I want to talk about healing other people (and pets) with qi. There’s a lot of confusion on the subject, so I want to make it clear where I stand, what I believe, and what I teach.

I’ll be teaching two different Qi Transmission techniques in my upcoming Qigong 301 program:

• Opening Vital Points (OVP)
• Running the Qi (RTQ)

Both of these techniques are safe to learn and implement, and they also provide a big bang for your buck. But what are they exactly?

Medical Qigong or Qi Transmission?

In the 21st century, healing others using qi is sometimes called “Medical Qigong.” In my first book, I briefly mention how this is historically inaccurate. I’m not sure when the term got co-opted, but it seems to have happened over the last 20-30 years.

Medical Qigong traditionally referred to self-healing practices — like what I teach in my 101 and 201 programs. In other words, Medical Qigong helps the body heal from medical issues like depression, anxiety, chronic pain, etc. It’s a legitimate branch of Chinese medicine, just like acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine.

On the other hand, Qi Transmission involves two people: the healer and the recipient. I refer to this as Clinical Qigong Therapy in my book, but I’m using the term Qi Transmission here for two reasons:

1. The word “clinical” doesn’t always apply. For example, those who complete my Qigong 301 program will be able to help friends and family using the techniques described above. So there’s no clinic involved.
2. In my “12 Skills of Qigong,” I use the term “Transmitting The Qi” for Skill #12. I’m staying consistent with that here.

Common Terms Used for Qi Transmission

The classical term for Qi Transmission is Emitting Qi (fā qì, 發氣). I prefer to translate fa (發) as “transmit,” but I acknowledge that this is not a common translation. Honestly, there’s no perfect word in English, so we have to compromise no matter what.

Here are some other terms used in the 21st century:

• Eternal Qi Therapy
• Qi Emission
• Emitting Qi
• Qi Transmission
• Qigong Massage
• Medical Qigong
• Clinical Qigong Therapy
• Empty Force

Other Modalities Similar to Qi Healing

There are also energy-transmission arts that aren’t directly related to qigong, at least not overtly. Here’s a non-comprehensive list of other arts that are similar to Qi Transmission, in no particular order:

• Reiki
• Healing Touch
• Pranic Healing
• Quantum Touch
• Therapeutic Touch
• Chakra Balancing
• Energy Healing
• Polarity Therapy

Of these modalities, Qi Transmission is the oldest. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best, but it’s important to have a historical perspective on the topic.

Are We Really Transmitting Qi?

Some of you might not believe in the idea of transmitting qi – and that’s okay! The science on Qi Transmission is still limited, but I think it will catch up.

Nevertheless, there are interesting studies being done, like those from the HeartMath institute, that show how the human heart generates an electromagnetic field that can influence others.

More importantly, we know that relaxing the nervous system shifts us from a sympathetic (fight-or-flight) state to a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state – something that both ancient wisdom and modern science agree is crucial for healing.

Also, we now know that fascia and the interstitium represent exciting new fields of research. I talk more about fascia in my book, but here’s an excerpt that’s relevant:

– Fascia is the most abundant tissue in the body.

– Fascia is intimately tied to the nervous system.

– Fascia has ten times more sensory receptors than muscle tissue.

– Fascia interpenetrates and surrounds all organs, muscles, bones, and nerve fibers.

– Fascia forms a 3D, contiguous matrix of structural support in the body.

– Fascia is a force transmitter, dispersing external forces and helping to prevent injury in particular muscles, joints, or bones.

– Mood influences fascia, and vice versa.

– Fascia is an electrical conductor and resistor, generating its own piezoelectric energy.

I put the final fact in bold face because it’s relevant to the topic of Qi Transmission. Is fascia one medium through which we transmit qi? I don’t know, but it’s obvious that it needs to be studied.

My Approach

My approach is to use the two techniques above – OVP and RTQ – to “transmit” energy to another person. I put “transmit” in quotes because, in some cases, it’s probably more accurate to say “rebroadcast.” I’ll explain more below.

My approach is based on traditional Chinese practices. For example, in Dongpu’s Annals (Dongpu Zhi Lin, 東坡志林), written during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it says:

“When the Qigong practitioner practices well enough for himself, he is able to emit Qi to other people. Daoist priest Li Ruozhi in Du Xia can do so, namely spreading the qi. Ruozhi sat opposite my son Dai, who was weak since his childhood, and emitted Qi to him. My son felt warm in his abdomen as the sunshine in the morning.” (from Chinese Medical Qigong by Tianjun Liu et al, p. 291)

This ancient description is very similar to what we do with Running the Qi.

Running the Qi

When you perform Running the Qi, you’re not really transmitting your own qi. As I said above, I think it’s closer to “rebroadcasting.” You’re essentially practicing zhan zhuang (the warrior stances) and letting the recipient absorb qi from the energy field that you create. But there are some key points:

• The recipient is also in a Zen state—something you need to learn to facilitate for them. This calms their nervous system and puts them in a state where they’re ready to receive energy.
• You are standing behind them with your hands on their shoulders. They are seated. Physical touch further relaxes the body. I believe it also facilitates the “rebroadcasting” phenomenon.
• You are not diagnosing or treating specific issues.
• You are not actively transmitting qi.

So the healer rebroadcasts qi from their own practice, setting off a healing cascade. It’s a bit like donating qi – except that the qi never makes it to our bank account. Instead, we auto-deposit some of it into the other person’s account.

When done correctly, Running The Qi should leave you feeling the same as when you do your own personal qigong practice: energized and refreshed. You should not feel drained at all.

Fun fact: Running the Qi works on canines and felines too! You can’t lead them into a Zen state, but most dogs and cats are already Zen masters.

Opening Vital Points (OVP)

Opening someone’s vital points (OVP) is more complex than Running the Qi – and less effective if they aren’t already practicing qigong. When a person practices qigong, opening their points can give them a significant boost. However, OVP is a tiny bit draining for the healer – like donating blood. Don’t bother with OVP unless the person has an interest in learning and practicing qigong.

With practice, you’ll learn to open someone’s vital points without using too much of your own energy. Less is more with OVP. I’ll share all of my tricks for accomplishing this in the Qigong 301.

OVP is also useful in emergency situations. For example, if someone is in the hospital, you can open their vital points even though they might not be able to practice qigong. This will be draining for you, but so what? You’re donating your qi to someone in dire need. I’ve done this in several situations, and it’s a useful skill to have.

Note: canines and felines have different locations for energy points. These are easily learned, but they’re not the same as in humans.

My Qigong 301

I teach both OVP and RTQ in my Qigong 301 program, but I want to be clear that this is not a teacher training program, nor does it certify you as a healer. I’m simply passing on traditional qigong skills that you can use in certain situations—like emergencies, healing pets, or helping students and family members.

However, the honest truth is that you don’t need much more than these two techniques to be an incredible healer. That’s because this method of healing includes teaching. We’re inviting the recipient to practice qigong as well as receive our qi. And as you know – I believe that qigong is the most powerful medicine in the universe.

You should also be aware that there are a ton of charlatans in the qi transmission community. You’ll sometimes see videos of Chinese masters emitting qi with wild results. Some even use well-known parlor tricks, like applying chemicals to the hands to make them seem warm.

You’ll also see so-called masters using qi for BS self-defense techniques. These videos literally look like something out of Star Wars. Let me be clear: In all my travels, I’ve never met a master who could LEGITIMATELY use qi like that for self-defense. Qigong can bring real benefits for self-defense, but you still need to punch and kick.

I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but you’re used to that from me. You’ll thank me later. We won’t be doing any of this nonsense in the 301. Instead, we’ll focus on two no-BS Qi Transmission techniques described above.

Final Thoughts

Qi Transmission is an ancient art that has evolved over thousands of years. While the methods may seem a bit mystical, I promise that I’ll demystify things in my Qigong 301.

By learning skills like Running the Qi and Opening Vital Points, you’ll not only help others but also deepen your own understanding of energy and healing. Whether or not you believe in the literal transmission of qi, the effects of these practices speak for themselves—bringing balance, relaxation, and, ultimately, healing to both the practitioner and the recipient.

The post Healing Others with Qi appeared first on Flowing Zen.

I was standing there under what felt like a waterfall of cosmic energy. I could feel it cascading down from the top of my head to my feet. I’ve never been a religious person, but this experience felt undeniably spiritual.

This was years ago when I first learned a qigong technique called the Cosmic Shower. Back then, I was more interested in emotional cleansing. But over time, I’ve come to realize that spiritual cleansing isn’t separate from emotional cleansing.

Spiritual But Not Religious

I don’t love the word “spiritual,” but I don’t have a better one, so let’s roll with it. To me, the word refers to a blissful state of union with something much larger than ourselves. I view it as something completely separate from religion. With Cosmic Shower, there’s a feeling of egolessness, or rather, a merging of our small ego with the massive fabric of the universe. It’s a visceral experience, not just intellectual.

Cosmic Shower teaches us to experience what some call “unity consciousness.” In my book, I called it “Unifying the Qi,” a “deep, quiescent state of cosmic awe.” It doesn’t matter whether you call this the Tao, the infinite, Source, Shiva, God, or simply Nature. It also doesn’t matter if you’re an atheist. This is a human experience, not a religion, and it is accessible to anyone.

The Evolution of Cosmic Shower

The precursor to Cosmic Shower was a Taoist qigong technique called “Opening of Five Flowers.” Today, I’d use the umbrella term qigong to describe this technique, but some teachers might call it neigong. Terminology aside, it was an advanced, internal practice that Taoist masters performed during seated meditation.

First, they accumulated qi in the lower dantian using something similar to Dantian Breathing. Then, through complex visualization, they brought their energy up to the top of the head, creating a cascade of energy down the body. This was poetically described as the “Five Flowers” blooming at the crown.

My ex-sifu, despite his serious ethical issues, was a qigong pioneer. He adapted this technique to a standing posture and added dynamic qigong movements to help induce the internal shower. Over the years, I’ve refined the practice even further. I teach this improved version in my Qigong 301 program.

This evolution serves as a valuable shortcut for modern practitioners. Instead of years of preparation, students who use a modern methodology (specifically, learning the Small Universe FIRST) can experience the Cosmic Shower within weeks. It’s an advanced, yet accessible, path to the spiritual experience I described above.

Trapped Trauma

When I first learned Cosmic Shower in the 1990s, I had no clue about trapped trauma. I didn’t even remember my own childhood trauma at the time. Today, trauma is a topic I’ve researched extensively, not just for my own healing, but for my students as well. Trauma isn’t just psychological. It gets stuck in the body. As the famous book title reminds us, the body keeps the score. Trauma experts like Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and Dr. Peter Levine have shown how trauma lives in the nervous system and the fascia.

In qigong theory, we understand that emotional blockages disrupt the flow of qi, leading to stagnation and illness. When we combine this understanding with modern trauma research, it’s easy to see how qigong can help regulate the nervous system and release blockages from the fascia. But Cosmic Shower goes even further for healing trauma.

How Cosmic Shower Heals Trauma

How does Cosmic Shower help heal trauma? As I said, it regulates the nervous system—but so do many forms of qigong. It also clears stagnant energy from the fascia and meridians, but again, other types of qigong do this too.

Where Cosmic Shower excels is in creating a safe, sacred experience that reconnects us to our natural sense of “cosmic awe.” When we stand under that “cosmic waterfall,” we’re not just cleansing—we’re reconnecting with Source/Tao/God. This reconnection isn’t intellectual; it’s somatic. We FEEL that we’re part of something bigger. We aren’t just our trauma, our wounds, or our fears. This recognition is crucial for true healing.

God’s Forgiveness?

A student once described Cosmic Shower like this: “I felt God’s forgiveness flow from Heaven down through me, cleansing me of my sins.” At the time, that language didn’t resonate with me. I wouldn’t use words like that.

