A 40-Year Journey Where Tradition, Breath, and Chi Energy
Awaken Healing, Resilience, and Transformation
For readers familiar with my previous blogs on the technical and health aspects of tai chi qigong, this narrative marks a departure. Where past writings explored scientific principles and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Instead, this blog offers something different. This is a story of my personal journey. This is a story that shaped my understanding and passion for this ancient practice.
Martial Art Roots & Expectations
I never envisioned myself training in tai chi qigong. Yes, my father’s side of the family was known for prowess in Chinese martial arts, and it was expected that my brother and I would eventually follow suit. Yet, tai chi chuan? It conjured images of elderly practitioners moving slowly in the park. As for qigong, I had never even heard of the term, let alone understood its practice.
When I was 12, I stumbled upon stories of meditation and decided to try it. While my family slept, I sat cross-legged on my bed, eyes closed, listening to the peaceful silence. For several months, I practiced, finding solace in the stillness.
I was always shy, withdrawn, and introverted. Little did I know, this exploration of stillness would become the foundation for my journey. It taught me internal focus and quiet introspection.
When my parents later bought a small family restaurant in Edmonton, Alberta, my brother and I helped out daily after school.
Amid our busy routine, my mother scoured Chinese newspapers for traditional lessons. She eschewed commercialized schools in favor of authentic training. We knew our chances were slim in Canada, but we hoped to find the right teacher.
Destiny? A Fateful Encounter
One summer, my mother found an ad for Chinese praying mantis-style martial arts classes held in a church basement. Excitement turned to disappointment when we discovered the location was over an hour away by car, even longer by bus. We didn’t know this date would prove significant. It had been foreseen by a master during meditation, as we discovered later.
Nearly a year passed before fate intervened. Two Chinese customers struck up a conversation with my dad in Hakka, a minority dialect spoken only in the hometown my father came from. My dad was elated to meet people who spoke this specific dialect—an uncommon connection in Edmonton.
The conversation revealed that one of them was a martial arts teacher and TCM practitioner. My father introduced me to him, and the teacher invited me, along with my brother, to his home for lessons. An intriguing detail puzzled me: how did this teacher already know about my brother, whom my father had not mentioned?
A Master’s Uncanny Foresight
Months later, I discovered a revelation: my master had foreseen this encounter. During meditation, his guides revealed he was to teach two students. One would learn tai chi chuan, the other praying mantis. The first date provided by his guides coincided with the very day my mother had planned to take my brother and me to lessons at the church basement but canceled due to the distance.
When no students appeared on that date, my master sought clarity and learned that the meeting would take place a year later. When he met me at the restaurant that fateful day, he immediately recognized me as one of the students he was destined to teach. Though he had not yet met my brother, his prediction would come full circle.
Finding a traditional martial arts teacher is not merely about learning physical techniques—it’s about preserving a lineage of knowledge passed down through generations. In an era of commercialized martial arts schools prioritizing quick certifications, my master represented a direct connection to centuries-old wisdom. His approach was not about creating fighters, but about transmitting a holistic system of health, energy cultivation, and philosophical understanding.
The rarity of such teachers in Canada made our connection even more profound. He was not just an instructor, but a guardian of tradition. He selected students with profound insight.
More Than Movement: A Journey Within
Thus began a life-changing relationship. Though my brother was assigned a secretive praying mantis discipline, I was directed to train in tai chi chuan—a decision I initially resented. My master assured me, “Tai chi chuan is the ultimate martial art. In Chinese, taijiquan means ‘supreme martial art.’ If you master tai chi chuan, no one can beat your tai chi.” While “mastery” remains a humbling and distant ideal, this path has led me to over 40 years of dedicated practice and a transformative journey of health and balance.
Training was intense—several hours daily, seven days a week, under the watchful eye of my master, often at our restaurant. I began with qigong exercises to cultivate Chi energy, noticing energy in my hands within two weeks.
Repetitive drills, like Fair Lady’s Hand, became meditative, connecting my body and mind as the Chi flowed. These repetitious movements cultivated a natural meditative process that encouraged the circulation of chi energy.
However, when I began attending lessons at my master’s home with senior students, everything changed. The pace quickened dramatically.
Rapidly learning new movements each week disrupted the meditative rhythm I had developed through repetitive practice. I noticed my chi circulation could not keep up with the lessons. This realization shaped my understanding of balance between movement and energy flow.
Carrying the Torch Forward
As the years unfolded, my journey inspired me to share these teachings. I launched chikung-unlimited.com exploring the intricate connections between health, martial arts, and spiritual growth through tai chi qigong. As my understanding deepened my focus shifted from martial arts to wellness. Thus I created healthfulqigong.com to provide targeted resources on holistic healing practices, drawing from my decades of traditional training.
My father often spoke with pride about the Hakka people—a minority group known for their significant role in Chinese history, particularly their legacy as revolutionaries and agents of change. This narrative of transformation and resilience resonated deeply with my own journey in tai chi qigong, inspiring me to carry forward this spirit of perseverance through my practice and teaching.
My path with tai chi qigong has been more than a physical practice—it’s been a profound journey of self-discovery, patience, and gradual transformation. Each movement, each breath, tells a story of persistence and connection. Through this blog, I invite you to walk alongside me, to explore the nuanced world of tai chi qigong, and to discover the subtle yet powerful ways this practice can reshape our understanding of movement, energy, and personal potential. One breath, one movement at a time.
