Keeping the doctor away apparently has nothing to do with apples.

Large groups of Chinese people are seen practicing tai chi — the ancient slow-moving martial art — daily in public spaces.

And in Bayview and Coupeville, local tai chi and qigong aficionados are hoping to attract their own large group of practitioners at “World Tai Chi/Qigong Day.”

The day has been celebrated on the last Saturday in April since 1999. This year, three local instructors will lead the group exercise from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 30 in the field west of Bayview Community Hall and in Coupeville at the Coupeville Farmers Market next to the library.

Longtime tai chi and qigong instructors Sarah Birger, Shirley Jantz and Lynne Donnelly will lead participants in easy-to-learn techniques featuring the slow, gentle movements of both forms which focus on the breath and provide deep-healing effects and all-around wellness.

Such wellness has been demonstrated in China, which reduced its burden on hospitals when the government required its population to practice tai chi.

A complete lack of medical care after the Chinese Cultural Revolution of 1966-76 left the communist government with few options for its huge skyrocketing population. So it forced the tai chi masters of the country to make themselves available to teach an easy-to-learn version of the exercise. No Chinese resident was given access to medical care for non-life-threatening emergencies unless they first practiced tai chi for three months continuously with a certified tai chi instructor. The plan worked, and the burden on Chinese hospitals was decreased dramatically.

It seems the Chinese method of keeping the doctor away has worked for Donnelly, as well.

“I myself have only had one cold in the past 21 years, which I can only attribute to tai chi and qigong,” Donnelly said.

“My students have reported improvements in joint and back pain, sleep, general health and well-being, more focus and whiter teeth (just kidding about that one),” she joked.

Donnelly teaches regularly at Tiger Martial Arts in Freeland and at Madrona Massage in Coupeville. She said “World Tai Chi/Qigong Day” has attracted tens of thousands of people from around the world in the decade or so of its existence, and has helped to spread the word about the benefits of tai chi and qigong.

Jantz, who teaches in Langley, said that the idea that all around the world on this day  — also sometimes referred to as “World Healing Day” — at 10 a.m. in each time zone, a collective breath is being taken, a reach toward planetary wellness for healers of all paths, including martial arts, yoga, Reiki and meditation.

“If you can breathe, you can place heart and hands around this Earth, as ‘One Breath, One World’ (the day’s motto) from New Zealand to Bayview Corner,” Jantz said.

Birger testifies to the staying power of such exercise for all shapes and sizes of persons.

In the past six years that she has been teaching at Island Athletic Club, Birger said she has had hundreds of people come through her tai chi classes.

“Some stayed for one class, some stayed for six years,” Birger said.

“I have witnessed profound healing for a number of individuals as a result of their embrace of tai chi. Even after just a few classes, beginners regularly tell me with amazement that their balance has improved.”

Indeed, regular practice of the ancient martial art form brings such results as improved balance, strength, stamina, mental clarity and peace of mind, Birger noted.

“What other activity can you do at any age, anywhere, without special clothing or equipment to get those results?”

Jantz said that for her, qigong (pronounced chi kung) and tai chi are integrative practices that allow divine wisdom to flow through with breath, chi and gentle movement.

“They are essentially a metaphor for moving through life,” she said. “If the body is centered physically, the mind follows.”

By lowering and deepening the breath, Jantz said, the body becomes centered and rooted, which in turn relaxes the mind, or “heart-mind” as it’s called in Chinese medicine. With awareness of nature, one develops a deeper connection with inner rhythms and natural cycles, she added.

“We invite everyone to come and learn about tai chi and qigong, and learn a few moves they can do at home to enhance their health and fitness,” Donnelly added.

The instructors will offer teaching sessions in both tai chi and qigong from 10 to 11 a.m. at both locations to honor the day.

The event is free, suitable for ages 10 and older and requires no previous experience. Dress warmly for inclement weather. The sessions at both Bayview and Coupeville will move inside if it rains.