This website is dedicated to the Students of Seifu A.S. Umar Sharif, MA. It is also dedicated to the promotion and propagation of the Traditional Afro-Asian Martial and Healing Arts. Our goal is to inform, educate, inspire, encourage, and motivate others to improve their lives by applying The Wisdom of the Ancients.
As your teacher and host, Seifu Sharif [aka: Xia` Xue' Gong] [aka: Tobi Alakoso] is dedicated to helping each of you to remember and nurture the Spirit of Wu-Te and the powers dormant within you.
Tai Chi Lessons 6
The Health Benefits of Longevity Way Tai Chi Isopo and Ara Ojubo
Namaste’ Students and Fellow Martial Arts Enthusiasts!
In my last Post we looked at the classical theory behind the development of Tai Chi and some of the health benefits of regular practice. In this brief Post, we’re going to explore some of the latest scientific discoveries that help us to understand how the regular meditative practice of Tai Chi actually gives you control over your body, mind, spirit Isopo (connectivity) and Na Wa (expansion).
According to Dr. Jonas Frisen, ‘You are always less than 7-10 years old.’ (NY Times)
In the 7 Circles System, from the Me’je Oruka perspective we refer to the body as our Ara Ojubo (Body Temple). We do this to remind ourselves that we are not our bodies. Our bodies, our Ara Ojubo is the vehicle through which we interact with this seemingly material reality. It is the temple in which you as a spiritual being worship this state of existence that we call life. Dr. Jonas Frisen’s research points us in the direction of important insights into our ‘capability for development’ that the Classical Taoists referred to as part of the purpose of Tai Chi practice. If you doubt the statement that you are not your body, then I would ask you, ‘which version of your body are you?’
You and I are generation new versions of our Ara Ojubo every second of every day throughout our lives. Consider the following research estimates. You will have:
New skin in about 35 days
New liver in about 300-500 days (about 6 weeks)
New bladder in about 40-50 days
New stomach lining in about 4-5 days
New stomach (digestive) cells every 5 minutes
New skeletal structure in 3 months – 10 years (all parts of the structure do not change at the same rate)
New brain cells in about 2 months
New red blood cells in about 120 days
New body (your entire body) in 5-7 years
If Ara Ojubo is changing every second, and if Qi is the vital energy (the animating force of life), and if Yi (mind) guides Qi (life force) then clearly, you and I can have a profound influence on the way that our bodies rebuild themselves if we have correct knowledge and clear intention. This is why the Chinese Martial & Healing Arts have such Qigong practices as Condensing Qi to the Bone Marrow, and Bone Marrow Cleansing Qigong Meditation, and Brain Cleansing Qigong, among others. Clearing the important relationship between the bone marrow/body, brain/mind, spirit/intention are at the root of these practices.
We’ve all heard about the importance of proper nutrition and exercise in maintaining an optimum state of health. Increasingly, we are also hearing more and more about the importance of stress management in strengthening our immune systems and warding off illness, disease, and even ‘accidents’ or ‘mishaps’. A proper understanding of the purpose of Tai Chi practice and the correct application of the classical principles puts us in a position to take greater control over our health and wellbeing.
In the 7 Circles practice of Yang Style Longevity Way Tai Chi we bring the body, mind, and spirit into harmony so that we can give Ara Ojubo (the Body Temple) the Scroll of instructions on how we want it to rebuild itself. In every movement of the Form, with every breath we take, each inhale and each exhale we are studying the architecture of the Temple and providing general guidelines for its reconstruction and renewal. We strive for another level of perfection, an improvement, and an expansion in our movements, our breathing, our relaxation, our control, our coordination, our connection with the earth and cosmic Qi, and then we leave it to the wisdom of Ara Ojubo to work out the details and rebuild the Temple.
You are the Caretaker and Guardian of Your Temple.
To be continued:
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It is not simply practice that makes perfect. It is perfect practice and consistent practice that makes perfect.
