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Mystic Mag quote by Dr. Jahnke

In this MysticMag interview of Dr. Roger Jahnke, you’ll explore his profound journey into Tai Chi and Qigong, and how a personal tragedy shaped his career in holistic medicine. Dr. Jahnke shares his wisdom on the transformative power of these ancient practices and their potential to improve health and well-being. Learn more in this exclusive interview!

How did you get into Tai Chi and Qigong? And what drew you to this line of work? If you can even call it work?

When I was 10, my father died of leukemia at the age of 39. I think that was probably the most profound spark. Not very long after this happened, I began to say that I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. That traumatic event left a deep imprint on my life. As a result, I pursued premedical studies, but I soon realized it wasn’t what I had envisioned. The focus was almost entirely on technology and pharmaceuticals, with little emphasis on health or optimizing well-being—things that truly mattered to me.

When I asked about preventive medicine, the response was: “We diagnose and treat diseases. If you want to understand health, go elsewhere.” This led me to explore other fields, including world literature, where I encountered the wisdom of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching.

In Chapter 10 of the Tao Te Ching, I discovered what I believe to be some of the most profound questions a physician could ask a patient. The first is: Can you quiet your restless mind and truly understand the essence of the world around you? The second: Do you have a regular practice that supports your flexibility and nurtures your energy? And the third: Can you refine your inner awareness to the point where you perceive the presence of an inner light? These questions are far better for health than simply asking, “What’s wrong, and what drug can I give you?”

This realization guided me toward Chinese medicine, where I spent 40 years practicing acupuncture and herbal medicine. While the clinical results were incredible, I noticed most patients were impatient—they wanted quick fixes rather than self-exploration and personal growth, which Chinese medicine encourages.

Meanwhile, I was teaching Qigong to students who were deeply engaged, unlike my patients. I eventually shifted my focus to teaching Qigong and Tai Chi, realizing that by training teachers, I could reach far more people. My mission—however ambitious—has always been to contribute to a healthier world, and this is how I’m doing it.

What are the benefits of someone practicing Tai Chi and Qigong?

There are two paths: one where people want quick fixes—herbs, treatments, surgeries—and another where they embrace practices like Tai Chi and Qigong. Many people are hesitant to try these practices, thinking they don’t have time or that it seems foreign or spiritual.

But real change requires personal commitment. That’s why, before I stopped my clinical practice, I required patients to attend two Qigong classes and a life coaching session. Engaging in Qigong or Tai Chi demands a commitment to personal growth, both physically and emotionally. These practices promote self-awareness, mindfulness, and managing emotions by focusing on simple yet powerful principles: proper posture, breathwork, and relaxation.

The health benefits are immense. A deeper breath increases oxygen flow, supports cell function, and activates the lymphatic system to remove toxins. Adjusting posture creates space for organ function, and relaxation triggers neurotransmitters like endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin, promoting pain relief, rest, and trust.

In essence, these mind-body practices harmonize energy (Chi) in the body, offering a multitude of physiological and emotional benefits at virtually no cost—just a little time and dedication.

What does it take to become proficient in Tai Chi and Qigong?

To make progress in Tai Chi or Qigong, there’s a cost, but not just financial—there’s the investment of time, focus, and presence. Engaging in a practice like this requires curiosity and a commitment to self-development. It’s easy to avoid this by saying, “I don’t have time,” or “I’ll just follow someone else’s advice.” But true growth comes from making the decision to prioritize your physical, mental, and emotional well-being with a daily practice.

You can start for free—there are plenty of Qigong videos online. If you want more guidance, there are teachers, classes, and communities you can join. The real cost is choosing to invest in yourself, letting go of old habits, and embracing a mindful, purposeful practice.

This path doesn’t require esoteric knowledge; it’s based on simple, practical principles: posture, breath, presence. These principles help align your body, mind, and spirit, creating harmony and balance. In doing so, you gain control over the things that matter most, rather than being overwhelmed by external factors.

So, if you’re ready to begin, start small, practice consistently, and you’ll discover the profound benefits of these ancient practices for yourself.

What are your workshops like? And maybe you could say a little bit about your trainings and what your offerings are with the IIQTC?

This is a big subject with many avenues to explore. Attending a local workshop, like those at a YMCA or gym, is just dipping your toe into a much larger world. My role is to create a space where the larger conversation can unfold.

I offer two types of workshops: public workshops and professional trainings. Public workshops range from brief 30-minute sessions at conferences to multi-day retreats at various centers. These events give people a chance to experience Tai Chi or Qigong in an immersive setting.

On the professional side, the focus is on training individuals to lead these practices. Since 2001, we’ve trained over 4000 teachers and practice leaders. The entry-level certification is the “Healer Within Medical Qigong Practice Leader” (a 12-to-16-hour training), followed by “Tai Chi Easy Practice Leader Training”, which combines 5 movements from Yang Tai Chi and Healer Within Medical Qigong in a 25-to-32-hour training. These programs equip participants to guide others, including nurses, social service workers, and military personnel.

For those seeking a deeper professional path, the IIQTC offers a 200-hour teacher training program. This includes three levels: Level 1 (Integral Qigong), Level 2 (Integral Tai Chi), and Level 3 (Alchemy). Alchemy dives into ancient texts like the Yoga Sutras, Tao Te Ching, and Heart Sutra, exploring deeper principles for enlightened living. The goal is to discern what you can and can’t control, and to find peace in that awareness.

Ultimately, this practice leads to freedom—freedom from the distractions of what’s out of your control and a focus on what you can influence. The path I offer is well-organized, providing the tools needed to achieve this balance and peace.

And maybe you could just speak finally about if there’s anything else in your overall offering?

Yes, I also do holistic life coaching. The Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC) is one part of my work, while the holistic life coaching model, called “Circle of Life,” is another. Both are part of Health Action Synergies, which trains Qigong and Tai Chi teachers and practice leaders as well as holistic life coaches.

