SONG HO HEALTH CENTER'S CLASS SCHEDULE

Spring/Summer 2008

Greetings! You can choose from three different classes begining in late April and early May. Classes are held Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings (and free Sunday sesssions). Please read the particulars below!

FIVE ANIMAL PLAY QIGONG

Five Animal Play (also called Five Animal Frolics), is a healing exercise held in high esteem for 1800 years. It imitates the essential movements of five animals. Deer is known for gracefulness, and its special benefit is muscular strength. Bear is known for solidness and stability, and it promotes healthy kidney energy, bones, back, and spine. We recognize Tiger for strength and quickness; Tiger movements improve finger joint health, lung function, and overall vigor. Dexterity and playfulness are the characteristics of Monkey, whose movements enhance the heart, lung, shoulder, and neck. The fluid and light movements of Crane increase balance, strength, and softness (relaxed muscles). The Chinese government has designated Five Animal Play as one of the four most valuable qigong exercises in history.

Five Animal Play was created by Hua To, one of the most revered doctors in Chinese history. From observing the natural world, Hua To concluded that movement is essential for health. He made two now-classic statements about qi (vital energy): “Flowing water never stagnates” and “A door hinge is never worm eaten” ("Use it or lose it"). Dr. To believed that physical fitness and medical self-care could be combined. Over the years, his original movements have been continuously modified and improved. The Song Ho version, adapted by Nianzu Li, is both elegant and vigorous (and it is viewable on this website's Video Gallery). The traditional advice is to start Five Animal Play in the spring and practice it through the four seasons, with the expectation that by the following spring, the practitioner will have emerged at an entirely different level of health.

Many have found that Five Animal Play is excellent groundwork for Tai Ji (Tai Chi) because it increases stability, balance, lightness, and leg strength. It also strengthens the nervous system (making you less vulnerable to stress) and the vital energy, and improves blood parameters. The playful integration of “animal power” is superb for overall physical fitness. All five animal movements are very useful for health and a superb antidote to the modern lifestyle. Of all the qigong styles that Li has learned, he claims this one is “the most fun.”

You will discover that the movements of Five Animal Play are simple. There is no form to memorize. The few movements are repeated over and over and the exercises can be adjusted for indoors using a more stationary position or outdoor practice in a walking style.

Day/Time: Tuesday 8-9 p.m.

Dates: April 29 to July 15

Instructor: Nianzu Li

Course Fee: $198 Seniors (65+) Course Fee: $168

Class Location: 9525 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, (rear entrance) Christ Congregational Church, Room 108

We accept registration and payment by phone or mail. Please include your address and phone numbers. Payment in full is expected unless other arrangements have been made.

LI'S TAI JI ZHAN ZHUANG

Holding special postures the peaceful qigong way is considered the most direct way to build strong internal energy—the true secret to superior health and the goal of all qigong and tai ji. In qigong standing meditations, called Zhan Zhuang, the practitioner generates energy by simply standing still. Zhan Zhuang (Dr. Li’s translation: “meditating like a pine tree”) is powerful. In ancient times, quiet standing was known to heal disease and strengthen weakness, and it is prominently referenced in China’s earliest medical text. It is practically impossible to understand how potent—and pleasurable—standing qigong is until you experience it for yourself.

Everyone gains from and can learn to increase his or her unexplored, inner powers. In the martial arts, internal energy cultivation increases fighting power, but energy is energy. The ills to which we are all prey—fatigue, sickness, pain, negativity, and depression—suffice as adversaries. All the things we wish to change about ourselves require the focused energy generated by this practice.

Li’s Tai Ji Zhan Zhuang, is a series of gracefully connected, standing poses adapted from classic tai ji postures. It is fine for beginners and will benefit those who already practice other styles of qigong or tai ji. Master Nianzu Li’s Tai Ji Zhan Zhuang offers these important characteristics: it is far easier to learn than tai ji; it is less difficult than the usual Zhan Zhuang practice of holding only one or a few postures for long periods; and it is very safe and simple to learn.

Master Li’s father, Professor John B. Y. Lee, was a life-long practitioner and friend of the man who refined and elevated Zhan Zhuang to its current status. That man was Wang Xiang Zhai, the most renowned martial artist of the 20th century. This legacy along with his interest and practice in traditional Chinese medicine inspired Li to create this signature form.

Peggy Li will guide you through a series of more than 20 postures (this includes many left side/right side mirrored positions). Each class begins with a dynamic qigong warm-up session to open your energy channels and prepare you for the challenge of Zhan Zhuang. Free Sunday morning practice sessions at a local park will be offered to class participants.

