EAST WEST
T'AI CHI &
QIGONG
Take control of your own health
EAST WEST T'AI CH
& QIGONG
NOTICE BOARD
Apr 2010
Sifu Kate writes about Chinese Tea:
To many, the phrase ‘Chinese Tea’ means ’Green Tea’, and this was in fact the case originally. But when the Chinese started to trade with Europe in the sixteenth century, they had to find a way to make their green teas survive the long journey to the West in good condition. They came up with a way of making black tea, which lasted longer and travelled better than green teas. At home, the Chinese people continued to drink green tea, while the black tea became very popular in Europe.
Today, there are more than 10,000 varieties of tea made around the World, all from one plant species. So what makes them taste so different? The flavour of the each tea is determined by a large number of factors, such as the climate in which it is grown, the soil, picking methods, and how the leaf is processed, to name but a few.
Teas can be unfermented, semi-
White tea is made from the buds at the end of each tea shoot. They are covered in little white hairs, hence the name. Green Teas are unfermented, and the leaves are allowed to wither to get rid of some of the water content, then heated in order to dry them. Yellow teas are rare, and are made in a similar way to green teas, but the leaves are gently heated then allowed to ferment. Oolong teas are semi fermented. Black, or red, teas have a strong taste and are first withered, then rolled, fermented and dried. Puerh teas come from Yunnan Province in the south west, and are quite woody in flavour. Compressed teas are processed into bricks to make them easier to transport, and to help them last longer. These bricks are made from Puerh or other black teas. Many teas are flavoured. Jasmine Tea, for example, is flavoured with Jasmine flowers.
So do not make up your mind about Chinese Tea on the basis of one tasting. If you have had a cheap tea, it may not taste too good. But in any case, there is a huge range of Chinese teas available from Chinese supermarkets. Many, not used to these teas, find Jasmine Tea very light and refreshing. But whatever your preference, there will be something out there for you.
Nov 2009
Sifu Kate writes:
A few months ago I shut my hand in a door. It was extraordinarily painful. In fact, it hurt so much I could not sleep the first night for the pain and throbbing. Someone noticing the damage the next day asked if I had been to the doctor and if I had put ice on it to reduce the swelling. I was quite taken aback. Firstly, it had never occurred to me to go to a doctor. What could they have done? I had cleaned and dressed the wounds to my fingers because they were bleeding, but beyond that it was simply a question of time and the body’s miraculous healing powers, to put it right. I suppose I may have been given antibiotics to prevent infection setting in, but thanks to Qigong, I have a strong immune system to deal with that, and I would not have wanted to do anything to compromise it by taking drugs unnecessarily.
As to the swelling, I’m not a fan of putting ice on injuries. While it may help to take the swelling down, all that cold and damp settles into the joints, and may result in arthritis ten or twenty years down the line.
But my friend’s reaction set me thinking about my philosophy when it comes to health, and in this case minor injury. My fingers bled for more than a day because the skin at the base of the nail is very thin, and it had been severely mashed. I dressed the wounds to stop me dripping blood everywhere, then set about dealing with the inflammation. Using a feather light touch, I gently massaged the areas of swollen tissue, avoiding any areas of broken skin. This was a very delicate process because both the tissue and bones were badly bruised. Anyone who has bruised or broken a bone will know that bone pain is particularly debilitating. But it did not take long to clear away the stagnation and reduce the puffiness. I then kept my hand up as much as possible to allow the blood and fluid to drain. After a day, the bleeding had stopped, so I took off the dressings and went out into the garden to do some Qigong. Luckily it was a beautiful sunny day, and I was able to spend a long time doing Healthy Living Gong Part 1, and especially Golden Dragon Stretches Its Claws. This is a really good exercise for any problems with the hands, since it brings a lot of Qi to that area. I also practised the Wild Goose First 64 Movements. This is particularly good for resolving health problems and injuries that you have acquired during your lifetime. By the end of my practise the soggy tissue had dried and things were looking better already.
Now four months down the line, the damage is growing out. Someone had said I would not get away without permanently disfigured nails, but I am pleased to say that everything has come back looking normal. Even the dent across the skin just above the nail, the centre of the impact, has finally disappeared. The power of Qigong never ceases to amaze me.
March 2009
Qigong Student Kris writes:
Recently my back gave in, as it used to do a fair bit when I was younger. I can see
now that I’d become a bit too attached to my shiny new car, and been slacking on
my qigong practice for quite a while– just attending the weekly class wasn’t enough!
Trying to get better I found half-
This period has been a valuable one in renewing my confidence and respect for the
qigong teachings. I’ve realised there’s no point being taught these great skills
if you don’t actually apply them until it’s too late! I seem to have made a very
good recovery; the qigong has been an essential and central part of the recuperation.
The many lessons where Sifu Kate Britton has corrected and adjusted my movements
has left me with confidence that I was broadly doing the correct thing with the movements.
I have found that the gentle stretching, the precise postures, the flow, and the
strong standing structures have given my back a thorough all-
In this recuperation my previous 2 years of qigong training were far from wasted. As I went through the familiar moves I could feel new and unfamiliar sensations and tensions, which enabled me to pinpoint where I was having problems, decide on a sequence of exercises and recognise when things started to return to normal. The familiarity of the exercises, previously repeated many times in a healthy frame had given me an understanding of how the body should feel in certain positions. This had become temporarily distorted, but repeating the exercises almost seemed to remind my body how it should be aligning itself.
This has been a valuable lesson for me in the importance of preventative exercise, and in keeping balanced. I am grateful that when I was struck down I had some tools to fall back on which enabled me to feel confident in building up my own recovery plan. Learning the exercises when healthy had been excellent training. If only I’d kept up my home practice too I think I would have avoided this onset!
My new regime includes much more walking, and 30 minutes qigong practice before leaving the house each morning. I feel stronger, straighter, and lighter again. I hope I can sustain this new pattern, since I’m sure it will give me the best chance of avoiding future setbacks, and remaining strong on a day to day basis.
The morning qigong practice has introduced an extra calmness and levity into my day, so this setback has also moved me onward!