In 2003, my wife and I founded the Healer Within Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Santa Barbara, California. The Foundation promotes community-based Qigong, Tai Chi, and other mind-body practices by partnering with individuals and organizations to sponsor trainings, community practice groups, and research initiatives.

I am also a co-founder of the National Qigong Association (NQA), another 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which supports the broader Qigong community in the United States. The NQA fosters public education and scientific research to document and share the benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi.

My goal is to contribute to a sustainable humanity—not just sustaining beings, but a way of being. In small, self-sufficient communities, people celebrate life and support each other, something we’ve lost. Despite challenges, I continue to work toward this ideal.

One core lesson I’ve learned is the importance of discerning what you can and cannot control. Mastering this helps prioritize what truly matters, freeing you from unnecessary stress.

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This practice comes from the Shaolin Temple’s traditional method called the Tendon and Muscle Transforming Practice (Yi Jin Jing). It was originated by Da Mo also known as Bodhidharma, who created many health and martial Qigong forms for the monks.

Sometimes Tendon Changing is taught as a martial practice; some teach it as a healing practice. It has a wide range of applications and can be used to circulate Qi as well is purify Qi and a has beneficial effect on all the connective tissue including the tendons.

In The Healing Promise of Qi: Creating Extraordinary Wellness Through Qigong and Tai Chi, it is part of the Purify Qi phase in the HeartMind level of cultivation. Your body dispels by-products of metabolism including waste, spent cells, and toxins through blood, lymph, bile, urine, sweat, and even tears using the kidneys, bladder, liver, large intestines, lungs, and skin. In Chinese medicine, we speak of the body and mind having the ability to separate the pure from the impure, the clear from the turbid, or the righteous from the imbalanced.

In Qigong, this process, whether spontaneous and innate or enhanced by the intent of the HeartMind, is often simply referred to as fresh Qi replacing exhausted Qi. We can accelerate the rate the body purifies Qi through Qigong and Tai Chi. Tendon and Muscle Transforming Practice (Yi Jin Jing) or Clearing the Small Universe is a powerful method to Purify the Qi. The forced breath dispels extra Qi through the exhalations. The vigorous hand movements are clearing the area around you as well as opening the Qi channels.

  • As you push, and you allow your pelvis to sink, it opens the torso.
  • As you push right and left, it opens the center of the body.
  • When you push down, the spine lifts up, also opening the torso.

This clearing and opening accelerates the flow of internal water, which is conducive for fresh new Qi to rush in.

For information on this Qigong practice, go to The Healing Promise of Qi pages 119-130.

 

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Qigong — A Gateway Through the Mysterious Pass

by DrJahnke on December 3, 2017

Gateway Through the Mysterious Pass

Roger Jahnke, OMD

Originally Published in Yang Sheng at http://Yang-Sheng.com

 

Heart/Mind Qigong:

Gateway Through the Mysterious Pass

With excerpts from The Healing Promise of Qi by Roger Jahnke. OMD

Published by Contemporary Books, A Division of McGraw-Hill, April 2002

 

At the Nine Clouds Mountain Qigong Sanatorium near the Six Harmonies Pagoda in Hangzhou, Zhu Hui, a medical doctor and master teacher of Qigong from Tian Tai Mountain, told this Three Treasures story one morning during a tea break. Master Zhu had been practicing Chinese medicine for nearly 50 years, and his teaching was always a rich mix of medical, Daoist and Buddhist influences.

A young monk felt he was prepared to deepen his cultivation practice and his master gave the assignment to cultivate inner quiet and discover the secret of the source of life and its application to the preservation of health and vitality. He gave the suggestion to focus on the Earth Elixir Field (Di Dan Tian). After some months of practice, the young monk reported to the master that he felt sure that the most practical answer regarding the secret was nourishment, rest and the conservation of Qi and inner resources. The master encouraged the young monk, “You have found the secret to preserve the Jing and sustain the body, but you have not found the source of life.” The master teacher asked the young monk if he was still interested in pursuing the deeper secret. The monk nodded and the elder gave him the suggestion to focus on the Heart-Mind Elixir Field (Xin Dan Tian).

This time it was considerably longer before the monk visited the elder. When he returned, now older, he responded that the secret of the source of life and its preservation were associated with accepting what naturally arises and bringing love and compassion into the world. The master agreed and encouraged the monk to continue his good work of compassionate service. The monk said to the master, “I know that I have penetrated to the secret of highly refined interactions of the Qi and the opening of the Heart-Mind. It has inspired me to be of service to my fellow humans. It is clear that this sustains life, my own and others. But I have not determined the secret of the source of life.” The master suggested, “Focus on the Celestial Elixir Field (Ling Dan Tian), the entry place of Heaven in the living human being.”

Some years passed. When the younger monk returned he was older. The elder monk said, “Tell me in one word”. The younger monk said, “Unity”. They both smiled quietly, knowing their was nothing more to say. They parted, both knowing that even though they would not meet again, they were always together at the Source.

When people turn to Qi cultivation, like the young monk, the focus is usually on health and the preservation of the body. When people discover the magnitude of the power of the Qi (after all it is the energy that runs the entire universe), body health and longevity frequently become secondary benefits of attaining peace of mind and heart.

In the tradition of Qigong, it is believed that once you taste or experience one of the treasures that you are destined to pursue the cultivation of that treasure. As you begin to deeply understand and experience your Body Essence (Jing), your Heart-Mind (Xin) or your Spirit (Shen), you will likely be inspired to cultivate them because the promise is so great. When we cultivate Body Essence it leads to vitality and physical healing. When we purposefully access the Heart-Mind and cultivate the treasure of Heart-Mind Elixir it nourishes peace of mind and emotional healing. It is a rare person who does not become attracted to having peace of mind once they have begun to experience it.

The Spirit does not require healing; Shen is inherently and supremely well. Shen resides with in the Heart-Mind longing to be revealed, expressed, and radiated. When the Heart-Mind is cleared of its typical restraints including fear, judgement and all sorts of trauma, Shen expresses as radiance. The cultivation of the treasure of Spirit can trigger the release of miracles.

