Participants practise Qigong a day before the World Health Qigong Day at the Tivoli park in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)
On Saturday, free Tai Chi and Qigong training sessions will continue to take place outdoors in the cities of Celje, Maribor, and Murska Sobota, while the last event on Sunday will be held via Zoom.
LJUBLJANA, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Slovenians will be able to take part in free Tai Chi and Qigong training sessions for three days over the weekend in several Slovenian cities to mark the World Health Qigong Day 2023.
The event started on Saturday and is built around the theme "build health & share love," Chen Shining, chairman and head coach of the Slovenian Tai Chi and Qigong Association has told Xinhua.
"We have been organizing these free events for seven years in a row now and there is more interest every year," Chen, who moved to Slovenia from China more than 30 years ago, told Xinhua on Friday.
He said he expected more than 150 people to attend the free trainings this year.
Participants practise Qigong a day before the World Health Qigong Day at the Tivoli park in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)
The first session took place around a fountain in the Tivoli park in the center of the capital Ljubljana, attracting dozens of participants. On Saturday, the sports events will continue to take place outdoors in the cities of Celje, Maribor, and Murska Sobota, while the last event on Sunday will be held via Zoom.
"People have realized that these exercises are beneficial, increasing the physical, psychological and energy levels in their body, reducing stress and improving their general health," said Chen, who has been a Tai Chi and Qigong trainer in Slovenia since 1992.
Chen started practicing Tai Chi and Qigong as a child in China, and by now, more than 10,000 people have attended his training courses. He moved to Slovenia as a student of mechanical engineering and is now an international Health Qigong referee and a member of the professional board of the International Health Qigong Federation.
Participants practise Qigong a day before the World Health Qigong Day at the Tivoli park in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)
The World Health Qigong Day is celebrated each year on the second Saturday in September in many countries on five continents, thus ensuring that Health Qigong is on that day being practiced globally non-stop for 24 hours, going from east to west.
Health Qigong is an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine, promoting the free flow of energy throughout the body with the help of physical exercises, the cultivation of the mind and regulated breathing.■