Silent Tao » medical Qigong

Journey to China 2011

Shawn Cartwright — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:43:38 +0000

This weekend TCCII and 20 of our closest friends will be heading to China for an unforgettable travel, learning and training experience. This is no ordinary tourist trip. Sure, we’ll see the Terra Cotta warriors and a few other famous sights. However, we get off the beaten path and enjoy the temples, markets and hangouts of the locals. Along the way, we’ll savor all types of tea, special regional Chinese cuisine, and the famous Peking Duck. Best of all, we’ll train in Qigong, Tai Chi and Yi Jing with some of China’s best teachers.

You’ve heard about the famous Wudang Mountain, now these adventurers will get to see it up close. The bravest might even try the stairs! We know they can do it because Grandmaster Chen Quanzhong and his son Master Chen Xili will toughened them up with Chen Tai Chi in Xian. But there will also be plenty of time to relax with gentle Qigong, meditation and body work.

For those who can’t join us, we invite you to experience it vicariously. You can read our itinerary. We’ll post our activities and, later, pictures and video of our Journey to China!

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

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

One with Nature with the Holistic Nurses

Shawn Cartwright — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:45:23 +0000

We recently returned from the American Holistic Nursing Association’s (AHNA) annual conference. This year it was held in Colorado Spring, CO, a small town situated at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Although better known as the home of NORAD and several military bases, it also boasts some great hiking and mountain scenery worthy of a Taoist landscape painting. Even the view from the center of town was lovely. Pike’s Peak was the backdrop and you see the hills and mountains which ring the city.

We taught three professional continuing nursing education credit courses during the conference. The theme was on connecting with nature through Taoist Qigong practice. The nurses learned how to use meditation for healing the self and others. They also had a chance to practice the Five Animal Frolics medical Qigong, one of the oldest Qigong sets in existence and create specifically for healing. We met a lot of new people and reconnected with some old friends. The nurses are a very enthusiastic and cheerful group. We really enjoy working with them.

The AHNA approved our Qigong certification course for professional continuing education credit. Any nurse can take our approved classes and receive CNE credit. Non-nurses will receive credit towards their medical Qigong certification.

Harmonizing Yin and Yang Qigong Certification Course

Shawn Cartwright — Sun, 23 May 2010 00:29:41 +0000

Today 26 students completed the “Harmonizing Yin and Yang: Growing with Nature through Qigong Practice” professional certification course. The nurses in the class received 6 CNE credits while non-nurses earned 6 hours toward their Qigong certificate.

This course is unique in that it also taught the theory as well as the practice of Qigong. The participants learned both what to do and why to do it.

The next Qigong certification course will focus specifically on medical Qigong and external Qi healing. It is scheduled for July 17, 2010 in Washington, DC and July 23-25 in East Lansing, MI.

Critical Care Nurses Learn Medical Qigong

Shawn Cartwright — Mon, 17 May 2010 00:17:40 +0000

Critical care nurses learn the ancient Chinese healing art of medical Qigong. They learned how to integrate mind, body, and spirit for self-cultivation and healing others.

We taught Tai Chi and Qigong to critical care nurses who were holding their annual convention in Washington, DC. We had a full class of very enthusiastic Qigong students. For some of them, it was their first exposure to this ancient Chinese healing art. The Qigong forms we taught are part of TCCII’s Qigong certification program approved for CNE credits.

One thing that was quite remarkable at this convention was the size of the space dedicated to the “quiet room.” They had a full labyrinth, meditation area, and room for the Tai Chi classes. The space was about 10 times larger than last year.

We have longed believed that Qigong, meditation and other mind-body connection practices are ripe for introduction to a larger audience. This was another indicator of an increasing awareness of mind-body-spirit practices among some segments of the population.

TCM Diagnosis and Treatment in China

Shawn Cartwright — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:48:50 +0000

This morning we practiced Tai Chi and Qigong before our morning medical Qigong and certification lecture.

The main activity today was a TCM diagnosis and treatment by professors from the local TCM University in Dali, China. They used traditional pulse, tongue and facial reading to diagnose everyone in the group. Afterwards, those who wished received acupuncture treatment based on their diagnosis.

The afternoon and evening was spent in leisure, strolling through Xi Zhou and drinking tea.

Five Elements, Tea and Qigong in the Mountains

Shawn Cartwright — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:38:29 +0000

Today we started the formal classroom part of our program. We are teaching our group Qigong and Tai Chi every day and they are experiencing various traditional Chinese medicine treatments. But this trip is special in that we are also teaching them the theory behind the practices. We started with a lecture on the five elements and its use in medical Qigong and TCM. Over the next few days we will provide daily, in depth lectures. When the trip is finished, our group will have learned all the material in our “Five Elements for Balance and Harmony: Foundations for Sustainable Holistic Healing” Qigong certification course and much more.

After class we visited the home of the Xi Zhou village elder. He gave us a tour of his house, including letting us go up in his attic. We saw antique implements and his private calligraphy collection, which he saved from the turmoil in the 1960s.

We enjoyed the hospitality of the center again for lunch. Afterwards, we toured an organic tea farm. The local tea master gave a lecture on how to prepare and drink tea. The group picked tea leaves which we saved for dinner.

