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.

The Small Universe (Microcosmic Orbit) is awesome. Whether you’re an intermediate or advanced practitioner, this technique has something profound to offer. Let’s dive into why it’s more relevant today than ever.

The Small Universe is a powerful and ancient qigong technique. I’ve written several blog posts about it, and this will be another in that series. You don’t need to read the previous articles in order to understand this one. In fact, this article might be better to start with. Nevertheless, here are the other articles:

• The Real Truth About the Small Universe Qigong
• 7 Secrets of the Small Universe Qigong
• History of the Small Universe

In the past, the Small Universe was practiced by a small number of people in China, and many of them were monks or nuns. Today, qigong is practiced by literally millions of people all over the world, and very few of them are monastics. The world has changed.

Is the Small Universe still relevant in today’s world?

Why would someone in the 21st century want to practice this technique? What are the real-world benefits for regular people like you and me? What’s the incentive?

I would argue that it’s not only relevant, but that it is even more practical today than it was 1000 years ago.

The Small Universe is a game changer for the modern practitioner of qigong or tai chi. Here are 13 reasons why:

#1 – Emotional Regulation: The Small Universe is surprisingly useful for harmonizing emotional distress. Once you get the hang of the technique, you can use the breathing methods even when you are agitated. Energetically, it also circulates qi through all of the organ-emotion systems, thereby smoothing out imbalances. As a trauma survivor, I have also found the Small Universe to be useful for healing (but you have to approach it in an trauma-informed way).

#2 – Better Mental Focus: The Small Universe requires a special kind of soft focus. The same focus is sometimes used in sitting meditation, but I personally find it much easier to implement using the Small Universe. I love that we get feedback in the form of qi sensations, which are helpful for measuring progress. For example, as you gradually practice the Small Universe, energy points like dantian, huiyin, and mingmen really come alive. The more they come alive, the easier it gets to focus the mind on the technique, and the stronger your mind becomes as a result.

#3 – Increased Longevity: This benefit is hard to prove, but we should not ignore the fact that past masters often talked about the Small Universe being the key to a long and healthy life. The Small Universe, it was often said, will help you to reach the age of 100. I’ll let you know in 49 years!

#4 – Healthier Meridians: The Du meridian is said to be the ultimate yang regulator while the Ren meridian is said to be the ultimate yin regulator. By circulating qi through the Ren and Du meridians, the Small Universe acts as a yin-yang regulator for the energy in the entire body. In other words, even though we are focusing on just 2 meridians, all of the meridians will get healthier. This is probably why past masters often said that the Small Universe would keep hundreds of illnesses at bay. This was a poetic way of saying that the technique will help you cultivate more health and vitality.

#5 – More Vigor: The Small Universe seems to increase energy levels beyond what other types of qigong typically offer. With practice, the orbit between the Ren and Du meridians eventually takes on its own momentum. This acts like an internal generator that produces energy as it circulates. If you’ve seen benefits to your energy levels with other types of qigong, you should see even more improvement with the Small Universe.

#6 – Sexual Vitality: There is a qigong technique specifically for sexual vitality called the Small Circle, which circulates energy from dantian, down to the perineum, up to mingmen (in the lower back), and then back to dantian. This small loop in the lower body is basically a baby version of the Small Universe. Practicing the Small Universe will give us similar benefits to the Small Circle, specifically: stronger orgasms, greater ejaculation control (for men), less sexual dysfunction, and deeper emotional connections before, during, and after sex.

#7 – Deeper Meditation: The quiescent nature of the Small Universe will enhance your existing sitting meditation practice, leading to deeper states of bliss and awareness. Or if you don’t have a sitting meditation practice, then the Small Universe will fill the void (even if you practice it standing).

#8 – Spiritual Growth: I’m no longer a fan of the word “spiritual” simply because it has been misused and abused for too long. Nevertheless, the Small Universe can help us to connect with something larger than ourselves. I’ve gone on some pretty amazing cosmic adventures while practicing the Small Universe, and you will too if you practice consistently.

