WAHKIAKUM – Every Thursday at 12:30 pm after a community breakfast in the Skamokawa Grange, Qi Gong instructor Sam Wong teaches his class. Each $5 class is short but purposeful. Wong wants to demonstrate how accessible Qi Gong is.
In comparison, according to Wong, Tai chi has 130 moves. “And [if] you don’t do it with a group you’re going to forget them. So when I teach it’s simple, no more than probably ten moves,” Wong said.
The simplicity of Wong’s Qi Gong class helps his students learn the steps and practice at home. Wong even advocates for his students to take photos of poses.
“Qi Gong is 70% percent visualization,” Wong explained.
Visualization is so important because it helps to know how the organs move which leads to good circulation. Wong teaches his students that the movements help to gather the Chi, or the energy one possesses inside themselves.
“They [are] using chi inside,” Wong illustrated. “That’s why when they move [slow], they move with Qi Gong inside. Tai Chi is outside. And of course, you have to breathe better.”
Wong wants everyone to know that Qi Gong is an accessible activity. His goal is to demonstrate how Qi Gong can relieve the pressures of daily life. Above all, Wong wants to teach that Qi Gong helps his students lead healthier lives.
“When you have a healthy body, your mind is healthy,” Wong concluded.
Residents of Southwest Washington can join Sam Wong in Skamokawa Grange on Thursdays and take a much-needed pause.
