The Austrian-American physicist, system theorist and one of the greatest minds of the modern world Fritjof Capra has said: “Ecology and spirituality are fundamentally connected, because deep ecological awareness, ultimately, is spiritual awareness.”

Even though scientists like Capra discovered and educated the world with connections between matter and mind, ancient spiritual healing techniques, going beyond being mere concepts, have been putting these principles into practice to heal the mind and body of humans along with the surroundings they live in. Ancient healing techniques such as yoga, tai chi and other martial arts, ayurveda, Yunani, Chinese traditional medicine, meditation used the connection between environment, healing and spirituality and remained with them in the world for thousands of years benefitting all living beings.

Healing the world

Recognising this remarkable connection, groups of people living in different continents of the world mark a unique day of the year as the World Healing Day where they celebrate and highlight the great benefits of rhythmic tai chi moves, energising yoga postures, healing waves of music, chakra opening meditations and many more traditional techniques that has been breathing life into humans in harmony with nature.

World Healing Day, less known, yet highly influential, is marked on the last Saturday in the month of April. This year it was marked globally on 29 April.

The day initially started in 1998 as Tai Chi and Qi-Gong Day among a local group of people of a Tai Chi Club from Kansas City, Missouri in the United States. Today the concept has grown broader and deeper, becoming World Healing Day.

The Kansas City event was organised for mere public awareness on the health benefits of tai chi, yet the media coverage it received sparked the minds of tai chi lovers of the world and on 29 April 1999, the world witnessed the first International Tai Chi Day in Kansas City.

 Yoga is a practice that comprises body positions that strengthen muscles, regulate breathing and improve balance of the human body

Grown beyond borders

The small step the Kansas City tai chi group took in 1998 infected hundreds of like-minded people living in different continents emerging from various cultures. Today, World Healing Day is not just about tai chi and qi gong. It has incorporated yoga and various meditation techniques fully fledged with globally existing healing traditions and techniques.

It is currently declared as an official day in 25 states of the USA and in several South American countries. Yet, local groups of people in many countries concerned about healing and wellbeing organise local events according to their beliefs and traditions. The mutual understanding globally since 1999 is to start World Healing Day at 10 in the morning and practising techniques and elevate public awareness till dusk.

Though it is not strictly a rule, people who follow these various traditions prefer to commence accordingly as in many traditional healing methods believe in ‘oneness’. 

Oneness, healing all

While there are various types of traditional healing practices that evolved in different cultures, practices of Indian and Chinese origin became global trends. People started finding a different therapeutic feeling through practices like tai chi, qi gong, yoga and meditation than taking medication. Thus, tai chi, qi gong, and yoga became prominent healing techniques equally in the west and the east.

It is solely because these traditions flow with the natural energy of the human body, its connectedness with nature, happiness and a peaceful mind. Its application was universal. It believes that one’s action has a reaction on another and therefore, one must carefully act, speak and think and thus, highlights the utmost need of mind and body balance. It teaches the followers that the chaos in the energy flow of a living being results in sickness. Therefore, balancing the energies of the mind and body heals the body. The principles of these techniques emphasise that the world can be healed, physically and psychologically, through oneness. 

Tai chi

Tai chi, an internal martial art, originated in China thousands of years ago, and is a slow moving, rhythmic exercise with attention to one’s breathing, cantered around the gravitational point of the body and trains the practitioner to balance the body weight from the hip. The definition of the word “tai chi” is believed to be derived from Chinese Taoist and Confucian philosophy.

Renowned scientific evidence on the benefits of tai chi comes from the research and studies done by the Harvard Medical School in USA. In 2013 the Harvard Medical School launched a series of lectures based on its research done on tai chi. With its high recognition the school launched a book in 2012 titled The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi: 12 weeks to a healthy body, strong heart, and sharp mind authored by Dr. Peter M. Wayne with Mark L. Fuerst. Dr. Wayne is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a world-renowned expert and scholar in integrated medicine. 

Qi gong is a basic exercise technique developed through Chinese medicine PHOTO © Real Simple

Qi gong

Similar to tai chi, qi gong originated in China thousands of years ago, but not a martial art as tai chi. Qi gong is the basic exercise technique developed through Chinese medicine and tai chi is considered as one of the techniques evolved through qi gong and developed into a martial art. 

Qi gong is a series of exercises that whirls around slow movement of the body, arms and legs, proper breathing and mind regulation. Qi gong has diversified in to various paths and as we mentioned earlier tai chi is one such segment. In addition, there are various types such as baduajin, yinjin jing and hundreds more. 

Qi gong emphasises on energising the body, regulating breathing and promoting body balance and flexibility. 

Yoga

Yoga history dates back to thousands of years with a strong connection to Hinduism and even believed to be introduced by God Shiva to earthlings and later transcended to spiritual people (rishis) through various gods like Vishnu and Krishna. Yoga is a practice that comprises of asanas (body positions) that strengthen muscles, regulates breathing and improves balance of the human body. It is recognised as an ancient method that elevates blood flow, properly pressurise accu-points of the body and stimulates the endocrine system balancing body chemicals. The Harvard Medical School has issued a book named The Harvard Medical School Guide to Yoga benefitting amateurs to experts.

In the modern world yoga has evolved over different paths from the very spiritual types like kriya yoga to those that have amalgamated with aerobics and formed styles like power yoga. 

Since 2015, the world has celebrated the International World Yoga Day on 21 June following its inception at the United Nations General Assembly in 2014.