But now, with age and maturity, I get what she meant. While I don’t use the word “God,” the experience of Cosmic Shower is like being washed in a universal, forgiving energy. It’s a deep release—a way to unburden ourselves from trauma, guilt, and the weight of modern life. All of that tension, fear, and sadness clogs your system. Cosmic Shower washes it all away.

Closing Thoughts

In today’s world, it’s easy to forget that true healing goes beyond the body. Cosmic Shower reminds us that there’s a deeper layer—a layer where trauma, emotions, and spirit are intertwined. The real power of Cosmic Shower lies in helping us reconnect with something bigger than ourselves, something timeless and universal. It’s not about being religious or subscribing to a belief system. It’s about allowing yourself to feel whole again.

When we wash away the stuck energy, trauma, and heaviness of life, we’re left with clarity and peace. Cosmic Shower offers a chance not just to cleanse, but to deeply reconnect with the very essence of life.

The post A Cosmic Shower of Qi appeared first on Flowing Zen.

In the vast repertoire of qigong techniques, the Big Universe (Da Zhou Tian, 大周天) probably doesn’t get enough attention. I myself am guilty of this.

Even though I’ve practiced and taught the technique for years, I haven’t even written a single blog post on the topic. Let’s change that right now.

What Is the Big Universe

The Small Universe Qigong gets all the attention, but the Big Universe, also known as the 12 Meridian Skill, is definitely worth learning and practicing. The Big Universe involves circulating qi (or vital energy) in a specific orbit through the 12 Primary Meridians of the body. Doing this enhances the health of the meridians and also their respective organs.

Here’s a closer look at the method:

1. The Circulation Pathway

1. First, we direct the qi down the 3 yin meridians of the arms to the Lao Gong point in the palms.
2. Then we direct the qi up the 3 yang meridians of the arms to the Bai Hui point at the top of the head.
3. Then we direct the qi down the 3 yang meridians of the legs to the Yong Quan point at the bottom of the feet.
4. And finally, we direct the qi up the 3 yin meridians of the legs to the Tan Zhong point in the chest.
5. Rinse and repeat.

We’re using the skill of Directing The Qi to guide our energy along this orbit. You can read more about the 12 Skills here or in my book. If you aren’t already skillful at directing the qi, then the Big Universe probably won’t make much sense to you.

However, most students start with the Small Universe and then move on to the Big Universe. In that case, you’ve already worked on directing the qi with the Small Universe. This will make your journey through the Big Universe much, much easier.

2. The 4 Key Acupoints

I mentioned 4 acupoints in the method above. If you were studying acupuncture, then you would need to know the exact location of these energy points. But for our purposes, we only need to know the rough location. As you practice the Big Universe, you’ll feel an energy vortex at each point roughly the size of a golf ball, and the exact location will reveal itself.

Here are the 4 points:

• Tan Zhong (膻中)
  Acupuncture point: Ren 17 (or CV 17)
  Location: On the centerline of the chest between the nipples
• Lao Gong (勞宮)
  Acupuncture point: Pericardium 8
  Location: On the center of the palm.
• Bai Hui (百會)
  Acupuncture point: Du 20 (or GV 17)
  Location: On the top of the head.
• Yong Quan (涌泉)
  Acupuncture point: Kidney 1
  Location: On the sole of the foot.

With practice, students can feel all of these energy points. If you’ve previously practiced the Small Universe, then you’ve already opened Bai Hui and Tan Zhong. And if you’ve practiced Cosmos Palm, then you’ve already opened Lao Gong and Yong Quan!

The Benefits

The ancient Chinese masters spoke in poetic terms about the benefits of these practices. According to traditional wisdom:

If you master the Small Universe, then you will eliminate hundreds of ailments;If you master the Big Universe, then you will live for 100 years.”

Is this accurate? I’ll let you know in 48 years!

While these claims should be viewed metaphorically, I think there’s truth in the underlying principles. Consistent and dedicated practice of qigong, including advanced techniques like the Small and Big Universe, can seriously shift your health and longevity.

Most of you probably want to know the specific benefits of this technique. Based on my own experience practicing the technique for years, as well as feedback I’ve received from students, it’s safe to say that practicing the Big Universe can:

1. Greatly enhance your qi experiences during Flowing Breeze Swaying Willow and Five Animal Play
2. Boost the effectiveness of things like acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, and even Western pharmacology
3. Help you quickly return to baseline after emotional distress
4. Improve the quality of your sleep
5. Improve your digestion
6. Give you a more youthful appearance
7. Improve your athletic performance (even if you’re in your 60s or 70s)

Benefits like these suggest that the past masters were right, i.e. that the Big Universe is indeed promoting longevity. I can’t guarantee that you’ll live for 100 years, but I’m confident that the Big Universe will be a useful and powerful tool if you want to live a longer and healthier life.

Medical vs. Spiritual Big Universe

Some teachers, many of them connected to my ex-teacher in one way or another, differentiate between the Medical Big Universe and the Spiritual Big Universe. This is confusing and unnecessary. These are two different techniques, and using the same name in the 21st century is just bad pedagogy.

Historically, names for techniques were recycled and repurposed by past masters. For example, the name Poisonous Snake Basks in Mist (毒蛇打霧) is used both in the Shaolin Five Animal set as well as the Shaolin Staff Set. One is an empty-handed set, and the other is a weapon set using a 7-foot staff. The two patterns look completely different, but they share the same name.

The so-called Spiritual Big Universe is, quite simply, an advanced version of Dantian Breathing similar to deep states of Buddhist or Taoist sitting meditation. Whether this technique is practiced sitting or standing is irrelevant; the effect is the same, i.e. a merging of consciousness with the One Consciousness.

That’s why I don’t use the term “Spiritual Big Universe”. When I refer to the Big Universe, I’m referring to the Medical Big Universe where we circulate qi in a loop through the 12 Primary Meridians as described above. Simple..

Learning the Big Universe

I will teach the Big Universe in my new Qigong 301 program. (Click here to get on the notification list.)

Whether you learn it from me, or from another teacher, here are some things that you can do to prepare yourself:

1. Develop a solid qigong habit. Without a daily habit, you won’t be able to appreciate advanced qigong techniques like the Small or Big Universe. If you’re not doing 300+ qigong sessions per year, then that is your first goal. And this goal is totally doable!
2. Learn and practice the 5-Phase Routine. You can learn this from my book or from my online courses. The 5-Phase Routine is the single best thing you can do to prepare because it opens up the 12 Primary Meridians and primes you for more advanced skills.
3. Learn and practice the Small Universe. I also teach the Small Universe in my Qigong 301 program, and for good reason. If you learn the Small Universe first, then the Big Universe is easy by comparison.
4. Learn and practice Sinew Metamorphosis. This unusual qigong set, which I teach in my Qigong 201 program, helps to “forcefully” open the 12 Primary Meridians. Some students actually experience a flow similar to the Big Universe simply from practicing Sinew Metamorphosis.
5. Learn and practice Zhan Zhuang (aka the Warrior Stances). If you’re early in your qigong journey and you want to build a strong foundation for future learning, then learn and practice zhan zhuang. You’ll need a solid daily habit first, and you should also know the 5-Phase Routine. I teach zhan zhuang in my Qigong 101 program.
6. Memorize the pathway of the flow. You can do this by learning a simple qigong technique called 12 Meridian Patting.

Here’s a short video showing the 12 meridian Patting:

Incorporating the Big Universe qigong into your repertoire can elevate your practice, unlocking deeper levels of healing. While the Small Universe often steals the spotlight, the Big Universe offers a simple way to enhance the flow of qi through the 12 Primary Meridians. Whether you’re seeking deeper healing or striving for longevity, this powerful practice is worth exploring.

The post The Big Universe Qigong: A Hidden Gem for Deeper Healing appeared first on Flowing Zen.

For years, I’ve taught a powerful and ancient tool that sometimes gets overlooked – Metta Meditation, also known as Loving Kindness Meditation. This practice, rooted in ancient Buddhist traditions, is a game changer, especially when combined with qigong and tai chi. In this post, I’ll explain what Metta Meditation is, the research behind it, why it can profoundly impact your life, and how to practice it (along with a free guided meditation.)

What is Metta Meditation?

The term “Metta” comes from the Pali word मेत्ता. The early Buddhist scriptures were written in Pali, an ancient Indian language that is closely related to Sanskrit.  Metta can be translated to “loving-kindness” or “benevolence”. This concept is a cornerstone in many Buddhist practices and teachings, and it also made its way into Buddhist Qigong schools centuries ago.

Metta Meditation is about cultivating compassion and kindness towards all beings, including ourselves. By focusing on loving kindness, we rewire our brains and our hearts. This shift in mindset can help reduce stress, improve emotional health, and even improve your relationships.

The Research

There’s a growing body of scientific research on Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM), which I find fascinating. Here are a few examples:

1. Enhanced Positive Emotions and Decreased Negative Emotions: A study by Fredrickson et al. (2008) found that practicing LKM increased participants’ experiences of positive emotions. These positive emotions, in turn, were linked to an increase in personal resources like mindfulness and a sense of purpose. This study, “Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources,” was conducted by Barbara L. Fredrickson and others. It was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and focused on how Loving Kindness Meditation enhances positive emotions.
2. Reduced Stress and Anxiety: Research by Hofmann, Grossman, and Hinton (2011) demonstrated that LKM can be effective in reducing anxiety, possibly because of its focus on developing a nonjudgmental, accepting attitude towards oneself and others. This paper, titled “Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: Potential for psychological interventions,” explored the impact of these meditative practices on mental health, particularly in reducing anxiety and stress.
3. Improved Social Connectedness: A study by Kok et al. (2013) indicated that LKM could enhance feelings of social connectedness and positivity towards others, even in a relatively short period of practice. The study, “How Positive Emotions Build Physical Health: Perceived Positive Social Connections Account for the Upward Spiral Between Positive Emotions and Vagal Tone,” by Bethany E. Kok and others, investigated the relationship between Loving Kindness Meditation, positive emotions, and social connectedness.
4. Decreased Symptoms of PTSD: Kearney et al. (2013) found that veterans with PTSD who practiced LKM showed reduced depression symptoms and improved overall well-being. Their study, “Loving-kindness meditation for post traumatic stress disorder: A pilot study,” looked at the effects of this meditation on veterans with PTSD, finding significant benefits in terms of reduced depression symptoms and improved overall well-being.

What’s I found super interesting is how LKM can actually impact the brain. A study using EEG data found that LKM can “significantly modulate brain activities before and after meditation.” So, it’s not just ancient wisdom; there’s modern science backing the benefits of spreading a little love through meditation.

Metta and Qigong

Metta Meditation has been interwoven with qigong for centuries. Qigong is all about moving energy (qi) through the body. So moving the energy of loving kindness fits in beautifully.

If you don’t know the 5-Phase Routine, then you can skip right to the guided meditation below. Or if want to learn this amazing routine, then my book will help you. It comes with a free online course that will teach everything you need to know to implement the 5-Phase Routine.

For my students, I recommend that you put the Metta Meditation in Phase 2, along with some dynamic qigong exercises. It fits well in Phase 2 because you’ll probably move a lot of emotional energy with this technique. So you’ll want to let that energy circulate afterward in Phase 3.

You can learn Metta from the guided meditation below, and then add it to your repertoire.

How to Practice Metta Meditation

The way that I teach metta involves 4 stages:

• Stage 1: Send loving kindness to someone you love (pets count).
• Stage 2: Send loving kindness to a neutral person, like a Starbucks barista.
• Stage 3: Send loving kindness to someone you dislike (one or both of the presidential candidates, for example).
• Stage 4: Send loving kindness to yourself.

For those who don’t know the 5-Phase Routine, here is a 10-minute guided audio where I lead you through all 4 stages. It’s free.

If you practice this meditation, and find it difficult – congratulations! You are human! It’s hard work. But it’s good work. It’s important work. It’s soul-work.

