I am now 27 years old. From the age of 22 to 26 is when I encountered most of my most serious emotional difficulties triggered by unexpected events in life. During the 4 years in question I went to psychotherapy fairly consistently. I took two anti-depressant medications at three separate points during this time. I was never totally comfortable taking medication. One drug actually had a very strong tendency to make me manic and the other turned me into a zombie.

I started doing Tai Chi in August of 2001. I came to the Tai Chi Chuan Center in September feeling pretty good without any medication. Right after joining the Center, the attacks on the World Trade Center happened, and my girl friend and I broke up. I could barely get out of bed during the day. However, almost everyday, even if I could do nothing else I would do Tai Chi or Nei Kung. Even if it was just a little bit. At times it would almost make me feel like things were ok. The Nei Kung was especially powerful in effecting my mood in a positive way. I would get little windows of comfort and a sense of well being. These windows were very important in encouraging me to keep going.

During this same tough fall / winter of 2001-2002 I started going to therapy again. I was very clear with the therapist that I was not interested in taking any medication. My therapist however continued to pressure me and I eventually gave in. I hated the feeling of being on this “mood-stabilizer”. It made me feel like I was disconnected from my body and kind of numb. It also made the Nei Kung effect less dramatic. Eventually I stopped taking it, and stopped the therapy altogether.
Coming into the spring, things were improving a lot and I was doing a lot of Nei Kung and Tai Chi. I began to have this experience in which I couldn’t think of too many reasons to feel good, but I did any way. This is when I first experienced the power of the system of health that Master Chu teaches. My body and mind had gotten strong enough so that it was actually hard to feel that bad. It was incredible and weird, but it worked.
Tai Chi will not cure you in some magical way. But it will, if you continue to pursue the art, provide you with the strength to face your problems. This, however, takes time. For me it has been after 3 years of consistent Tai Chi practice and self exploration, including psychotherapy, that I have found real stability. But it is very real and very strong.

More Student Testimonials

Sarah Heggie has been a student of Master Chu’s intermittently for over 12 years.

“I’m 56 years old. Three years ago I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is a stress induced disease. It makes you very tired, fatigued, and depressed. I was taking medications and injections. Then I began coming to the Eternal Spring class. The first thing I noticed was a change in my energy level. I also noticed that my flexibility improved and I was less depressed. The more I practiced, the better I felt. Last April I went back to the doctor to have a blood test, and was told I was in remission. Eternal Spring works better than medicine for me.”

Chris Stanfield has been a student for over a year now.

“This is a sad tale with a happy ending. I’m 50 years old. I have had RA for 15 years. I used acupuncture and Chinese herbs to deal with this problem. Also I did exercises like stretching. That was extremely successful. I nonetheless woke up every morning feeling like I had been run over by a monster truck. To stop the pain I have to confess I was an over-the-counter painkiller junkie. I’ve taken them all--aspirin, Ibuferon, etc. But since I’ve been doing Eternal Spring and Nei Kung, I’ve thrown out my painkillers. I might wake up with a very tiny bit of pain in my knee, but then I do the 20 minute Nei Kung program and I feel great. I feel so much better.”

Eternal Spring Grows on Students (and Vice Versa)

Master Chu got some surprising results from two students of Eternal Spring Chi Kung after they made a visit to their doctor for a routine checkup. Amos and Patricia Satterlee were surprised recently when their doctor told them they had both grown more than an inch. They are both over fifty years old, so their doctor was even more shocked and checked his measurements several times. “The answer is that the alignment and posture is being fixed,” Master Chu explains. “It’s amazing now that you can get taller as you get older. This is another big discovery of the benefits of Eternal Spring.” bbbb