Mind and chi

Mid-day reporter in the basic seating position for Zhineng Qigong

"Before we start, I want you to focus on three things: listen to my words, understand them and implement them faithfully," requests instructor HB Muralidhara. We are seated on the edge of a chair, with our backs arched and legs spread apart, in an empty room. Once in position, we are asked to relax our shoulders, fix our gaze on an object, close our eyes and then, let our mind drift to the vast expanse of blue sky, imagining we are at the centre of the universe. "Now, bring your mind back to your body," his deep voice echoes in the room and we follow his commands, turning our attention to loosen up every part of our body, from toes to nose. The 10-minute exercise begins a session of Zhineng Qigong (pronounced as chi-gong), a 4,000-year-old Chinese meditation practice that was developed by Dr Ming Pang in 1970s, which comes to Bandra's House Of Wow this Sunday.

HB Muralidhara demonstrates the creation of qi

Featuring a variety of sitting and standing exercises with intense use of hand movements, Zhineng Qigong combines mind (consciousness), body and qi (energy) to create a balance in the human body. "It is largely preventive, rehabilitative and curative. Qigong is actually the origin of Tai Chi," informs the 56-year-old city-based expert, who was certified as Level 1 and 2 (only three of the six levels are accessible for public) instructor from one of Dr Pang's centres in Malaysia, six years back.

Offering a demo of a standing module

The qi factor
Over 12 sessions, participants (these are not meant for children) will learn Level 1 of Zhineng Qigong, comprising five modules, the supreme one being ‘lift qi up, pour qi down' to be practised while standing. We attempt Kai He-La Qi - ‘Kai' means open and ‘He' means close. We position our hands as if holding an imaginary rectangular box. Closing our eyes, we take a deep breath and when his lilting voice says, ‘Open', we widen the distance between our hands and then, reduce it to the instruction of ‘close'. Initially, we're inhibited as we find it bizarre to move our hands in tandem mid-air.

Kai He-La Qi module of the Chinese meditation practice. Pics/Nimesh Dave

However, in sync with the movements, we are asked to imagine our bodies being stretched to left and right too, like an elastic band. The rhythm sets in and we realise that the movement actually creates qi or the field of energy that forms the basis of Zhineng Qigong.

To drive home the point, Muralidhara asks us to relax our right palm and focuses his attention on its centre. Without even touching us, he moves his hand (fingers pointing towards the central point) in a circular motion and within two minutes, we feel a tingling sensation there. "It's not magic. I focused my mind on the part, energy was created and you felt your blood circulating," he smiles, and adds, "Creation of qi distinguishes it from other styles of qigong. Our body is made up of nothing but vibrations due to the presence and movement of atoms and sub-atomic particles. So, qi helps your body at the cell level. It increases blood circulation, makes you calmer and increases your productivity too," shares the expert, citing instances of how the self-healing practice has helped acquaintances reduce their blood pressure, kidney and diabetes-related problems. "But you should practise it continuously. Beginners should practise it for an hour or two daily," he asserts.

Chung chant
Then, with our fingers interlaced and resting at our navel, we begin to chant. "You will feel a vibration where your hands are touching your body," Muralidhara tells us. We are unable to sense vibrations but sitting in an empty room reverberating with chants of ‘Chung' and ‘Ling', similar to what ‘Om' is to Indians, we do feel the stress ebb away.

From: October 23 (every Sunday), 9 am to 10 am AT House Of Wow, Natraj Building, Hill Road, Bandra (W).
Cost: '1,000 (trial session)
Call: 9930246031
Note: Avoid heavy meal an hour before the class and wear comfortable clothes