Metta Meditation isn’t some fluffy, feel-good exercise. It’s a practical, powerful tool for transforming your mind and, by extension, your life. By cultivating loving kindness, we not only heal ourselves but also contribute to healing the world around us. So, give it a try. You might be surprised how quickly this technique can change your life.

The post Metta Meditation: Unlocking the Power of Loving Kindness appeared first on Flowing Zen.

In this edition of Ask Sifu Anthony, you’ll learn about: knee pain and qigong; the order of qigong sets; qigong and cancer support; neigong vs. qigong; lifting the tongue; post-pandemic depression and anxiety; and qigong for autoimmune conditions.

About this series: I believe that students should be able to get practical, no-nonsense answers as they learn the art of qigong. Q&As are critical when learning an esoteric, ancient art in the 21st century. Since 2005, I’ve been answering questions in my classes, in our Facebook group, inside my online programs, in our live webinars, and here on the blog. We have an amazing, global community and my goal is to continue supporting you so that you can get more and more out of this art! 

Question 1: Knee Pain and Qigong

I’m wanting to learn qigong or tai chi but I can’t stand for long periods of time as my knees hurt. I have arthritis and they swell causing pain. I’m overweight and have lost some but a long way to go. Which would you recommend please? I’ve done Wing Chun many years ago.” – Lenny

Hi Lenny. One of the best things about qigong is that it is malleable. Like a fluid, it adjusts to the shape of its container. In your case, if you cannot stand, then qigong will adjust to a seated posture. This blog post will show you how to practice qigong in a chair:

My Tips for Practicing Qigong in a Chair (plus a video)

Remember: The physical form is the least important aspect of qigong. This is why I encourage my students to “butcher the form” and make it comfortable. In that sense, practicing in a chair is just another way to butcher the form.

Obviously, you won’t be able to practice every qigong exercise, but there are plenty of exercises that you can do seated. Then, as you get your energy flowing and your body feels stronger, you can try to stand for portions of the practice session. Eventually, you’ll be doing the entire session standing.

If you haven’t learned my 5-Phase Routine yet, then I recommend that you start with my book. It is the cheapest and most efficient way to get started with qigong, and it comes with a free online course.

Question 2: The Order of Qigong Sets

Since finishing your 101 course (class of 2021), I’ve started incorporating some of the 18 Luohan Hands into my morning practice and different ones in my evening practice, as well as keeping some of my old favourites. I’m guessing that the 18 LH are presented in a certain order for a reason. My question is: Is there a benefit to practising the 18 LH in the order in which you’ve put them on the practice chart? Many thanks and warmest wishes.” – Karla

Hi Karla. I’m glad you enjoyed the 101 program. Congrats on developing such a solid qigong habit! Qigong is the perfect exercise for septuagenarians like yourself, and I’m confident that it will bring you many benefits.

Yes, the order of qigong sets is often meaningful. However, that doesn’t mean that we should practice them in order. This is especially true if you’re practicing the 5-Phase Routine, which you obviously are.

There is much more to qigong than just the exercises, and the 5-Phase Routine embodies this. For example, Phase 2, where we practice the various exercises like the 18 Luohans, is only 1/5th of the entire routine.

No matter what order we practice the exercises in Phase 2, the qi will still flow holistically in Phase 3 (Flowing Breeze Swaying Willow). In other words, even if we use an exercise in Phase 2 that is good for the Kidney Meridians (i.e. Luohan #8, Nourishing Kidneys), the qi will flow where it needs to go once we move into Phase 3. If it needs to flow to the Liver or Spleen Meridians, then it will flow there.

But even for people who aren’t using the 5-Phase Routine, the order is not terribly important. If they practice the 8 Brocades qigong set (which I teach in my 201 program), for example, their results won’t change much if they use a random order each day. On the other hand, it’s important for them to practice all 8 exercises because, without the 5-Phase Routine, they need the variety in order to move the qi holistically to all of the meridians.

There is, however, one very good reason to practice the 18 Luohans in order: Mastery. Whether you want to teach the exercises one day, or just master the set, it’s good to have it deeply ingrained in your memory. For example, I can mentally cycle through the 18 Luohan Hands in order as if flipping through a Rolodex (remember those?).

I accomplished this mainly by practicing them in sets of 6. The 18 Luohans happen to be nicely organized so that each set of 6 works nicely on its own. For a long time, I would practice exercises 1-6 on Monday, then 7-12 on Tuesday, then 13-18 on Wednesday, and so on. This method gave me plenty of time for other qigong and tai chi exercises, but also helped me to remember the order of the exercises.

You might prefer to do a set of 6 every day for a week, and then change. It depends on your skill level and your memory. You might also want to print out the 18 Luohan Wall Chart that is included in the 101 program!

Question 3: Qigong and Cancer Support

Hi Peggy. I believe that you’ve learned the 5-Phase Routine since you asked this question. In that case, the simple answer is this: Practice the 5-Phase Routine twice daily and follow the 3 Golden Rules.

As I discussed in my book, people like me are not allowed to talk about curing, reversing, or treating cancer, at least not in the United States. Even MDs are not allowed to talk about such things unless they specialize in oncology. With this in mind, let’s talk about ways that we can offer you healing support during your cancer battle.

By practicing the 5-Phase Routine twice daily and following the 3 Golden Rules, you’re already doing critically important work – work that most people skip. You’re working on your mind, your emotions, your energy, and also your body. How many people can say that they work on these things daily?

With something as serious as cancer, I’m sure that you want to do everything you possibly can to heal. So you’re probably wondering what else you can do. I think it’s worth looking at the 12 things that might be blocking you from healing. It may also be helpful to look at the 17 surprising things that may be screwing with your qi.

These articles will help you with what I call Protecting the Qi. In other words, you’re trying to protect yourself from outside influences that might mess with your energy. Protecting yourself by making lifestyle changes will increase the healing mileage you’re getting not just from qigong, but from all of your other therapies.

Question 4: Neigong vs Qigong

Which are the best 2 exercises to learn and practice neigong?” – Gustavo

Hi Gustavo. The word “neigong” can mean different things to different teachers. It was a popular term during the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644). Nei means “internal”, and gong still means “cultivation”. So a poetic translation would be “the art of internal cultivation”. It’s still an accurate description for what we do.

Some teachers insist that neigong is different from qigong, and they’re not entirely wrong, but it’s really just a matter of semantics. For example, The Small Universe (Xiao Zhou Tian, 小周天) is an advanced technique that involves directing the energy along two specific acupuncture meridians. If there’s anything that qualifies as neigong, it’s The Small Universe.

However, many teachers use the term qigong instead of neigong to describe The Small Universe, myself included. I like this approach because it simplifies things. I use qigong as the umbrella term for all of the techniques that I teach, including The Small Universe. To me, neigong is a sub-category of qigong. Other teachers may have different classifications. Just be wary of teachers who dismiss qigong as inferior to neigong. When you drill down, they may actually be talking about the same thing.

With all this in mind, I can’t really answer your question without knowing more about what you mean by neigong, and what your goals are. Feel free to leave a comment below and we can continue the discussion there.

Or if you want me to choose my own favorite, then I would say the Big Universe (Da Zhou Tian).

Question 5: Lifting the Tongue in Qigong

Is it necessary when doing qigong to have your tongue tip touching your pallet (not easy when breathing out of the mouth) and visualising the flow of chi through the meridians (if so how do you do that?). I keep hearing these two things but they aren’t mentioned in your book or bonus videos. (Unless I missed them!) Fantastic book by the way!” – John

Hi John. Glad you enjoyed the book! I have an entire article on this subject, which you can read here: Why Qigong Students Should Stop Lifting the Tongue.

From the title, you can probably guess my answer. In short, unless you are practicing the Small Universe, there’s no reason to lift the tongue. In fact, lifting the tongue often causes micro-tension in the mouth and jaw, which is not good.

If you already have the habit of lifting the tongue (from some other teacher or school), then check in and try to relax it as much as possible. Also, you’ll want to relax and lower the tongue for most exercises where the default mode is to exhale gently through the mouth.

If you don’t already have the habit, then don’t start until you learn the Small Universe. Instead, focus on relaxing the jaw and the mouth.

As for visualization, it’s a bad word and it’s also a red herring. Instead of chasing visuals, focus on the Zen state of mind. I have an entire article on this subject too: The Simple Truth about Qigong Visualization.

In short, don’t try to visualize anything. Techniques like Smiling From the Heart and Consolidating Qi at Dantian are a form of visualization, but I don’t use that word because it’s confusing. There’s nothing to visualize. Instead, you’re trying to feel something.

Question 6: Post-Pandemic Anxiety & Depression

I have been experiencing the physical symptoms of anxiety over the last 4 years. Two years ago I went on an SSRI and started my daily Qi Gong practice. After 9 months I happily tapered off the med. I remained balanced for another 9 months. Recently, I crumbled into uncontrollable anxiety symptoms again and am titrating back onto the medication. Qi Gong and meditation are constants in my life and I can see no obvious triggers other than the stresses and traumas of a lifetime. At age 77 I am sad that I couldn’t remain centered using my practices and need pharmaceutical help at this time. I have been practicing your suggested anxiety/depression routine. Any thoughts for deepening the balance to be found in Qi Going?” – Gabriole

Hi Gabriole. It’s fascinating to me how many of my students trivialize the anxiety-producing effects of the pandemic. This kind of trivializing is probably a trauma response itself, but it’s something we need to look at.

There’s growing research that even mild cases of covid can increase the risk of mental health problems, including anxiety disorders. I myself experienced a huge spike in anxiety after a mild case of covid in January. I managed the spike without pharmaceuticals, but that was a personal choice and it certainly wasn’t easy. I had to do more qigong, cut down on caffeine, do more cardio, cut down on sugar, and get acupuncture.

Please don’t be ashamed of using pharmaceuticals. SSRIs are not for everyone, but they can be lifesavers for some. Be kind to yourself as you manage your anxiety.

My blog post about self-compassion might be helpful: Too Many Mind. In short, I have found that using a plural model of mind (explained in the article) can be incredibly helpful when it comes to self-compassion. I think it might be helpful for you as well.

For example, instead of feeling guilty for using SSRIs, you might find a way to acknowledge the part of your psyche that is struggling and needs help. You might give that part of you a mental hug. You might even give the self-critical part of you – the part that is blaming and shaming for using pharmaceuticals – some acknowledgment. This part of you may be misguided in its approach, but it is doing its best to protect all of your parts. Give it some compassion too.

Question 7: Qigong and Autoimmune Conditions

Why and how is Qigong good for autoimmune conditions?” – Teresa

Hi Teresa. Let me start by repeating something that I often say: Qigong is not a panacea. It will not magically cure everything that ails you.

That being said, qigong is one of the most holistic therapies on the planet, which means that it can help with SO many different things. A few years ago, I compiled a PDF with 13 proven benefits of qigong. That list is longer now, and the research continues to show that qigong and tai chi are powerful therapies.

I try to explain how this works in my book, but the shorter explanation is that qigong enhances all of the body’s natural healing capabilities. What that means for autoimmune conditions is that it helps the body to clear blockages of qi. When these blockages are cleared, your immune system will stop attacking your body.

In my experience, there is almost always an underlying mental-emotional component with autoimmune conditions. It’s wise to assume that you have some sort of energy blockage due to trapped emotions. This article may help:

• How to Heal Trapped Trauma with Qigong

Any technique that helps you to heal deep emotions will likely help with the autoimmune issues as well. Forgiveness Practice is a good example. In my school, we use a technique called 1% Forgiveness where we try to forgive people (and ourselves) just 1% per session. But there are many schools, both Eastern and Western, that have forgiveness techniques that would probably help.