The Heart-Mind is the secret gate through which thoughts, feelings, emotions and attitudes are cleansed and purified. The sincere deepening of Qi cultivation practice requires that intention and will become major focus areas in practice and in life. In ancient traditions, retiring to a cave in the mountains or going to the desert, to disassociate from the material world were primary ways to pass through this secret gate. That is why it is often called the “Mysterious Pass”. It was also called the “dark feminine” in many translations because the Heart-Mind gate operates more on surrender communication and collaboration than on conquest or control. The legendary Bodhidarmha, who many revere for having brought Buddhism to China and who was legendary founder of the Shaolin Temple, faced the wall of a cave in deep meditation for nine years. The intensity of his Heart-Mind purification burned his image into the cave wall.

In modern times, however, most people find it difficult to clear the Heart-Mind, even with years of meditation practice. The intensity of the busy and confused world constantly challenges and activates the nervous system, the heart and the mind.  If distraction, busy-ness, constant list making or worry and judgment (of self and others) challenge your Qi cultivation, consider integrating holistic mind/body medicine and group support or counseling along with Qigong and Tai Chi, as complementary tools for helping to clear the Heart-Mind.

In other words the fire of intent that is required to change Heart-Mind integrity (behavior) is so dynamic that it radiates a profound heat. This suggests that changing the habits of the personality (Heart-Mind) will require rigor and discipline – Heart-Mind fire.

Intentful mind leads the Qi. You can combine Qigong practice with meditation, purposeful declaration, and visualization into powerful imagery and focus that can be used in either stillness or movement. In the relaxed state, mind (intent) with directed visualization or inner affirmation combined with the body movement and purposeful breath practice purify the Heart-Mind Qi.

When you make the choice to “let go” of a grudge or forgive someone who has been unfair, you are removing a factor that may have been depleting or stagnating your Qi — inner resources. The grudge or withheld forgiveness is not hurting the begrudged or the unforgiven one. Instead, the damage is done to the one who holds the grudge or withholds forgiveness. Holding these kinds of feelings constrains the Heart-Mind, exhausts the Qi and overshadows the incredible but buried splendor of the radiant Shen spirit.

Declarations and blessings in chants or prayers may be integrated into Qigong practice to sustain the benefits throughout the day – starting upon waking and including the moments before and even continuing into sleep. Zhu Hui, was from the Tain Tai mountain – a melting pot of Daoist and Buddhist influences. He often said it is the mind (Heart-Mind) focus that makes what appears to be a simple exercise into a powerful Qigong practice.  He often used the following chant in conjunction with his teaching of one of his favorite Buddhist forms, Lotus Flower Qigong.

Extra Qi is pulled out into nature,
Disturbed Qi is pulled down into the earth.
In this my heart is purified.
Who seeks Dao,
Will achieve Dao.

We could as easily say, more contemporarily:|
Spent emotional and physical energy is naturally pulled out into nature,
Disturbed and distressed emotional energy is pulled down into the earth.
In this my heart and mind are purified.
Who seeks awareness of Oneness and Unity,
Will achieve Oneness and Unity.

This declaration, and any declarations like it, stated with sincerity and intent helps the practitioner to sustain the focus on purifying the Qi in the practice. Everything from physical sickness to mental/emotional disharmony is being dispelled – Qi channels and pathways are cleared with the power of intent. “Who seeks Dao, achieves Dao” is a promise of Qigong, Tai Chi and all forms of Qi cultivation.  It acknowledges that cultivation in a purposeful state will connect the practitioner with his or her true state of radiant wellbeing and eternal spiritual life.

 

[Dr. Roger Jahnke, OMD – has practiced clinical Chinese medicine for over 30 years. He has traveled to China 8 times to research Qigong and Tai Chi in universities, hospitals, temples and sacred mountain sites. He is a co-founder of the National Qigong Association and is director of training and research at the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi IIQTC, http://IIQTC.org and http://FeelTheQi.com. Dr. Jahnke is the author of The Healer Within, which is widely used in wellness and health promotion programs, and The Healing Promise of Qi, which became an instant classic of mind-body practice and energy medicine. He, along with his colleagues have recently published the most comprehensive review of the Qigong and Tai Chi research literature in theAmerican Journal of Health Promotion (AJHP). The Integral Qigong and Tai Chi Teacher Training program at the IIQTC is considered by many to be among the most credible Teacher Training programs outside of China. Please contact: DrJahnke@HealthAction.nethttp://IIQTC.orghttp://FeeltheQi.com]
 

Be sure to check out our FREE Membership Site – videos, audios, and text files to support your learning:

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A Qigong Poem for Friends in Qi — Cosmologic Love

by DrJahnke on December 3, 2017

This is a ramble in appreciation of those who cultivate — the deep Qigong Community — who share cultivation values. It was composed over some years to share what I sense is some of how QiLove presences through us as we deepen our sense of the real. Its a Qigong Re-Birth-Day Poem too.

COSMOLOGIC LOVE – 

May you flourish and experience sustainable ease within The Relativity!

In the super galaxies of the multiverse,

what is the calculation,

within dimensionality,

for the likelihood of anything?

Especially, with any two organisms,

that are like bodies around a shared sun,

 orbiting in spirals of proximity.

And then, even,

to be able to reach agreement.

Sometimes we purposefully conspire.

We are from beyond space and time,

yet live within space and time.

How does that,

which possesses no ultimate determinants

or coordinates

relative to the mystery of the whole,

determine anything?

And yet — we determine constantly or appear to.

And, even more intriguingly,

what is the calculation from beyond dimensionality

for creating these apparent dimensions,

that we occupy or apparently occupy?

How is there ever a where?

And, how does anyone meet anyone

and how have we met?

What is a why?

What is a how?

Certainly, the chances of being dimensional and then actually meeting are — WOW — incalculable?

