One of the secrets to my success, and the success of my students, is that we focus on quality rather than quantity. The 15-Minute Routine that beginners learn is (you guessed it!) only 15 minutes long. What’s interesting is that students who practice this 15-minute routine get better results than other people who practice 30, or even 60 minutes!
The explanation is simple: we don’t spread our butter too thin. Concentrating for 15 minutes is doable; concentrating for 30 minutes is hard; concentrating for 60 minutes is virtually impossible for beginners. By focusing on quality rather than quantity, students are able to do a lot of work in a short amount of time. If we keep our sessions short and sweet, then we can keep the quality much higher.
This routine was perfected by my teacher, Grandmaster Wong. It has worked wonders for tens of thousands of students on six continents. It is, quite frankly, an ingenious formula. A few hundred years from now, it may be viewed as a breakthrough.
There are countless styles of Qigong, but all of them fall into 3 categories:
- Stillness Qigong
- Dynamic Qigong
- Spontaneous Qigong.
The beauty of the 15-Minute Session is that it incorporates all three categories. Most Qigong styles only incorporate on one or at best two of the categories. Very few styles teach routines that incorporate all three.
If you haven’t learned Spontaneous Qigong from a master, then it’s unlikely that you can learn it on your own. Until you get the opportunity to learn the technique face-to-face, you will only be able to touch on 2 of the categories. Naturally, your results will not be as powerful, but they can still be good.
Those who have learned “Flowing Breeze Swaying Willow” from me or my teacher will get better results. Every time they do the 15-Minute Session, they will be practicing all 3 categories of Qigong.
Here is the 15-Minute Routine that we practice:
Phase 1: The Opening Sequence
- Stand upright and relax.
- Find your center
- Relax from head to toe.
- Relax twice as much.
- Smile from the heart!
Phase 2: Dynamic Exercises
- Enjoy Lifting The Sky (or another Dynamic Qigong Exercise)
Phase 3: Energy Flow
- Flowing Breeze Swaying Willow (or the Five Animal Play, for more advanced students)
Phase 4: Standing Meditation
- Flowing Stillness
Phase 5: The Closing Sequence
- Think gently of dantian
- Warm the palms and the eyes.
- Gently pat the eyes open.
- Wash the face with both hands.
- Comb the hair with ten fingers.
- Point Massage (if you know it yet)
- Heavenly Drum 24 times.
- Walk briskly for 36 steps.
The timing of the 15-Minute Routine should be dynamic. In other words, the time spent on each phase will change slightly from session to session. Sometimes, the entire routine will only take ten minutes, and sometimes it will take twenty. Don’t use a clock to time yourself. If you must use a clock, just look at it twice – once before the session, and once again at the end.
Most importantly, enjoy yourself. The 15-Minute Routine is not a chore to be endured; it is a wonder to be enjoyed every day.
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Thank you. Really enjoyed the “5 ways to stay Zen during the holidays” and am really amazed by the free tips you provide. Hopefully others will appreciate it as much as I do…..another thing to be grateful for. Be well and have a happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Hi Sifu! i like to do 3 dynamic excercises in that part of the fifteen min. drill. Lifting the sky, carrying the moon and pushing mountains. I rarely feel like varying from that routine but I do practice some tai chi after closing. Is this ok? The time goes too quickly!
Laurie, it would be better to do the Tai Chi before the closing. In that case, you may do more than 15 minutes. This is acceptable because you’re doing Tai Chi as well, which helps to spread the energy. I will be writing another blog post on this subject soon.
Hi Sifu,
I have a question about doing lifting the sky and 2 finger zen. I’ve gotten into a habit of doing it every morning for about 10-15 minutes right when I wake up, which is great because it’s the first time in years I’ve ever done this. …BUT there’s one problem or bad habit I’ve gotten and I’m not sure how detrimental it is to my practice, it’s that I’m usually so tired and lazy that I stay in bed and sit up indian style or on the edge of my bed and do these exercises because I’m half asleep at first and don’t want to stand up. So, I”m doing them sitting down. Is this really bad? When I do them standing when the weekend comes I can certainly feel the difference in Qi flow.
Thank you,
Lauren
Hi Lauren,
It’s fine to do a little Lifting The Sky while lying in bed or sitting, but leave aside Two Finger Zen. If you’re going to do Two Finger Zen, do it for real.
-Sifu