Forgiveness is just one example. You might also need to work on, in no particular order, things like anger, grief, hopelessness, resentment, fear, or a lack of joy. The well of stuck emotions runs deep.

Sometimes, it’s not so simple. Because of childhood trauma, we might not be able to access stuck emotions directly. That’s when we might need some of the therapies mentioned in the article above, like EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, or IFS.

Find the right combination of therapies, and you may be amazed at how much your condition improves. For you, that might mean a combination of yogic breathing, the 5-Phase Routine, and EMDR. That’s just one example. Find your own prescription of 2-3 therapies, and then commit.

I know from our past conversations that you’re also working on diet. That’s great, and I’m sure it will help in a variety of ways. Just don’t use this as an excuse to skip the deep emotional work that is also needed. You’re going to have to dig that deep well sooner or later. It’s no fun, but it’s meaningful and healing work.

Question 8: Banzo’s Sword

I have lymphedema from lupus and it doesn’t go away. It is in the lower extremities and is painful and very tight . The qigong has been helping but it is so slow. Is there any way to speed up the benefits?” – Kevin

Hi Kevin. There’s an old Zen story called “Banzo’s Sword” that answers this question. Here’s my own version of that story.

A young man went to a sword master and asked earnestly: “If I practice diligently, how long will it take me to become a master?”

“Oh, maybe ten years,” Master Banzo said.

“I cannot wait that long,” explained the young man. “If I practice twice as hard, how long will it take?”

“Oh, maybe 30 years,” said Banzo.

“Why is that?” asked the young man. “First you say 10 and now 30 years. I will undergo any hardship to master this art in the shortest time!”

“Well,” said Banzo, “in that case you will have to remain with me for 70 years. A man in such a hurry to get results seldom learns quickly.”

You’ll be glad to know that the young man in the story became a famous swordsman, and it didn’t take him 70 or even 10 years. 

I don’t mean to get all Zen Master on you here, but the lesson of the story applies equally to qigong. When we try to rush results, we actually tense the nervous system, thereby blocking the flow of qi. The harder we push, the more we tense, and the more we block ourselves from healing.

If you are already doing the 5-Phase Routine twice daily for about 25 minutes per session, and if you are also following the 3 Golden Rules, then you’re getting about 80% of the benefits that qigong can offer you on its own. You could possibly practice longer and squeeze out the remaining 20%, but it may not be worth your effort.

Instead, look for complimentary therapies that work synergistically with qigong. I’m a fan of acupuncture.

You’ll also want to protect your qi. My answer to Peggy above may also be helpful for you.

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post [Oct. 2022] Ask Sifu Anthony appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Me, traumatized? Don’t be silly! So many people out there had it way worse! I’ll be fine. Nothing to see here…move along…

This just about sums up my understanding of trauma until the year 2020. In other words, I was clueless. I remember when I first heard a student talk about something called Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). I remember this because, whereas it was easy for me to trivialize my own trauma (see above), I could not do the same to her.

This student had plateaued with her qigong practice and was asking me for help. Around the same time, another student came to me with a similar problem. In both cases, their health issues simply were not improving, and this totally baffled me.

When students don’t get results with qigong, it’s usually because:

1. They’re practicing incorrectly.
2. They’re not practicing enough.
3. They’ve got a hidden blockage.

Both of these students were practicing correctly and at a sufficient dosage. That left option 3 as the only explanation. I had to find out more, and thus began my journey down the rabbit hole of modern trauma research.

Today, the study of trapped trauma has become a major part of my life and my teachings. Let me give you an idea how significant my research has been:

For the last 17 years, the topic of depression has been a major theme of my teachings. Similarly, I predict that trapped trauma will be a major theme of my teachings for the next 17 years.

I believe that qigong is powerful medicine if we want to heal from trauma. But if we don’t understand trauma and adjust our qigong practice accordingly, then we may plateau, just like my students did. In fact, I myself did something similar.

At the end of this article I’ll give you 13 tips to make your qigong practice more productive when dealing with trapped trauma. Follow these tips and you’ll avoid the mistakes that I made.

What is Trauma?

You’ve probably seen the word “trauma” popping up more often lately. That’s largely because Dr. Besser van der Kolk, M.D., wrote a book called The Body Keeps the Score. This book is over 400 pages long and contains many stories of abuse that are potentially triggering. Doesn’t exactly seem like the recipe for a bestseller, does it?

And yet, this book has been on the NY Times bestseller list for nearly 2 years. As a new nonfiction author who has just done his first lap through the world of publishing, I fully appreciate how incredible this is. The book’s success shows that people are starving for quality information about trauma. I know I was.

Here’s what van der Kolk has to say about trauma:

…trauma is specifically an event that overwhelms the central nervous system, altering the way we process and recall memories. Trauma is not the story of something that happened back then. It’s the current imprint of that pain, horror, and fear living inside people.”

When you think of trauma, think of an overwhelmed nervous system rather than the event itself. Child abuse is an obvious example. The event might be 3 decades in the past and may not even be accessible to conscious memory, and yet the nervous system can still be overwhelmed years later.

Seemingly insignificant events can also be traumatizing if they overwhelm the nervous system. For example, at the age of 3, I wandered off when my babysitter wasn’t looking. I walked about a half mile into a completely foreign suburban neighborhood that we were visiting. Long story short, some adults found me, called the police, and after a ride in the patrol car, I was reunited with my anxious parents.

Shit happens, right? Kids get lost in malls and airports. The question we should be asking, however, is whether or not the event overwhelmed the child’s nervous system. In my case, it did.

If something as significant as child abuse can remain hidden for decades, imagine all the less-obvious traumas that you are probably trivializing. And the traumas may not even be from childhood; a series of smaller traumas in adulthood can also overwhelm the nervous system.

Complex PTSD (CPTSD)

If you’ve read my book or taken any of my classes, then you know about my battles with depression and anxiety. My depression was severe and debilitating. I have journal entries from my teenage years that show clear signs of depression, I was officially diagnosed in my 20s, and if not for qigong, I would likely be dead.

But what if my diagnosis was wrong all along? What if depression and anxiety were just downstream symptoms of an older problem further upstream? What if I was actually dealing with Complex PTSD all along?

According to PsychCentral, symptoms of CPTSD often include the same types of symptoms seen with PTSD, such as:

• recurrent and intrusive thoughts or dreams
• flashbacks
• mental and physical reactions to reminders of the traumatic event
• avoidance of people, places, things, or events that remind you of the trauma
• memory loss
• negative thoughts toward yourself or the world
• self-blame
• bad moods that stick around
• detachment and disinterest
• difficulty showing positive emotion
• irritability
• recklessness
• hypervigilance, or being on “high alert”
• trouble concentrating
• startling easily
• trouble sleeping

If you live with CPTSD, you could also have more severe symptoms of Disturbances of Self-Organization (DSO), like:

• a negative view of yourself
• dissociation, or disconnecting from yourself and your emotions
• emotions that feel “out of control”
• relationship difficulties
• loss of your belief system
• difficulty recognizing reality

For many of you reading this, these symptoms may hit home. I know they did for me. Even before the pandemic, CPTSD was a growing epidemic. Covid has made everything much, much worse.

Holy Shit, I have CPTSD!

In news that will surprise absolutely no one, people are now developing trauma-like symptoms as the pandemic wears on. The article explains that experiencing the world as profoundly unsafe can overwhelm the nervous system and this can lead to CPTSD. And when our nervous system is overwhelmed, it can have long-lasting consequences.

For me, the pandemic triggered a decades-old sense of danger that I could not consciously explain. During this time, I was also doing a lot of zuo chan or sitting meditation in conjunction with my regular qigong practice. The combination of these two things — the feeling of danger from the pandemic plus the practice of sitting meditation — caused repressed memories to surface in my psyche.

Childhood trauma can be trapped in your tissues whether you realize it or not. I certainly didn’t. It wasn’t until late 2020 that I started to make sense of what happened to me.

What Happened to Me

Earlier, I mentioned that I exhibited symptoms of depression back in my teenage years. But my trauma goes back even farther, as I discovered when I went through an intense trauma therapy called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). This strange therapy, which is half neuroscience and half magic, helped me to access memories of childhood trauma that I had repressed for decades.

I’m not yet ready to talk openly about this trauma. For now, I’ll just mention that it involved a teacher who was also a family friend. This is relevant to our discussion about trauma, as you’ll see in a moment.

I’ve written at length about how I left my qigong teacher of 17 years over a sexual abuse scandal perpetrated by one of his certified instructors. I even talked about the death threats I received after blowing the whistle on the scandal. But what I’ve never mentioned — because I wasn’t yet aware of it — was how the scandal triggered my own childhood trauma. To leave your teacher of 17 years, who had formerly been your hero, and then to be attacked and libeled by him afterward — this might traumatize anyone. In my case, it was even worse because it triggered something from my childhood, something that also involved a male teacher and betrayal and abuse.

Qigong managed my trauma quite well for decades. In fact, it worked so well that I didn’t even know I was dealing with childhood trauma. Even after I left my teacher, I was okay for a few years. During that time, I successfully navigated the stress of a divorce, the closing of my qigong studio, the death of my grandmother, and a back injury. Yay for qigong!

Then the pandemic hit, and it turned out to be the straw that broke my nervous system’s back.

Getting Help

One day, as I was sitting in meditation, I had a sudden “knowing”. I find it impossible to describe the experience, but I said these words aloud to myself afterward: “We’re going to have to look at it someday.”

I realized that I needed help. I knew a little about trauma by this point in time, so I started looking for trauma-informed therapists. I tried several different therapies and therapists with varying degrees of success. Eventually, I was “diagnosed” with CPTSD.

I put that word in quotation marks because, unfortunately, CPTSD is still not an official diagnosis in the United States. In other words, mental health professionals still have no choice but to diagnose me with depression and/or anxiety because CPTSD is not yet an option. Nevertheless, one of my therapists made it clear that I had all the symptoms and signs of CPTSD.

In his book, Dr. van der Kolk talks about how he and his colleagues advocated for the inclusion of something called Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) back in 2011. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) rejected his request, citing “no known evidence” as their reason. But van der Kok had provided considerable evidence even as far back as 2011. Today, Dr. van der Kolk and his colleagues have amassed a large body of evidence that, unfortunately, still has not been accepted by the APA.

However, the International Classification of Diseases, version 11 (ICD-11) published in 2018 does recognize CPTSD as a mental health disorder. Ahem, so I guess there’s evidence after all!

What’s in a Diagnosis?

Mental health diagnoses are tricky and ever-changing. For example, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) wasn’t officially added to the DSM until 1980. But the problem had existed long before.

Everyone has heard the term “shell shocked”. This term was first adopted after WW1. Originally, doctors thought that there had been some damage to the brain that caused soldiers to experience insomnia, amnesia, headaches, dizziness, tremors, and noise hypersensitivity. Some of these poor men were branded as weak and even executed for military cowardice.

Today, we know that they were not cowards, nor were their brains damaged. Or rather, their brains were damaged, but not by the force of the artillery. Rather, the central nervous system, which includes the brain, was damaged by the experience of the war.

DTD and CPTSD are not yet official diagnoses in the U.S., but they will be one day, just like PTSD. The American Psychiatric Association can only resist for so long. I predict that the success of Dr. van der Kolk’s book will force them to take another look at trauma and include new diagnoses in the next edition of the DSM.

At that point, will my decades-old diagnosis shift from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) to something like CPTSD or DTD? Who knows. In the end, a diagnosis is only a label. What really matters is what we do to heal.

What Can We Do to Heal?

I decided to tell a bit of my trauma story in this post for one main reason: Because I hope it will help some of you to acknowledge your own trauma.

Don’t trivialize your trauma the way I did. In fact, trivializing trauma is a symptom of trauma! So if your first reaction is to dismiss what happened to you, then it probably means you need to take a closer look at it.

