Tai Chi sessions to be offered in Birr

THERE will be an opportunity for Birr people to enjoy the beautiful practice of Tai Chi and Qi Gong during the coming weeks.
Birr man Eimhin Shortt will be offering a series of Tai Chi and Qi Gong sessions in the “Space Above” in the Organic Store on Main Street, starting on Thursday February 8th at 7pm.
Eimhin is an accomplished practitioner in this field. His first acquaintance with it was back in 2009 when a French dancer taught him his first Forms. It was something which Eimhin loved immediately because of his great admiration for the ancient text the Dao de Ching, which is the second most printed book on the planet. Tai Chi and the Dao de Ching are closely interlinked. There's also a link with the works of the psychiatrist Carl Jung and the theologian Richard Wilhelm.
In 2012, when he was in San Francisco, Eimhin met a friend who told him about a Tao Chi practitioner who would be well worth seeking out. Eimhin was very interested by what he was told about the practitioner, whose name was Hongtao Fashi, and he therefore travelled to the village of Arambol in North Goa, India to meet him. It was a journey well worth making for Eimhin because he learned a lot and credits what he learned with enabling him to provide relief for a physical problem he was suffering at the time. Eimhin stayed five months in Arambol (which is in a beautiful location, positioned on the coast of the Arabian Sea). In the years since he has brought various fellow practitioners to Birr, Lusmagh, Galway and Ballydehob for classes and annual retreats and has himself conducted workshops at the Growery, Birr annually during Vintage Week
Tai Chi is a wonderful practice which is good for body and mind. It resembles a slow dance. “We are very occupied with the world out there,” said Eimhin, “sometimes to our detriment. Tai Chi is very peaceful and it redirects us back to the peace which is in each one of us. It can be a wonderful tonic for our stressed and busy lives. A lot of people find it very helpful for a range of health issues including Parkinson's, fibromyalgia, digestive ailments, etc.”
The forms, the basic patterns of movement, which Tai Chi practitioners follow are a beautiful process, creating a stillness at the centre of life's busyness and a soothing process for jangled nerves.
If you are interested in joining Eimhin's upcoming introductory course you can reach him via telephone or WhatsApp on 089 2324012.