Healing
Tai Chi and Qigong are integral components to the Healing Arts and Meditation aspects of the YMAA Retreat Center's 10-year training program. In the West, it has been widely publicized and published that Tai Chi and Qigong are beneficial to your body health, particularly in body stability, joint recovery, physical rehabilitation, and preventing cancer. Tai Chi is well-known for its series of smooth, connecting motions, resembling swimming through air and utilizing calm but solid, collected stepping. Qigong involves similar movements and involves controlling your body's energy flow, staying in tune with your feelings internally and externally, and controlling your breathing to release any tensions. Oftentimes, Qigong is taught as an inseparable part of Tai Chi.
Unknown to many, Tai Chi and Qigong actually have many martial arts roots and applications. They are considered "internal" styles of practice, as opposed to the "external" styles that involve more physical movements such as punching, kicking, jumping, and wrestling. Martial artists of the past trained Tai Chi and Qigong to develop their body's internal energy and power, which in turn improved their health, strengthened their bodies, increased longevity, helped to cure or control chronic pains and diseases, and overall brought peace of mind. Meditation and massage are also very common forms of internal practice.
As internal styles were introduced to the West, the health aspect was emphasized and welcomed more than the martial arts side. Martial arts, however, is actually a very effective method for training your mind and body to maintain your overall health, both mentally and physically. Contrary to the mass media, Kung Fu is not about fighting and violence. "Kung" means "work" and "Fu" means "time," making the phrase "Kung Fu" mean "any activity involving hard work and time." Thus, any sport, such as for example, soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis, or golf, can be considered Kung Fu. Becoming a scholar, a poet, or a writer can also be Kung Fu. All accomplished musicians, painters, and artists also practice Kung Fu. Concentrating your mind and efforts on curing yourself of any illnesses and developing your internal body's strength and power is also Kung Fu.
The latter aspect is what the YMAA Retreat Center would like to emphasize. By training in the 10-year program, students will develop a strong sense of not only their own body's energy and health, but those of others. Consequently, students will gain knowledge and experience in injury treatment, sickness prevention, herbal use, and massage. Becoming a healer through the rigorous training of the 10-year program is an essential part of the Training Curriculum. There will be at least 600 hours of instructional time in Qigong and over 2000 hours of training in meditation, Tai Chi, and Qigong exercises.