Singing Dragon Blog

#QigongFestival2016

By Noel Plaugher

As I get older I strive for more simplicity in all areas of my life. I think that it is natural to want to boil things down to their essence as we age. In keeping with this theme I have made it my personal quest to try and simplify what I feel is often made too complicated: Qigong. I am really excited that Qigong has become more popular, but I hope that the overall message of a quiet meditative exercise for the mind and body does not get lost in the intricacies of explanation.

Qigong was always taught to me very simply. Over the years I learned from many great teachers, but the one thing that struck me the most was from a teacher who was able to reduce all of the seemingly complex ideas of studying Qigong down to a few essential points. During a seminar I spoke to the teacher and asked about the specifics of a Qigong exercise. He answered my question, and then he added in broken English, “Just remember that as long as you are shifting your weight, breathing with your diaphragm and making circles with your arms, that is all you need to do.” I was really surprised. I thought he would emphasize some point of technique or something more specific to a form, but he didn’t. He was really focused on those three things. In that context I think most readers will recognize that all Qigong in one way or another includes these elements, and that when practicing, these areas should be of utmost concern over anything else.

I do not wish to imply that form doesn’t matter, it does, but not to the exclusion of the overall objective of practicing Qigong: improving body, mind and spirit. To this day when I teach, especially with beginners, I teach students diaphragmatic breathing, show them how to shift their weight while in specific stances, and I reinforce relaxed circular movement of their arms as it applies to the specific form they are learning. Almost all moving Qigong forms are helped by this concept. Beginners tend to be more relaxed and learn faster.

Only after an introduction of these concepts do I then talk about the specifics of the form they are working on. When students are freely and confidently moving it is easier to make corrections. And the corrections should always be small:  a little at a time. As people study, they get familiar with their bodies and with the material that they are studying and then it can be refined. Ultimately, Qigong is about how it makes the practitioner feel. I have never had anyone ask to learn Qigong, because they want to execute a perfect form. Most people tend to want to study because they have mobility issues, anxiety, stress, medical issues, or they feel that they are out of touch with their bodies.

Most students are usually fearful of “doing it wrong.” I have found that this prevents many students from even attempting learning or practicing what they have learned. Students have also expressed that “there is a lot they need to know” as they know a little about Qigong and perhaps have heard of some concepts from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Students often think they need to know specifics to start. I like to tell them that there is a secret handshake, but I won’t show it to them until the end. I believe that when a person leaves a class they should feel better than when they started. Isn’t that why they are studying Qigong?

I have studied with some great teachers and the information was conveyed in a simple, effective and easy to understand manner. That is not to say it was easy to do. As I spoke about in my book there is a difference between simple and easy. The concept of climbing Everest is simple but the execution of it is far from easy. In fact, the information I was taught was profound. So profound that I am still practicing what I was taught so simply many years ago. It wasn’t a vast amount of information, but it was a wealth of knowledge that I count on and credit as keeping me healthy in many ways even now.

Qigong is a great way to enhance anyone’s life. It provides a meditative form of exercise that benefits the mind, body and spirit. Qigong can enhance martial power, and make you feel great by having vigorous health. There is so much information available about Qigong that I hope people are not frightened away by the idea that they need special clothes, a special place to practice, to learn strange names, etc. The most important thing is to just do it. Breathe, move, find the circle. Keep it simple.

The following is a free-form exercise that anyone can try.

• Stand the same way you do at the checkout line of the grocery store. (feet parallel)
• Inhale deeply, and let your arms float up as if they are lighter than air take a step forward with your right foot.
• As you exhale, let your hands float down and make a circle slowly in front of your chest.
• Inhale deeply, and let your arms float up as if they are lighter than air take a step forward with your left foot.
• As you exhale, let your hands float down and make a circle slowly in front of your chest.
• Repeat as far as space will allow, and then turn and go back to where you started.

#QigongFestival2016

by Ronald H. Davis

Summer energy urges us to get moving. We want to be outside more often, we wear fewer clothes and yearn to be in closer contact with nature. We like to spend time in joyful physical recreation and gatherings with friends. During this season of shining fire, the energy of nature grows outward with color, warmth, and radiance. As our Spirit comes alive with expansive awareness, it wants to make intimate contact with all the elements of heaven and earth.

