Chi dance for the Young and Old:

by Luke Chan

Chi (qi) is closely associated with the mind. Chi dance is indeed the mind dance. In one of the parks in Beijing, a group of about 20 people in their 70s, 80s and 90s year-olds meet twice a week to do mind dance (push hands). The object is to push your opponent with your mind until they off balance (not falling down). By focusing their mind to ward off incoming forces and issuing their own, the participants can keep their body, mind and spirit high.

The most impressive thing of this group is that everyone tries to improve, despite the fact that the average age of the group is above 82.

	Guess who is losing balance? (hint: the one in a better position normally smiles)
	They are friends but  they are not shaking hands. (note: I saw the master (in his 90s) in the left, walked in with a cane but put it aside and eagerly engaged in the "mind dance" with one of his pals.)
	The 82-year-old master has no problem of putting away a "muscle guy".
	The mind does not  age the way the body does. With a lifetime qigong (mind practice) training, the old can defeat the young. So the old still command the respect of the young.