Silent Tao » Qigong

Using the Six Healing Sounds for Healing

Shawn Cartwright — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:33:49 +0000

The Six Healing Sounds (六字訣 Liu Zi Jue) are one of the oldest sets of Qigong breathing exercises. Attributed to the Yellow Emperor, they describe six ways of breathing for self-healing. There is one sound for each of the major organs Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lungs, Kidney and Triple Warmer. By using the sound associated with each organ, you can detoxify and heal the organ.

The sounds are practiced in three main ways. First, you can say the sound loudly, in order to quickly detoxify the organ. Second, you can say it softly gently cleanse the organ. Finally, you say it silently to replenish and strengthen the organ.

Here is a short history of the Six Healing Sounds. It includes a list of the sounds as well as their organ correspondences. The sounds are part of the Tu Na (breathing) methods of Chinese Qigong.

Generally, it is best to practice the Six Healing Sounds in order of the generation cycle of the Wu Xing. You can also use the Wu Xing controlling cycle. Use all six sounds for daily practice or if you don’t know exactly which organ is causing the illness. However, if you do know which organ is causing the problem, you can practice the sound for it.

Getting the proper pronunciation of the Six Healing Sounds can be a challenge for Westerners. Many people prefer to use a guided version of the meditation. Here’s an English MP3 of the Six Healing Sounds that teaches 1) correct pronunciation 2) organ correspondences 3) the generating cycle and 4) the three main ways of practice. The narrator is fluent in both Chinese and English, so you’ll have clear instructions and the correct tone for each sound.

Qigong at Department of Labor

Shawn Cartwright — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:19:57 +0000

TCCII Executive Director Shawn Cartwright taught Qigong at the Department of Labor for Asian-American heritage month. The DOL employees were able to experience first hand the exercise and relaxation benefits of Qigong.

Qigong at the Department of Labor in Washington DC

Meditation for Cancer Patients

Shawn Cartwright — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 01:45:18 +0000

Ready to begin Qigong forms

Cancer patients and their families recently enjoyed a free meditation and Qigong class at Life with Cancer in Virginia. They experienced a powerful self-healing meditation, designed to enhance the effectiveness of their body’s natural healing functions. We taught them Qigong movements to help relax and open the body.

Our meditation series is based on an ancient Taoist tradition. It uses guided imagery and visualization, as well breathing and relaxation techniques. Our teacher, an abbot on Lo Fu Shan, China, used it to great effect on cancer patients, even those with end stage cancer.

The class at Life with Cancer was taught in both English and Espanol.

Cancer patients experiencing a self-healing meditation in Spanish

Yi Jin Jing Qigong Exercises for Beginners

Shawn Cartwright — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:59:14 +0000

Here is a video walkthrough of the Yi Jin Jing Qigong set. This set is ideal for both beginners and experienced Qigong practitioners. Also called the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic, it helps strengthen and stretch the bones, tendons, muscles and meridians.

This video features the Marco FL Qigong Ladies, who are learning the set for the first time. If you have never tried this set, follow along and let golden girls share some movement wisdom with you.

Acupressure for Headaches

Shawn Cartwright — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:33:10 +0000

Spring is the time of the rebirth of Yang. The sap is rising, and so is the Qi. Spring is associated with wood and the liver and gallbladder organ systems in traditional Chinese medical theory. Just as the new green sprouts shoot up out of the ground, so does the liver energy. For those with liver or gallbladder problems, this can sometimes create headaches. In addition, the blooming trees and plants can exacerbate allergies and create breathing problems.

Chinese Yang Sheng Qigong has a few suggestions to help you successfully manage the rising Yang of Spring. Try this short little Dao Yin acupressure set for the head. May it help you be as spry as a Spring chicken!

