On Sunday 29th October 2017, Senior Master Chin Min conducted the final workshop for the year, leading a group of approximately 35 participants through the beautiful Da Wu Health Qigong.
Da Wu Qigong is said to originate from the Tang period, around 4,000 years ago however the term “great dance” (da wu) is said to come from the Lu Shi (Grand History) by Luo Mi during the Song dynasty. The Chinese Health Qigong Association has developed and standardized its forms into a new health routine, accessible to everyone.
Da Wu means Great Dance, and this form seems quite different in spirit and style from the Ba Duan Jin, Yi Jin Jing and others we have done. It is based on simple dance movements of ancient times, blending with the method of daoyin to rejuvenate energy and improve mobility and health.
Participants remarked that some of the forms were very like yoga postures, and many were certainly like dance postures, graceful and smooth, asking our bodies to move in quite unexpected ways. It was particularly challenging to have the lower part of our bodies pointing one way, while turning away to look in the opposite direction!
SM Chin Min guided us through a few movements at a time, giving us time for private practice in between, working in twos or threes, to see what we could remember and put together for ourselves. This was intended to help our sense of recall and independent learning, so that we might remember better when we got home. Hope it worked for everyone!
There was so much enthusiasm for the Da Wu that it took up most of the workshop time, so SM Chin Min finished by leading the group through the Shibashi Qigong Set 3, by way of a cool down and relaxing finish.
Many thanks to SM Chin Min for sharing his expertise with us in the final workshop. And, as usual, thanks so much to Zenaida for providing such a feast for afternoon tea.
Joy Muir
Instructor, Moonee Ponds
Updated: 25 December 2019