#9 – Internal Power: These days, increasing your punching power isn’t super important, but it was life-or-death for past masters. The Small Universe was one of the biggest secrets in the world of internal martial arts. If this topic is important to you, then you owe it to yourself to learn the Small Universe. It’s hard to quantify, but I would estimate that I punch roughly 1-2 boxing weight classes above my actual weight. So for example, I’m a Super Welterweight (147 to 154 pounds), but I probably hit more like a Super Middleweight (160-168 lbs).

#10 – Fun: If we do it right, the Small Universe is a fun little internal game. It’s an exciting next step for those who have enjoyed practicing basic qigong techniques and are ready for a new challenge. My students have told me that the Small Universe opened up a whole new world of qigong for them.

#11 – Inner Alchemy: The Small Universe isn’t just about circulating energy; it’s about transforming it. In my articles on the 12 Dimensions of Qigong, the Small Universe falls under Transforming the Qi.  In the world of Chinese internal alchemy, this practice is similar to the philosopher’s stone. It is said to turn your base energies into something more refined and more potent. If you’re interested in this kind of esoteric journey, then the Small Universe is exactly what you’ve been looking for.

#12 – Tai Chi Synergy: For those who practice tai chi, the Small Universe can act as a powerful complement. The principles of yin and yang, soft focus, and flow are common to both. When you integrate the Small Universe into your tai chi practice, as past masters did, you’re essentially turbocharging it. The flow of qi becomes more harmonious, and your movements gain an added layer of fluidity and power. If you’ve never felt a buzzing vibration through your arms and legs as you practice your tai chi form, then it’s time to learn the Small Universe.

#13 – Deviation Protection: when practiced well, the Small Universe is actually protective against qigong deviations. This idea is confusing because some people have experienced deviations as a result of incorrect Small Universe practice. How can both be true? Think of it this way. Strength training will protect our health in countless ways, but only if we do it safely. If we lift too much too fast, and if we use poor form, then we might end up injuring ourselves. On the other hand, with a better methodology, strength training will help protect us from falls, sarcopenia, heart disease, and diabetes.

How to Get Started

If you’re new to qigong, the best thing you can do is develop a holistic, daily practice using basic techniques. Obviously, I’m a fan of Flowing Zen Qigong. You can learn the basics of my system, including the 5-Phase Routine, in my book and the companion videos.

If you’re an intermediate or advanced qigong student who hasn’t yet learned the 5-Phase Routine, then I recommend you do that before learning the Small Universe. The 5-Phase Routine will not only protect you from errors, but it will enhance your benefits, no matter what style you are practicing. Again, the easiest and cheapest way to learn this is in my book.

And if you’ve been doing the 5-Phase Routine for a while and feel like you’re ready to learn the Small Universe, then click here to receive updates about my upcoming 12-week course.

Final Thoughts

The Small Universe is a profound practice with ton of benefits. It’s the perfect next-step for students who have been practicing qigong and tai chi for a while. It’s also a testament to the wisdom of our ancestors, and their understanding of the human body and spirit.

In conclusion, the Small Universe isn’t just an ancient relic; it’s a living, breathing technique that’s more relevant today than ever. In a world that’s increasingly chaotic and stressful, this practice offers a sanctuary of balance and vitality. Whether you’re looking to regulate your emotions, sharpen your mental focus, or even enhance your tai chi practice, the Small Universe has got you covered.

And please don’t let the term “advanced” intimidate you. The beauty of this technique is that it meets you where you’re at. I don’t think it’s a good choice for beginners, but intermediate students can start learning and the skill will grow with you.

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post 13 Reasons Why the Small Universe (Microcosmic Orbit) is Awesome 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’m freaking out!” she said. “My heart is in my throat!”

This was a Facebook audio message so I could clearly hear the anxiety in her voice.

