Center - Traditional Chinese Medicine, Movement & Meditation - Feakle 2.07

Vicki Wood is an Acupuncturist and teacher of Qi Gong and T’ai Chi Ch’uan. She has been involved with eastern medicine and meditation since 1970. She received intensive training in (Buddhist) meditation in India where she lived for 2 years (1970-72) and returns regularly to the East. After completing a 3-year course in T.C.M. in 1990, for the next 2 years she pursued her training at the China Beijing Acupuncture International Centre, receiving diplomas for advanced studies in Acupuncture, TuiNa & also in (Taoist) Qi Gong. She began practising T’ai Chi Ch’uan in the late 70’s and is a recognised instructor of the Yang style of Grandmaster W.C.C.Chen.
Vicki had a clinic and teaching centre for T.C.M. in The Netherlands before moving to Ireland, opening CENTER in Feakle in 2001.

T’AI CHI - STILLNESS IN MOVEMENT – QI GONG


Most people by now accept Acupuncture as an effective method of treatment for a variety of chronic and acute diseases. Although T’ai Chi is already practised widely throughout the western world & Qi Gong becoming known, there is less known about their beneficial effects on health. So what are Qi gong and T’ai Chi, and how are they related to each other and to Acupuncture?


T’ai Chi
T’ai Chi Is the most popular and well-known moving form of Qi Gong. Developed many centuries ago as an “inner style” martial art (i.e. one whose effectiveness derives from the cultivation of inner power or strength & not from physical force to achieve its aim) T’ai Chi rests on the same principles as Qi Gong – (i.e. body alignment, centering , inner relaxation & awareness of the body-being.)
The art of T’ai Chi Ch’uan was introduced to America by Grandmaster Cheng Man Ching in the early 70’s from where it spread rapidly.
Students learn the Yang style Short Form (a series of movements that flow from one to the other), along with exercises that help them experience & develop the basic underlying principles.
It is commonly practised for its positive effects on health & well-being.


Qi Gong
Literally translated, Qi Gong means a practice or discipline (‘Gong’) consisting of movements and techniques which affect and direct the flow of energy (‘Qi’) in the body. The art of Qi gong goes back at least 3000 years in China and, based on the same principles as Acupuncture; it has developed over the centuries to become an important branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The aim of Qi Gong is to promote and maintain physical health, vitality and mental well being, harmonising body, mind and spirit.
The exercises are varied: some use physical movement, in others the body is at rest. Some are general, for improving overall health, while others can be more specific for a particular problem. Illness can be caused by blockages or imbalances in our energy system. Too much or too little in one part of the body can result in physical or mental-emotional
distress or disease. Qi Gong teaches us how to correct such imbalances by awakening the vital energy (the Qi) and circulating it to wherever needed. Whether dynamic or meditative, movements are simple and easy to learn, allowing the student to develop awareness and relaxation of body & mind and to benefit quickly and effectively from his/her practice. It is the nature of the movements combined with natural breathing and a relaxed but focused mind that leads to positive results. People of all ages and dispositions can practice Qi Gong.


Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine
The Chinese have an alternative understanding of health to that of the West. Traditional Chinese Medicine (T.C.M) is a holistic system: In diagnosing, the person as a whole is looked at and the cause of the problem, not only the symptoms, treated. Its beneficial effects on millions of people in China have demonstrated the effectiveness of T.C.M.
Besides Acupuncture (in which thin needles are applied to specific points on the body), Moxibustion (the use of warming herbs), Tui Na (massage) and herbal medicine are all methods used in T.C.M.


Acupuncture, Qi Gong and T’ai Chi are all rooted in the fundamental theory of Chinese medicine - the concept of Yin-Yang.