1. Press the inside corners of the eyebrow with the index fingers.
2. Use the second knuckle of the index finger to rub along the eyebrow from the inside corner to the outside corner.
3. Press the point located at the base of the eye socket, directly below the pupil, with the second knuckle of the thumb.
4. Rub the base of the eye socket with the second knuckle of the thumb from the inside corner to the outside corner.
5. Press the points on either side of the base of the nostrils with the index fingers and rub up and down.
6. Place the index and middle finger behind and in front of the ears, respectively. Rub up and down vigorously.
7. Use the thumb and index finger to rub the earlobe from top to bottom.
8. Use the thumb to rub the point located at the base of the skull, on either side of the neck.
9. Use the hands in a claw shape to massage the scalp from front to back. Spend additional time on any places that are sore.

Qigong on Marco Island FL

Shawn Cartwright — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:21:02 +0000

We just returned from a great Qigong weekend in Marco Island, Florida. It is hard to beat a sunny, warm island in late winter. Especially since our home city, Washington DC, was graced with a bit of snow during our stay on this island retreat.

More than 30 “Marco Ladies” joined us for three days of Qigong study and practice. We covered Taoist meditation and philosophy on aging and lifestyle. We also practice the Five Animal Frolics Qigong set and the Yi Jin Jing Qigong form. The nurses in the group earned 6 hours CNE credit for their Qigong training.

The group in Marco is quite diverse. Some live on the island year round, other travel from all over the United States – avoiding the merciless snow during the winter months. Some of them are cancer survivors. They use Qigong and meditation to accelerate their healing and maintain an active full life – several of our hosts had joined us last year for our Journey to China. More than a few of them are Qigong, Tai Chi, and yoga instructors.

Marco Island Qigong Seminar with TCCII

Qigong Exercises and Forms

Shawn Cartwright — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:39:44 +0000

Check out the new trailer for our Qigong Exercise DVD.

The video is designed to let you follow the movements in your own daily practice. It includes eight complete Qigong sets. These sets are the core forms in first level of the TCCII Professional Qigong Certification course series.

About “Moving with the Tao” Qigong Practice DVD

The Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi Qigong) form of medical Qigong was invented by Hua Tuo, one of the fathers of Chinese Medicine during the Han Dyanasty. It features the Tiger, Deer, Monkey, Bear, and Crane animals which were later incorporated in to Chinese Kung Fu. Eight Pieces of Brocade (Ba Duan Jin) is attributed to the Taoist Immortal Lu Dong Bing and is the most commonly practiced Qigong in the world. Post Standing (Zhan Zhuang) is considered one of the most important foundation exercises in Tai Ji (Tai Chi), Xing Yi (Hsing-I), Ba Gua (Pa Kua) and Yi Quan (I Chuan).

The Body Opening, Meridian Opening, and Shaking Sets are Nei Gong (Taoist Yoga) designed to enhance your overall health and well-being. The Energy Replenishing and Refining sets are meditation in movement. These practices will help energy healers, yogis martial artists and meditation practitioners.

1. Body Opening
2. Meridian Opening
3. Body Shaking
4. Energy Replenishing
5. Energy Refining and Projecting
6. Eight Pieces of Silk Brocade
7. Five Animal Frolics
8. Post Standing

The complete Qigong set is available on DVD at http://www.filmbaby.com/films/4744

The music on the video is “High Mountains and Flowing Waters” from the “Rising Moon” Guzheng CD, by Bing Xia Available http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/BingXia

When is the Best Time to Practice Meditation or Qigong?

Shawn Cartwright — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 02:49:57 +0000

One of the questions we often get, especially around the Equinox and Solstice, is “When is the best time to practice Meditation and Qigong?”

There are indeed times the ancient Chinese considered better for certain types of practices. But the answer we give usually surprises them. “The best time to practice is whenever you can!”

“But, I’ve heard you should practice meditation at Midnight!” They’ll often say.

That is true, but what if you cannot practice at Midnight? Suppose you fell asleep, or you are a nurse who works third shift. What would you do? Would you not practice?

You see, what they are really asking is “when is the ideal time to practice?” But that question is not easy to answer.

In the beginning, practicing when you can is better than not practicing, even if it means you cannot practice at the “ideal time.”

In the end, all your daily activities should be a form of cultivation, no matter what the time. Ideal practice times simply have no meaning at this stage.