One of the center’s local Chinese staff was a big fan of Bruce Lee. While the rest of group was relaxing and drinking tea, he asked me to teach him some Kung Fu. I taught him a few of the Jeet Kune Do methods, which he picked up pretty quickly. He was very happy.

After our tea break, we practiced Qigong on the roof of the tea house. We had the mountain to our back and the lake below. The Feng Shui was right and Qi of the area was very good.

That evening our group enjoyed dinner at a local vegetarian restaurant. The owner came from Taiwan to help spread Buddhism. Vegetarian restaurants have a hard time in the Dali area because the people are meat eaters. This restaurant specialized in preparing medicinal dishes. The tea master joined us for dinner and prepared a dish out of the tea leaves we had picked earlier. It was bitter, but quite good for the heart. After dinner our group generously supported the local economy with some power shopping.

Ancient Qigong Meets Modern Credit Course

Shawn Cartwright — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:33:09 +0000

Nurses, physicists, biologists, business people, yoga practitioners, spiritual healers and others from many different parts of the country and walks of life came together this past weekend to learn about the ancient Chinese art of Qigong.

We just completed our first professional credit course in Qigong. The class was completely full!

The course came about because several of our friends and students in the medical profession requested we provide professional level education in Qigong. We started with the nurses since they have direct, hands on experience and a high level of interest in holistic health care. They even have a nationally accredited branch of nursing called Holistic Nursing.

The course last weekend on Five Element theory and practices for health and healing is the first of four courses that will eventually lead to a 36 hour Qigong Practitioner/Healer I Certification. The first level will also cover Yin Yang theory, the Three Treasures theory, and an introduction to medical Qigong healing. The capstone will be an introduction to the theory and practice of Internal Alchemy (Nei Dan.)

These courses are intended to be part of a full 200 hour Qigong instructor certification program which will include medical Qigong, advanced Qigong exercises, comprehensive Qigong theory and advanced Internal Alchemy.

Everyone worked hard to make the class a success, most especially all the students. We’d like to express our sincere appreciation to you! May you have much success in your training and good fortune in your life!

Why Free Healing is Never Free

Shawn Cartwright — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:59:26 +0000

A student recently asked me a question about why the eastern healing arts are not offered for free in the US like they are in China and India. You could tell by the emotion in her voice that it’s the type of question that really seriously bothered her.

She asked, “How can these Reiki people charge $150 per hour for their healing? I mean, how do you know it will work? Isn’t it supposed to be free?”

Now, for those of you who have no experience with Reiki, it is a Japanified version of Chinese external Qi healing (also called medical Qigong or energy healing.) It is an esoteric medical system. The Chinese call it Bu Qi, or giving Qi. In the ancient Taoist tradition which these methods are based upon, there is much more than just Qi involved, but most of what has been disseminated works on the level of Qi.

If you have never experienced these types of healing modalities, you might be tempted to dismiss them altogether. Before you do so, consider that westernized version of these systems such as Hands on Healing and Healing Touch are being widely used at major hospitals in the US.

Although there is a tendency by some to view Reiki as being watered down medical Qigong, it is not really fair to judge the whole system by just a few practitioners. It’s sort of like concluding that Tai Chi is not a martial art because the only people you’ve seen doing it are retirees in the park.

Nevertheless, the fact that Reiki uses something of a mass-production training system does tend to produce some practitioners with only rudimentary skill. Their lack of an internal alchemy (Nei Dan) system to support their healing practice means that their general level of effectiveness will likely decline over time.

Back to my student’s question…

I said “Reiki people have to eat. They need a place to live just like you do.”

“But I thought healing was supposed to be free?”

“Is it free to go into a doctor’s office and get treated?”

“No, but how do you know it will work?”

“The price set is not based on whether it will work or not, it is based on the value of their time.”

“Yes, but $150 dollars an hour!”

“We live in DC. It’s a very expensive city. How much does a junior attorney charge for their time?”

“About $300 per hour.”

“Are they worth it? How do you know you’ll get the outcome you want?”

“No! You don’t, and you probably won’t”

‘That’s right. You are not buying a product, you are buying their time.”

“Look at it this way.” I continued, “Most of the people that I know who do this sort of stuff are well educated. Many of them are professionals with master’s degrees and higher. They can earn a lot more money by doing other things. They don’t have to do esoteric healing to eat. They do it because they have a certain passion for the art. But they still have to live in this world. In the US this means they have to charge you for their time.”

When I put it like that, it seems obvious that even esoteric healers have to charge for their services. But my student is not alone in her thinking. For some reason, people think that eastern forms of healing are supposed to be free. This notion probably arouse out of a miss-interpretation of certain eastern cultural concepts.

You see, “free” healing in Asia is not really free. First, most people who can do it charge for it. The Taoist adepts typically would charge. Second, those who didn’t charge for it knew that you would pay whatever you could afford because it was part of their cultural norms!

To put it another way, in China it is an “unwritten rule” (a management consulting term referring to social norms that govern behavior) that you reciprocate to the best of your ability in order to show your appreciation for the effort someone makes on your behalf. Failure to do so generates retribution (Bao Ying) either from the same social circle or from Heaven, or both!

But that concept doesn’t translate directly in the west. Here people, understandably, think free means free. That is the way our culture works. It is a prime example why, when studying a foreign culture, you have to have at least two levels of interpretation. The first is to get the actual meaning correct. The second is to understand the cultural context. Only then can you adapt it to your culture.