TAI JI ZHAN ZHUAN STUDENT REPORTS:

Case #1: Sandy, a spirited woman in her forties who has multiple sclerosis, had not been able to run since she was a young girl. By the time the course was over, she was running for the first time in over 25 years.

Case #2: Mary is bent over with arthritis of the spine and, due to fatigue, would sit down for half of every class. She credits her nearly 20 years of tai chi and qigong training for maintaining function and managing her disease. After practicing this particular form, she now stands for the duration of not just one, but two classes in a row without sitting down.

Case #3: Paul is a massage therapist whose chilly hands interfered with his profession. He discovered that practicing Li’s Tai Chi Zhan Zhang for 5 to 10 minutes prior to a session dramatically increased the circulation to his hands as well as prevented the fatigue he used to feel after giving a massage.

Case #4: Abigail is a young college student frequently disabled with systemic lupus. After practicing this qigong twice a day for 40 minutes, she found she had much more energy and was rarely sick, avoiding trips to the hospital.

Case #5: Carl suffered from chronic back pain and leg weakness due to sitting at a desk for long periods. Today, after incorporating Tai Chi Zhan Zhang into his daily regimen, he is free of these problems and has renewed energy.

Day/Time: Tuesday 6:45-7:45 p.m.

Dates: May 13 to July 15

Instructor: Peggy Li

Course Fee: $165 Seniors (65+) and TJZZ Repeaters Course Fee: $140

Class Location: 9525 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, (rear entrance) Christ Congregational Church, Room 108

We accept registration and payment by phone or mail. Please include your address and phone numbers.

SIX HEALING SOUNDS QIGONG

All the sounds we hear in life positively or negatively affect our minds, our emotions, and our organs. In the quest for inner harmony, early Taoists discovered that by voicing specific sounds (toning) we deeply, precisely, and positively influence the functions of the body and states of mind. Six Healing Sounds Qigong comes from this tradition.

In order to perform at optimal levels, vital organs and beautiful minds truly depend on regular “house cleaning.” How to accomplish this task? The combination of toning, enhanced breathing method, and gentle, uncomplicated movements of this classic practice raise the vibrational level of the body and mind to activate the cleansing process. Chinese doctors and their patients have put it to the test, having practiced this style of qigong for 2,000 years.

Six Healing Sounds Qigong has numerous special attributes. First, it is unfailingly calming and, over time, helps to release depression and unhealthy emotional patterns. Second, it has a direct and immediate impact on obstructions in the lungs, nasal passages, and sinus cavities, thus enhancing deeper breathing. Third, it gently but effectively stimulates the body’s tissues to eliminate stored toxins. And, if you are a healer or simply very sensitive to other people’s vibrations, it provides a way to discharge unwanted and unintentionally acquired energies.

This class will also introduce the Chinese energetic view of the internal organs, a fascinating and practical guide for understanding how emotions, environment, and lifestyle affect our health. Six Healing Sounds Qigong is simple, easy-to-learn, and fits into any wellness program.

Day/Time: Saturday 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Dates: May 17 – June 28

Instructor: Peggy Li

Course Fee: $115

Seniors (65+) and SHS Repeaters Course Fee: $98

Class Location: Grace Episcopal Church (Parish Hall), 1607 Grace Church Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910

We accept registration and payment by phone or mail. Please include your address and phone numbers.

INSTRUCTOR: NIANZU LI, the center’s founder and director, has practiced tai ji, qigong, and traditional Chinese medicine since 1967 and has taught China’s exercise arts to thousands in the Washington area since coming to the U.S. in 1981. He is heir to Li Family tai ji and qigong as well as the teachings of his mentor, the distinguished Dr. Yangzhong Shang of the Shang lineage, Imperial Family physicians. Master Li received his training in Beijing and is now a Maryland-licensed acupuncturist and herbalist in Silver Spring.

INSTRUCTOR: PEGGY LI has been a practitioner and teacher of Asian healing arts (nutrition, bodywork, and exercise) for more than three decades. Her previous training in body awareness disciplines included hatha yoga, bioenergetics, breathing practices, and the Alexander technique. In 1985, she discovered and fell in love with tai ji and qigong. Two years later, she met and studied with her principal teacher (and now husband) Nianzu Li. Ms. Li has taught tai ji and qigong for numerous organizations and the center since 1992.

TO REGISTER, please mail a check along with your name, address, and phone numbers to Song Ho Health Center 805 Winhall Way, Silver Spring, MD 20901—or call us at 301-625-4801 and charge the fee to your credit card.

JOIN US FOR GREAT ADVENTURES IN QI EXERCISE!