Tai Chi (TaiJi) and Chi (Qi) Ball
Concept of Yin and Yang and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Yin Yang is perhaps the most known and documented concept used within Taoism.
The ideas behind yin and yang were developed by observing nature’s rhythms, ways, and laws, and how it was reflected in every aspect of life – our energy, the body, and the mind.
The complementary nature of Yin and Yang are best illustrated by the iconic black-and-white yin-yang symbol which represents two opposite energies working together to create balance. Yang can be seen within yin, and yin can be found in yang.
The principal proponent of the theory was the cosmologist Zou Yan (Tsuo Yen) who believed that life went through five phases – fire, water, metal, wood, and earth – which continuously interchanged according to the principle of Yin and Yang.
Yin Yang is the concept of duality forming a whole. Neither Yin nor Yang is absolute. Nothing is completely Yin or completely Yang. Each aspect contains the beginning point for the other aspect. The nature of Yin and Yang flows and changes with time. As one aspect increases, the other decreases to maintain the overall balance of the whole.
Although they represent independent energies, they coexist with each other. Yin reaches its height of influence with the winter solstice. Yang reaches its height of influence with the summer solstice. The yang energy of summer peaks and then declines to surrender to the yin of the autumn. The ice-cold yin of winter succumbs to the warm, expanding yang energy of spring, and continues to rise again into summer.
These energies are constantly moving, transforming, and changing. Just like rationalism forms the basis for Western medicine, the Taoist philosophy of yin-yang forms the basis for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM believed that the body moves like these energies – constantly moving, transforming, and changing.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the concept of Yin and Yang serves as the foundation for understanding health, as well as diagnosing and treating illnesses.
Understanding the ebb and flow of the body and life is the key to balance and harmony. Imbalance occurs when there is resistance to this natural ebb and flow which causes an excess or deficiency of either Yin or Yang.
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Good Health and Happiness,
Chiball Team
CHI – The Vital Energy and Why it is Critical to Health
The quieter you become, the more you can hear.
Meditation can help us live happier, eliminate negative thoughts, worries, and anxieties. Several studies have proven that the practice of meditation, carried out on a regular basis, will mitigate the symptoms of stress and anxieties.
In a Chiball class, the fifth energy phase, which is often omitted from western exercise techniques and often leaves participants out of balance is the Condensed Yin Phase represented by a short period of relaxation and meditation.
It is so vitally important to allow the body to heal, the mind to calm and the spirit to soar/awaken. Hence, the need for meditation. It is the final stage of a ChiBall class that brings the complete person into Harmony, Balance, and Well-being.
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Good health and Happiness,
ChiBall Team
Why should kids learn Meditation
Do you know that in several schools, meditation is used to replace detention/suspension to discipline kids and avoid them from acting up? Cool isn’t it?
Imagine you got a call from the principal or a counselor telling you that your kid is in detention again or he/she is showing bad behavior which leads to his/her suspension. It’s heartbreaking for a parent to know that you’re working hard to pay for your child’s education and yet what the kids learn are fighting, staring at the walls in detention rooms and unruly behavior. Annoying isn’t it?
That’s why according to an article posted in https://www.upworthy.com, Robert W. Coleman Elementary School decided to replace detention with meditation and the results are very surprising! Instead of punishing disruptive kids or sending them to the principal’s office, they offer Mindfulness programs instead.
According to several schools that use programs like these, they said suspension rates dropped and attendance increased as well. Kids learn to meditate which becomes much deeper and more meaningful for the students, especially given what the statistics say about the challenges they face on a daily basis. They can also bring what they learn at home, meditate for 5 minutes and not have to worry about what’s going on outside their bedroom door if need be.
ChiBall envisions to help everyone – adults and child alike to benefit from the holistic approach to meditation. That’s why we also offer “Children in Balance” so that parents can have access to it online and teach children how to properly use these for their kids’ health and overall well being.
Check out: https://chiball.com.au/product-cat…/childrens-education/ to learn more.
Keeping Children Calm
Recently we received an email from one of our ChiBall teachers who works with active 4 year olds. We loved this story of the last day of term…
Hi MAC,
I wanted to relate what I did today with my 4 year olds at the kindy. I have a feeling you will love this –
I always take first group time, I told the kids what I had been doing for 5 days and showed them the balls and said they could do some with me after lunch.
I had about four helping me to open 30 plastic bags, pile up the “straws” and colour code them into bags. I filled them up with air while they had lunch. You have NO IDEA how fabulous the next 45 minutes was. We checked out the smell – for your info all but the silver ball was recognised the red ball smells like “cookies at Christmas” and I swear I did not say anything about cinnamon, Christmas, or any type of leading information. Now I gave the four most energetic over the top boys the purple balls (much to the little girl’s disgust as purple is their favourite colour!).
Now if you had been there to see four boys become quiet, thoughtful and compliant you would possibly believe me, but I still am shaking my head. (So is the staff of the kindy!). I used the Move CD I picked up yesterday, I even opened it in front of them so had not listened to it – we did some initial movements without the music but still holding the balls, then did the rainbow, butterfly arms, sunset/sunrise and horizon moves. Then did some relaxation on the floor from the Feldenkrais section in particular the back rolls over the ball. Then: just relaxed – no music – on the floor.
Now you need to know these kids always love the last day of term as it’s ‘play all day, party lunch and anything goes’. So hyped up is a normal explanation for most of them. One of my staff asked me how the kids had managed to relax so quietly on the floor even though it was nearly 2pm and usually the worst time of the day for children and their energy sources. Oh yes and we did pat our arms all the way down and up they thought that was hilarious!
The ChiBall Team would like to say a special thank you to Babs for submitting this wonderful reflection. If you have any stories that you would like to share with us, please email education@chiball.com.