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Yoga & Meditation

Taoist Yoga (or Chi Kung)

The Li family Taoist Yoga is divided into two parts, although of course, there are numerous other supplementary exercises.

The main groups are......

K'ai Men ("Open Door"), and

Tao Yin ("Respiration Therapy").

Unlike Indian Yoga, postures are very rarely "held".

 

Taoist Yoga is thought to have its roots some 3,000 years ago.  The emphasis is on gentle stretching within natural planes of movement.
K'ai Men exercises are performed in two sections.  Firstly, a gentle movement harmonises the breathing, warms the target area and opens the joints.  A second section extends the stretch, with natural breathing.  Each section is performed twice.  There are some 400 K'ai Men exercises.  The purpose of K'ai Men is to "open the gates" within the body, removing blockages that prevent the free flow of internal energy.
Tao Yin exercises are performed a number of times.  These sophisticated breathing exercises are used to strengthen the body to prevent illness, or to help the body overcome a particular problem.  There are 180 Tao Yin exercises.

Meditation / Mindfulness

Taoist Meditation / Mindfulness is used together with the above exercises to improve relaxation and develop internal energy.
Zen Meditation / Mindfulness is Japanese based (although it has its roots in Chinese "Chan" meditation).
Both forms of meditation help to centre the body and strengthen the internal energy.

 

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