That is extraordinary —

no matter and whatever ordinary actually is.

AND, are we ever not together

—- in the supreme unification?

So, how —

through all that is and is not actual,

did you get here,

and how did I,

and how is it that we have certain shared insights,

and non-shared,

and how is it that we have these opportunities to be engaged and creative

and reach conclusions and appreciate each other?

What is How-ism?

Impossible to declare!

So, declare this, then, I will….

Among all that approach and pass

and all that go along,

faster or slower or even paced,

and among all that seem similar and and all those who seem less so,

and among all that seem like wizards and saints

and as well

all transgressors and usurers,

and among even those who are inclined to face a Sun somewhere beyond all suns —

you are among the most interesting and arresting and magnetic,

and I re-celebrate your arrival,

again today,

a ReBirth of our mutual acknowledging!

As your signature galactic body comes into view,

 and crosses these horizons

of our current, temporal home,

and as the divining tools reveal

what you already knew

that you did not know,

I am honored to know you.

There is an opportunity, a suffering, a calling, an opening, a resonance, a luminescence.

We push toward its frequency irrevocably,

its gravity pulls us in reverence and coherence,

into revelations that seem profound and useful,

actions that seem worthy.

So, we energize, tonify and amplify as best we can,

we cultivate our resiliencies

and continue forthrightly,

sensing that even the mundane is fantastical,

and taking especial refuge

with those who laugh when we laugh.

 

 

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The Healing Power of Qi is Within You

 

 

 

 

 

Exciting opportunity!

Dr. Roger Jahnke offers a Free Ebook ‘The Healing Power of Qi is Within You’. Check it out for no cost. Learn more about Qigong and Tai Chi.

FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS OPPORTUNITY WITH OTHERS!

This book was created by Dr Jahnke, and the IIQTC, to offer you a simple guide to mind-body practices for self-healing.

Download your copy today!

Sign up here to receive your free ebook: http://iiqtc.org/ebook

 

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The Three Treasures: Unity, Harmony, Diversity

Excerpted from The Healing Promise of Qi, McGraw-Hill,
Dr Roger Jahnke, OMD

Join our Free Membership Library for more inspiration – http://IIQTC.org/member

 

Dao gives birth to the boundless, eternal One — Wuji (Wu Chi),
The Two emerges creatively from the One — Tai Chi (Taiji),
The Three arises dynamically from the Two — San Bao — Three Treasures,
These Three Treasures give birth to all beings and things in the apparent World.
.                                      —
Laozi, Dao De Jing, #42

There are Three Treasures – the One, the Two and the Three – they are a kind of map of the world. The Three Treasures – San Bao – are the veritable basis of Chinese medicine and Chinese philosophy – and the essence of the cultivation of Qi and virtue. There is dynamic debate over millennia as to the most profound systems of theory for Qigong (Qi cultivation), Dao Yin (guiding and conducting Qi) and Yang Sheng (nourishing life and Qi). The Three is the gate – like a portal — between the abstract domains of Wuji and Taiji and the known world of four directions, five phases (Wu Xing) and the eight essential symbols (Ba Gua). As such, the Three Treasures Paradigm – San Bao — is the foundation of the mission, most revered theories and the core curriculum of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC).

The One – Wuji — as noted by Lao Zi in the Dao De Jing, is the ineffable primordial Dao-Unity from which all originates and arises, to which all returns. The ONE is that non-dual pervasive essence that is never not present – though unseen. Wuji is likely the infinite and indeterminate field of all possibilities referenced in contemporary physics.

The Two – Taiji – is that which arises at the Big Bang (“let there be light”), when Wuji separated to form Yin-Yang – particle-wave, substance-space, dark-light. Taiji, too, is relatively ineffable and may be associated with the nearly infinite field of probability in physics. The wave like nature of that which is probable is, according to Quantum Physics, collapsed into the particular (the particle, the actual) by consciousness.

The Three – San Bao – arises dynamically from Taiji. San Bao is inclusive of our – the humans — most compelling quality, biology — life. The three defines the world as we know it. It is not completely ineffable. If we reference the Three as Body–Mind-Spirit, Jing-Qi-Shen or Earth-Life-Heaven, we can find ourselves in it. While Wuji and Taiji reflect cosmic realms, San Bao includes our local geology, our physical bodies and the energy of emotions and weather. San Bao is a perspective on the totality which we inhabit. Understanding San Bao, therefore, creates a natural portal to Taiji and Wuji. The San Bao as a foundation for Qigong and a practical gateway to the profound.

We will be exploring the traditional Chinese view of San Bao as it applies to the cultivation of Qi and virtue. It is interesting to note, before we proceed, that the autonomic nervous system has three states – sympathetic, parasympathetic and the balance of the two – homeostasis. In terms of pH there are three states (for human fluids – generally) – acid below (6.5), alkaline (above 6.5) and the balance of the two (at 6.5). This is kind of like Yin and Yang with the balance in between being Taiji.

We will discuss this more thoroughly in Part Two of this article, for now the Three we will explore the most essential treasures of the Chinese view from the perspective of the One, the Two and the Three. Having defined the territory in Par T One, we will then explore the territory of San Bao further in Part Two.

The One — Wuji

Supreme Truth Unity, The Dao, Non – Dual
Multitudes of Dragons and Tigers guard the One.
The One is eternally secure.
Spontaneous, the One never ceases.
Preserve the One, guard Truth
and you communicate with the whole Universe.
The One is not hard to know,
the difficulty is persistence.
Guard the One with no distraction
and you are eternally vital.
Master Ge, Hong – The Master Who Embraces Simplicity

If health means wholeness, then what is our wholeness? Certainly, functional coherence, which implies inner accord, coordination and harmony of our multidimensional being, is one way to describe health which points to wholeness. So, what is the best model for wholeness and coherence? The ancient Chinese felt sure that the best model was nature. The foundations of philosophy as well as the practical applications of Chinese medicine and Qigong are firmly rooted in this principle. The ultimate picture of wholeness is the coordinated, interactive unitary nature of the Universe – the One Supreme Unity (Tai Yi). As a prime example of this, a fundamental Qi cultivation method for health improvement and the creation of inner harmony and wholeness is called the Small Heaven Method (Xiao Tian). This practice is based on harmonizing the small heaven of yourself with the larger heaven of the universe and Dao — the One.

