BalanceAprilIssue2017 - 10

F

guide

S

TO...

Qi chanting

Clearing the mind of negative thoughts isn't all about going
'om' for hours on end, reveals Jamie Glassman
photography by IAKOVOS KALAITZAKIS

QI WELL NE SS CENTRE, OXFORD CIRCUS

K

oreans call it 'qi'. Chinese call it
'chi'. Americans call it 'energy'.
Brits call it 'balderdash'. But then
there's a time and place for 'balderdash'
and if it makes you feel better, then

Smiley
faces and
Classes at the
Qi Wellness
warm welcomes
Centre
abound. It's a shoesoff, slippers-on, all-white

maybe qi chanting is right for you.
I like a bit of chanting, me. Gregorian?
Yes please. Tibetan Buddhist? Hell, yes.
Hasidic Jewish nigunim? OK. Point is;
I'm an open-minded kind of guy.
So, when I heard that there's a place
near Oxford Circus to try out a bit of
Korean meditative chanting to 'clear
the busy mind of negative thoughts
and re-connect the body to its natural
rhythm', I hopped on down to the Qi
Wellness Centre, hoping to have my
tiny mind blown.

pyjamas optional-but-encouraged
kind of place. But it wasn't quite
what I expected. 
Turns out that qi chanting isn't
repeating the same few words over
and over again, so if slipping into
meditational nirvana and saying
'om' or 'nam-myoho-renge-kyo' until
it no longer sounds ridonkulous is
what you were hoping for, you'll
leave disappointed.
Instead it's pages and pages of partKorean part-gibberish scripts.

G OOD VI BE S

SH ARE T H E LOV E

The promise is that these chanting
classes address modern-day challenges
such as technology overload, limited
downtime, and an inability to re-charge
the batteries. What's not to like?

The best bit was the feeling that
I was stepping into an intriguing
international subculture. The main
room was decked out with flowers,
huge Korean symbols on the walls,

I know I look ridonkulous
but you should hear
what I'm saying!

a super soft carpet and a webcam so
people from all over Europe could
tune in to chant, move and meditate
with our class in Oxford Circus.
I really wanted to like this but it just
wasn't my cup of qi. If it sounds like
it could be yours, go for it. What's the
worst that can happen? B
HAVE A GO!

LEVEL
Suitable for
everyone

Life coach

COST
£15 for a taster
session

TIME
45 minutes

CELEBRATE
YOUR WINS

I interview wellness experts
every week on my Zestology
podcast. And the same advice
seems to pop up again and again:
1) Have some kind of meditative practice.
2) Follow a diet high in 'good fats', low in sugar.
3) Be nice to people, it'll help you live a nice life.
4) The biggie - gratitude is good.
A coach once encouraged me to pick up a pen
and paper last thing at night and write down
three things I was grateful for. So, why
not grab a pen tonight and scribble
some of yours down?

CORNER

AUTHOR TONY WRIGHTON
TONYWRIGHTON.COM

10

BALANCE April 2017

ILLUSTRATION: GEMMA CORRELL STYLING: THEODORE ADOLPH-REGISFORD

A

ST T I M E

R'

IR
http://www.TONYWRIGHTON.COM
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BalanceAprilIssue2017
