World T’ai Chi & Qigong Day

Greenfield- On Saturday April 26th a wave starting on the other side of the planet will circumnavigate the globe and pass through the town of Greenfield.  World T’ai Chi & Qigong Day begins at 10 am with groups in New Zealand, and then quietly spreads time zone by time zone across the globe, to finish with the final events in Hawaii. The event will take place locally at Beacon Field in Greenfield from 9:30am to 11:30am, rain or shine. Students from J R Roy Martial Arts are welcoming the community to join them and people all over the world in a synchronized practice of T’ai Chi.

T'ai Chi (pronounced TIE gee), also transliterated as Taiji, is a centuries old Chinese internal martial art practiced for health, relaxation and self-defense. It is characterized by rounded continuous movements directed by a calm yet concentrated mind.  Qigong means Energy (Qi or Chi) Work (Gong or Kung). There are literally hundreds of Qigong styles from many different origins, styles, and families. These health and martial exercises were originally developed hundreds of years ago by Chinese Taoist monks.

T’ai Chi has become increasingly popular with ageing baby boomers & seniors. The low impact movement, and focus on proper bone alignment make it an ideal form of exercise for people with arthritis. The slow repetitive movements involved in T’ai Chi open the internal circulation helping with many cardiovascular and other health conditions. There are even studies in Beijing showing the benefits of T’ai Chi for managing type 2 diabetes. “T’ai Chi boosts the immune system and slows the ageing process,” stated J. R. Roy, or “Sifu” (teacher) as he is known by his students at the J. R. Roy Martial Arts Studio on Osgood St. in Greenfield. “It is also known to lower high blood pressure, reduce the incidence of anxiety, depression and overall mood disturbances.”

The local gatherings in Greenfield for World T’ai Chi Day have been going on for the last 7 years. Last year close to 40 students and several other community members gathered on the common. The event was moved to Beacon Field because of its popularity. Participants are encouraged to park in the Sanderson St.  parking lot near the tennis courts and not directly on the field.

“While the individual health benefits of practicing T’ai Chi are great,” said Roy, “World T’ai Chi Day reminds us about the community health benefits as well. T’ai Chi uses the principles of Yin (soft) energy and Yang (hard) energy, and works to create an internal and external balance between them.  This balance is worked toward not only in the movements of T’ai Chi, but in everyday life as well. I believe this makes the practice of T’ai Chi a tool for building a healthier, more balanced local & global community.”

This year, in the spirit of building better communities, J. R. Roy Martial Arts will also be accepting monetary donations for DIAL/SELF Youth & Community Services while at Beacon Field. DIAL/SELF provides a broad range of services that foster youth empowerment by meeting basic needs, by creating opportunities for youth, and by advocating for youth interests in the community. 
 

The J. R. Roy Martial Arts Studio will offer two FREE Tai Chi workshops; one on Wed. April 23rd   from 5:30 – 6:30 pm and one on Thur. April 24th from 8:00 – 9:00 am to enable those people who have not yet learned Tai Chi to learn a few movements before the event. The classes will be held at the J R Roy martial Arts Studio on Osgood Street.

For more information about World T’ai Chi & Qigong Day or the free classes contact J. R. Roy at 774-2888 or online at jrroy@jrroy.com.  More information about DIAL/SELF can be found at www.dialself.org.

You can also learn more about the global movement at http://www.worldtaichiday.org