Few realize that the word Universe, used so often to describe everything everywhere, means one song or one tone. Long before written history the Chinese embraced the idea that all of nature is One and that we can bring ourselves to health and wholeness by emulating the One. When the very early Chinese explored the One they associated it not so much with a thing, but instead with a universal process of constant transformation. Somehow they knew that the universe or the cosmos was essentially not a thing but an evolutionary phenomenon. They called this whole, singular, unitary process Dao which translates as “Way” or the “ultimate Way that things work”.

In Qigong your practice, whether it is driven by the commitment to healing disease, empowered living or spiritual peace, the value of the One is supreme. When you become aware that everything — all things, events, concepts and beings — are connected into one, unitary process it is easier to relax and trust. When all the complexity of life — good and bad news, good and bad days, opportunities and challenges — is perceived as an expression of the One, it is easier to feel safe, relax and stay clear in your practice. When you relax the Qi is unrestrained . When the Qi is unrestrained it can flow/function freely, internal coherence and harmony result. This inner harmony causes the healing of disease, increased stamina for productivity and creative access to spirit.

Guarding the One

The most advanced levels of Qigong are based on a sincere and consistent association with the One. At the level of the One you are — and all is — perfect. There is nothing to do to make this happen, it is already done and the One is already operating at 100%. Each of usis completely perfect in our wholeness which already exists. The practice in this approach to Qigong, when you are able to engage it, is to allow that which already is to be uncovered, liberated. This has been referred to as the revealing of or the realization of “imprisoned splendor”. In the Qigong context it is the revealing of the splendor of the One within.

In the beginning of your Qigong practice it seems impossible that inner perfection of the One is attainable and so you will most likely use cultivation practices that gather and circulate Qi for healing and empowerment. Later, in more advanced Qigong you will learn “to be”. This means to reveal and realize (make real – Zhen) the true self that is already there – to radiate the One from within.

Merging with the One, on a moment to moment basis, is actually the easiest and most direct path to Qigong’s most desired benefits. As the great Qi Master Ge, Hong teaches — “The One is not hard to know but persistence is the difficulty.” This is why there is Natural Flow Qigong – Spontaneous Qigong. It requires very little exploration of form or detail. Thre is nothing to learn or remember. Natural Flow is completely spontaneous and arises naturally, as a way of being, when you vigilantly sustain a direct relationship with the One.

One of the most ancient and respected forms of Qigong is known as Guarding the One (Shou Yi). According to the Book on Precepts, “The Consistent practice of Guarding the One for a long time will bring about a state where the Qi of the One inundates the whole body. As your body and spirit are deeply pervaded by the universe, you will radiate light and undergo transformations without end. This is the benefit of knowing how to properly Guard the One.” Guarding the One has a very rich history through out many dynasties in China. It is a practice that promises healing at all levels of the body, mind and spirit.

It is suggested by the ancients that guarding or attending to the One is a continuous practice. “During all of your activities, in the midst of the thousands of affairs, you must always attend to the One,” says the Scripture of Divine Nature. “While eating or drinking, attend to the One! When happy, attend to the One! When anguished, attend to the One! When sick, attend to the One! Whether passing through water or fire, always attend to the One! Especially when you are agitated, attend to the One!” This is exactly Natural Flow Qigong.

Guarding the One is almost always a deep form of meditation. However, it is typical for the deep state to follow on a set of preliminary practices. In the The Method of Extending One’s Years and Increasing Knowing there is a method called “Order Oneself and Guard the One” which includes massage so that the body feels warm and begins to glow, breathing exercises, swallowing of saliva and clicking the teeth with the chanting of invocations. This is followed by the Guarding the One meditation. Body enhancement and health enhancement are always associated with transcendental practices in the Chinese Qi cultivation tradition.

Of the One , the Two and the Three, the One is Primal Origin, the Source — everything comes from it, is contained within it and returns to it. In Qigong and the process of enrichening and empowering one’s life it is ultimately necessary to enter into direct association with the coherence of One – ness, attaining the non-dual. However, it is not necessary to understand the One, it can not be named or known, it is mysterious and incomprehensible. In the more advanced phases of Qi cultivation the ultimate ideal is to merge with the One — to become the One. Probably the most interesting and comprehensive writing on the One in the contemporary era is an essay by Livia Kohn called “Guarding the One” in Taoist Meditation and Longevity Techniques.

She writes, “Any guarding, embracing, or realizing of the One as original purity will bring about oneness with the primordial or with the harmony of the universe. Any realizing of the One allows the realizing subject to become what he or she was originally meant to become, to fulfill his or her proper destiny in the cosmos. The true nature of human beings is to be healthy and long lived, to participate willingly in the changes of the world. Practitioners of guar ding the One should become incomparably richer in primordial harmony and they should become healthier and increase their life spans, if not become as immortal as the One itself.”

The Two – Taiji

Yin-Yang — Secret of Balance and Harmony

The method of the Golden Elixir
Concerns one Yin
and one Yang,
and that really is all!
The Secret of Life Everlasting
(Can Tong Qi – The Three in One)

In addition to Qi, there is another important concept from the Chinese tradition that just doesn’t translate into English. Though the words “Yin” and “Yang” are often spoken outside of China, they are rarely translated. Because the meanings of these words are so unique and filled with implication in Chinese culture, and so unfamiliar to the European culture, they cannot be reasonably translated. Yet, these words are very key to our understanding of Qigong, Tai Chi and Chinese medicine.

