Hilary Fine Lifestyle
After life winds you up, you need to wind down. Stress can kill you, and to stay healthy you must find ways to de-stress.
You are in need of serious self-help! Somewhere between the frenetic rat race of nine-to-five living and the solitary peace of a hermit, there is an equilibrium and relevance to be found.
A new magazine will help you find this path. On October 15 – astrologically in the middle of the month for those searching for balance – at the Serenity Wellness Centre in Tokai Forest, the first issue of Chi will be launched, and released countrywide.
“Chi” is a Taoist word meaning “essence of life” or “life force”. For some reason the planetary life force seems to be out of whack and this independent publication aims to provide its readers with signposts on their quest towards meaningful existence.
Editor Robyn Wilkinson claims there is sufficient interest in alternative lifestyles to support this guide, which will appear every two months.
Four years ago Wilkinson returned from abroad with experience in natural health marketing. Unable to find a job, she compiled the first National Health Directory, a listing of so-called alternative practitioners, from acupuncturists to Zen masters. The impact of the directory, now in its fourth edition, convinced Wilkinson there was a gap in the market.
Chi will marry the glossy lifestyle format with an “encouraging and empowering but not unrealistic message”, says Wilkinson.
The magazine will contain the “general lifestyle mix of fashion, food, people profiles, beauty and decor”, says features editor Cathy Eden, “but with a spiritual twist”.
So the formula is the same, but the focus more mystical. “We will have more about how to nurture your inner self, travel features will be on sacred and holy places and fashion will celebrate all body shapes.”
And advice will include how to make your sex life tantric. “The message is one of self-love and inspiration,” enthuses Wilkinson.
The medical column of Chi believes that prevention is better than cure, and the doctor’s advice has more to do with the state of the soul than prescribing medicine for symptoms. “A holistic view of body, mind and spirit,” says Wilkinson.
Likewise, the movie column by Barry Ronge will explore trends and archetypes (of the universal subconscious?) rather than the value of specific releases.
“People have big questions” says Eden.
“They want to understand why things happen,” adds Wilkinson. “We want to help them in their search for answers. Chi will give people tools by which to live more full and satisfying lives,” and grapple with cosmic enigmas, like: “Who am I? Why am I here? And where did I leave my car keys?”.
“The journey of the Nineties is an inner one. People are waking up and tuning into themselves,” notes Wilkinson. “But we are also realistic. We aren’t saying anything is bad. Knock back that tequila on the weekend.”
And, from the mystic pick-and-mix on offer, you can take the bits you like from any of the “forgotten” traditions. Whatever works for you.
The range of therapies and practices available to make you happier is constantly expanding. Themes previously confined to the “alternative” and “esoteric” are mainstreaming as books on Feng Shui become bestsellers and T’ai Chi academies expand rapidly around the country. Alternative health practitioners like chiropractors and homeopaths are increasingly recognised by medical aid schemes. The fringe is becoming legitimate and, notes Wilkinson: “Self- development is one of the fastest growing industries.”
If the arrival of Chi is a sign that we are facing the dawn of a new spiritual age, and Cape Town is considered an energy centre of the world, it is fitting that the Dalai Lama will be attending millennium celebrations in the shadow of the mountain.