Qigong

In all Taoist practices, there is a theme of moving like a newborn. We look to the softness, connectedness, and smoothness of their movements to re-learn and relax how we normally get around. Taoist breathing trains you to move your belly, sides, and back in a gentle compress and release pattern that tones the internal organs. The Opening and Closing of the joints that we train in the Marriage of Heaven and Earth qigong, teaches you how to minimize muscular force and lead your movements from the natural hydraulic pumps in the joints and cavities of the body. ...

The study of Tai Chi requires that you also study Qigong as well, separate from your Tai Chi Classes. The tensions that we feel, both physically and psychology are largely the result of blockages in our body’s natural energy paths. Qigong refers to this energy and it is the study of bringing our breathing into harmony with our movement. One of the best Qigong exercise is the arm-swing exercise. Usually done as a warm-up, it prepares the body for relating the movement of your arms with your shoulders and spine. ...

Last month, we discussed the sense of progress you can sometimes struggle with in your practice. At the time, I mentioned that I’ve been working up to a two-hour standing session, which is a very structured practice goal. Today, I wanted to report back about what I’ve been experiencing in standing qigong and show you how to shift your sense of the time that passes when you stand. The structure of adding one minute to the length of the stand each day is seems like it should make for a very linear sense of time when you practice. So far, though, that’s not what’s happening at all. ...

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. ...

In this episode of Qigong Radio, Energy Arts Senior Instructor Paul Cavel explains the 3 different layers of neigong practice: Beginner or Foundational Practices -- Dragon and Tiger, Opening the Energy Gates, and Heaven and Earth Intermediate or Power-Production Practices -- Spiraling Energy Body and Bend the Bow Advanced or Integration Practices -- Gods Playing in the Clouds Paul explains what to focus on at each level and how your learning spiral takes you back through them over time. ...

Are you looking for a warm-up exercise that invigorates the blood and loosens up the body? Are you a beginner to physical fitness and looking for an exercise that won’t leave you painfully discouraged? Try this popular form of qigong: Chinese arm swinging exercises are an easy and gentle choice suitable for beginners and professional athletes. The exercise comes from various traditions. In India, British troops learned and adopted the practice of club swinging. Chinese arm swinging exercises are an ancient practice now commonly used in Qigong. The Japanese and other Asian cultures likewise use arm-swinging exercise in the various martial arts disciplines. The basic style and variations find modern use in warm-ups for professional athletes and rehabilitation centers. ...

When you perform standing qigong, you develop acute physical awareness, get access to internal space, and make subtle physical connections that you would never otherwise make if you only did moving practices. According to my teacher Bruce Frantzis, the Taoists developed over 200 different standing postures, so how do you know which one to practice? Guidelines for Holding Qigong Postures As we’ve discussed in the past, whenever you settle in to standing qigong, you need to follow these three principles: ...

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. ...

This summer, Bruce Frantzis will be teaching a Marriage of Heaven and Earth Instructor training. Heaven and Earth was the first instructor training I attended in 2004 and I can still remember what a profound effect learning to “pulse” had on me. Within the Energy Arts system, Heaven and Earth is considered a bridge from the basic to more advanced practices. ...

Recently, I received a question about qigong practices for spinal health. I am always looking for ways to keep my body healthy inside and out. I practice yoga, I do my daily cardio and some weight training. I am especially interested in keeping my spine healthy. I am 57 and am concerned about osteoporosis which runs in my family. Anything you could share with me would be greatly appreciated. There are some pretty sophisticated spinal health techniques in Qigong and Tai Chi, but the progression is basically this: ...