The Path to Health, Longevity & Immortality
Ideal for travelers who want to use their ‘China travel experience’ to delve deeper into ‘old-Chinese culture’ and themselves!
Time to dust off and bring out your inner ‘closet-warrior’ by learning about the best of Eastern values through the lens of Chinese Medicine, health and longevity. Come along and learn, feel, taste and see why ancient Taoist ideas are as important as ever and how they provide the foundation for the longest surviving culture in the world. Learn how you can integrate this timeless wisdom into daily life for greater health, happiness, fulfillment and productivity!
Package 1 – China Essential – 90 minutes morning – 150rmb/person
Two per week for May, June – Sundays & Thursdays (occasional Saturday) -see calendar 8-9.30am
Morning Qi Gong
8-9.30am – Morning qi gong & Temple of Earth tour – In China, the first rays of light shine on citizens in the park who are starting the day with an ancient tradition of morning exercise. This morning session will focus on:
- Introducing core Taoist concepts (tao, qi, yin/yang, five elements, wuwei) along with a guided tour with history & explanations of the Temple of Earth (di tan)
- Explanations of exercises & benefits according to Chinese medical theory – how Chinese exercise differs from Western forms
- History of morning exercise and the Chinese body clock, and how to take advantage of cosmic cycles for better health and wellbeing
- Qi Gong class – 20 minutes
Package 2 – The Committed – half-day morning – 350rmb/person
Two per month for May, June – April 7 & 19, May 14 & 24, June 7 & 16
Taoism, Health & Longevity
8-9.30am – Morning qi gong & Temple of Earth tour – In China, the first rays of light shine on citizens in the park who are starting the day with an ancient tradition of morning exercise. This morning session will focus on:
- Introducing core Taoist concepts (tao, qi, yin/yang, five elements, wuwei) along with a guided tour with history & explanations of the Temple of Earth (di tan)
- Explanations of exercises & benefits according to Chinese medical theory – how Chinese exercise differs from Western forms
- History of morning exercise and the Chinese body clock, and how to take advantage of cosmic cycles for better health and wellbeing
- Qi Gong class – 30 minutes
9.30-10am –Introduction to Chinese nutrition and food energetics – While enjoying a traditional Chinese breakfast learn what, when and how you eat flows into every part of your life. In the East, food is described as possessing certain qualities such as a warming or cooling nature, possessing certain flavours or acting on the body in a certain way. The nutritional value of a food is stated as a set of energetic properties, which describe the actions a food has on the human body. Learn about these basic principles of a healthy diet including, energies of foods, flavors and directions of foods, the key differences in Eastern and Western nutritional therapy and how to eat with the seasons according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.
10-10.30am – Walk through Hutongs – 20 minute walk through the Hutong’s (Beijing alleyways) to a traditional courtyard home for a tour and presentation.
10.30-11.30pm – Discussion on how to use Chinese medicine to better understand ourselves and reach higher levels of wellbeing – In this discussion we will lift the veil on some of the ideas and philosophy behind Asian health and longevity practices. We will investigate how such different models of health and medicine developed in the east and west. How can we use both eastern and western ideas to improve our health and how to incorporate these into our daily lives? The focus is on leaving you with the motivation to use this knowledge in a practical and useful way.
For scheduled bookings see the calendar
or contact Alex Tan directly – 150 1151 0363 - straightbamboo@gmail.com
Private bookings also available - see here
Guide – TCM Practitioner & Educator
Alex Tan is an Australian-born scholar of Traditional Chinese Medicine with a passion for preventive health practices. Alex traveled to China where he has been living, traveling, studying, practicing and working for the past five years.
Alex provides a unique blend of ancient wisdom and modern science. He has learnt from some of the best practitioners in Australia as well as in China. He believes the true treasures of TCM lie in its greater focus on preventative health, wellness and lifestyle practices. In his own practice Alex promotes modern health care approaches where the practitioner and client form a partnership to maintain health and focus on positive interventions.
Alex is a native English speaker with a Chinese heritage who understands Chinese language and culture and both Asian and ’non-Asian’ perspectives. Alex enjoys a conversational style of teaching, encouraging informal questions and open discussion – whether in the classroom or in the local food market. Alex has a wealth of knowledge and information to share.
His aim is to help you discover the transformative powers of Eastern Health practices for restoring and maintaining balance, health and happiness.
Mission Statement
The aim of this traveling health workshop is to add a thought provoking, health and philosophical component to raise your experience beyond the standard travel in China. Our aim is that you will acquire a firm understanding of the concepts of traditional Chinese health, leaving you with the motivation and ability to include these positive rhythms into your daily life.
The focus of this travel-education experience will be on living and learning, really seeing first-hand how these concepts are still incorporated into the daily lives of Chinese people. This will enhance the teachings, and stimulate further questions in regard to the information being shared. We are also aware that participants may be suffering from jetlag and that it is best to keep the qi moving while learning, so we try to offer different scenery and environments to learn and experience. We also get to take in some sights this way. Our goal is to balance theory (body) with practical outcomes (wings) to ensure you can fly (use this is a practical way) steadily (with a grounding and clear understanding of key concepts) following this experience.
