Tai Chi: Ancient Techniques Still Change Lives

Venus Singh is an American for whom Tai Chi and traditional Chinese medicine have wrought amazing changes in her life. Living in the USA, she had been trying to gain control of her health, but in the end all of her doctors' instructions turned out to be ineffective. "I tried everything that I could in America to lose weight and become healthy," she recalls, "but in following that nutritional advice, I just became fatter and fatter and developed more and more problems associated with being overweight. Western doctors did not want to cure the root of my problem."

For a time, Singh was working as a radio announcer in Omaha, Nebraska. She was also taking voice lessons on the side, a passion of hers. Job and lessons were going well for her when disaster struck: Singh became a victim of a terrible car accident, resulting in a serious head injury. Over a year later, she found that she was still dealing with the anxiety and depression which were caused by that accident.

When even her love of singing was not able to keep her afloat, she started believing that her life was destined to become one of antidepressants, anxiety medications and obesity. Having tried many ways to control her mood and weight without success, she felt that all hope was slipping away. It was only at this time that she finally came into contact with Traditional Chinese Medicine, kung fu and Qi Gong.

Singh reports that her body responded well to the Chinese herbs and the Qi Gong. Singh's teacher, Ma Andi, was also impressed by the results and recommended that she continue this pathway by following a Tai Chi master in China.

"I didn't even question him or think about it," Singh states. " I just did it. [Ma's] love for China inspired my love for China. Then I got to China. It felt like fate... It happened within three months. I packed my bags, gave away most of my stuff, sent my cats to my Mother and came to China to stay forever if China will let me.

Singh had come to China looking for change, but upon arriving in Chengdu, changes were all that there was. Like many first time visitors to China, she was overwhelmed by culture shock.

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