We talk a lot about the health benefits of Tai Chi and qigong, or the way they create mental and emotional relaxation, but if you really had to distill all these benefits down to one common thread, you could say that the smoother your mind, body, and energy get, the more you are truly making progress in your practice.

In this hour-long webinar, we've used the transition between two qigong courses at Brookline Tai Chi as an excuse to look at the issue of smoothness.

There are some specifics about the Marriage of Heaven and Earth and Gods Playing in the Clouds, but if you watch the whole class, you'll get a sense for the larger point of evolving the smoothness of your practice, including:

• Bill Ryan's rule for developing your energy and your awareness
• How to go beyond circular movement
• My take on why Gods Playing in the Clouds is the bridge to Taoist meditation