2008 June | Sacramento Qigong

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Latest News

Last updated: Nov 29, 2009 10:03 pm

Now Teaching in Sacramento!
We are happy to announce that we are bringing our Qigong classes back to Sacramento starting in December. I will be teaching at the Creative Healing Arts Center which is on Arden between Fulton and Morse - it’s a really great place and I’m looking forward to it.
There will be two classes - 9am and 10am [...]

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Merging Heaven and Earth

This is a very simple but powerful movement that any Qigong practitioner should practice and attempt to master. As your hands float up, they are empty (Yin palm), soft and loose. As they turn over, the palms turn into Yang as you focus a little more energy into the palms and press down. [...]

Using Water to Cool Fire

In this exercise, we draw the water energy from the kidneys and using the cooling properties of the dantien and raise this energy up to the heart, to cool excess fire that accumulates there. Follow the breathing displayed on the video and make sure to breathe naturally, and make sure you relax your shoulders. [...]

Swimming Dragon

This Qigong movement is all about Yin and Yang. With your arm out and palm up, you are absorbing Yang energy from the Heavens. With your arm in and palm down, you are absorbing Yin energy from the Earth. Make sure you are turning at your waist, and moving your shoulders [...]

Cloud Hands

One of my favorite movements, Cloud Hands combines gentle movement with deep meditation. This powerful exercise will improve digestion, bring greater mental clarity, and improve the functioning of your entire body. It also works to mix the energies of Yin and Yang which is the key to health and longevity. Make sure [...]

Videos

The following section is for students of Sacramento Qigong (those who have attended class). These videos are for reference only and are only a supplement to the complete teaching you receive in class. You should learn the movements in class, ask questions, then use the vidoes as reference. As always, if you [...]

8 Section Brocade (Golden 8 Exercises)

This powerful and complete set of Qigong exercises has been passed down and refined for thousands of years. This set will boost your immune system, restore flexibility and vitality to your joints and bones, and improve the overall functioning of your entire body.
Opening Movement
1 – Uplifting the Heavens
2 – Drawing the Bow and Shooting [...]

5 – Red Dragon Parts the Sea

Last updated: Jan 29, 2009 12:32 am

This movement does multiple things. First, it builds up energy in the dantien, generating strength and courage. It is also used to expel excess fire from the heart and any other place in the body that has excessive Yang (or hot) energy. It works well to dispell negative energy as well.
In this exercise, you may [...]

4 – Wise Owl Gazes Backwards

Last updated: Jun 10, 2008 03:52 pm

Inhale as you begin by turning at the waist, let your shoulders follow, and finally your head. You are looking backwards as far as it’s comfortable, breathing slowly. When your head reaches the furthest back point, exhale and come back to center, first the head, then the shoulders and finally the waist. Repeat [...]

3 – Separating Heaven and Earth

This movement will open up the six meridians that run through the hands and arms (heart, small intestine, triple warmer, pericardium, large intestine and lungs). It will also gently stretch the spleen and improve the functioning of your digestive system. And on an energetic level, you are mixing the energies of heaven and [...]

2 – Drawing the Bow and Shooting the Arrow

This exercise focuses on opening up the lungs and the chest for better breathing and increased efficiency. The movement of the legs and hips helps to stregthen the lower body, including knees and hips. Pay attention to the breathing, relax and do this movement 3, 6 or 9 times. A variation on [...]

1 – Uplifting the Heavens

This first movement works the “Triple Burner Meridian”, which in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the frontline for preventing illness and disease. Make sure to relax your shoulders (and entire body for that matter) throughout this whole exercise. Coordinate the movements of your arms with your breath. Feel a gentle stretch in your [...]

8 Section Brocade – Opening Movement

This opening movement will balance the Yin and Yang energy in your body before you begin. This is also a great time to scan your body for any tension, and consciously release it before beginning the set. You should also pause with your hands in front of your heart and breathe for as long as [...]

