Summer is officially here. In the Chinese Five Phase/Element Theory, the summer season corresponds with the heart organ, the color red, the fire element, and the resolving of anxiety with acceptance and joy. Spring prepared us for summer with fuel through naturally arising springtime yang qi. With summer here we can continue harnessing yang qi…
“How do I find the ideal qigong teacher”? I considered this question some years ago when I realized that my martial arts practices were leading me towards a deeper curiosity of qigong. My martial arts teacher advised me to find a qigong teacher who could support my curiosity. For the next few years I learned…
As we delight in each spring day, we notice that something else is going on as well; there is a special energy associated only with spring. This is an invigorating time with energy rising throughout nature and within us; think baby birds, seedlings thrusting up through the earth and our own spring cleaning, innovation and…
For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, we know that the winter solstice is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight. Many of us look forward to this day because it marks the beginning of the gradual increase in daylight hours. In the Five Phase Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter is…
An assignment in our Qigong Teacher Training Program was to research the history of qigong. I want to share with you what I discovered. It is important to remember the translation of the words ‘qi’ and ‘gong’ are energy and practice. Thus, the word qigong means the practice of cultivating energy. In very early history,…
Learning and practicing the Eight Verses is an integral part of the Zhineng Qigong system. Their main purpose is to help students become grounded, centered and aligned with universal energy. They are potent for calming the mind and expanding awareness into the oneness of all things. The Eight Verses of Zhineng Qigong were developed by…
The Body Mind Method (BMM) is one of the most widely practiced forms of the Zhineng Qigong system. It is intended for individuals who have built a solid foundation of health through the practice of Lift Qi Up Pour Qi Down. Once a strong connection to primordial qi is awakened and stabilized, practitioners can begin…
At age twelve I had a powerful experience that forever shaped my relationship with our planet. I was swimming in the ocean on a bright California summer day. It was a day of large pounding waves. Being a beach girl and a fearless swimmer, I dove under each big wave before it could break on me.…
For thousands of years qigong practitioners and shamanic healers have felt, understood and engaged the universal energy field – the qi field – to support self-healing and healing* of others. They divined methods to initiate transformation and healing through activating conscious intelligence. This awakened a deep connection with universal energy and primordial qi, which was then…
As the Year of the Yin Fire Rooster summons us to wake up, it is a good time to review how qigong can help us do that. This article is from our April 2014 newsletter, it seems even more timely now: I was recently asked what role consciousness plays in Zhineng Qigong. Our practices usually…