YO Bendigo Online Free Taichi Session

YO Bendigo Online Free Taichi Session

To assist young people between the ages of 16 to 25 with their mental wellness during the Covid-19 pandemic, community organisation YO Bendigo initiated and invited WELBY Holistic Healing to design a 45 minutes online Tai Chi and Qigong session on the 4th June 2020.

Although the Tai Chi and Qigong program was designed with the younger generation in mind, it is still beneficial for all ages and capacities.

You can give it a go and access the recorded session via YO Bendigo’s facebook page link here:

https://www.facebook.com/yobendigo/videos/3010786619004498

Feel free to share it with your loved ones or anyone who are curious about Tai Chi or those you think might benefit from some exercises at home.

If you or your organisations have any questions about similar classes/ sessions, please email: info@welbyholistic.com we would love to hear from you and assist you.

Free Tai Chi Qigong at Bendigo Mood Food Fun - Mental Health Week 2018 Bendigo

Free Tai Chi Qigong at Bendigo Mood Food Fun - Mental Health Week 2018 Bendigo

EVENT CONCLUDED Please find photos of the event here: Thank you to those who turned up and supported Mood Food & Fun Bendigo and World Mental Health Day 2018!Qigong is an… Posted by WELBY Holistic Healing on Wednesday, October 10, 2018 https://www.facebook.com/WelbyHolisticHealing/posts/1178898025598208?__tn__=-UC-R     WELBY Holistic Healing will be back to support this year Mental Health…

World Tai Chi Qigong Day 2018 Bendigo

World Tai Chi Qigong Day 2018 Bendigo

EVENT CONCLUDED Please find photos, live videos and media coverage here: https://www.facebook.com/WelbyHolisticHealing/posts/1036207376533941 https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/5368983/a-slow-way-to-start-the-weekend/?cs=80 Posted by WELBY Holistic Healing on Friday, April 27, 2018 Posted by WELBY Holistic Healing on Friday, April 27, 2018   Let’s indulge ourselves in endless qigong and taichi routine starting at 10am 28th April 2018 in the front of the Bendigo…

FREE Bendigo Community Tai-chi, Kids Workshop, Live Music Family Friendly Event

FREE Bendigo Community Tai-chi, Kids Workshop, Live Music Family Friendly Event

EVENT CONCLUDED Please find photos of the event here: https://www.facebook.com/WelbyHolisticHealing/posts/1014116358743043 Shindig in the Gully 2018 Thank you to The Ironbark Gully Friends, Bendigo Community Forest Garden for organising and… Posted by WELBY Holistic Healing on Sunday, March 25, 2018   WELBY Holistic Healing is sponsored by the Ironbark Gully Friend and will be running a FREE…

Bendigo Free Outdoor Tai Chi Session - Chinese New Year Celebration 2018

Bendigo Free Outdoor Tai Chi Session - Chinese New Year Celebration 2018

EVENT CONCLUDED Please find photos of the event here: https://www.facebook.com/WelbyHolisticHealing/posts/991964537624892 2018 Year of the Earth Dog Chinese New Year Tai Chi.Thank you for those who turned up and Bendigo Library for… Posted by WELBY Holistic Healing on Saturday, February 17, 2018     2018 = Year of the Earth Dog – A year that your loyalty,…

2017 Fan Workshop Redux

2017 Fan Workshop Redux

Congratulations to those who managed to find time attending the fan workshop redux during this busy time of the year in the beginning of December. We had a smaller group of people this time for the intensive training to ensure we got the sequence right and corrected a few fan techniques for those who have…

The History of Salutation

The History of Salutation

One of the first things you would learn when joining a Chinese kungfu/ taichi school is to salute. There are many different interpretations and meanings behind the now standardised salutation in all international wushu/ taichi/ Chinese opera/ lion and dragon dancing events and performances.

According to IWUF – International Wushu Federation …
http://www.iwuf.org/upload/2015/0206/f1b635666e05c34a953ba463a438f4ae1a614e02.pdf (Page 63)

But why left palm right fist? (Except when you are holding a weapon)

It all dated back to as early as 6th-5th Century B.C and it is stated clearly in one of the highest regarded and the earliest classical Chinese literature “Tao Te Ching” – The Way of Moral/ Virtue’s Chapter 31.

老 子: 「道 德 经」 : 第 三 十 一 章
夫 兵 者 , 不 祥 之 器 ,
物 或 恶 之 , 故 有 道 者 不 处 。
君 子 居 则 贵 左 , 用 兵 则 贵 右 。
兵 者 不 祥 之 器 , 非 君 子 之 器 ,
不 得 已 而 用 之 , 恬 淡 为 上 。
胜 而 不 美 , 而 美 之 者 , 是 乐 杀 人 。
夫 乐 杀 人 者 , 则 不 可 得 志 于 天 下 矣 。
吉 事 尚 左 , 凶 事 尚 右 。
偏 将 军 居 左 , 上 将 军 居 右 , 言 以 丧 礼 处 之 。
杀 人 之 众 , 以 悲 哀 泣 之 , 战 胜 以 丧 礼 处 之 。

Chapter 31
Now arms, however beautiful, are instruments of evil omen,
hateful, it may be said, to all creatures. Therefore they who have
the Tao do not like to employ them.
The superior man ordinarily considers the left hand the most
honourable place, but in time of war the right hand. Those sharp
weapons are instruments of evil omen, and not the instruments of the
superior man;–he uses them only on the compulsion of necessity. Calm
and repose are what he prizes; victory (by force of arms) is to him
undesirable. To consider this desirable would be to delight in the
slaughter of men; and he who delights in the slaughter of men cannot
get his will in the kingdom.
On occasions of festivity to be on the left hand is the prized
position; on occasions of mourning, the right hand. The second in
command of the army has his place on the left; the general commanding
in chief has his on the right;–his place, that is, is assigned to him
as in the rites of mourning. He who has killed multitudes of men
should weep for them with the bitterest grief; and the victor in
battle has his place (rightly) according to those rites.

Therefore you can see from the traditional Chinese culture, left palm represents humility especially with thumb tucked in to represent “four” and the right fist representing “five” – “Five Lakes and Four Seas” (五湖四海) or “Five Continents and Four Oceans”(五洲四洋) which essentially means – “All over the world” – We who practice kungfu, taichi, qigong all over the world are one big family and friends without judgment but only love and understanding.

The “four” also represents the all around development of the four ways of life – moral qualities, intellectual ability, physical fitness and aesthetic appreciation.

When we are saluting with the left palm covering the right fist, it is to show self control, discipline, respect, humility before any act of self proclaimed bravery, fight or righteousness as a sign of self assurance. (止戈为武 – to stop or avoid a fight is the ultimate way of martial arts)

So when do we do right palm left fist salutation? As you can read from Chapter 31 in Tao Te Ching again, it is to be used during mournful events such as a funeral to show your condolences, to disrespect someone or sometimes a fight to the death.

However when you are holding a weapon, you keep your right hand opened because that way you show your decency that you are not hiding anything other than the weapons that you are carrying on your left.

There are also suggestions that because of the yin and yang theory or ancient sexism, women should be doing the salute with right palm, left fist. With time changing and equality in the modern world this has been disregarded and hence now standardised in any international events with the left palm and right fist salutation to honor the traditional Chinese culture and value.