I’m receiving a ton of messages, emails, and phone calls like this right now. People who don’t normally experience anxiety are suddenly feeling it. If we could magically diagnose everyone in the United States, would we find that 80% of the population is now experiencing some sort of anxiety disorder? I wouldn’t be surprised.

Meanwhile, those of us who have been battling anxiety for years are struggling too. Although it’s true that we have more experience with anxiety, we’re also facing challenges that we’ve never seen before.

I mean, I’ve successfully battled anxiety for nearly 3 decades, but I still find myself in unknown territory. I’ve never gone through a global, once-in-a-century pandemic either!

So what can we do?

Well, obviously I’m a big believer in the power of qigong. It saved my life, and it has helped thousands of my students all over the world. So it goes without saying that I recommend qigong.

If you haven’t seen my free online qigong course that specifically addresses the issues of COVID-19, then check it out here:

[COVID-19 Support] Learn Qigong Online from Me for Free During the Crisis

However, there’s something else that you can do, and it might even be more important than practicing qigong. I don’t say that lightly.

What I’m talking about is the single-best antidote to the stress and anxiety that we’re feeling during this crazy time. I’m talking about gratitude, of course, but…

An Attitude of Gratitude?

It’s important that you understand that gratitude is a practice, not just an attitude.

In the free program above, I include a guided meditation on gratitude. I hope you’ll try it to get a feel for what I’m talking about. (Make sure to go through the roadmap. Don’t just skip to the meditation.)

Many people talk about having an “attitude of gratitude.” This rhymes and it sounds good on social media. It’s also a big fat lie.

Over the years, I’ve actually confronted dozens of people who use this phrase, both on social media and in my classes.

What I found was that the vast majority of people who talk about having an attitude of gratitude don’t actually practice. On some level, they sincerely believe in the power of gratitude, but they don’t take any action. They just parrot the phrase.

In Brene Brown’s amazing audiobook The Power of Vulnerability she talks specifically about the difference between having an attitude of gratitude and PRACTICING gratitude, drawing a parallel to a yoga practice:

“I have a yoga attitude. I have yoga clothes. I live in yoga pants actually. I have yoga shoes. Somewhere in my house I think I have a yoga mat. But I do not practice yoga. So if you ask me to do something up here [on stage], how far do you think my attitude of yoga will take me?”

How You Get to Carnegie Hall

I’m the son of 2 professional musicians. I was raised as a classical violinist. I practiced for hours every day long before I was allowed to vote.

I’ve even played in Carnegie Hall. Okay, yes, it was with a youth orchestra, but hey — have YOU played in Carnegie Hall? Well okay then.

(To my music friends who have actually played in Carnegie Hall — don’t you dare mess up my joke here!)

My point is that I know what it’s like to practice deeply. I started with the violin. Later, I put the same perseverance into karate, and then qigong.

If you want to change your life — and you do because life is totally crazy right now — then you have to practice. There’s no way around it.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” – Melody Beattie

The good news is that…

• you don’t need to practice gratitude for hours every day
• gratitude practice is enjoyable
• gratitude practice is easy
• gratitude practice shows fast results

Practicing Gratitude Every Day

I recommend that you practice gratitude every day without fail for 30 days.

You can use the guided meditation in my free program to get the hang of it. (Make sure you follow the instructions and go through the program. If you just skip to the guided meditation, it won’t make sense.)

But you can also practice gratitude throughout your day. In fact, now is the PERFECT time to practice gratitude because let’s be honest — you’ve got nothing else to do!

For example, all around the United States, toilet paper is hard to find. This is a perfect time to practice gratitude for the toilet paper that you currently have. Or, if you’re out (yikes!), then boy are you going to feel grateful when you get your hands on some more, right?

Toilet paper is one of those things that we don’t normally notice. We take it for granted. Toilet paper as we know it was invented 1857. Somehow, humans survived without it for eons. (I’m not actually sure how they did it — and I’m not sure I want to know.)

I’m guessing that you’ve never practiced gratitude for toilet paper. Well, there’s no time like the present. Shine some gratitude on the nearest roll!