The concept of Yin -Yang has vast implications. These words are representative of an immense and highly descriptive domain which is directly applicable to Qigong. Like Qi, Yin – Yang is representative of an entire world view. Yin – Yang is the foundation of an essential Chinese theory of how the world was created and how it works. It goes a long way toward describing how the One — Dao – operates and is used to create descriptions of the state of the Qi. In Chinese medicine, the Yin – Yang theory remains the highly respected foundation of Asia systems of philosophy and medicine, thousands of years after its origination.

Yin – Yang contains secrets. In Qigong it is not so very important to actually understand Yin –Yang with all its subtle and far reaching implications. These secrets are inherent in the practice. They will reveal their meaning to you over time. Here, we will do just a brief exploration, enough to inspire you and give a few impressions that you can carry with you into your practice. Your awakening to these ideas through your experience of Qigong and Tai Chi will potentially become keys to deeper secrets. Embodying and experiencing Yin – Yang through your practice can trigger revelation and cause you to evolve. The applications of Yin – Yang are diverse and will emerge in your relationships, your work, your quest for health and your ability to make decisions based on a growing, insightful sense of the deep and subtle workings of the world.

Zhu Hui, one of my favorite teachers in China, a medical doctor and master teacher of Qigong from Tian Tai Mountain, explained it like this, “First, allow Yin – Yang to capture your attention, then just notice how some simple Yin – Yang aspects show up in the world — like moon – sun, dark – light and hard – soft. Soon, they will begin to communicate with you. Inherent in the Yin-Yang concept are balance and harmony, which are major keys to our success in Qigong and life. In health we are neither too cold nor too hot, we are neither too asleep nor too awake. Soon, you will find Yin and Yang everywhere — together. Seeing the Sun (Yang) we remember the moon (Yin). Feeling cold (Yin) we remember ways to seek warmth (Yang). The importance of rest and restoration (Yin) is implied in every activity and energy expense (Yang). The balance and harmony of Yin – Yang is a primary secret of understanding the function of the natural world, human events and the health of the human being. Think of your world without the balance of work and play, activity and rest, silence and sound. It is easy to see how meaningful Yin -Yang could become in your life. As you pursue Qigong the teachings of Yin-Yang will spontaneously be revealed to you.”

Simply stated Yin and Yang are opposites. In temperature they are cool and warm or cold and hot. In texture they are smooth and rough. In density they are soft and hard. In their original form as Chinese characters Yin describes the shaded side of a mountain – the north, Yang represents the slope that gets full sun – the south. Together they make the whole — the whole of mountain, the whole of temperature, the whole of brightness and shade. From practical features — temperature, texture, density, Yin – Yang graduates toward the realms of the profound. Yin is mystery – hidden, Yang is revelation – revealed. Yin is absorption, Yang is radiance. Yin is gravity, Yang is levity. As you can see, Yin – Yang cannot be translated into English and yet its place in our quest for power and understanding is enormous.

As is written in the 13th century Daoist classic, the Book of Balance and Harmony from Master Li, “If one can be balanced and harmonious within oneself, one is clear and aware — awake in quietude, accurate in action; thus one can respond to the endless changes in the world.” The state of health and optimal function is based on balance and harmony of Yin and Yang. When one is neither too hot nor too cold one is comfortable – balanced. When one is neither too sad nor too happy the nervous system experiences well being. Science calls this homeostasis, the Chinese call it balance. When one is neither too hungry or too full of food, one is nourished and energetic — balanced. These expressions of balance are necessary for harmony. Using knowledge of Yin – Yang you can enhance your wellbeing and your potential.

Even the fundamental essence of the universe and yourself — the Qi — has a Yin aspect and a Yang aspect. In fact, the channels that carry the Qi of Heaven into the body are called the Great Yang Channels (Tai Yang). The channels that carry the Yin of the Earth into the body are called the Great Yin Channels (Tai Yin). The body’s organs are also considered to be Yin or Yang. When Yin and Yang are in balance, health is prevalent. The essence of acupuncture, herbal medicine and massage, as well as Qigong, is based on recovering and sustaining the state of balance and harmony in the Yin – Yang realm. Together, all that is Yin combined with all that is Yang appear as two balanced aspects — of the One — in the Chinese culture’s most famous icon — the Yin – Yang symbol (Tai Chi Tu, Taiji Tu).

The Yin – Yang symbol represents Yin and Yang and their constant interactivity. Seeing this symbol brings the entire philosophy and science of Yin – Yang to mind. This symbol is the best translation of Yin and Yang, it tells the whole story of the universe in one image. It appears on the national flag of South Korea and it has been used by many organizations, particularly in Chinese medicine and Qigong, as a logo. The famous physicist Neils Bohr adopted the Yin – Yang symbol in his personal logo — to represent his theory of the universe. The state of balance in the Yin – Yang symbol, reflecting harmony where the black and the white components are exactly equal, is called Tai Chi (Tai Ji).

You already know that Tai Chi is one particularly famous kind of Qigong. In fact, Tai Chi is not is not just a popular exercise in China. Tai Chi is actually the name of the Yin – Yang symbol. Tai Chi means Universal Harmony also Supreme Ultimate. The exercise is named for this extraordinary concept, where opposites are in a dynamic state of balance and harmony. When people practice Tai Chi they are actually investigating universal forces and activating Yin and Yang to produce harmony within and between themselves. As you can see, exploring Yin and Yang and seeking ways to bring them into balance and harmony is a worthwhile pursuit. That is why millions of people are in the parks every morning in China doing many forms Qigong, including Tai Chi. That is why many millions of people in countries all over the world are learning these practices. The benefits of balance and harmony are radically alluring.

Take a few moments and explore this list of Yin and Yang concepts. It is not important to understand everything here — Qigong will teach you about this over time. I have been involved with these concepts since my first Tai Chi class in 1967, and even now I learn more each day. Just allow yourself to marvel at the nearly boundless range of possibilities associated with the framework of Yin and Yang.

