I am a therapist and a taijiquan and qigong teacher. Mindfulness has become a focus in western psychology since the 1980’s and ’90’s and continues to expand in influence. Mindful meditation has been used in eastern philosophies for millennia. I use meditation and qigong in working with clients and those who play taijiquan. I will be expanding this part of the site. I do have several styles of qigong here. As always, do not try anything outside your comfort zone. And there is the 70% rule in taijiquan – only do 70% of what you are capable of – range of motion or anything else. As you get stronger and more flexible and balanced that 70% will increase. Remember, the goal is to get healthier! Take care of you!
Yves Requena writes in “Chi Kung: The Chinese Art of Mastering Energy” that the origins of qigong are “lost in the depths of time.” She does point out that many cultures have developed similar systems for developing the body-mind including “Islamic civilizations, the Incas, and the peoples of Egypt, India and China.” Qigong is at least 5,000 years old, and today there are over 8,ooo different forms, with variations on the forms. There is qigong for health, for martial arts, and for meditation and enlightenment.
Lee Holden and LeAnn Meyer have a history of qigong here, and Yang, Jwing Ming, who has many books and DVDs on marital arts and qigong, has a history here. You can also learn more at the National Qigong Association.
Qigong is the pinyin translation for the Chinese characters. You may sometimes also see the old Wade-Giles translation of Chi Kung. Qi is life force or energy. Gong means work. Qigong translates as energy work.
Qi Gong
I am developing exercises to help with posture, balance, and breathing using both eastern and western traditions. These will be added as soundtracks below.
First find your balance and focus on your breathing. This is a standing exercise.
Grounding exercise to come into the present moment. This is a sitting exercise.
Finding the Dao of Flow 