NIU will celebrate World Tai Chi and Qigong Day from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 26, at the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education’s Anderson Hall, 520 Garden Road in DeKalb.
Held each year in more than 80 countries, World Tai Chi and Qigong Day begins in the earliest time zones of New Zealand and then spreads globally as clocks mark 10 a.m. local time, ending with final events in Hawaii.
Paul Wright, an NIU Board of Trustees Professor and certified tai chi teacher, will provide participants an introduction to the exercise and a chance to practice the holistic skills that improve strength, health, quality of life and inner harmony.
Master Guerman Atanassov of the International Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan Association, a consultant and frequent guest lecturer for Wright’s tai chi class this semester, also will attend.
“I wanted to bring World Tai Chi and Qigong Day to campus because it is a positive and healthy way to bring people together. The focus is on mindful movement, self-care and enjoying the spring season as a community,” says Wright, who has studied and taught tai chi for decades.
“Tai chi helps to train anyone to develop their body-mind connection, such as a better sense of where their center of gravity is, how their posture is aligned and how we coordinate our breathing with our movement,” he adds. “People who join us will also be able to see demonstrations of tai chi weapons, such as sword- and self-defense applications.”
And, Wright says, all are welcome regardless of age, experience or physical ability.
“We will have teachers, experienced practitioners and newcomers alike. Modifications can easily be made so that everyone feels comfortable and has a positive experience,” says Wright, who learned tai chi more than 30 years ago, including private lessons with Chinese Grandmaster Hsu Fun Yuen, and earned his first certification in 1994. “The tai chi class I have been teaching as an honors seminar this semester will be my staff. They will demonstrate what they have learned and help introduce tai chi to others.”
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health defines tai chi as “a practice that involves a series of slow gentle movements and physical postures, a meditative state of mind and controlled breathing.”
Originating as an ancient martial art in China, tai chi evolved through the centuries to “become more focused on health promotion and rehabilitation.”
For more information on the event, which is approved for NIU Honors Engaged and College of Business Passport, email pwright@niu.edu.