With the tips and resources below, you will be well prepared to heal your own trauma. Be warned, however, that you might feel resistance when digging in to your trauma. Believe me, I get it! But if you’re ready to do the work, then the resources below will help!

Books to Read:

Here are a few books that I think are worth reading. If you suspect that you’re dealing with trapped trauma, or if you know someone who might be dealing with it, then knowledge is power. These books will give you a crash course into the topic of trapped trauma.

• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
• Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine
• Trauma: The Invisible Epidemic: How Trauma Works and How We Can Heal From It by Paul Conti M.D.
• What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D
• Radical Acceptance: Awakening the Love That Heals Fear and Shame by Tara Brach

What I find fascinating is that virtually all of the books I’ve read on trauma mention qigong as a therapy. They don’t just mention tai chi, meditation, or yoga – but qigong specifically. This is great news for us!

Therapies to Explore:

Here are some of the therapies that I have personally tried. Of these, I found that Internal Family Systems worked the best for me. Your experience might be different. If you choose to try EMDR, make sure to do it with a skilled professional. Whatever you do, DO NOT try to do it on your own. You’ve been warned!

• Internal Family Systems Therapy
• Somatic Experiencing
• EMDR
• Yoga
• Qigong (see below)

If You’re in Crisis Right Now

If you know my story, then you know that I almost killed myself in my 20s. Back then, I had no clue about suicide prevention. I was lucky to survive.

The US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline saves lives. They are amazingly helpful if you need to talk. Call this number immediately: (800) 273-8255.

If you don’t feel like calling, then click here and look for the LIVE CHAT button. It’s available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, in both English and Spanish.

Or if you’re outside of the US, then please click here for a list of international hotlines.

13 Tips for Healing Trauma with Qigong:

Qigong heals trauma, but there are things we can do to make it more efficient. This is an area that I am actively studying, but below are my findings so far. I will remind you that I am not a licensed psychologist nor a psychiatrist. However, I am an expert in qigong.

If you are new to qigong, or new to my style of qigong, then some of these tips may not make sense. That’s okay. There’s enough here for you to play with no matter what.

Here are my tips, in no particular order:

Tip #1: Try the Flowing Zen 5-Phase Routine, especially if you’ve been unsuccessful in treating your trapped trauma with qigong. You can learn it in my book. This routine is a game-changer for many people, even if they’ve been doing qigong for decades. The entire routine only takes 10-15 minutes and it is an easy way to implement the most important qigong secrets into your daily practice.

Tip #2: Look around in all directions (up and down too) immediately before your qigong session. Move the head and eyes slowly, as if scanning for danger. You are gently telling your nervous system that you are safe and that there are no predators nearby. This also works for yoga, tai chi, and sitting meditation.

Tip #3: Use the qigong exercise called Shaking the Tree to help you relax before your session. If you don’t know this exercise, then you can learn it for free here. This exercise anchors the Monkey Mind into a physical movement and gives it a way to release stored tension. Try the exercise by itself for 2 minutes and you’ll feel the difference. Then incorporate the same technique into the beginning of your qigong session.

Tip #4: Use pandiculation. When you wake up in the morning or after a good nap and then stretch randomly and yawn – that’s pandiculation. Try using artificial pandiculation before a qigong session. Just pretend you’re waking up from the world’s best summer nap and then stretch and move spontaneously for 10-15 seconds.

Tip #5: Try to actively yawn. This goes hand-in-hand with pandiculation, and they complement each other. You can stimulate a yawn by opening your mouth as wide as you can and then trying to say the letter “R” 3-4 times. Keep your mouth wide open as you do this. In a few seconds, you should feel the urge to yawn. Encourage that yawn! This will stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and restore), which will calm you down before even doing any qigong!

Tip #6: Keep the eyes open or half-open for most of your qigong session. Closing the eyes may tense up the nervous system because it can make you feel vulnerable. If you are practicing in a public place like a park, then this is even more important.

Tip #7: Choose qigong exercises with vocalizations, like Punching with Wide Eyes, One Finger Zen, or the 18 Arhats. If you don’t know any of these, then you can add a gentle sighing sound (e.g. “ahhhhh) to any of the techniques that you know. Use this vocalization on half or all of the exhalations. Or you can use techniques from other schools of qigong that have vocalizations.

Tip #8: Use Five Animal Play 1-2 times per week with full privacy. If you don’t know Five Animal Play yet, just use Flowing Breeze Swaying Willow, but try to encourage spontaneous vocalizations. Privacy is key here. If you inhibit yourself for fear of being heard by your spouse or your neighbors, it won’t work as well.

Tip #9: Check your jaw tension throughout your session. Get in the habit of releasing that tension whenever it creeps back in (which it will). Wiggle your jaw in all directions, and also loosen your tongue. Doing this will relax your vagus nerve, which in turn will help to unwind your nervous system.

Tip #10: Close at the mingmen vital point instead of dantian at the end of the session. Or you can consolidate at dantian first, then finish with mingmen. If you don’t know how to do this, then use Guideline #3 here.

Tip #11: Before and/or during your session, talk gently to yourself as if talking to a child. Say something like, “Don’t worry kiddo, you are safe now,” or “It’s going to be okay.” Choose words that you yourself might use to console a child who just went through a traumatic experience. Or if you can’t imagine a child, then imagine how you would talk to an animal that was recently frightened. You don’t need to speak out loud, but you certainly can.

Tip #12: Use One Finger Zen before and after a session, or on its own. You can learn how to do this here. The idea is to bring your awareness into your body and, if you have some qigong skill, into your energy flow. Try to feel the qi in your index finger as you walk around before and after your session.

Tip #13: Start with the Closing Sequence and focus on the sensations of the self-massage. Normally, we close our session like this, but we can also use it as an opening sequence. The somatic nature of the self-massage helps to bring us out of our heads and into our bodies. After doing the Closing Sequence, begin the 5-Phase Routine as normal (ending with the Closing Sequence again in Phase 5).

…

Try some of these tips and let me know how it goes. Did you find one of them particularly helpful? Your feedback will help me to further develop my theories about qigong and trauma.

I’ve touched on many important trauma-related subjects in this post. I mean, each of the subheadings could be a separate blog post on its own! Rest assured that this is just the beginning of our trauma conversation. Expect more blog posts diving deeper into the topic of trauma and qigong.

And please remember that I am not a doctor or a therapist. This article is for informational purposes only, and nothing is meant to be used as professional or medical advice. Be well and take care of yourself!

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post How to Heal Trapped Trauma with Qigong appeared first on Flowing Zen.

In this edition of Ask Sifu Anthony, you’ll find questions about cancer, pain, self-compassion, qigong fasting, long-covid, and dantian theory.

I believe that students should be able to get the answers that they need. That’s why I work so hard answering questions in our free Facebook group, inside my online programs, in our webinars, and here on the blog.

Seeing other students asks questions that you might have asked yourself – and then reading the answers – helps us everyone feel connected to a global qigong community. It also helps those who are too introverted or too shy to ask a question! Plus, you can add comments and questions below the post!

Question 1: Dave

I’ve got a large recurring liposarcoma on my thigh. I’ve tried almost everything I can think of to get rid of it. No matter what I do, it slowly keeps growing and I have to keep getting the same surgery. Help! “

Hi Dave. From your submission form, I understand that you haven’t yet learned the Flowing Zen 5-Phase Routine. So it would seem that you haven’t tried quite everything! Gotcha!

But seriously, many students come to me having already tried “everything”, often for decades. And many of them find that qigong is the puzzle piece that they were searching for. Or rather, I should say Flowing Zen Qigong because many students had previously tried other types of qigong that did not work for them.

I think you’re a perfect candidate for Flowing Zen Qigong. Many therapies require a clear etiology in order to be effective, but Flowing Zen Qigong is not one of them. 

You have a diagnosis, but there is no etiology. Experts aren’t sure how soft tissue sarcomas develop. [Source]

In other words, we know that you have a recurring liposarcoma, but no one knows why. Luckily, the why doesn’t matter.

In my qigong school, we use an amazing technique called Flowing Breeze Swaying Willow (FBSW) to circulate the energy freely through the 12 Primary Meridians. Because of this, the healing energy flows where it needs to go, no etiology needed. This is why cases like yours often do well with Flowing Zen Qigong.

Before my book came out in March, you would have had to pay $100-$500 for one of my online courses in order to learn FBSW. Now you can learn it for $10 (Kindle) or $18 (paperback). That’s because the book comes with an online mini-course that will teach you the 5-Phase Routine.

I need to be clear that I’m not a doctor, I’ve never played one on TV, and that it is literally illegal in the US for me to claim that qigong can cure cancer. However, in Chapter 5 of my book, I talk about what we can and cannot heal with qigong, and I use cancer as a theoretical example. I think this section will be of particular interest to you. Please keep us posted on your progress!

Click here to buy my book.

Question 2: Tina

Note: after receiving this submission, I emailed Tina to ask some follow-up questions. Because of this, I know more about her situation that might be revealed in her question.

Hi Tina. I understand that you ruptured your achilles tendon back in 2019 and had surgery to repair it. I also understand that you developed a chronic pain syndrome after the surgery and that doctors are not offering you good solutions. You mentioned that you believe your pain can be cured, but that you haven’t yet found a healer who understands what is going on.

I want you to know that I do understand what’s going on and I believe that qigong can help you to reclaim your life.

When it comes to chronic pain, Western medicine does yet not have good answers. That is changing with the rise of Mind-Body medicine, but the change is slow – too slow for you. Luckily, we don’t have to wait.

The first question we need to answer is why your body is saying no to qigong. It’s great that you’re in tune with your body and can hear when it cries out. But why is it saying no to qigong?

I suspect that a part of your psyche is saying no to qigong because it feels unsafe.

Why would something like qigong feel unsafe? Because qigong involves relaxing the nervous system and unblocking emotions that may have been stuck for years. Part of you probably feels that these emotions are too big to unblock. So that part of you resists.

If my theory is correct, then the solution is self-compassion. In the Zen tradition, we call this “metta”, or loving-kindness. The best way I’ve found to practice metta is to talk or write to the wounded part of myself as if it were a child.

Speak to this part of yourself with kindness, compassion, and understanding. Listen to it if you can. See if you can figure out why part of you feels unsafe with qigong. Make this self-compassion your practice until you feel safe enough to resume qigong.

As you resume your qigong, continue to be kind to yourself. The goal is to practice daily, or even twice daily, but this doesn’t mean that we should shame ourselves if we fail to reach that goal immediately. It might take a few months or even a few years to accomplish this goal. The more self-compassion you practice, the faster you’ll go.

On days when you feel a resistance to practicing, ask yourself if it’s okay to practice the 2-Minute Drill. It’s only 2 minutes. Would that be okay? Usually, the psyche will agree to this.

From there, try to do the 5-Phase Routine a few times a week. You can do a combination of sitting and standing. If you only stand for one phase, make it Phase 3. This article will give you some tips on doing qigong from a chair.

The combination of patience + self-compassion will inevitably lead you to a daily practice of the Flowing Zen 5-Phase Routine. And once you can do that 5-6 times per week, you will be well on your way to relieving your chronic pain and reclaiming your life.

You can do this! It’s okay to go slow as long as you do not give up.

Question 3: Lilly

Hi Lilly. I understand that you just learned the 5-Phase Routine a few weeks ago. Good for you and welcome to the Flowing Zen family!

I’m not a doctor, but it sounds to me like long-covid might be one possible explanation for your breathing problems. Have your doctors mentioned this? Remember, the latest research shows that you can get long-covid even if you had an asymptomatic case of covid.

Luckily, it doesn’t matter if it’s long-covid or anxiety or something else. It’s always good to work with medical professionals to rule out acute or serious problems, but you’ve already done that.

Now it’s time for you to contribute to your own healing process with qigong. The beautiful thing about Flowing Zen Qigong is that we don’t need a diagnosis. By practicing the 5-Phase Routine, which you can learn in the bonuses that come with my book, you will get all of your body’s healing processes flowing again.

