Gregory to bring Tai Chi to LankaBy Lakshman Ranasinghe
View(s):It is a miracle if a sickness or a deformity can be cured without any medicine or surgery. A Sri Lankan, now living in the USA, was able to experience this miracle by practicing a slow and gentle exercise, known as a mode of self defense and mainly a healer. This exercise, strange to Sri Lanka but commonly known worldwide, is Tai Chi or Taijiquan and is to be introduced very soon here.Gregory de Silva, a former Sri Lankan athlete, a national champion in long jump and triple jump, now residing in the USA was never a fan of martial arts or anything that came close to it. Then he had to attend a conference – where Gregory experienced a whole new change.
Gregory de Silva displaying different moves of Tai Chi - Pix by Ranjith Perera
“I had a problem in my right foot and I was limping for a long time. I had to attend a conference in Chicago and an unknown Chinese man saw me limping. Then he took me to a side and questioned me what my problem was,” Gregory recalled.
Gregory, naturally a sport lover, became a member of the Olympic Committee delegation of USA in order to bid for the staging of the 2016 Olympics. The Chinese stranger was none other than a fellow attendee of the Olympic Committee. Like Gregory, an athlete himself, this Chinese stranger is a master in Tai Chi, a form of martial arts, strange to Sri Lanka as the stranger who encountered the former Richmond College athlete. “He advised me to try out Tai Chi. He related to me of the whole purpose on why Tai Chi is practiced. It took a bit of time but I found out that my leg has been cured, unknown to me. Then it was a nice exercise to be engaged with. I began to practice it regularly, and then it became a daily routine. And now Tai Chi is me,” Gregory went on to say.
Today Gregory is a fit man who no longer limps. But he has made a vow to himself, to impart his fellow countrymen on this new mode of martial arts, which is, in his own words ‘a way of meditation’. Gregory is now back in the island after a decade’s stay in the USA, mainly in an endeavour to promote Tai Chi.
According to Gregory Tai Chi affects the central nervous system of the human body. The central nerve system, which is the hub regulates and controls the activities of all the systems and organs of the human body. “The effects of Tai Chi exercises on the cardiovascular system results from the control of activities of central nerve system. Doing Taijiquan can also speed up the heart rate, strengthen the contraction of the heart muscles and increase the output capacity of every heart beat.”
“Tai Chi exercises effects in improving metabolism which is an important function of health. Many diseases are associated with the disorder and reduction. Practicing Taijiquan can improve the metabolic activity of tissue cell, especially the ability of anabolic metabolism, and consequently, increase their ability to resist degeneration, sclerosis and death. This shows that practice of this art can prolong one’s life,” Gregory explained on his new found love.
“Practicing Tai Chi has an all-round effect on all the organs and systems of the human body. It has been proven that Taijiquan is a kind of very important methods of strengthening one’s fitness and preventing diseases. It has a creative effect on most chronic diseases.”
“To sum up, Tai Chi is a sport in conformity with psychology. It’s mixture of hard and soft martial art techniques. It has good effects on central nervous system. It promotes the functions of the cardiovascular system and respiration system, reduces the clots in the body and improves digestion and metabolism. Therefore from a medical point of view, it is good type of gymnastics for health protection and medical treatment.”
Gregory, an old boy of Richmond College Galle, had represented his alma mater in cricket, football and was an outstanding athlete. He had won the national championship in long jump and triple jump and was adjudged the most outstanding athlete in the 1970s. He also shows interest in the development of athletics in Sri Lanka but his latest mission, promoting Tai Chi, could be an easy task, in comparison.