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Qigong

Qigong is an exercise developed in China thousands of years ago as part of traditional Chinese medicine to optimize the energy flow in the body, relax the mind, and improve health, wellbeing and awareness.

With meditative “Standing Tree” postures and slow, Tai Chi like movements Qigong regulates the mind, breath, and body, and contribute to wholistic wellbeing.

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“Qi” means air, breath, energy and “Gong” means skill, result, service, work. Qigong is one of the four practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine and in 1989 the Western Medicine hospitals in China recognised Qigong as a standard medical technique for the treatment of diseases and it is included in the national health plan of China in 1996.

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Qigong Training

I teach the below Qigong forms in-person in Cyprus and online in group or private lessons:​

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Standing Tree (Zhan Zhuang) Qigong

Standing Like a Tree (Zhan Zhuang) is the most effective exercise to recharge and activate the energy centres of the body. During these postures which can be done while standing, sitting or lying down, metabolism increase, breathing deepens, mind relaxes and body strengthens.

 

Standing Tree Qigong (Zhan Zhuang Qigong) system includes Standing Like a Tree (Zhan Zhuang), Power Testing (Shili), Qigong Steps, Explosive Power (Fali), Sticky Hands (Tui Shou – also called Pushing Hands), Energy Dance (Jian Wu), Bagua Steps, and Dantian activation exercises.

 

Zhan Zhuang Qigong and Da Cheng Chuan (also called Yiquan) martial art has been developed by Wang Xiang Zhai (1885-1963). His student Professor Yu Yong Nian (1920-2013) used Zhan Zhuang Qigong as a therapy in Beijing Railway Hospital and researched and published the health benefits of Qigong. Professor Yu’s student Lam Kam Chuen moved from Hong Kong to London in 1975, became the first tai chi instructor appointed by the Inner London Education Authority . With his efforts, tai chi was accepted for the adult education curriculum of the ILEA. He has been teaching Zhan Zhuang Qigong since 1987.

 

Lam Kam Chuen’s student Tarık Tekman started practicing Qigong and Tai Chi in 2001, He has been teaching Qigong, Tai Chi, and Qigong / Tai Chi Instructor Training since 2008 in Cyprus, Turkey, and online.

Wang Xiang Zhai, Yu Yong Nian, Lam Kam Chuen, Tarık Tekman
Wang Xiang Zhai, Yu Yong Nian, Lam Kam Chuen, Tarık Tekman

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Eight Brocades (Baduanjin)

Eight Brocades (Baduanjin) is a very popular internal stretching qigong that opens the energy meridians, strengthens the internal organs, immune system and bones, improves flexibility, reduces body mass index and promotes health. The oldest scripture that mentions Baduanjin is from 1150 CE. Another book which dates to 1300 CE, pictures all of the eight movements. It is believed to be developed by the legendary General Yue Fei. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is the most recommended exercise at the schools, factories, hospitals and media to strengthen the immune systems of people and the health staff.

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Daoyin Yangsheng Gong Shi Er Fa

Daoyin Yangsheng Gong 12 Methods is a Qigong exercise suitable for all ages, which helps strengthening internal organs, meridians, and energy with its graceful, fluid, Tai Chi like movements.

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Its easy to learn 12 movements developed by Professor Zhang Guangde (1931-2022) are based on traditional Chinese medicine, the meridians, yin-yang, and the Five Elements, and are more fluid when compared with the traditional Daoyin exercises of Baduanjin (Eight Brocades) and Yijin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Change Classic)

 

Daoyin: guide (the energy), stretch (the body)
Yangsheng: nourish life
Gong: exercise (as in Qi-gong)
Shi Er Fa: 12 methods

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Six Healing Sounds

Six Healing Sounds (Liu Zi Jue) is a traditional exercise based on Daoist principles. Each sound stimulates a particular body organ’s function. The practice of this exercise can assist in regulating the blood and Qi circulation to achieve a balance of Yin and Yang in the body. It is a simple yet powerful tool to promote energy levels, physical and emotional healing and balance. Regular daily practice will help you with chronic diseases, blood and Qi circulation, improving cardiovascular and respiratory function, and improving reaction times.

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Eye Brightening Qigong (Ming Mu Gong)

Eye Brightening Qigong (Ming Mu Gong) helps strengthening your eyes and internal organs with physical movement, meridian, eye and acupoint massage, and energy exercises.

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Central Channel Qigong

Qigong considers the human as a bridge between heaven and earth. The highway on this bridge is the central channel, the first meridian formed in the body, running through the spine and feeding the other energy channels.

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Central Channel Qigong improves the health, opens the energy blockages, reduces headache and neck & back pain, aligns the spine and balances the energy by opening and easing the energy flow on the central channel and the two guarding channels with simple movements.

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Tai Chi and Qigong Instructor Certificate Trainings

Tai Chi and Qigong instructor certificate trainings for 2025 – 2026 are open for application. Applications end on 21 October 2024.

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Research on the health benefits of Qigong

 

Research on the Qigong & Tai Chi exercise that I developed for sleep apnea

One of my students, Gülhan Yılmaz Gökmen, carried out a research on the effects of the 60 minutes long Qigong & Tai Chi routine that I created for breath tonifying and sleep apnea at the Sleep Disorders Center, Department of Pulmonology, Medical School, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey during 2016-17.

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25 adult sleep apnea patients received training of my routine for 1 hour, three times per week, for 12 weeks and a home exercise program was provided for another 2 days. The control group of another 25 adult patients received only a home exercise program for 12 weeks, 5 days per week. The study results suggest that my Tai Chi & Qigong sleep apnea routine may reduce AHI and daytime sleepiness, while improving subjective sleep quality, in patients with mild and moderate obstructive sleep apnea.

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Other research on health benefits of Qigong

  1. Improve many functions of the body, improve health and reverse aging. Complement Western medicine for the therapy of hypertension and cancer..

  2. Relieve depression, improve self-efficacy and personal well being among elderly persons with chronic physical illness and depression.

  3. Improving physical functions; reducing blood pressure, risk of falls, depression and anxiety.

  4. Anti-depressive Effect of Qigong

  5. Improving quality of life, mood and fatigue parameters, and reducing inflammation in Cancer Patients.

  6. Increasing the numbers of white blood cells and lymphocytes, stroke volume, peak early transmitral filling velocity, peak late transmitral filling velocity, forced vital capacity, and forced expiratory volume, and, conversely, lowering of total cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and depressive mood scores.

  7. Improving the physical flexibility and subcutaneous adipose accumulation in the healthy adults.

  8. Improvement in balance, body flexibilty and glucose metabolism of older adults with Diabetes Mellitus. Improvement in physical function, limb strength, glucose and lipid parameters, and flexibility of the joints, and fortifying the nerves.

  9. Beneficial for quality of life, sleep quality, balance, handgrip strength, trunk flexibility, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and resting heart rate..

  10. Improvement of lower limb proprioception, enhance of cardiorespiratory endurance, flexibility, explosive force of lower limb and attention in college students.

  11. Prevention of bone loss for middle-aged women.

 

Qigong & Tai Chi Music

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