Walk, don't run through the months

If you have just 12 months to live, what are you going to do?

Walk, stroll, don't run through life.

Take it easy. Look at all things ordinary and enjoy them as if for the first and last time.

Learn, forget about the Master bit.

Every Tom, Dick and Harry is always in a hurry to master this and master that.

This has been the blight of every martial arts school over in the Middle Kingdom centuries ago. It is still going on, sadly enough.

An apprentice once asked his Master how long it will take for him to become a master himself. The wise master looked at his student with compassion, kindness and understanding.

The pause was long and pregnant, then he said: "Young man, forget about the timetable, just learn and enjoy the process."

It took the young man years to comprehend that simple advice. Years later, when the young man was no longer a novice, it began to dawn on him what his Master was trying to convey to him.

It was in learning that we become the person we want to be. Setting a schedule or timetable to achieve something, in particular a certain level of skill in a martial arts system or qigong is like trying to enjoy an early morning sunrise for just 10 minutes.

The idea is just to enjoy. Be absorbed in the moment. And in that moment in time, one will be lost in eternity. That's the Zen moment, as only the true Masters know it.

May the Qi Be With You

One of the favourite questions from qigong practitioners is: how do I know when I have achieved some fair measure of qi?

Well, the first sign or rather clear sign that all those body movements have been beneficial to you is when it suddenly dawned on you that it has been quite a while since you last fell sick.

In fact, most seasoned qigong practitioners almost never all sick. Yes, occasionally, there may be a sniffle or two but really nothing serious.

The second sign is when you don't tire that easily as before. Somehow you always have a little reserve of energy at the end of the day when everything has been said, done and carried out.

Third, you also tend to sleep better. Your memory will improve and you are beginning to worry your family physician because he hasn't been seeing you for some time.

Apart from thinking that you may have left town, or worse, that you have passed away unexpectedly and nobody bothered to tell him, your family doctor, after finding out that you are still very much alive, may even take up qigong himself.

Some of my doctor friends fall sick all the time. The only good thing is: they dispense medicine for themselves and the medication doesn't cost a dime.

But when you think about it, most of us outside medical clinics tend to have the wrong notion that doctors cannot fall sick. Nothing can be further from the truth. Doctors too are human beings, and they can fall sick, just like you and I.

If they are negligent about their own health, they may too end up as a mere statistic in the mortuary!

Qigong is a silent healer. It comes into you when you least expect it and makes you a healthier person without you realising it.

With this system of healing art, you should not be checking the weighing scale all the time or looking at your complexion every morning. As long as you can sleep well at night, have a hearty appetite and walk five kilometres without your knees complaining, then the qigong is doing you some good.

Don't expect too much from qigong. This ancient art needs a restful body, a peaceful state of mind and the patience of job. Don't expect your body and legs to take you over tall buildings.

If you have an optimistic disposition, it will add volumes to the qigong energy. People who are cheerful and gung-ho tend to become better at anything they do.

Be happy that you have been given the opportunity to learn qigong. Many millions around the world go from cradle to grave without an inkling of what life's about.

You have been given the privilege of learning an ancient healing art. Be ever so glad. God has plans for you. Amen.

Anyone can master qiqong

Some people think that it takes a lifetime to garner the kind of bio-kinetic energy that's generated by qigong exponents.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is once you start the qigong exercise, your body begins to take notice of the signals you give it.

Slowly but surely, the organs in your body will begin to awaken. It will remember that in its pristine state, nothing is impossible.

All it takes is for you to believe. Are you ready to do that? If you do, then begin.

Best tranquilliser in the world

The best antidote to stress and raw nerves is a steady flow of air in and out of the body.

Some call it deep breathing. Have you seen how a sleeping infant breathes? Quite naturally and easily, without a care in the world.

The diaphragm moves up and down, with a rhythm that moves the galaxies for eons.

So must we all engage and indulge in deep breathing to clear the impurities that sometimes clog our minds, and the little pebbles of stress that find their way into our physical forms.

Deep, rhythmic breathing can erase the stress lines on our faces and other parts unreachable by modern medicine.

Forget about lying on the couch. All the stress has been lodged in the mind and has wormed itself into the heart.

One of the easiest ways to bring stability to a troubled mind and a heavy heart is breathing. Breathe purposefully, breathe as if all your troubles will be flushed out by the air circulating in the body and with the flow, take with it the mental troubles lodged in the uncharted corners of the mind.

If you care to partake of this exercise, you will realise after a while, the state of mind is linked directly to the rhythm of your breath.

The power of a living force

People think it's impossible to be a super hero and yet the truth is stranger than fiction.

In China, centuries ago, masters of hidden arts could walk on rice paper without causing a tear. These are the people who could paralyse an opponent with just a jab of the finger.

They have been known to break 20 bricks, stacked against each other, with a single blow of the palm.

Where does this impossible force comes from. It is called nei gong. For want of a better description, in this century, the qigong would be an easier term.

Centuries ago when there were no streets to speak of, and life was cheap, men of science and martials arts (they often go hand in hand) learnt to harness the energy that is inherent in all of us.

When they were able to control the energy, they steer it in the right direction.
That is why you see all those impossible things being carried out in the name of human science in lots of Hong Kong movies.

Perhaps there were some things that could not be done but China knew otherwise.

Today, the mastery of qigong is confined to only a chosen few. It is not a secret art. It is not even impossible to achieve but qigong if carried out under guidance can be a formidable force.

Ilness will be a thing of the past. Strength can be channelled to your fingertips and you will retard your aging process.

Impossible is one word that will lose its "im" and become "possible". We who are of the modern generation are not brought up to accept such concepts in blind faith.

We think we can solve all things with money and then with some new drugs on the marekt.
The truth is all answers to life's rocky paths lies within us. The truth has always been there and it will set us free from sickness, worries and bind us to happiness forever.

Now comes the time that Qi flows

Novices often ask: "How do I achieve what Qigong masters have attained?

The answer is simple and yet many fail to comprehend it. A young boy about to begin his first day at school asks his mummy: "When will I know enough?"

The mother after thinking for one long minute replies: "Son, when you are ready, you will stop asking me that question."

So shall it be. When you learn qigong, you should forget the time factor. Do not dwell on when the "whole course will be over". Instead, enjoy and relish in the moment.

Qigong is not governed or controlled by time. It flows in you, through you and out of you.

If you are aware of its energy or power, you know nothing. It's when you start doing "things", then you realise you have arrived.