Qigong

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. ...

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. ...

One of the most fascinating connections between your mind and your body is the way that the actual physical movements that you make affect your awareness. When your movements are linear and jerky, your mind stops and starts too, essentially gapping out. If you can move in a smooth circular way, your mind tends to stay calmer too. Or at least, you can calm your mind through circular movement. The next level of “smooth”, though, is spherical movement. That’s the specialty of Gods Playing in the Clouds Qigong. Next session, at Brookline Tai Chi, we will begin to work on Gods again. Here’s what we’ll be focusing on: ...

My friend Jess makes a point of studying with as many different teachers as he can. His goal isn’t to dabble in a lot of different styles or systems. He is faithful and dedicated to his main practice, but he knows that each time he gets exposed to a new system, he learns something about his own. See if you can glean one new thing from each of these qigong videos from YouTube to refine and improve your practice today. ...

Cloud Hands is one of the best containers for developing better rhythm and flow in your practice, but you’ve got to work on rhythm and flow separately. The reason is that you develop two very different qualities of mind when you work on these two seemingly related skills. Better Rhythm Better rhythm comes from “harmonizing” more and more moving parts over time in your practice. At first, we all face the challenge of not being able to feel into the body well. When you can’t feel, you can’t actually move different parts under conscious control (which is why I always recommend isolation work, like Z Health mobility drills). The more you can feel, the more connections you can make. ...

In episode 2 of Qigong Radio, I sat down with Energy Arts Senior Instructor Paul Cavel to discuss what it feels like to work with soft tissue – muscle, fascia, and ligaments – in the internal arts. We discussed the different stages of practice and one of my favorite topics: adopting the right mindset so that the progress you make in your body isn’t outpaced by what you think you’re doing in your mind. ...

Recently, we hosted Robert Tangora at Brookline Tai Chi for an introduction to Bend the Bow Spinal Qigong. Prior to the workshop, I had put together a few thoughts on what it feels like to work with the spine in Tai Chi and qigong. This weekend definitely helped me refine my sense for what Spinal Qigong can do, so I wanted to share some of those lessons with you. ...

Next session at Brookline Tai Chi, we are re-introducing a course on the Marriage of Heaven and Earth Qigong. In preparation for the course, I sat down with several Energy Arts instructors who are certified to teach this set, to discuss why these exercises are beneficial, how they related to other forms of qigong, and what it’s like for people to learn some of the stranger techniques involved, like “pulsing” the joints. ...

The Wall Test is one of my favorite “breathing hacks” – a simple, fast exercise you can do to get feedback on how well you are breathing. Check out this instruction in this video and try it for yourself: This breathing exercise is taken from a live breathing class I taught last week. In the class, we looked at several different facets of training your breathing, including: The difference between nerves, fluids, and chi when you practice. How to play with internal pressures to get the biggest health benefit. The quality of all-day energy you get from massaging your internal organs (which is really different from the typical “buzz” you think of from stimulants like caffeine). The class included theory, practical guidance, and follow-along exercises. If you didn’t have the chance to attend live, you can still get the webinar replay, which is over an hour long. Sign up here for instant access. ...

Join me for “To Breathe or Not To Breathe”, a webinar where we will explore the challenges and big payoffs that come from doing your breathing practice correctly. Perhaps more than any other technique, cultivating a breathing practice presents an interesting training paradox: how do you change something your body does automatically 20,000 times a day, that is so intertwined with your mind, emotions, and internal energy? In this webinar, I will take you through the major issues around developing your breathing practice, whether your goal is to smooth out your breath (and thereby your nerves), increase your breathing capacity to have more energy, or use breathing as a gateway practice to relaxation and meditation. ...