Yin                                  Yang___

Off                                      On
Cold                                    Hot
Wet                                    Dry
Soft                                     Hard
Empty                                Full
Inside                                 Outside
Back                                    Front
Solid                                    Open
Near                                    Far
Slow                                    Fast
Small                                   Large
Rest                                     Act
Conserve                            Spend
Confine                               Liberate
Dark                                    Light
Earth                                   Heaven
Water                                  Fire
Relaxed                               Excited
Sad                                       Happy
Dense                                   Diffuse
Substance                            Energy
Gravity                                Levity
Mystery                              Revelation
Absorptive                          Radiant
Concentrative                     Expansive
Local                                    Universal
Limited                                Boundless

If you find yourself saying, “This is fascinating and inspiring but I’m not sure I understand,” there is no value in worrying about it. Worry, like frustration, anger, fear and all of our other stressors are known to disturb the Qi and cancel the benefits of the Qigong state. Let this worry go and simply enter into and enjoy the practice. Qigong and her sister traditions, Tai Chi and Yoga, are the most effective, eloquent and poetic systems for cultivating our optimal health, maximum empowerment, peak performance and inner peace ever developed. Without straining to understand Qi or these ideas on Yin and Yang with your mind, you will come to understand them in your being. Simply do the practices, the obvious as well as the hidden meanings of Yin – Yang will spontaneously arise. Follow the direction in Qigong that is easy and fun for you. Enjoy working and playing with the Qi, the rest — the health, the power — will arise from that.

The Three – San Bao

Three Treasures – Jing – Qi – Shen. Body – Mind – Spirit, Earth – Life – Heaven

Jing naturally transforms into Qi,
Qi naturally transforms into Spirit,
and Spirit naturally transforms into pure openness,
uniting with cosmic space.
This is called returning to the root,
returning to origin.
The path of everlasting life
and eternal vision is complete.
The Book of Balance and Harmony, Master Li

Discussions of The One (Tai Yi — Supreme Unity) and the The Two (Tai Chi — GreatHarmony of Yin — Yang) are, as you have probably noticed, usually more abstract than practical as they are typically applied to philosophy, medicine, Qigong and Tai Chi. This makes it very obvious that the healing and self-improvement systems, Tai Chi and Qigong, are far more than just body improvement exercises. They are, rather, multidimensional meditations toward enlightened living which include health and peak performance as a desirable side effects. The Three (San Bao — Three Treasures) is a comprehensive and systematic framework that is very useful in discussing Qigong and Tai Chi.

Wuji – One is cosmic unity, Taiji – two is the cosmic duality – the mutual interplay of opposites. San Bao includes life. It is the point in the nature of things where life arises and we – the humans – become a part of the map of things. It may be easiest, in the beginning, to think of the Three Treasures as Body, Mind, and Spirit, but as you will see the Three Treasures system is much, much more and provides a powerful and systematic way of understanding your personal progress, your place in the universe and your Qi cultivation plus the overall framework of Qigong/Tai Chi.

Laozi declares, “Dao gives birth to the boundless, eternal One.” All beings and things, also known as the Ten Thousand Things, have their Origin in the One, but they are birthed by the Three. This is significant. The Ten Thousand Things are all of the complexities of life from the multiple components of your body to the list of things you think you should do or would like to do. Your health is one of the Ten Thousand Things along with your state of mind. The implication is that by managing your relationship with the One, the Two, and the Three through the practice of Qi cultivation, the Ten Thousand Things will be most favorably arranged. If we attend to (guard) the One, balance Yin and Yang and mindfully cultivate San Bao — Body, Mind and Spirit (Jing, Qi, Shen), the promise is that we will have more health, more power, more wisdom, more peace.

You will find that there are numerous systems of correspondences that are frequently used in the realms of Chinese medicine and philosophy as well: the Four Seasons, the Five Elements, the Six Levels and the Eight Principles and the Ba Gua. In Qigong, especially of the highest order, the Three Treasures system provides a master key to insight that is very deep and profound. Using the system of correspondences of the Three Treasures provides the foundation of Integral Qigong and the system of the Ten Phases of Cultivation and Mastery. And, like the Yin — Yang system (the Two) that we have just reviewed, the Three Treasures will continue to teach you subtle lessons and provide you with countless revelations through your practice in the future.

Three Treasures Correspondences

The list of the San Bao — Three Treasures – correspondences below is not conclusive. It is intended to give a feel for the Three Treasures paradigm, the San Bao medical-spiritual system. It provides a reference that you can return to occasionally to deepen your exploration or confirm insights that arise through your practice. In a typical text on Qigong in traditional China this list could be twice as long, reflecting that the Three Treasures Correspondences penetrate into all aspects of life. Over time instead of finding new ideas on this list you will find yourself adding to it. As noted earlier, the Three Treasures are not something that you must learn or understand. Like, Qi, Yin-Yang and The One, they are always present and dynamic as resources. Your practice plus your intention will uncover them, exactly like uncovering treasures.

In Qigong we gather, circulate and cultivate resources to optimize, strengthen and empower the Treasure of the Body/Jing. To do so it is important to get optimal nutrition, clear water and rest, and conserve Jing. Jing is the sperm and semen in men and the ovum in women, along with the subtlest biological factors including DNA, hormones, neurotransmitters and enzymes. Protecting Jing requires that we limit the negative effects of stress and accelerate restoration. Qigong is the perfect tool.

To strengthen and empower the HeartMind/Qi Treasure cultivate the capacity to say “yes” to what gives us joy and improves our vitality and “no” to the things that overwhelm and drain our vitality. To allow the Qi of Heaven and Earth to merge in the HeartMind Dan Tian, honestly express your emotions to remove tension and resistance from the HeartMind which effects the entire nervous system, all of the Qi channels and most importantly the character.