Here are a few more examples to help you:

• Groceries: Many staple grocery items are hard to find. When they come back in stock, make sure to practice gratitude for them.
• Hunger: Hopefully, most of you are not going hungry during the pandemic. Practice gratitude as you put that first bite of food into your mouth. Savor it. Maybe it’s not the food you prefer — but it’s still food!
• Coffee: If you’re like me and you love coffee, you might take it for granted. Take a moment to imagine this pandemic without coffee. Unimaginable? I agree — which is why I drink my morning coffee mindfully and gratefully.
• Artists: Binge watching “Tiger King” on Netflix? Browsing The Met or MOMA online? Taking advantage of free books? Show some gratitude toward the artists who produced these materials. What would this pandemic be like without them!? Yikes!
• Family: Tensions may be high because of the close quarters. Many families haven’t spent this much time together since…well…ever. And yet, what are we doing all this for if not for friends and family? Underneath the social distancing is a desire for people to be well. Shine some gratitude on your loved ones, whether they’re blood or not.

Why Gratitude?

Practicing gratitude often throughout the day is like taking your medicine. Even during normal, non-pandemic times life can be incredibly stressful. Now things are even worse.

Stress levels are high. I don’t know about you, but I wake up every morning and wonder what kind of crazy news I’m going to find in the paper.

When you experience stress, your nervous system flips into fight-or-flight mode. This is the Sympathetic Nervous System. Cortisol, the stress hormone, is released and your body directs all of its energy (and blood) away from the internal organs and into the muscles and cardiovascular system.

If that’s happening all day long, if you’re never flipping back to the Parasympathetic Nervous System (i.e. rest-and-restore mode), then is it any wonder that your body is a wreck? Your body only heals when it’s in rest-and-restore mode, not during fight-or-flight mode.

Frequent bouts of gratitude flip us back into rest-and-restore mode which in turn gets the healing juices flowing.

The Gratitude Game

Remember when you were a kid on a road trip and played the “I Spy” game? I spy with my little eye something beginning with…

Gratitude works the same way. You’re walking through the road of life and you’re looking for opportunities to practice gratitude all day long.

This applies to the food that you eat, the shelter that you live in, your vehicle, the people you encounter, and whatever else pops up in the present moment.

Can you breathe and take a moment to feel grateful for…whatever that thing is?

The Key to Taming Anxiety with Gratitude

When using gratitude for taming anxiety it’s critical that you actually FEEL grateful.

You don’t just want to think about it; you don’t want this to be in your head. You really want it to be in your body. You want to feel a visceral reaction to this gratitude practice.

It may take some practice to get the hang of it. I speak from experience. I struggled with feeling gratitude in the beginning. I get it. I understand that this can be hard, but you need to keep practicing anyway.

One of the most important things you need to do is tame what we call the Monkey Mind. The Monkey Mind will often pop in and say, “What the hell do I have to be grateful for? Look at all these terrible things in my life! The pandemic is ruining everything!”

You have to be mindful of those thoughts. As you practice gratitude those thoughts will naturally creep in. That’s fine, but you have to convince yourself that no matter what your situation in life might be, you still have things to be grateful for.

If you don’t believe me, read Victor Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning.

Victor Frankl was a prisoner in Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi concentration camp. I strongly suggest that you read the book, but long story short, he talks about maintaining meaning, gratitude, humanity, and compassion — even while in one of the most difficult, austere, and challenging conditions known to man.

People have been in situations worse than yours and still managed to find gratitude. This is good news. It means it’s within your grasp too.

So don’t allow your Monkey Mind to trick you into thinking “Oh, unless I have all these things, I can’t possibly be grateful!”

That’s not how it works. You can find things to be grateful for. Always.

In the end, what we’re really aiming for is to simply be grateful for life itself! This is the most advanced level of gratitude practice.

“You don’t have a life, you are life.” – Eckhart Tolle.

You are alive and you are life! And with practice you can start to feel gratitude for life itself regardless of life’s circumstances.