Here’s my promise to you: Do the 5-Phase routine for 30 days in a row and you will see progress.

This doesn’t mean you’ll be 100% fixed in 30 days, but rather that you will see clear signs of progress. You might breathe a little easier, or feel that you don’t lose your breath as easily when sitting. Or you may feel that your overall energy levels have improved, along with your mood.

Make sure to use the Qi Chart that is included in the book bonuses. And remember – it’s not easy to practice the 5-Phase Routine daily. Be gentle with yourself as you take on this challenge. Use the 2-Minute drill to start, and work up to the 5-Phase Routine. Everything you need to start healing can be found in my book and the accompanying bonuses!

Question 4: Julie

Do you think fasting (aka Bigu fasting) is helpful or unnecessary? Asking as a cancer survivor.

Hi Julie. First, congrats on beating cancer! And I applaud your effort to continue making healthy lifestyle changes, including qigong. Good for you!

For those who don’t know, bigu (辟穀, pronounced “bee goo”), or “grain avoidance”, is an ancient Taoist fasting practice that was typically practiced by spiritualists. Some people interpret it as avoiding all food (aka water fasting) and others interpret it as fasting from carbohydrates (aka a low-carb or ketogenic diet). I think there are good arguments for both interpretations.

The last I checked, research was being done on the efficacy of water fasting for cancer outcomes. I am not sure if there is conclusive evidence yet. I know that a fasting-mimicking diet helped cancer patients survive and get over chemotherapy quicker [source], but I don’t know if further research has been done since then.

From a qigong perspective, there’s no question that fasting boosts the flow of qi. Spiritualists and ascetics have done this for years in order to focus the mind and cleanse the body. The Shaolin Monks probably practiced something like this for centuries. They probably ate once per day around noontime. Many Buddhist monks still follow a similar schedule. This in itself isn’t reason enough to copy them, but I think it’s interesting.

I myself have experimented with fasting for years, and so have many of my students. Even just a 12-hour fast from 8pm to 8am the following day can boost the flow of qi during qigong sessions..

This is an experiment that you can run yourself, assuming that it’s medically safe for you to fast for 12 hours. Limit your eating window to 12 hours on some days. See how you feel. Assuming that you’ve been practicing qigong previously, does it change the flow of qi in your body?

If fasting improves the flow of qi, then it’s safe to assume that it also has a general salutary effect. And this is, in a nutshell, what the ancient Taoists were saying.

I’m not recommending intermittent fasting per se, although I myself do it often. I am, however, saying that intermittent fasting helps with the flow of qi. I think there is also growing research being done on intermittent fasting. Here’s an interesting podcast on the subject by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and tenured Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

If you decide to try intermittent fasting, just do your normal 5-Phase Routine during the fasted period. If you get hungry, do the 2-minute drill and then drink some water after. This simple equation can make a 12-hour fast incredibly easy.

Question 5: Jonathon

If my dantian was already formed, then it wasn’t strong enough to feel until I did lots of qigong. Or if I formed it with qigong, then what’s the difference, practically speaking? I now have a pearl of qi at dantian. Et voilà!

In my school, we cultivate dantian in Phase 4 of the 5-Phase Routine. Later, adding zhan zhuang (the Warrior Stances) will also help. And later still, you can add Dantian Breathing and Small Universe Breathing.

Get to work on that dantian and then you can decide for yourself!

Question 6: Anonymous

I am on a healing journey. Detox for body health (not addictions). Insomnia 20 years (no sleep aid meds). I made a decision to do nothing till better. In early 2019, I worked with and on many things like Wellness Chiropractor and Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT). So question would be what self healing Ideas would you have? Yes I know I have to make Qigong a regular practice. Detox has made feet and hands painful. I look forward to your thoughts and insight.

Hello there. You say that you know that you have to make qigong a regular practice. But knowing is not enough. You have to act.

In my book, I talk about my own repeated failures while trying to make qigong a regular practice. It’s not easy to put all of your own failures on display for thousands of people, but I did it because I want my readers to know something important: If I can do it, you can too.

Making qigong a regular habit is not easy. As a teacher, I don’t just tell my students what to practice; I also help them to develop the HABIT of practicing. This is something that everyone struggles with. If you are human, then you will struggle as well.

From your submission, I know that you are in your 50s, your health is bad, and you have not yet learned the Flowing Zen 5-Phase Routine. My book contains all of my best thoughts, ideas, and insights into self-healing. It is the culmination of 30 years of practice and 17 years of teaching. It also comes with videos teaching the 5-Phase Routine.

If you understand English well enough to read it, then that is my recommendation. If you cannot understand my book, then I recommend that you read my blog and use a translator. My blog has 3 books worth of material. It is not as good as my book, but it’s free and you will learn a lot about qigong and self-healing!

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post [April 2022] Ask Sifu Anthony appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Some qigong teachers demand that you practice 2 hours every day. I have never been one of those teachers. That’s because I didn’t do it that way, and I always try to practice what I teach.

I also know from my own experience that this kind of advice doesn’t work. The success rate for this method is ridiculously low, probably around 2-3%.

If only a tiny percentage of your students are able to implement your advice, then something is wrong.

The truth is that practicing 2 hours a day is outrageously hard, even if you are desperate for healing.

And yet…and yet…

Sometimes, you really DO need to practice for 2 hours per day. Qigong is medicine. As with all medicine, the dosage matters.

When deep healing is required, a higher dose of qigong is also required.

15 Minutes Per Day

Typically, I encourage my students to practice for ~15 minutes per session. From there, I encourage them to do ~15 minutes twice per day, once in the morning, and then again in the afternoon or evening. So that’s a total of ~30 minutes per day.

Some students stick with 15 minutes once a day and get good results. When you do 15 minutes every day religiously, and when you follow the 5-Phase Routine, you get tremendous bang for your buck.

Nevertheless, I can confidently say that even this — just 15 minutes once per day — is hard. With the right method you can do it, but don’t expect it to be easy.

The method that I use is called the 2-Minute Method. In short, instead of demanding that you immediately start practicing for 15 minutes every day (and shaming you if you don’t), I encourage you to start with 2 minutes per day.

Or if you fall off the horse and stop practicing qigong, then the way to get back up by doing 2 minutes a day. Same method.

If you can do 2 minutes a day, then you can eventually do 15 minutes per day.

And here’s the next part of that equation: If you can do 15 minutes per day, then you can do 2 hours.

Ancient vs. Modern Settings

Let’s back up a bit. Why is it so damn hard to do 15 minutes per day, let alone 2 hours per day? What’s up with that?

Here’s some perspective for you. The modern concept of a qigong school did not exist for most of the history of this art. There were 4 main settings for learning and practicing qigong in the past:

1. A temple environment (like Shaolin or Wudang)
2. The master’s house
3. A military environment
4. An appointment with a Chinese physician

Notice that all 4 of these environments came with built-in discipline:

• If you were in a Buddhist or Taoist temple, then you would have had a rigid schedule as well as community accountability.
• If you were learning at the master’s house, then it would have been a daily affair and you would have been constantly under his or her watchful eye.
• If you were in the military, then you would have learned and practiced qigong under strict military discipline.
• If your Chinese physician prescribed qigong, then you would likely have learned it 1-on-1 and perhaps even seen them daily.

In other words, most qigong practice happened in a totally different setting back then. They certainly weren’t dealing with getting kids ready for school, making coffee before work, running out for groceries, or fixing the damn WiFi router (again!).

The closest comparison we have in the 21st century is a healing retreat. For example, at my qigong retreat in Costa Rica, where we do 4-6 hours of qigong per day, students never struggle with discipline. They easily put in the time.

I’m not making excuses for you or for myself. There ARE ways to become a disciplined practitioner of qigong in the modern era. But beating yourself up because you lack willpower is not one of them.

The Bamboo Stick

In the 4 traditional environments above, teachers would often use a bamboo stick to manually adjust students and even whack them when they made mistakes. I’ve never done this, not just because it’s illegal (can you imagine the lawsuits?) but also because I’m a modern educator and I don’t subscribe to this kind of outdated pedagogy.

I will never hit you with a bamboo stick. So why are you hitting yourself with a figurative stick? Why would you expect something like that to work? There are other ways to get yourself to practice more — ways that actually work.

When 2 Hours is Critical

Recently, I received an email from a longtime student who is facing a serious health crisis. He’s an older gentleman, but not too old. He told me, bluntly, that he’s not ready to die.

In a situation like this, 15 minutes twice per day is a good start, but it’s probably not enough. We need to increase the dosage. A lot.

I encouraged him to work up to 2 hours per day. This includes his tai chi practice, as well as his sitting meditation practice (which he learned elsewhere).

Humans can do incredible things when faced with their own mortality. But not always. Often, students will simply give up hope. Or they will beat themselves up with a figurative bamboo stick.

This particular student does not have time to waste. There’s no time for self-deprecation. There’s no time for despair. And there’s no time to use ineffective methods for increasing his qigong dosage.

Let’s focus on what really works.

How to Increase Your Dosage

I made the decision years ago not to berate my students for not practicing more. I not even chastise them if they struggled to do 15 minutes. Instead, I would use modern teaching methods, positive reinforcement, and most importantly, leading by example.

If you know my story, you know that I struggled to practice even while desperately needing qigong to heal my depression. It was during my struggle that I discovered what I now call the 2-Minute Method.

Today, instead of telling students to practice 2 hours per day, I tell them to start with 2 minutes a day. The 2-minute session acts as a placeholder for a future 15-minute session. Later, once you are doing a solid 15 minutes per day, you can repeat the process by adding a 2-minute session to the opposite end of the day. This then becomes a placeholder for your 2nd session.

In other words, the progression looks something like this:

1. 2 minutes once per day
2. 15 minutes 2-3 times per week, replacing those 2 minute sessions (while maintaining 2 minutes on the other days)
3. 15 minutes once per day
4. 15 minutes once per day + 2 minutes once per day in a new time slot
5. 15 minutes twice per day

This progression follows the ancient Chinese concept of jiànjìn (漸進) , which translates to “gradual progress” or “step-by-step progression”.

But that’s still only 30 minutes a day. So how do we increase to 2 hours?

More Quantity, Same Quality

I always encourage students to use high-quality sessions, and that advice hasn’t changed. For beginners, it’s much, much easier to keep the quality high during a 15-minute session than during a 1-hour session. It’s easier to concentrate and focus for 15 minutes, whether it’s qigong or some other kind of work.

Keeping the quality high like this ensures that we are actually doing qigong and not just waving our arms gently in the air. In my school, this means entering into a meditative state, using qigong exercises as moving meditation, generating an energy flow, letting the qi flow freely, consolidating the qi at dantian, etc. We call all of this the 5-Phase Routine.

Once the quality is high, once you have a feel for it — then you can start to increase the quantity too. The trick is to progress gradually.

If you gradually increase the time of your practice sessions, you will be able to keep the quality high. It’s no different than gradually increasing the amount of weight that you are lifting. In this case, it’s your concentration that will get stronger rather than your muscles.

How to Gradually Increase

So here’s how it would look if you were to gradually increase your quantity. Let’s start with the original formula:

• Stage 1: 2 minutes once per day
• Stage 2: 15 minutes once per day (in the same time slot)
• Stage 3: 15 minutes once per day + 2 minutes once per day (in a new time slot)
• Stage 4: 15 minutes twice per day

Let’s assume that you’ve made it to stage 4 and you already have a morning and evening session. Now let’s just continue:

• Stage 5: 20 minutes in the morning + 15 minutes in the evening
• Stage 6: 20 minutes twice per day
• Stage 7: 30 minutes in the morning + 20 minutes in the evening
• Stage 8: 30 minutes twice per day

I encourage you to lengthen only 1 session at a time. This way, you can be sure that you’re keeping the quality high because you still have a shorter session to compare it to.

