In this Inner Form office hours clip, Nate asked me about a specific issue on breathing in the Marriage of Heaven and Earth qigong. If your main focus is Tai Chi, then I would recommend that you pretty much ignore breathing as you practice, but you should focus on opening up the body enough to facilitate deep, even, smooth breathing. In the following clips, we look at how opening up the body will lead to deeper breathing, what stages you will go through in this process, and finally, I show him a specific technique for keeping the deep internal connections loose as he does the Marriage of Heaven and Earth qigong.
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.
Please take a few minutes and share the details of your current practice with me. This will help us refine what we’re doing in the Inner Form section for the month of March. Thanks! http://dankleiman.com/2012/03/12/march-inner-form-coaching-questionnaire/
So, by the time this post is published, we should be closing in on 10,000 video views on YouTube. Now, I know that’s not a huge number by internet standards and you can probably scroll through the YouTube sidebar and find individual videos that have more views than the entire DKMovementArts channel put together, but….
I Just Wanted to Say “Thank You” I don’t care how that number stacks up with other videos on YouTube.
This is a guest post from my friend and fellow instructor, Paul Cavel. I asked Paul to talk a little bit about his experience teaching all over Europe and what he’s learned after nearly 20 years doing it. There are some great insights here about the internal energy arts that you can apply to your own practice, whether you teach or not. Take note when he talks about practice mindset!
One of the most counter-intuitive feelings in qigong, Tai Chi, or Ba Gua is the way that making more space inside the body allows you open more outwardly as well. In these two Inner Form office hours video clips, I show Brendan how making more space in the kwa and shoulder’s nest can help her take a more connected step in her circle walking practice and develop a more fluid single palm change.
Recently, on the Insight Taiji Facebook group, we got into a fascinating discussion about the challenges of teaching and the different kinds of student expectations that come across as teachers. As much as this was framed as a teacher’s dilemma, I felt that I came away with some lessons about how I set my own expectations as a student as well. Anthony Court has been studying systems of health, healing, meditation and self-defense for over 41 years.
In this Office Hours recording, we discuss: How to extend your standing qigong practice beyond 20 minutes. The best way to deal with chronically tight muscles while standing. How to relax without collapsing internally. What’s next for your internal organs after you develop a strong breathing practice. How to connect a skill like twisting the soft tissue of the arms to the guts.
Download the Office Hours recording here.
