INFO IN SUMMARY
'Vadi Ruhu' (The Valley Spirit) Qigong School (in Istanbul, Turkey) is in charge of presentation, instruction and giving terapy services of qigong, taiji quan and shiatsu both as a science of vitality (theory) and a series of exercises (praxis) in manner of preventive, curative remedy and spiritual progress.
Short Definitons
What is Qigong
Qigong is a cultural legacy of China with a long history. Long time working on the vital energy with perseverance and research on it means qigong. The word qigong is derived from qi and gong. Qi can be identified as the underlying energy of the universe, animating power of nature, the bioenergy in living bodies. Gong means working perseveringly and skill developing. So, the prefix of the word gong expresses the field of work and skill developing.
Its history with some millennia can be traced back to antiquity. Historical records inform, that four thousand years ago in China people had used a dance to move their bodies, regulate their qi and breathings in order to cure the diseases. Qigong is based on Buddhist, Taoist and Confucianist energy exercises and the science of energy of the traditional Chinese medicine. According to the traditional Chinese medicine many illnesses originate from mental imbalance, and the circulation of vital energy in our bodies is closely related to mind. So, the regulation of mind and qi gains an outstanding importance in preventive medicine.
With multipurpose applications on oneself (like self-controlled qigong therapy), nutrition, healing others and the geomancy (the science of settlement) qigong has a wide variety of applications. Applications on oneself are based on regulating the body, the breathing & qi, the mind, contain certain stances, movements, techniques of breathing, using vibration, imaging, mind (attention) focusing, and self massage.
What is Taiji Quan
Taiji quan is a specified form of qigong, namely one kind of education of vital energy. Considering its advanced stages taiji is an art of self-defence, basically an education, which leads to a unification of mind and body. It teaches how to accumulate the vital energy, spread to the extremities, circulate in the body and let communicate freely with heaven and earth. It is an art of moving unlike a machine with a low tempo, which create a feeling of rest and recreation instead of fatigue and exhaustion, can be practised by a very wide variety of ages and adopt the teaching of unresisting to its movements (quan). Taiji quan has meditative exercises, warming-ups, which spreads qi to the limbs, a (short or long) series of movements and in advanced stages self-defensive exercises for two.
The word taiji means the Supreme Ultimate or the Big Breath of Life, and quan the series of movements or fist. As a life style of Chinese for thousands of years, taiji is the expression of the natural movements of change and transformation, which come out of a creative emptiness. In antiquity the Taoist masters began to adopt the principles of these movements to the human body and in the long run the bodily movements have emerged clearly. The art have appeared approximately four hundred years ago for the first time under the name taiji quan and reached today via family styles.
What is Shiatsu
Shiatsu means to push with the thumb. As an energy massage it’s one kind of qigong. Shiatsu has came into being in the beginning of the 20. century in Japan as a synthesis of the previous manipulative therapies and began to be used for medical purposes. It has been influenced by acupressure (of Chinese origin) and anmo massage, and receipted later a modern healing method, which lays emphasis on skeleton and autonomous nervous systems, and the functioning of the inner organs. Shiatsu considers man from many aspects, establishes the lost biological balances and removes the possible reasons of illnesses by activating the self-healing facilities of human body.
Energy medicine considers, that the very first symptoms of illnesses arise in consequence of partial decreasing or increasing of vital energy in the body. This imbalance then, being transferred to the physical and chemical qualities of the body, gives rise to muscle stiffness, acid accumulation, hormonal disorders etc. Shiatsu aims to remove the energetic imbalances in the body like many far eastern healing disciplines. An ideal shiatsu session/treatment is based on trust between giver and receiver. The giver applies pressure techniques on the receiver’s meridians and tsubos (mostly acupoints), stretches her/his extremities, manipulates her/his joints etc.
About time place and fees
The days and periods of courses are not rigid, instead determined according to the demands of the participants and the instructor.
The activities take place on both sides and according to demand outside of Istanbul. In the summer time the courses are held in parks under the sky, in hard wheather conditions in the saloons of the companies arranged by agreement.
European side of Istanbul
Medical qigong (yi jia gong) ; sundays at 10.00 a.m. - 12.00 a.m.
Taiji Quan (Yang style, 10 forms); twice a week, wednesdays at 08.00 p.m. - 10.00 p.m. & sundays at 03.30 p.m. - 05.30 p.m.
both in 'Mimoza Yaşam Merkezi'
Asian (Kadıköy) side of Istanbul
Medical qigong systems (for various health problems and slimming too); tuesdays at 11.30 a.m. - 01.00 p.m. in 'Bizden Bire'
Taiji quan (Yang style, 88 forms); tuesdays at 04.00 p.m. - 06.00 p.m. in 'Bizden Bire'
Taiji Quan (Yang style, 10 forms); saturdays at 10.15 a.m. - 12.15 p.m. in 'Prana' (started on the 21th of February 2009)
The planned courses
Taiji Quan (Yang style, 10 forms), in 'Bizden Bire'
The grand regulating (transport and conversion) exercise; three, four days a week preferably before noon in 'Mimoza Yaşam Merkezi'
Tree stances (zhan zhuang gong); on either side of İstanbul, five, six days of the week preferably before evening, around 04.30 p.m. - 06.00 p.m.
Zen shiatsu; on either side of İstanbul
Among medical qigong systems in the school it is taught various kinds of jinggong (stationary) exercises like entering silence (ru jing gong), gaining qi, alternating nostril breathing, aligning three dantiens, qi permeating technique, tree stances (zhan zhuang) (tree stances are taught especially for both, medical purposes and spiritual progress), etc., jingdonggong (semi-moving) exercises like eight brocades (baduanjin), the cleansing qigong (tsang-fu gong ), the swimming dragon, eighteen movements in harmony (taiji qigong shiba shi), six healing sounds (liu tse jue) and two donggong (moving) exercises callled wind walking or Guo-lin walking (xixihu) and the grand regulating exercise (yun hua gong). In this respect taiji quan is one of the donggong (moving) exercises too.
Shiatsu lessons are though planned, but the day and period is waiting to be arranged by aggrement.
Beside the courses private therapy sessions up to demand are held too:
1. Qigong therapy (private lessons according to the needs of patient in manner of complementary medical help)
2. Shiatsu session (private opportunity, for preventive purposes and againt some diseases)
The fees, 2009
Medical qigong systems once a week: 130. - TL/month / twice a week: 200. - TL/month
The grand regulating exercise once a week: 150. - TL/month / twice a week: 250. - TL/month
Tree stances twice a week: 150. - TL/month / three to four times a week: 250. - TL/month
Taiji quan
Short formonce a week: 150. - TL/month / twice a week: 250. - TL/month
Long form once a week: 140. - TL/month / twice a week: 210. - TL/month
Shiatsu once a week: 150. - TL/month / twice a week: 230. -TL/month
Qigong therapy (private teaching for therapeutical purpose) each lesson 150. - TL
Shiatsu application (private) 150. - TL
Info
Hakan Onum
+ 555 594 56 76
ho@vadiruhu.com