Whitelight Fitness

Chi Kung means “energy work” and has its roots in the practises of Ancient Tibet, India and China where adepts would use mind, body and breathing exercises to improve the health, strength and longevity of the physical body and seek spiritual enlightenment. After these techniques reached China, many variations and adaptations of these forms were passed down through the centuries with Tai Chi Chuan being one of them. Some techniques were developed solely for health whilst others were developed solely for martial arts, fitness or a combination. In the last thirty or so years the Chinese have started to share some of these secrets with the West.

The style that Sifu Parkes has been teaching is called Ba Duan Jin which literally translates as “The Eight Pieces of the Silk Brocade." There are eight exercises. They are safe and relatively easy to learn and age is no barrier. One should aim to practice the exercises every day to get the maximum benefit.

According to Chinese medicine the air that we breathe and the food that we eat and drink is metabolised in the organs of the body such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys and is converted to energy that flows around the body through meridians. Practices such as acupuncture work with the meridian system. The human body tends to age because of lifestyle and the degeneration of the internal organs over time. Chi Kung exercises tone up the internal organs and stimulate the flow of energy, through the meridians around the body, improving health and vitality.