A Qigong Lesson

Driving home with my wife Emmy, heavy with our first child, one very late Sunday evening in 1987, I didn’t notice steel bars sticking out of the street where the drainage crossed the Quiapo underpass going to España. I hit the brakes but didn’t make a safe pass. There was a loud thud, followed by the sound of flat tires rolling on the road. Two of my tires had blown, one was severely damaged.

I maneuvered the car to the side of the road and told Emmy not to get out. It was past midnight. I took out my jack and started taking out the badly damaged tire to replace it with the reserve tire. I didn’t notice that the reserve tire had no air! I was sweating profusely, and was feeling more and more hopeless. There were no taxis passing our way. "Taxi drivers are always helpful," I was trying to reassure myself. Cell phones were still considered sci-fi in 1987. Emmy was getting more nervous.

Suddenly a passenger jeepney with four rowdy men passed by. After about ten meters, the jeepney stopped, then started backing up. Emmy was outside the car when the jeepney passed. I told her to get in as the four men approached. From afar they shouted, "Ano ba ang nangyari sa sasakyan? (What happened to the car?)"

The men reeked of alcohol. It was so stressful trying to be cool and smiling in such a situation but I did manage to tell them, albeit a bit weakly, that I had two flat tires, one I already replaced but the replacement did not have air, while the other one needed to be patched up in a vulcanizing shop.

The men answered, "Kami na ang bahala. Amin na yung dalawang gulong. (We’ll take care of it. Give us both tires.)" I gave them a hundred pesos and off they went with the two tires.

Emmy was stronger in spirit than I was at that point, although I knew she was hiding some fear too. Who wouldn’t be afraid? It was way past midnight, we were in a dark street—the Quiapo underpass, at that—I had two flat tires, four drunken men plus my pregnant wife! These people could easily rob us of our belongings or, even worse, harm us. Emmy and I started to pray to give us more strength while we waited for what seemed like forever. I wondered if they would ever come back, but at that point I was just relieved that the four intoxicated strangers had gone.

After half an hour the men returned—they actually returned!—with the tires, both fixed. They helped put the tires back and made sure the bolts were tight enough. They said, "Ingat kayo (Be careful)" as they started to leave. I offered them two hundred pesos for their kind deed but they did not accept it. I said, "Sige na po, pang-inom n’yo... (Here, for drinks)" I caught myself, realizing it was a stupid thing to say. But the guy nearest me reached for the money and said, "Ah, o sige, salamat ha... (Oh all right. Thank you)" And off they went, continuing their rowdy laughter, as if nothing happened.

Twenty years later, I read the same kind of story that Ma. Teresa "Tita" M. Sicat, Ph.D narrated in an internet article. I met her through a mutual friend who is a member of an egroup where I belong. The area1 egroup members were discussing the advantages of learning and practicing tai chi and qigong. I was fascinated by their accounts, and how some of them have been relieved of stress and ailments by practicing qigong. Intrigued, I pressed on for more information until a wanner (that is how we call an egroup member) pointed me to Tita Sicat.

Tita Sicat earned her Ph.D in Philippine Studies at the University of the Philippines. She has retired as full professor from the Department of English Studies and Comparative Literature also at the UP. She got into qigong by chance and became an avid practitioner.

Now she has become a trained teacher with certificates renewed every two years from the International Sheng Zhen Society. She has trained with Master Li Jun Feng who is the head and principal teacher of the society. Master Li is the former head coach of the world-renowned Beijing Wushu Team which he coached and brought to unprecedented victories for China. He is also the teacher of the famous martial artist and actor, Jet Li.

Qigong has been described as meditation in motion, likened to yoga. The primary purpose of the form of qigong, known as Sheng Zhen Wuji Yuan Gong, is to return to the natural state. And what is the natural state? It is the feeling of being happy and contented and always feeling as one with the universe.

Tita describes it as " a state of innocence and purity: of standing like the trees, of shining just like the stars, the sun and the moon; of flying and singing just like the birds; of floating just like the clouds…of flowing like the rivers and the oceans; of loving unconditionally like God."

In moving and non-moving forms, qi (energy) enters the body and improves the circulation of the blood. It does this while expelling mental, physical and emotional impurities, thereby relaxing both the body and the mind. When the mind quiets down, it comes to rest, and in this natural state "…our hearts are open to learning and understanding, which banish fear and ignorance."

Tita continues: "Understanding leads to respect; respect leads to compassion; compassion leads to love for one another. This expansion of hearts enables us to transcend our small individual selves towards our vast universal selves." Unconditional love for all beings regardless of country, race and religion is a manifestation of being one with the universe.

Heavy words? Not really. Not when one tries to connect and explain why events happen the way they do, why things fall into place or not, why one person attracts positive qi from the universe and why another one doesn’t. It isn’t anymore a surprise that I was led to Tita by the positive forces generated by my egroup.

I shall never forget what Tita told me the first time we met. She said: "You know Ryan, you look so happy and at peace with yourself that is why you have reached this state in your life. (Without learning qigong) you have been attracting positive forces in the universe, which is why many good things happen your way!"

In the incident I narrated at the start of this article, I would always dismiss that to my having a lot of luck and blessings from above. Today, after learning some qigong in the past weeks, I acknowledge the fact that I do attract positive forces of the universe, and these forces can help me when needed, especially now that I am learning and doing qigong.

Join the author in qigong classes with Tita Sicat at the Music School of Ryan Cayabyab at Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas, Pasig. Classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00-7:00 p.m. For information, call 914-5055