Dragon and Tiger Exercises for Activating the Lower Tantien

We’re borrowing a technique from Dragon and Tiger qigong to try and get a better sense of the lower tantien. The lower tantien (“dan-tee-en”) is the energetic center of your physical body, located just below your navel, on the central axis of the body. If you dropped a line down from the crown of the head, through the body, and out the bottom of the pelvis, it would pass through the lower tantien. ...

February 25, 2013 · 1 min · Dan Kleiman

Common Sensations That Arise When You Are Developing Chi

In this episode of Qigong Radio, I answer some questions about different sensations readers have been experiencing when they practice. In the Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong Instruction Manual, Bruce Frantzis lays out important guidelines for what kinds of “chi reactions” to expect. I want to show you how to apply these guidelines to your practice. Expect Chi Reactions Dragon and Tiger is a powerful tool for awakening your body on physical, energetic, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. As you practice these movements and begin to move your body in ways that may be different for you, energy and fluids in your body are stirred up and begin to move more vigorously. At some point you may experience reactions that may seem either positive or negative to you. These are called chi reactions: the body’s response to the effects of energy beginning to flow more freely through previously blocked places. ...

January 15, 2013 · 5 min · Dan Kleiman

Moving Your Energy to Soothe Your Mind

In this episode of Qigong Radio, I thought I was going to get a report about the Dragon and Tiger instructor training. Yes, the six instructors who joined me for the episode talked about the training. If you missed Maui, you’ll get a sense of what it was like. But they also shared some true qigong gems with us, that I think you’ll be able to apply to all of your energy practices. ...

July 15, 2012 · 1 min · Dan Kleiman

Bill Ryan on Developing Energy Sensitivity

When learning qigong or Tai Chi, people are often either more tuned into to energy or to their physical bodies. In this episode of Qigong Radio, I asked my first qigong and Tai Chi teacher, Energy Arts Senior Instructor and founder of Brookline Tai Chi, Bill Ryan to explain why this is. More importantly, Bill teaches you how to navigate the experiences of developing your internal energy, regardless of how you first become aware of them. It turns out, you’re probably already more tuned in than you think. ...

April 30, 2012 · 1 min · Dan Kleiman

16 Lessons from Qigong Instructor Trainings

This June, my qigong teacher Bruce Frantzis will be offering a two-week Dragon and Tiger Qigong instructor training on Maui. Over the past 10 years, I’ve attended most of the instructor trainings that he has offered, as well as many weekends and week-long retreats. Being in an intensive learning environment at these events is great for your personal practice. ...

January 14, 2012 · 7 min · Dan Kleiman