On a chilly winter morning, American Nicholas Packard stretches slowly, while breathing deeply at his Tai Chi class in Lodhi Gardens. An internal martial art, practiced for health and longevity, Tai Chi has been referred to as the Chinese version of yoga. The exercises, done in slow motion urge students to use the energy of the universe to find inner peace. “I met a Tai Chi master who told me it would take a decade to come close to mastering it,” recalls Packard, who learnt the 200-year-old technique in the Sichuan province in Western China.

The 40-something Packard, is now fully trained in the Qi Qong style of Tai-Chi. “Chi is the energy whereas ‘Qi Qong’ acts as the wider umbrella from where we harness our strengths,” explains Packard, who’s been in India since September 2007. Packard’s fascination for Qi Qong began in the early 90’s after he quit his job as a play director in Italy to visit Dharamshala.