If you are in a rush because of a healing crisis like the student I mentioned above, then you can move more quickly through the stages. But I don’t recommend that you skip ahead.

40-Minutes 2x Per Day

Once you work up to about 40-minutes 2x per day (i.e. 1 hour and 20 minutes total), you will have some decisions to make. But first, congrats!The truth is that 40 minutes twice per day is incredibly powerful medicine if you stay consistent. Great work!

But some people might still need more. I have been one of those people myself. So if you want to get up to 2 hours per day, then you can do one of the following:

1. Add a 3rd session, using the gradual progress method from above.
2. Add a similar art, like yoga or tai chi
3. Add sitting meditation
4. Use walking meditation

Adding a 3rd, high-quality session can be hard for many people. If you can do it, more power to you. But if you can’t because of work or kids or both, then try one of the other options.

If all else fails, do 30 minutes of walking meditation each day. Walking is medicine on its own and it’s a perfect complement to qigong. You can make it even more healing by walking in nature, and by adding One Finger Zen.

If you have an existing yoga or tai chi practice, or if you want to dust one of these off, then great. Use that as your 3rd session. It can go immediately before or after one of your existing qigong sessions.

If you have an existing or rusty sitting meditation practice, then add that somewhere. This will greatly magnify the power of your 2 qigong sessions.

Of course, you can also gradually increase the duration of each qigong session until they are 1 hour each. But many students find it hard to keep the quality high for 1-hour sessions.

Example Routines

If you’re a student of mine, then you’re probably wondering — but how do we do a longer session? Below are some examples, with the rough number of minutes listed.

If you’re not a student of mine…then what are you waiting for? You can go learn the 5-Phase Routine for free here.

Example 1 (40 minutes)

• Entering Zen (2.5)
• 2 favorite qigong exercises (5)
• FBSW (5)
• 2 more favorites (5)
• FBSW (5)
• 2 more favorites (5)
• FBSW (5)
• Stillness (5)
• Closing (2.5)

Example 2 (40 Minutes)

• Entering Zen (2.5)
• Favorite dynamic qigong exercise #1 (3.3)
• Favorite dynamic qigong exercise #2 (3.3)
• Favorite dynamic qigong exercise #3 (3.3)
• FBSW (5)
• Hugging the Tree (10)
• FBSW (5)
• Stillness (5)
• Closing (2.5)

Example 3 (40 minutes)

• Entering Zen (2.5)
• Favorite dynamic qigong exercise #1 (2.5)
• Favorite dynamic qigong exercise #2 (2.5)
• FBSW (5)
• Favorite dynamic qigong exercise #3 (2.5)
• Favorite dynamic qigong exercise #4 (2.5)
• FBSW (5)
• 1% Forgiveness (5)
• FBSW or Five Animal Play (5)
• Stillness (5)
• Closing (2.5)

Example 4 (40 Minutes)

• Entering Zen (2.5)
• Favorite dynamic qigong exercise #1 (2)
• Favorite dynamic qigong exercise #2 (2)
• Favorite dynamic qigong exercise #3 (2)
• FBSW (3)
• Wuji Stance (2)
• Single-Leg Stance (2 minutes total, 1 minute each side)
• Bow-Arrow Stance (2 minutes total, 1 minute each side)
• Hugging the Tree (10)
• FBSW (5)
• Stillness (5)
• Closing (2.5)

These are just examples. And the times are just rough estimates. You don’t need to be timing this stuff down to the minute.

For my active students, if you’d like some longer guided meditations like this, let me know in the comments below. I’m busy with my book at the moment, but I can try to record some longer meditations if you think that they will be useful.

Summing Up

Qigong is enjoyable, makes us feel better immediately, and brings numerous benefits over time. And yet…it’s still hard to practice.

If you want to practice every day, whether that means 15 minutes per day or 2 hours per day, use the 2-Minute Method and gradual progress.

The post Should You Practice Qigong 2 Hours Every Day? appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Self-care is my thing. I love taking responsibility for my own healing. I’ll involve healers and physicians whenever needed, but what I will never, ever do is outsource my healing 100%.

That’s why I was originally drawn to qigong — because it empowered me to heal myself. And that’s why, all these years later, I’m so passionate about sharing it with others.

But healing is a messy business. I’d love to tell you that practicing qigong will solve all your problems, but I can’t do that. Unlike other qigong teachers out there, I am allergic to BS. Don’t believe the snake oil salesmen who try to tell you that qigong is all you need to cure yourself of anything and everything that ails you.

Don’t get me wrong — qigong is powerful. For me and many of my students, it is THE most powerful tool we’ve encountered, and believe me, we’ve tried everything! But just because qigong is the strongest medicine on the planet doesn’t mean that it is the only medicine you need.

I’m a huge fan of acupuncture, which is one reason I went to acupuncture college. But there are many other awesome therapies out there. To get the healing that you need, you may need to combine your qigong with chiropractic, myofascial release, talk therapy, Reiki, or some other form of healing.

Healing therapies can be pricey though. And in the age of COVID-19, it can also be problematic to visit a therapist.

What if there were a way to boost your healing that could be done from home and cost literally pennies per session?

And what if this method was a perfect compliment to your qigong practice?

Introducing Expressive Writing

I’ve journaled for decades. It’s how I process my thoughts and emotions. I sit down in the morning with a cup of coffee and I journal.

I love Natalie Goldberg’s books and I’ve even taken an online writing course with her. I’ve also used Julia Cameron’s “Morning Pages” method.

But when it comes to healing, nothing compares to Expressive Writing.

When I first learned about Expressive Writing, I dismissed it. The main difference here is that you are required to destroy your writing immediately after finishing.

That’s it? Destroy the entry — either by burning it or deleting it on the computer? Bah. What’s the big deal? It’s not much different than what I’ve been doing for years.

I was dead wrong. The first time I tried Expressive Writing, I was shocked at how powerful it was. And I’m not alone. It turns out that many people have a profound healing release after doing 1-5 sessions of Expressive Writing.

Sound interesting? Then keep reading.

The Science

Before I tell you how to use Expressive Writing, let’s talk about the science.

Currently, there are over 500 research papers on Expressive Writing on PubMed, the national database of research studies.

In other words, Expressive Writing isn’t woo woo; it’s evidence-based healing.

Dr. David Hanscom is an orthopedic complex spinal deformity surgeon and the author of Back in Control: A Surgeon’s Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain. This book is where I originally learned about Expressive Writing. If you are battling chronic pain, especially back pain, then I recommend his book.

Dr. Hanscom uses Expressive Writing with virtually all of his patients, even ones in severe pain who seem to be strong candidates for surgery. In many of these cases, the patients find immediate relief after just a few days of Expressive Writing.

It may seem strange for a spine surgeon to discourage his patients from surgery but that’s exactly what Dr. Hanscom does. Instead, he starts them on a holistic healing program that includes:

• Expressive Writing
• mindfulness meditation
• forgiveness meditation
• gratitude meditation.

Sound familiar? (For those who don’t know my work, I teach all of these techniques in my qigong programs, except for expressive writing.)

How it Works

The truth is that we don’t know exactly how Expressive Writing works. That’s why I call it “magical”. But I have my theories. Here’s what I think:

1. It puts your thoughts where you can see them, thereby giving you much-needed cognitive distance.
2. Destroying the writing is a symbolic gesture that seeps into your subconscious, allowing stuck emotions to start flowing again.
3. Knowing that you will destroy the entry gives you the freedom to write things that, normally, you would not allow yourself to write. This can give you valuable insight into things that are still blocking you on a mental-emotional level.
4. The process of connecting your thoughts with actual physical sensations (more on that soon) helps to create closure, allowing you to let go.

It’s important to remember that we do not need to know HOW something works in order to know THAT it works. This applies to both Eastern and Western therapies.

For example, the mechanism for aspirin was not understood for decades. This didn’t stop doctors from prescribing it because it was clear that, whatever the mechanism, aspirin works.

Expressive Writing — How to Do It

Now let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of practice. Here are my instructions, which I’ve compiled from a few sources, as well as my own experience.

1. Write down your thoughts/emotions. These can positive, negative, or a combination both.
2. Try to write in a meditative state. You can use the 2-Minute Drill before writing to help you get into this state.
3. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. Just get your pen or fingers moving, and then keep them moving.
4. Remind yourself that you are free to write ANYTHING because you will destroy the entry soon.
5. Connect actual physical sensations with the narrative. In other words, don’t just tell what happened, but how you FELT about what happened.
6. When you’re finished, immediately destroy the entry. If you’re writing on paper, this means using a paper shredder or burning (be safe!). If you’re using a digital device, make sure to empty the trash after you delete it.
7. Destroy immediately means just that. Do NOT spend time ruminating on what you wrote. Don’t even reread what you wrote. The goal is to let go, not hang on!
8. Write once or twice a day for 5 to 15 minutes.
9. If your mood plummets after writing, stop for a few days. Although this is a sign of healing, it can take time to process the emotions. Qigong will help with the processing.
10. Consider this a lifetime practice similar to brushing your teeth. There is no beginning or end point.

Some Tips to Get You Started

I’ve already mentioned that this type of writing is a bit different than your regular journal or diary writing. Somehow, Expressive Writing goes deeper. If you aren’t accustomed to writing about your deep-seated emotional blockages or unhealthy beliefs, then it might help to have some simple prompts to get you started.

Here are some prompts that will help you get your Expressive Writing juices flowing:

• What’s been nagging at you lately?
• If you had to guess which emotion is stuck, what would it be?
• What keeps you up at night?
• What’s something that you’ve never told a single soul?
• What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?
• In what ways are you too hard on yourself?
• What are you afraid of people finding out about you?
• Who have you not forgiven yet?
• What apology would mean a lot to you?
• What might your pain be trying to tell you?

Pick one of these prompts and then write for 15 minutes. Don’t worry if you end up writing about something different than when you started. Remember — this isn’t a college essay and you’re going to destroy it anyway!

Why It Pairs So Well with Qigong

If you do a few sessions of Expressive Writing, you’ll quickly discover that it’s an emotional process. If you commit to this process, you’ll experience at least one emotional catharsis within a few weeks. According to qigong theory, this kind of emotional catharsis can be HUGE.

Our goal with qigong is the smooth flow of qi through the meridians. When the qi flows smoothly, then we will be happier and healthier.

Stuck emotions block the flow of qi. These blockages can remain in your system for years or even decades.

Here’s a powerful example. I once had a student who had a difficult relationship with his father. Let’s call him Jesse.

Jesse told me that he didn’t shed a tear when his father died, not even at the funeral. Obviously, this is unhealthy. This is an energy blockage.

I did a private session with Jesse and opened some vital points. Because he had never grieved his father’s death, I decided to open some energy points along his Lung Meridian. (In qigong theory, the emotion of grief is associated with the Lung and Large Intestine Meridians.)

When I touched the final energy point in the meridian, Jesse immediately broke into tears. It was as immediate as if I had flipped a light switch.

I mention this because it’s a good example of how emotions can get stuck for years or decades, even if we practice qigong. Jesse was a dedicated qigong practitioner for years before this, but it wasn’t enough to break through. He needed to do a private session with me to open the blockage.

Cheap Medicine

You don’t need to do a private session with me in order to clear your old blockages. And let’s be honest, you probably can’t afford me anyway. (I charge high fees for private sessions because they pull me away from my primary work, which is helping groups of people.)

Instead, try Expressive Writing. But there’s one problem: Your old excuses won’t work here because:

• Expressive Writing is not expensive
• Expressive Writing is not physically challenging
• Expressive Writing doesn’t require a lot of time

To get the best results, I recommend that you combine Expressive Writing with qigong. If you’re already practicing qigong, then simply add Expressive Writing to your daily routine.