According to the Five Phase (Element) paradigm of Chinese medicine, summer is the Fire Phase of annual changes      the season when our Heart Qi naturally comes into full bloom with expressions of joy, compassion and a mysterious longing for divine contact. The exuberance of Fire, when carefully cultivated, can be refined and directed toward the ultimate human purpose of spiritual awakening. However, if not properly harnessed, summer’s blazing Supreme Yang Qi can scorch our hearts and minds. Summer Qigong practice will show you how to feed the heart network without getting burned.

Heart Network

The major physical and mental correlations for the heart network include but are not limited to: the heart and small intestine, blood and vessels, tongue, perspiration, intuition and compassion. The functions of this group have some degree of warmth, movement or communication. A more specific and very crucial energetic function of the heart is to nurture the HeartMind in the ‘middle dan tian’. The dan tians are regions of the body where qi energy is stored, refined and transformed (please see Qigong Through The Seasons for detailed information on these essential components of the energetic body).

HeartMind

Our capacity for expressing positive human values comes from the xin, often translated as HeartMind, a compound word implying that the heart’s emotional knowledge combines with the mind’s rational thinking to give us a uniquely human perception of the world. When our actions are appropriate to the situation, considerate of others, and done with good intentions the HeartMind is vibrant and lovingly engaged with the world.

The HeartMind must be carefully nurtured if we want to follow the path of spiritual awakening. The HeartMind develops from the joining of liver blood and heart qi in the middle dan tian. We deliberately cultivated that energy field with Spring Qigong practice. Now in summer we should continue to elevate the vitalized blood and enriched qi to achieve higher realms of consciousness where we live beyond the restraints of egocentric thoughts and behavior, thus experiencing the full flowering of human fellowship and divine nourishment. When properly done, qigong and meditation practice will transform the HeartMind into Spirit, which then ascends to reside in the upper dan tian. With further dedicated practice the Spirit comes awake and we dwell in a world of serene selflessness.

Meditations
The Summer Qigong Practice includes two meditations for refreshing the five major internal organs and for nourishing the HeartMind. In the “Colors of Health” meditation you visualize infusing the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, and kidneys with specific colors. This gentle placement of luminous energy into the organs is accompanied with feelings of kindness and gratitude for the essential work those organs do to keep you healthy.

The “Sunflower” meditation is focused on visualizing a sunflower brightly blooming in the middle dan tian while you smile inwardly (as you did in the Colors of Health meditation) to evoke the feeling of loving kindness for yourself and for all others. This powerfully simple meditation can instill a state of deep contentment, centeredness, and being at peace with the way things are.

Foods, Flavors, and Herbs

The bitter flavor is closely identified with the Fire Phase and the heart. Bitter foods and herbs will cool heat, clear blood stagnation and correct excessively damp conditions. Bitter will benefit those individuals who are too watery, lethargic, or overweight as well as those who are too hot, aggressive or scattered. Some common bitter foods: romaine lettuce, bok choy, radicchio, and celery. Many foods are a combination of bitter and other flavors: Bitter and Sweet: asparagus, most lettuce, papaya, quinoa. Bitter and Pungent: citrus peel, radish, scallion, turnip, white pepper. Bitter and Sour: vinegar. A healthy diet will include some degree of bitter foods based on personal taste and availability. Garlic and Hawthorn are two very beneficial herbs for the cardiovascular system. Usage of all herbs should be done with the guidance of a qualified herbalist.

Qigong

The aim of the first three exercises in Summer Qigong is ambitious: to gather yang energy from the universe and yin energy from the earth and bring that into the body’s energetic field. The goal is to refine qi so that our Spirit becomes totally connected to all aspects of heaven and earth. The fourth exercise is Heart Qigong which is the most essential practice for the Fire Phase. It opens the three dan tians, promotes qi flow through the taiji axis, and expands our capacities for universal love, selflessness, and communication. Heart Qigong is a beautifully rhythmic exercise; many people experience a free flowing energy after practicing only a short time. It seamlessly combines the three aspects of qigong: movement, breathing, intention. These four exercises are amply explained and nicely illustrated in the except that follows this article.

The first five chapters of Qigong Through The Seasons are important to understand the theories and research behind this seasonal practice, especially the sections on Chronobiology, the Five Phases, and Diet. Take your time absorbing the principles and practices presented in this book. The training and dietary suggestions have inherent variety and emphasis for each season, this keeps your fitness routine exciting, fresh, and naturally healthy.

To find out more about Qigong Through the Seasons by Ronald H. Davis, click below.