Jerusalem—International Tai Chi Day is usually celebrated the last Saturday in April; this year it was the 26th, with a program in the German Colony. Out of respect for Shomrei Shabbat practitioners, a program was offered on Friday morning in Jerusalem’s Rose Park, right outside the Israeli Knesset. Though it was a hot day, the park, with its shady areas, was the perfect venue for the event.
I have been practicing Tai Chi for about five years and this is the first time I have attended a “World Tai Chi Day” celebration. There were over 100 people there on Friday morning. The program was organized by Israeli Masters Gadi Levy-Golan and Marek Wajsman and included workshops by the various Tai Chi instructors based in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The attendees were from all walks of life—old, young, secular, religious, men, and women. Tai Chi is the perfect exercise since you do not need any special clothing and it does not include exercises lying on the ground. The movements are very gentle and anyone can do the exercises. Many studies have shown health benefits to people who practice Tai Chi on a regular basis.
Tai Chi is often called “meditation in motion.” An ancient Chinese art, it was revealed to the West in the 1940s when the first teacher came to America to teach Tai Chi to Chinese-Americans. As its popularity and health benefits increased, more people began to learn the various forms of Tai Chi. World Tai Chi and Qigong Days were created in 1998 in Kansas City, and the custom has spread around the world. The group’s stated goals are to educate the world about emerging medical research revealing health benefits that Tai Chi Ch’uan and Qigong offer; to let people know about the increasing use of these ancient traditional Chinese medicine modalities in business, healthcare, education, penal and drug rehabilitation, and to provide a global vision of cooperation for health and healing purposes across geopolitical boundaries, and also an appeal to people worldwide to embrace wisdom from all the cultures of the world. They also want to thank Chinese culture for the gifts of Tai Chi and Qigong to the world
After a general warm-up by Gadi, there were three workshops, with each one given by four different teachers and each one a different style.
The first workshop was “Chi Gong Movements for Discovering Femininity” with Ayala Gritzer-Zisou who reminded us the importance of smiling while exercising Tai Chi. She stressed that for women it is important to get in touch with their bodies and especially focus on the feminine parts of the body. Her methods include soft movements and self-massage by tapping, as well as gentle swiveling of the hips and arms. Her emphasis is on shoulders, which are always full of stress, the pelvic area, and what Ayala calls the “center of emotions”—your sternum.
Nira Rabinowitz gave the second workshop I attended. Nira, 70, is a famous Israeli actress and performer. She was stricken by breast cancer in her forties. After numerous and unsuccessful classical cancer treatments, Nira realized that Western medicine couldn’t help her, so she went to China for five years and studied alternative therapies, including Tai Chi and Qigong with the masters, healing herself from cancer. Returning to Israel, she is currently sharing that knowledge with those who are interested. In addition to her acting career and private therapy practice, she is also the founder and instructor of Qigong discipline at the Tel Aviv University- “Broshim School for Alternative Medicine” and a therapist for oncology patients at Wolfson Medical Center.
Nira’s workshop was “Qigong—the 5 elements”—a core subject in Chinese medicine. In Chinese medicine, each element—water, earth, fire, metal, and wood—has associated with it specific parts of the body. A lack or excess of element causes illness. Chinese medicine practitioners treat people in holistic methods. Using a very simple example, earth is associated with the digestive system. An overactive “earth” will cause digestive problems including obesity. Thus, the goal of Chinese medicine is to treat the “earth” imbalance, and the obesity will also be cured.
Nira’s movement class included descriptive terminology such as “crown yourself with light” and “plant the tree and watch it grow” while explaining movements. In addition to the movements, Nira also uses tone sounds in her routines—each movement having a different sound. The sounds resonate in the body, adding an additional healing element.
The final workshop was given by Anat Errel. Anat is a Kung Fu black belt but teaches Tai Chi in various locations in the Jerusalem area. Though Tai Chi can be used as a martial art, most people practice it for its health benefits. In addition to practicing alone, Tai Chi also offers exercises in pairs such as “Push Hands” and “Bagua” which include self-defense skills. Anat stressed that Tai Chi as a martial art is not one of strength but of softness; getting your opponent off balance by using their strength will give you the advantage. She said it is also important to remember that strength does not come from the hand that hits, but from the momentum of the body during the exercise. The motions that she showed us could be adapted to anyone. An opponent similar in height would be hit in the back of the neck, whereas a taller adversary would be neutralized by aiming for the lower back and kidneys.
After a short break, we ended our day with exhibitions by the instructors. In China, animals are important for their symbolic qualities. The Chinese celebrate each New Year according to a specific animal. This year is “The Year of the Horse”; qualities of the horse include energetic, warm-hearted, and able. Many of the instructors’ exhibitions focused on animal movements.
Finally, with the Knesset as a backdrop, all attendees were invited to do a short Tai Chi form with the organizers.
I returned home late Friday afternoon, in time to finish my preparations for Shabbat, filled with positive energy from my day’s workout, looking forward to future Tai Chi events.
By Judy Yazersky