Even if you’ve run out of toilet paper.

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post How to Beat Anxiety During this Pandemic 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.

With qigong, the healing goes deeper than you can possibly imagine. You don’t just heal your body; you heal your mind, your emotions, and your spirit too. This is why I and so many of my students are head-over-heels in love with the art of qigong.

But…

Is qigong ALL that you need? Are you disrespecting the art of qigong if you use multiple methods of Eastern or holistic healing? What about combining it with Western modalities?

In other words, is qigong so powerful that you’ll never need any other healing methods once you start practicing it?

In today’s Walk & Talk, I address these issues. And you might be surprised by my answers! (Then again, if you’ve been studying with me for a while you probably won’t be surprised.)

Either way, I hope you enjoy this video.

(Note: Click here if you want to check out my friend Elisha’s foam rolling and fascia release training series that I mentioned in the video. It’s free.)

I also hope we can chat in the comments. Let’s talk about healing modalities you’ve found helpful along your own healing journey. How do you fit them in with your qigong practice? 

(Note: This video starts off with some wind noise. But it quickly gets better. Thanks for your patience and your understanding!)

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post Is Qigong All You Need? appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Here’s a question I get all the time:

What should I practice to get rid of my ______?

I see several varieties of this question, like:

…my back pain

…my anxiety

…my migraines

…my digestive problems

…my insomnia

I discuss this question again in today’s Walk & Talk. I say again because I’ve written a few blog posts related to this topic here and here.

But it’s a subject worth revisiting because the answer to this question is so important for you to see results with your qigong practice.

Spoiler Alert: The answer has nothing to do with whether you’re practicing the right qigong exercises!

You can watch the video here:

Let’s keep talking! Leave a comment or a question below. I appreciate getting feedback from you!

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post Do You Need Specific Qigong Exercises for Specific Problems? appeared first on Flowing Zen.

On this day 19 years ago I made a life-changing decision.

I was fed up with my life. I was a total mess, and I was desperate to heal. But I also felt like a miserable failure.

How do you transform yourself when you also feel like a failure?

In this video blog, I’ll talk about how I totally transformed my life starting on January 1st, 2000.

I’ve distilled everything into 5 simple tips that you can implement RIGHT NOW.

If you’re serious about transforming your life for the better in 2019, then watch this video today!

Here are some links that I reference in the video:

• Click here to Learn Lifting The Sky for free
• Click here to read about the 2 Minute Drill
• Click here to read about the 5-Phase Routine
• Click here for my online course called 2 Minute Qigong: Creating Habits that Stick

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and transformative new year!

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post [Video] 5 Tips for Transforming Yourself in 2019 appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Is qigong just a placebo? What about tai chi? What is a placebo anyway? And how does self-healing really work?

These are questions that I addressed in a live broadcast on Facebook.

You can watch the replay below, or you can click the little “f” button below and watch it on Facebook. (Note: if you want to read the comments, you’ll have to watch it on Facebook.)

If you have any questions, feel free to post them below this blog post.

No sound? Click the play button, then click
the volume button in the lower right corner.

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post Is Qigong Just a Placebo? appeared first on Flowing Zen.

“My teacher told me that it’s incorrect to breathe through the mouth,” she said. “He said that in qigong and tai chi the breathing should be in and out through the nose.”

This question comes up all the time in my Facebook group.

Sometimes, it’s more of a challenge than a question, as if to say: “Why are you doing it wrong, Anthony?!?”

I’m not doing it wrong.

This video explains why. It’s a replay of a live broadcast that I did on Facebook. You can watch it below, or you can click the little “f” button below and watch it on Facebook. (Note: if you want to read the comments, you’ll have to watch it on Facebook.)

If you have any questions, feel free to post them below this blog post.

No sound? Click the play button, then click the volume
button in the lower right corner.

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post Qigong and Tai Chi Students: Should You Exhale Through Your Nose or Mouth? appeared first on Flowing Zen.