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Two of the world's most widely read publications, Parade Magazine and USA Weekend, began a string of media references in the last few months, to a truly unusual coming event.

An unprecedented global health & healing event which is about to expand across our planet, educating on natural health solutions, provides a vision of a global coming together for personal and global healing, and an urge for people to open hearts and minds to wisdom from all corners of humanity for the betterment of all.

At 10 am, on the morning of Saturday, April 29th, 2006 (celebrated always on the last Saturday of April each year), a mass of people who've experienced the health & healing benefits of Tai Chi & Qigong (Chi Kung), will hold exhibitions and teach-ins on these ancient health tools in the earliest time zones of New Zealand. As the planet turns, tens of thousands across hundreds of events in sixty nations will join in as 10 am rolls across the planet time zone by time zone.

A Harvard, Yale, MIT study just revealed that 'meditation increases brain size' especially in creative centers of the mind. As the moving meditations of tai chi & qigong expand throughout cities worldwide in public places, they expose tens of thousands to the gentle flowing motions of moving meditation, and with the help of global media, this moment of mind expansion is carried into millions of homes. What effect does this blanketing of the world for one day in images of unity, healing, and open heartedness, have on the planet, on humanity? Perhaps it expands the global brain size!

And although research hasn't emerged on this, yet, perhaps it enlarges the planet's heart size. World Tai Chi & Qigong Day has received moving testimonials from such diverse senders as an American Vietnam War Veteran, to a young woman recovering from burns caused by a bombing run in the latest war, to a housewife in Belgium . . . all explaining what being able to participate each year in a global wave of healing intent has meant to them.

"By doing extra T'ai Chi and Qigong forms and exercises during this year's World Tai Chi & Qigong Day I was able to positively transform that melancholic anger into a peaceful and positive mindset, enhanced by knowing that people world wide were also in a peaceful connected state of mind." -- Paul Claroni, American Vietnam Veteran

"Dear Mr Bill, thankyou for your interesting in me and for your help. I enjoy that day with all the taichi people, my firiends and Elaine. I am feelng not well for now but I will hopfully be better soon, I like Tai chi and find it very nice to praktis my relaxation. Keep in touch with me and I will to. good job. Best wishes." -- Hannan Shihab, Iraq

"I also send you a picture of me that has been taken on WTCQD 30-4-2005. It's a picture of a happy woman who couldn't stand for more than ten minutes on two feet eight years ago because her whole body was aching ! I work now as a counsellor for the health of body and soul ! With all my love !" -- Hilda Cardinaels, Belgium

The event is moving and emotional, yet also offers very practical possibilities for global health & healing. For example, about seven years ago a local television news station was interviewing a World Tai Chi & Qigong Day (WTCQD) event organizer, the morning before the event. A woman was watching the interview and learning about medical research on tai chi & qigong's ability to possibly help with chronic pain and limited mobility. The woman told her daughter, who was recovering from being hit by a car and experiencing chronic pain and limited mobility, that she should go to this 'world tai chi day' event and learn about tai chi.

She and her daughter did end up attending, and from there, not only learned tai chi & qigong by joining local classes, but the daughter, Linda Bowers, became a tai chi teacher. Linda now teaches tai chi at various locations including one for the Kansas State women's prison, where she has taught fifty women the tai chi long form, and five of these women have received teaching certificates that Linda presented to the Governor of Kansas last year. These women's lives are changed for the better forever. I remember when I taught tai chi & qigong for the court drug rehabilitation program in Kansas City, and addicts in the program would thank me after classes for giving them a chance to feel well-being rather than gnawing need. Their lives were changed forever, because now they had life tools that no one had ever told them existed.

Multiply Linda's story by the tens of thousands participating worldwide in sixty nations on the last Saturday of April each year, and you have a world-changing event in every sense of the word.

Who can participate in World Tai Chi & Qigong Day? Everyone in the world. By visiting worldtaichiday.org, and clicking on 'Everyone's Resources' you'll see a 'World TC & QG Day Events Locater,' that will guide you to your country and state where you can find WTCQD events in your area. For those groups already doing tai chi or qigong, you'll find a 'Schools Resources' menu at worldtaichiday.org with many Event Organizing resources to use to create a successful event, and a free listing for your classes / event.

Where are events held? Generally in public places, and in hundreds of cities in sixty nations on six continents. There is likely an event near where you live. Just go to worldtaichiday.org to find one near you.

Free teach-ins are part of most events, so you will be able to learn a little tai chi or qigong, and follow along a little bit with the mass exhibition that will be held to join in with the hundreds of other events rolling across the planet toward and after yours.

World Tai Chi & Qigong Day is a unique blend of fun, serious health education, and life altering movement for a global audience hungry for simple natural solutions to the growing complex problems of our world. Emerging medical research indicates that tai chi & qigong may profoundly improve the lives of millions suffering from common chronic health challenges, if they only knew about tai chi & qigong. Given some of the staggering findings, such as tai chi's ability to boost immune system function (UCLA), or dramatically reduce Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms in high school students (University of Miami School of Medicine), lower high blood pressure, heal heart disease (BBC), build bone mass, improve breathing, etc. etc. one would think that there would be billions of dollars poured into developing and spreading these tools farther and faster to the millions who'd benefit from them.

However, that is not happening. Our health establishment and media seem incapable of exploring and promoting non-surgery, non-drug, solutions to our global health challenges, in a way that would be appropriate for such highly effective therapy according to preliminary tai chi & qigong research. Therefore, World Tai Chi & Qigong Day is also designed to provide popular culture media with an 'opportunity' to do a great service to the millions worldwide who remain ignorant of natural health therapies that could do their lives much good. World Tai Chi & Qigong Day hopes to work in partnership with media, government, business, etc. worldwide to improve personal and global health through information.

Governors of over sixteen US states, senates and mayors of many countries have officially proclaimed World Tai Chi & Qigong Day for their states, cities, or country. The United Nations World Health Organization has recognized the work of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day. However there is much more to do. Until everyone is aware of the benefits to their lives tai chi & qigong may offer, and simple natural solutions are given the attention they deserve in our media . . . the work of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day will go on.

Actually, even if all that happens, it'll still go on, because its just 'FUN' to play tai chi & qigong with the world each year, and it just 'FEELS GOOD.' Join us for World Tai Chi & Qigong Day 2006, Saturday April 29th, 10 am local time, worldwide. Change the world, and have some fun !

Copyright 2006 Bill Douglas