If you don’t know qigong – then what are you waiting for? Go get my book, silly. It comes with a free online course and it’s the absolute cheapest way to get started with qigong.

And if you try Expressive Writing, please let me know how it goes. I would love for you to comment below with your experiences. 

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post The Magical Healing Powers of Expressive Writing appeared first on Flowing Zen.

I get it. You wanted to feel better, which is why you started practicing qigong in the first place. You wanted to heal your body, your mind, and perhaps even your spirit.

And things were going great — until the shit hit the fan and the qigong cleansing began!

Cleansing that begins as a result of your qigong practice is a real phenomenon. It’s known by many names, including:

• qigong growing pains
• qigong cleansing
• qi detoxification
• qi purging
• a healing crisis

The good news is that qigong cleansing is a temporary phase, and it’s also a sign that you are healing! In fact, it’s often a sign that the qigong method you’re following is powerful!

The bad news is that it’s no fun. No fun at all.

Self-Diagnosing Your Qigong Cleansing

In this article, I’ll help you to determine whether or not you’re experiencing a bout of qigong cleansing.

First of all, you need to understand that cleansing happens in ALL holistic healing modalities including (but not limited to):

• qigong (and tai chi)
• acupuncture
• Chinese herbal medicine
• chiropractic
• massage therapy

Whenever you’re getting to the root cause of a health problem, there will be growing pains.

This is confusing for us because we’re used to Western Medicine, which typically just masks the symptoms of chronic illness rather than getting to the root cause. So it often comes as a shock when we undergo intensive healing and experience signs of cleansing.

Here are some common signs that you are cleansing as a result of your qigong practice:

1. Old injuries start hurting again
2. Your emotions become more volatile
3. You experience bouts of mild diarrhea
4. Your breath starts to stink
5. You start to stink
6. An old illness flares up
7. You experience bouts of insomnia

Typically, you’ll experience two or three of these during a cleansing period. However, there’s something else that we need to look for, and it’s critical:

To accurately diagnose a case of qigong cleansing, one or more of the above symptoms MUST be combined with a general feeling of wellness immediately after your qigong sessions.

In other words, you should finish most of your qigong sessions with a feeling of wellness IN ADDITION to a few signs of cleansing.

What if you don’t experience a general feeling of wellness?

Then it’s possible that you’re experiencing something entirely different, something called Qigong Deviation.

The Truth About Qigong Deviation

A lot of fear has been generated since the 1950s regarding qigong deviations, and most of it is due to ignorance. In fact, many Chinese people are afraid to practice qigong because they have been warned about qigong deviation.

The Chinese term for deviation might explain why there is so much fear and confusion:

走火入魔
zou huo ru mo
escape fire enter demon

Yikes! Fire and demons? That doesn’t sound good! Not good at all!

Actually, this is just a classical expression but, as often happens in classical Chinese, the words are meant to be metaphorical, not literal.

Qigong deviation is real, but it is rare and there are no demons, there are no fires, and there’s nothing to be afraid of. Even if you deviate, you can get back on track — if you have the right tools. And by the end of this article, you’ll know exactly what tools you need.

Kundalini Syndrome

The most common type of qigong deviation that I’ve seen is what is often called Kundalini Syndrome.

Kundalini Yoga is an Indian practice and is thus not directly related to qigong. However, the qigong art called The Small Universe (Xiao Zhou Tian, also called the Microcosmic Orbit) is quite similar to Kundalini Yoga, and both practices have similar patterns of deviation.

Since 2005, I estimate that I’ve helped 3-4 dozen people to quickly heal from “Kundalini Syndrome” whether it was caused by practicing Kundalini Yoga, The Small Universe, sitting meditation, or some other esoteric art.

IMPROPERLY practicing these arts, I should say.

When practiced correctly, the Small Universe is not only safe but restorative. I have not practiced Kundalini Yoga myself, but based on what I’ve read and some discussions with experts, I think it’s safe to say that the same principle applies here. If you practice correctly — which includes the guidance of a living teacher — then you won’t experience deviations.

Or rather, deviations may occur but will be swiftly remedied with the teacher’s help.

When Your Teacher Can’t Fix You

Unfortunately, many teachers simply aren’t trained to handle qigong deviations. I can’t totally blame them for this. People teach qigong, tai chi, and yoga at many different levels, and that’s generally a good thing.

For example, someone who is teaching tai chi at a community center after having studied it for maybe 5-10 years shouldn’t be expected to understand the deeper intricacies of Chinese Medicine.

Of course, they also shouldn’t be teaching advanced exercises like the Small Universe, but that’s a topic for another day. (Click here to read my article on the dangers of the Small Universe.)

I think it’s important for teachers to be transparent about the limits of their knowledge, but it’s also important for students to have a highly-calibrated bullshit detector.

Too often, teachers try to give bullshit answers rather than just admit that they don’t know. As a student of qigong or any esoteric energy art, you need to avoid this kind of BS like the plague. It can get you into trouble, so it’s YOUR responsibility to detect the bullshit.

If you suspect that your teacher can’t help you through the muddy terrain that you’re stuck in, if you think he’s just bullshitting — then find another teacher ASAP.

Recognizing Qigong Deviations

For perspective, let me use Ray as a case study. Ray (not his real name) came to me in desperation. He had been practicing The Small Universe for 2-3 years out of a book.  Despite many warning signs, like mental fog, mild chest pain, and anxiety, he stubbornly kept practicing. By the time he reached out to me for help, he was a hot mess.

He wasn’t sleeping, his mind was foggy, he had weird pains all over his body including headaches, and he had muscle spasms in his legs. These are some common signs of qigong deviation.

But here’s the clincher:

“How do you feel immediately after your qigong sessions?” I asked him.

“Honestly, I feel exhausted and drained,” he said. “I often need to rest after practicing qigong.”

The fact that Ray didn’t feel a general sense of wellness after his sessions, combined with his other symptoms, made this a good candidate for a case of qigong deviation.

The symptoms Ray was experiencing were likely not cleansing or detoxing. These were the signs of his qi running wild.

Here are some typical signs of a Qigong Deviation:

• difficulty focusing
• mental fogginess
• headaches
• strange pains all over the body
• muscle spasms
• chest pain*
• anxiety attacks
• fatigue, sometimes severe
• insomnia

*Note: because chest pain is a potentially serious sign, you should always contact a physician. It may be nothing serious, like in the case of a panic attack, but it could be something life-threatening, like a heart attack. You need someone to do a differential diagnosis on you to rule out more serious problems. I recommend that you also see an acupuncturist after you have passed the emergency phase. Once that’s completed, we can analyze the problem from a qigong perspective.

How to Hurt Yourself With Qigong

It’s important to recognize just how stubborn Ray was. Despite the fact that he didn’t feel good after his sessions, despite the fact that he was getting worse and worse, and despite the fact that he didn’t have a teacher — Ray kept practicing. Every day. For 2 years.

This kind of stubbornness is an asset when combined with the guidance of a good teacher, but in Ray’s case, it was a liability.

In many of the cases I’ve seen, stubbornness played a big role. These students just kept practicing despite many warning signs. It’s as if they sprained their ankle while running, but continued to run every day for years.

Finally, Ray reached out to me. He found me because of my blog, and sent me an email. From there, he signed up for a private coaching package and we did a series of Skype lessons.

There’s a happy ending to this story, of course. With my help, it took about 9 weeks for Ray to correct the deviation and heal by about 90%. (The remaining 10% took a few more months, but he was still a happy camper.)

Typically, it takes anywhere from 6 weeks to fix a mild case of qigong deviation to 12 weeks for a severe case, so Ray was somewhere in the middle.

In other words, even if you mess yourself up badly, even if you deviate far from the proper path — you aren’t broken. You are fixable.

Fixing a Deviation

Shen is one of the Three Treasures of qigong, along with qi and jing.  It loosely translates to “mind” or “spirit”. (Note: don’t confuse the Three Treasures with the Triple Gems below. They are different.)

If your shen is disturbed, then it’s difficult to fix your qi deviation without help. You can get help from several people, including a psychologist, an acupuncturist, or even a close friend, but you may also need help from a teacher (or healer) who has experience with qigong deviation.

So what do I prescribe to students who have deviated?

It depends on the specific case, but the first thing I do is ask them to stop all advanced practices, including sitting meditation. Then I typically teach:

1. Entering Zen
2. Smiling from the Heart
3. Flowing Breeze Swaying Willow or Five Animal Play
4. Consolidating Qi at Dantian
5. The Closing Sequence

This routine should be practiced at least once a day, and sometimes twice a day if you’re feeling up to it.

Those who are familiar with my teaching will see nothing special in there. In fact, those are the basics of the 5-Phase Routine.

Bingo. And this makes sense, right? To cleanse a deviation caused by improperly practicing advanced techniques, it makes sense that the solution lies in going back to basics.

You can learn all of these skills in my book and the free online course that comes with it.

You can also take advantage of our free group on Facebook, where you can connect with me and ask me questions.

So there you have it. For the price of a book, you can learn everything you need to know to heal a qigong deviation. Now get to work!

Cleansing is NOT a Deviation

The unspoken fear that many students have once they start to experience signs of cleansing is that they’re doing something wrong. Even if they don’t know about the phenomenon of Qigong Deviation, they are worried. Here’s the problem with that:

Worrying blocks the flow of energy.

In other words, worrying constantly about a Qigong Deviation will actually make a deviation more likely!

As I mentioned the most critical part of the diagnostic process is to answer this question:

Do you feel a general sense of wellness after you finish your qigong sessions?

In the case study above, Ray’s answer was the clincher. He didn’t feel well. He felt exhausted.

If you feel even a mild sense of wellness after practicing, then you can relax! It’s not a deviation!

In that case, you have 2 choices.

1. Keep practicing the way you’ve been practicing and push through the cleansing
2. Cut your practice in half so that the cleansing is less uncomfortable.

I like to use the following rule to gauge whether or not to push through: If the cleansing is so intense that I can’t focus on my work, then I take it as a sign to cut back on my practice.

But what if you’re not sure? What if you had a bad session this morning and you’re wondering if you’ve deviated.

The Qi Diary

Conclusion: You Need the Triple Gem

If I could sum up what tools you need in order to deal with a qigong deviation, or even to understand and work through qigong cleansing, I could simply say this: You need the Triple Gem (or Three Jewels)

The Triple Gem is an ancient Zen philosophy that consists of (duh) three things:

1. the teacher
2. the teachings
3. the community

If you want to succeed in your qigong healing journey, then these three things are absolute necessities.

You need a good teacher. Someone experienced, someone who doesn’t try to BS you, someone you trust. Your teacher is your guide and she will help you get back on track. And yes, this teacher can be online.

You need good teachings. In my school, that means the 5-Phase routine, the 4 Pillars of Qigong, and a systematic method. The basics are critical for fixing or moving past cleansing or deviation problems. The qi diary would fall under this category too because keeping a qi diary is one of my basic teachings.

You need a good qigong community. Again, this can be an online community. In fact, for many of my students, our online community was the missing piece of the puzzle. Finding an offline community is not possible for many people because of their location. Luckily, the internet lets us connect no matter where we live. For example, I currently have students from 38 different countries in my online community!

If you want to connect with me or our community, then you have 2 options:

1. Join our free Facebook group and ask a question there;
2. Post your question below.

Please DO NOT send me an email. Sorry, but I’ve already got too many pots on the stove. My Qigong 101 and 201 students are my priority, and they keep me plenty busy. In order to give them the attention that they deserve (and paid for), I simply cannot answer private emails or offer any more private coaching sessions.

If you do have a qigong deviation – which, again, is rare – then the solution is right here on this page. You need look no further. Within a few weeks of following my advice here, you will already feel better. Now get to work!

The post Qigong Deviation vs. Qigong Cleansing: What Students Need to Know appeared first on Flowing Zen.