To strengthen and empower the Heaven Dan Tian accelerate activities that reflect your spirit and cultivate wisdom over time to discontinue the things that sabotage your natural creativity. If this doesn’t exactly make sense, relax and remember that your spirit is the part of yourself that cannot be harmed and never dies – fearless, immortal, eternal. It is your self in its purest state. Explore Natural Flow Qigong (spontaneous remembrance of unity with origin) and the ideas presented earlier in the discussion on Guarding the One.

Heaven Dan Tian is not easy to discuss. Spirit (Shen) is the aspect of yourself that is universal. If this is an area of interest for you, a sense of longing to give greater expression to and make greater space for your Shen Qi will naturally occur over time. Your spirit is already working on this, use the Qigong practices that feel right. Your ultimate self will reveal itself at the perfect pace.

San Bao – Three Treasures Correspondences

Three Treasures Earth Treasure Life Treasure Heaven Treasure
Domains of Being Body Mind Spirit
In Chinese Medicine Jing Qi Shen
Elixir (Dan) Earth Elixir HeartMind Heaven Elixir
(Jing Dan) (Xin Dan) (Shen Dan)
Elixir Field (Dan Tian) Lower Earth Middle HeartMind Upper Spirit
Dearth Field HeartMind Field Heaven Field
Kind of Qi Jing Qi Zhen Qi Shen Qi
Three States Yin Harmony Yang
Practice Method Kungfu Qigong / Taiji Alchemy
Calisthenics Mind Focus Meditation / Stillness
Cultivation Intention Heal Body Clear Mind & Emotions Radiate Spirit
Lifestyle Focus Nutrition, Exercise Emotional Resolution & Saying No Spiritual Practice, Meditation
Nourishment / Fuel Food Qi Spirit
3 Realms of Dao Earth Life Heaven
3 Buddhist Realms Earth Atmosphere Heaven
Transformation Symbol Caterpillar Cocoon Butterfly

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boston-snowfall-feb-videosixteenbynine1050When it is cold, you can either choose to put on a coat, or be cold and suffer the consequences. You can decide to stay in on extremely windy days or to avoid exposure to bright sun, or you can live with the consequences of exposure to these forces.

The climate has the potential to enhance the Qi or, in excess deplete or damage the Qi. You know that watching the sun set over the mountains in nature stimulates and inspires the Qi. The same sun at midday in summer, if you are unprotected, can deplete energy in the short term and cause exhaustion and dizziness. Besides the natural climates there is a wide assortment of external influences including exposure to stressors and toxins in food, water, air, and the environment, that have the potential to damage and deplete the Qi as well.

The key point regarding Conserve Qi and these external factors is choice. You have to take that coat, wear that hat, use that umbrella, take care to shield yourself from excessive sun, build a fire make hot tea, take a vacation.

If it is too grueling to drive to your work through heavy traffic, you are the only person who can find yourself a new job. If it is obvious to you that certain foods cause you sudden fatigue, it will be you who must make the choice to avoid that food.

If you find yourself saying that you don’t honestly think you can change your behavior or the behavior of others in regard to weather, work, food, and other external stressors, the definitely accelerate your Qigong practice.

This can neutralize the negative effects of many stressors. However, if you accelerate Qigong and become more skilled at conserving Qi through your choices, this will create a radical multiplication of your personal potential and Qi wealth.

[Excerpt from The Healing Promise of Qi page 149-150]

Start now.

 

 

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Is Age just a Mindset?

by DrJahnke on September 2, 2016

Age is a mindset

How young or old someone feels has a huge influence on their health and how other people view them.  Research suggests that feeling young can actually make you look young—and have the health of a younger person, too.

Harvard psychological scientist Ellen Langer has been studying how the mind influences the body for over three decades. In one classic study, she had old men live in a retreat that was retrofitted to look like it was 20 years earlier, while they pretended that they were living in that year. “Their minds were in the past. Their vision improved, their strength improved, and so on,” she says. Langer wrote the new article with Laura M. Hsu of Harvard and Jaewoo Chung of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“If people could learn to be mindful and always perceive the choices available to them, Langer says, they would fulfill their potential and improve their health. Langer’s technique of achieving a state of mindfulness is different from the one often utilized in Eastern “mindfulness meditation” — nonjudgmental awareness of the thoughts and feelings drifting through your mind — that is everywhere today. Her emphasis is on noticing moment-to-moment changes around you, from the differences in the face of your spouse across the breakfast table to the variability of your asthma symptoms. When we are “actively making new distinctions, rather than relying on habitual” categorizations, we’re alive; and when we’re alive, we can improve. Indeed, “well-being and enhanced performance” were Langer’s goals from the beginning of her career.”

– Read more from this article

 So if Langer and her colleagues are right, and feeling young makes you healthier, what can you do about it? One route is to dress like a teenager, dye your hair, and find a younger boyfriend. But Langer has another solution: “Don’t buy the mindset in the first place. Then you won’t be vulnerable to it,” she says. “I think we have far more control over our health and wellbeing than most of us realize.”

The findings from Langer’s studies and her interpretation of these findings are intriguing and controversial. While many people may voice reasonable reservations about her interpretations of the data, these reservations should not lead to a dismissal of her point of view. I think we have much to learn about the ways and extent to which our mindsets play a role in determining our behaviors and our physical and emotional health. An understanding of this role can provide guideposts for developing outlooks that eventuate in a healthy lifestyle, one in which we assume realistic responsibility for what transpires in our lives rather than fall victim to pessimism and helplessness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9anlmzYKkk

Age really is relative. No matter what our chronological age, most of us believe we are not “old” and feel younger than we actually are. According to several recent studies, more than half of those under age 30 think people are old before age 60. Middle-aged people, however, say “old” is closer to age 70, while folks 65 and older report that people aren’t old until they reach 75.

Those who appear most at peace with aging don’t dwell in the past and are doing all they can to achieve what matters most to them now, adds Del-Sette. “But it’s never too late! First, forgive yourself. The saying ‘forgiveness is letting go of all hope for a better past’ applies. And plan what you want for the rest of your life. Most importantly, live in the moment.”

IIQTC.org

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