It’s the middle stages where timing the practice can be helpful given the right set of conditions. To practice during the ideal times means that you have enough influence over your lifestyle that you can reliably set those times aside for your practice. This is hard for most people to do in the beginning. But it is a worthy goal.

For those of you who can structure your life in such a way as to set up a practice routine, you would ideally practice 4 times a day: 11pm to 1am, 5am to 7am, 11am to 1pm and 5 to 7pm.

For most people it will be a great task to get even one or two of those times allocated for dedicated practice. If you can only practice one time per day, then the 11pm to 1am time is ideal for meditation or Internal Alchemy.

So don’t worry about it if you can’t practice at the ideal time. Practice whenever you can! You’ll see the results for yourself.

Good Enough for Rock and Roll

Shawn Cartwright — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:30:01 +0000

Most people want to be perfect. Not everyone, but most.

I recently took my 4 year old son to get pizza at one of the local re-developed town centers around Washington DC. These places, though very commercial, are often great fun for the young ones. That evening they happened to feature a local band which was going to play some sort of rock-funk synthesis. My son and I thought that was pretty cool.

This band was very serious about their music. They got there an hour early to warm up. Cool, these guys are a little better than “three cords and crank the Marshall to 11.” They were pretty good, for a free concert in the middle of planned town center.

People started showing up to hear them play – it was time to rock!

They kept warming up.

“We just want to get it just right” one of the band member announced.

They kept warming up.

“Hey, it’s DC, it’s okay if we start late, right?” another one said.

They kept warming up. It almost seemed like they were practicing for their next show.

People started leaving.

They kept warming up. They had to get it perfect…

… After all it was rock and roll. And everyone there in the little town square with the makeshift stage could tell if the guitar was slightly off, especially the first generation Chinese lady with her grandson.

More people left.

The band was tired – they spent their entire first set time warming up – they needed a break before they jumped right into rockin’.

Finally, we had to go – two hours is a long time for a 4 year old to wait for the band to get it perfect.

You could tell by their warm up the band was pretty good. But they weren’t exactly Parliament or the Red Hot Chili Peppers or AC/DC.

Two hours warming up just didn’t make them sound any better than they did after a half hour. At least if they had started playing many more people would have been exposed to their music.

This obsession with perfection is understandable in our society – on a certain level it is encouraged, even rewarded.

Unfortunately, it is also one of the greatest barriers to real success in life. Because our obsession with perfection creates a reality that very few can live up to, we often delude ourselves. In many cases this keeps us from accepting responsibility for our own actions or our own situation. It keeps us from really doing something.

Instead of doing something, we spend all our time getting everything just right.

In the end, we don’t do anything, just like this band. It becomes delusion when we think getting ready to do something is the same as doing it. We might wonder why, after we spent two hours warming up, all these people left.

Perfection is certainly one of biggest challenges a student encounters when studying Kung Fu, Qigong or meditation. Instead of just practicing their art, they worry about whether they have the form perfect. Instead of sitting down to meditate, they worry that everything isn’t “just right” for meditation.

The reality is that the form will never be perfect. The conditions will never be ideal for meditation. You just have to do it. Over time, with hard work and good instruction, you will get better.

One day, if you can give up the concept of perfect and replace it with hard work, you might even find you have some attainment.

That is the real meaning of Kung Fu – skill obtained through hard work over time.

Great masters aren’t born. They work hard at it.

Can you find the great master within yourself?

You can if you remember you don’t have to be perfect. All you have to do is do it.

Sometimes, it just needs to be “good enough for rock and roll.”

Qigong State and Five Animal Frolics Presentation at AHNA Convention

Shawn Cartwright — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:16:44 +0000

The Qigong State and Five Animal Frolics medical Qigong were part of the Qigong credit courses that we taught to holistic nurses at their annual convention this year. All forms of higher cultivation including meditation and Qigong benefit from the Qigong state.

This video introduces you to the Qigong state and the Five Animal Frolics form (the Tiger, Deer and Bear are shown). The full form, along with several other forms, can be found on our Qigong practice DVD available at http://www.filmbaby.com/films/4744