caulier
The implications resulting in particular from the insights of quantum physics, such as the connectedness of everything with everything else, are only slowly entering the general consciousness of the Western world. Drawing on various statements by his students, Eric Caulier shows that practicing internal martial arts makes it possible to experience new paradigms at the physical level and in this way to change our perception of ourselves and of our wider environment beyond the training context.