I have been a practitioner of Yang-style Taiji Quan and Qi Gong for many years, so I was more than happy to lend my “writing hand” when asked to contribute to the launch of heartmind Lab, a brand new project that brings together a team of scientists and academics to combine the most recent breakthroughs in Western science with the wisdom and practices of the ancient Orient.
How heartmind Lab operates
Based in Bologna, Italy, heartmind Lab is the research network for the psycho-energetic and physical development of the individual. It’s born out of the passion of founders Flavio Daniele, director of the Nei Dan School of Internal Martial Arts; Carlo Ventura, Full Professor of Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Bologna; and Andrea Brighi, Vice-President of the Italian Rolfing® Structural Integration Association.
heartmind Lab aims at creating a personalised journey of self-rediscovery to reset the balance between your bodily ecosystem and the external environment through multidisciplinary workshops which allow participants to discover the heart-brain axis and the ties between Oriental disciplines and contemporary Western research, in order to explore the fundamentals of a new model of self-growth founded on the innate potential of the individual.
What I did for the Lab
In particular, I worked as a copywriter on the texts for the printed brochure of the new venture, as well as for the official website. In order to present the project to a wider audience, before penning the first word I spent quite some time reading the books of Master Daniele – who is a renowned Taiji Quan, Xin Yi Quan and Nei Gong master and a prolific writer of the benefits of Chinese internal styles of martial arts – as well as delving into genetics, neuroscience and cutting-edge stem cell research, Taoist thought and Indian disciplines promoting harmony of body and mind.
The first theoretical and practical laboratory took place in Bologna on 22 and 23 February 2020: you can check out what went on on heartmind Lab’s official Facebook page and Instagram profile.
Pictures by Elisa Antonietta Daniele.