ARTIKLER | qigongtaichi

"En bølge av fred"

TØNSBERG: I søndagens sommersol fikk båtfolket som ventet på bruåpning, og enkelte frokostspisende fastboende, bivåne en vakker seanse da femti hvitkledde tai chi-entusiaster inntok plattingen på Kaldnes brygge for å avslutte vårsemesteret.

Unni Ranheim

Tai chi-mester Inger Johanne Vesje feirer i år tiårsjubileum for sitt institutt i Tønsberg. Hvorfor da ikke like godt invitere alle elevene til en felles tai chi-opplevelse på Kaldnes, tenkte hun.

Kropp og sjel

Hos forbipasserende som tok seg tid til å stoppe opp på gangbrua, var det både undring og beundring å spore da de fikk se de hvitkledde på bryggekanten. Kommentarer som "vakkert" og "det er så fredelig her" kunne man høre blant tilskuerne. Også deltakerne var strålende fornøyd med Inger Johannes påfunn, og kun ros var å høre, som "Takk Inger Johanne, dette var en opplevelse!".

KINESISK BEVEGELSESKUNST: 50 hvitkledde thai chi-entusiaster inntok Kaldnes brygge søndag formiddag. Mange forbipasserende kikket forundret på seansen. Tai chi-mester Inger Johanne Vesje ses foran til venstre i bildet.

Foto: Unni Ranheim

"Dette gjorde meg godt", sa andre, som også ga uttrykk for at tai chi-treningene gjennom vinteren gjør noe med dem som mennesker. Inger Johanne Vesje har gjennom alle disse ti årene erfart hvilken virkning tai chi og qi gong har på menneskers kropp og sjel. Utøverne mener at disse flere tusenårige bevegelseskunstene fra Kina styrker balansen, skaper indre ro og at de også har en fysisk effekt på mange sykdommer. Tai chi-læreren får stadig høre nydelige kommentarer fra kursdeltakerne og "en bølge av fred kom imot meg" kom spontant fra en av dem i vår.

Ny tradisjon?

I Kina kan man se tai chi-utøvere i parkene tidlig om morgenen. Ikke bare én og én, men de er mange, de er store grupper som gjør de samme bevegelsene for å styrke sin egen energi. Kanskje de hvitkledde på Kaldnes har skapt en ny tradisjon her i Tønsberg?

Tai Chi, Parkinson’s disease, calligraphy, and harp

by Violet Li,

November 9, 2014 7:01 AM MST

Inger Johanne Vesje lives in Norway, where authentic Chinese Tai Chi and Qigong are not very prevalent and even scarcer over 20 years ago. Trained as a chemical engineer, Inger is also an accomplished ballet dancer and instructor. She owned a ballet studio in Oslo, Norway for 15 years. In 1990, she started her journey of learning Tai Chi and Qigong. First she learned Qigong from Pierre Marleau of Canada. She then travelled three times to the U.S. to attend “A Taste of China”, which was a fabulous annual extravaganza for 30 years organized by Pat Rice with presentations by masters on Tai Chi Chuan, Qigong, and other Chinese Internal Martial Arts. She also went to California three times to study Tai Chi with Toni DeMoulin and stayed for two months during one trip. In 2005, Inger joined the largest European Tai Chi event named “Tai Chi Caledonia” and met her teacher Master Faye Li Yip. Since then, she has traveled to Madrid, Spain every summer to attend Faye Li Yip’s workshops. She even went with Faye’s husband Master Tary Yip to China. In 2013, she attended the 2nd Health Qigong Seminar for European Instructors in Porto, Portugal, and learned Qigong directly from Chinese masters. As an enthusiast of Tai Chi and Qigong, I admire her determination towards learning. She has learned mostly Yang Style Tai Chi (24 form, Short form, Long form and weapon), Sun style for Arthritis with Dr. Paul Lam, Master Helen Wu´s simplified Fan form, and Faye Li Yip´s fan form and many other forms.

Inger has taught Tai Chi/Qigong since 1998. She has her own studio in Tonsberg with 100 students. She keeps herself busy and also teaches in Drammen and Oslo. She has students that are patients with chronic pain. The practice alleviates their pain. A member of the Parkinson Association of Vestfold learned about Inger’s work and requested the Association to offer a Tai Chi class there. The class started in Nov. 2012 and its size has grown continuously and there are new patients as well as returners. The general consensus among the students is that Tai Chi helps them with balance and walking. When she asked them to write down the effect of Tai Chi training, everybody wrote that they became happier with inner peace and less stress. One woman wrote: ”I could come to class unhappy because of trouble at home, but when I drive home after class, I am happy”. They also mentioned better coordination and they understood their body better and breathed more efficiently and effectively. When they breathed down to the Dan Tian, they did not shake as much in the arms and felt less pain.

Inger is creative and arranged a Tai Chi and Qigong workshop with neurologist Are Brean and his wife and psychologist Gro Vatne Brean for Parkinson’s patients. Held in a castle in Bordeaux for five days in 2013, it was a beautiful place with nice surroundings, culture, and nature. They had three classes a day and seminars about the brain and the feeling of living with chronic disease. One patient did not need to take so much medicine, because she became much better. Patients helped each other by talking and exchanging advice. See the attached video for highlights of the workshop.

Inger made a short video called “Taiji, Qigong and Calligraphy”, that Inger and her students played Yang Style Tai Chi, her teacher Master Faye Li Yip demonstrated Wu Qin Xi (or Five Animal Qigong), Bob Lowry demonstrated Daoyin Yang Sheng Qigong, and Wang Ning demonstrated Chinese calligraphy. Inger explained that Tai Chi, Qigong, and Chinese calligraphy are arts with flow and repetition, which require the feeling of being in the present with continuity, and illustrate the power of “Now”.

Uno Alexander Vesje is a young harpist, composer, and Inger’s son. In 2000, Uno went to California with her when she was studying Tai Chi. Uno fell in love with harps when visiting a music shop. He started with a Celtic harp and outgrew it in a year and moved to a golden concert harp and the best Norwegian harp teacher Willy Postma. In June, Uno graduated from Norwegian Academy of Music.

On April 26, 2014, the World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, Inger and Uno collaborated. First, Inger performed Tai Chi Stick to Uno’s music. Then, 25 of Inger’s students formed a circle around Uno and practiced Qigong. Lastly, they did Tai Chi 24 and another short form. Uno and Inger understand each other’s work so the result was beautiful. You can click a video here and listen to Uno’s harp while watching Inger play Tai Chi fan and dance.

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