Descending the Yang, Ascending the Yin

This is a fantastic movement to do after a stressful day. “Descending the Yang” is great for getting rid of stress and clearing away the day’s worries from your energy system. And “Ascending the Yin” will energize your body with fresh, new energy and make you feel like a new person (try to do [...]

Qigong “Practice”

Last updated: Jun 10, 2008 03:13 pm

Qigong is a practice. By definition, a practice is something that you do over and over again to fully understand and master it. Qigong is certainly a practice, in that the more you do it, the more you get in touch with the subtle aspects of your existence.
There are some common misunderstandings. Some people think [...]

Realize Where you Come From…

Last updated: Nov 14, 2009 09:24 pm

Consider Chapter 14 of the “Dao De Ching”:
Look, and it can’t be seen.
Listen, and it can’t be heard.
Reach, and it can’t be grasped.
This passage, of course, speaks of the mysterious source called “The Dao”. However, since Qigong and Daoism are inseparable since they developed together, this passage also relates to Qigong.
Qigong is something that has [...]

Is Qigong easy?

Last updated: Jul 23, 2008 11:15 am

This line of thinking will get you in a lot of trouble. What is easy? What is hard? They are really just comparisons, dualistic thoughts that support each other. It’s seemingly a way we can gauge the difficulty level of something, yet, it sets up limits.
I know a graphic designer who can whip up an [...]

Practice without Expectations

Last updated: Jun 29, 2008 05:37 pm

Qigong is really meant to be practiced with no goal or expectation in mind, after all, when we have expectations, we can become disappointed. Daoism teaches us to release all expectations and to surrender to “The Dao” or the natural flow of things.
In reality though, most of us become interested in Qigong because of the [...]

Discover the Harmony in your Own Being

The “Hua Hu Ching” is a collection of the oral teachings of Laozi, an ancient Daoist master and considered the founder of Daoism. The teachings in this book are laid out in chapter format, similar to the “Dao De Jing”. While the Dao De Jing is more poetic in nature, the Hua Hu Ching is [...]

The Pursuit of the Dao

Last updated: Nov 14, 2009 09:25 pm

Chapter 48 of the “Dao De Jing”
Consider this passage from Laozi’s Classic “The Dao De Jing”:
The follower of knowledge acquires as much as he can every day;
The follower of Tao loses as much as he can every day.
By attrition he reaches a state of inaction
Wherein he does nothing, but leaves nothing undone.
To conquer the World, [...]

2 Common Pitfalls in Beginning Practice and How to Avoid Them

Starting off practicing can be difficult, or it can be easy if you understand the basics. If you really want to discover the secrets of Qigong (and ultimately the secrets of yourself), then the only way to begin is to start practicing, on your own, using whatever forms you know. In reality, the forms are meaningless…the [...]

Follow your Own Appetite

Last updated: Jul 23, 2008 11:16 am

I attended a Daoist gathering a few weeks back and talked with some incredible people. I wanted to share one of the great moments of the event. A Daoist Priest named Liu Ming from Oakland was speaking on the roots of Daoism and methods of Daoist meditation (actually, Daoist meditation is simply sitting and forgetting, [...]

Daoist Method of Eliminating Stress

Last updated: Nov 14, 2009 09:25 pm

Qigong and breathing exercises help us to relax and sense inner tension we have in our body. The more sensitive we become to this, the sooner we can recognize stress and tension affecting us and we can adjust to it. If we don’t see stress coming on and causing physical issues soon enough, we can become depleted more susceptible to illness.
However effective these methods are [...]

What if I don’t believe in Qi…?

Last updated: Jul 23, 2008 11:16 am

This is a great question, because Western society does not teach us about Qi growing up, so naturally it is a foreign concept to us. However, if you grew up in Asia, you would understand this concept since Traditional Chinese Medicine uses Qi in it’s proven system of healing and prevention. So, how does one [...]