QIGONG IN A PARK: YI, SONG, TING

After hearing me ramble on during a podcast hosted by my teacher and friend Jess Reynolds, a listener wrote to me asking that I elaborate about incorporating Qigong into bodywork sessions. Me elaborate?

Here was my simple answer to Lesley’s question.

Lesley planted a seed. It's her fault. Look out.

Three words are associated with Taoist practices:

Yi, meaning intent, concentration or mindfulness.

Song, (pronounced with a long "o") relaxing or letting go.

Ting, listening.

Yi, Intention takes the form of big picture goal setting, and then working towards that big picture using concentration and mindfulness.

I practice forms of Stick Qigong. One is called Taiji Yang Sheng Zhang. Taiji, another spelling of T'ai Chi, is a martial art. So the movements are coordinated with stick wielding and guided breath and visualization. There are eight beautiful exercises in this form that are seamlessly strung together.

Intention: Let's look at one form of Taiji Yang Sheng Zhang, namely Iron Stick Calms the Sea. Don't be put off by the name, we use wooden or bamboo sticks not iron sticks.

As explained by the Chinese Health Qigong Association: "Wrist rotation makes up for the lack of such movements in daily life, effectively preventing wrist injury. Guiding the Qi with the stick, and imagining the absorption of nature's essence into your Dantian from the Baihui acupoint nurtures the soul, and helps maintain vitality." Intention, Concentration and Mindfulness. Yi.

While pondering different stick forms, I stumbled on videos of Western Stick Workouts. Sticks are used in exercises that combine joint mobilization, strength training, and active stretching to increase athletic performance, reduce risk of injury, and accelerate recovery. Truly noble intentions, and the workouts can and should be done with intent, concentration and mindfulness. But, I enjoy the references to acupoints and the Dan Tian.

Perhaps a clearer example would be Vinyasa Yoga and Core Yoga. I began my yoga practice at an ashram. The yoga was taught as "moving meditation." My intent was to focus, stop the chatter, and make space in my body. The meditation was focused on moving from one asana to another. What happens between picture #1 and #2? That's the important part of the practice for me. Excuse my over-simplification here, but the primary intention of Core Yoga is to build core strength.

Song, "letting go" is sometimes difficult. We have to change our mindset. What if we use the word relax instead? We learn techniques, we memorize when to inhale and exhale, we correct our body mechanics... What if we just relax and experience after we've learned the "inhale, exhale" stuff? Once this happens, we move effortlessly. New term: Wu Wei, pronounced Woo Way. Meaning: effortless action.

Ting translates as “listening” but it might be better to express it as “heightened awareness.” We learn by listening with our ears, eyes, and even touch. We spend a lot of time in the land of chatter or pensiveness. But then, the chatter hopefully slows down and we feel. We "listen to the energy." It becomes non-verbal. Our movements become a dance. The dance is effortless. Wu Wei.

Qigong and bodywork. I was practicing Qigong with a couple of people the other day. I was teaching the movement, the breath work and the intention of the forms. “Move your body this way; inhale, exhale; by doing this form we are…” I gave the instructions and then I let them practice in silence. I turned my attention to watch their forms. How beautiful they looked. I told them so, they relaxed even more and let the flow happen. Wu Wei, "effortless action."

As a bodyworker, I begin sessions by observing the client, asking questions, and formulating an intention. That intention will evolve once I place my hands on their body. Touching tells me a lot. I may use techniques common to Swedish Massage, Thai-Yoga Massage, Chinese Tui Na Massage, Qigong Healing, breath-work, but only as “dance steps.” When I relax and listen to how the client is responding, we dance. I "listen" from the outside. They "listen" from the inside. It's effortless: Wu Wei.

I've been practicing Dragon Qigong forms. I was recently giving a massage and found myself moving like the Dragon. I had become the Dragon. I relaxed and I KNEW when to inhale and exhale. My body mechanics became organic and free. The massage was effortless, the client loved it. Wu Wei.

As a music teacher, I encourage the same process. I teach the technique, point out the dynamics and tempo markings. After instructing the technical skills, I ask them to make music by letting go of the technique. Express. Tell me a story, make me want to dance, paint me a picture. Let go of focusing just on technique. Listen to your story. Enjoy. The student in the photo is an excellent performer. But, he can become very stuck, worried about technique. One day, I had him put his viola down and practice a simple Qigong form. "Okay, now play." He did so, beautifully. Wu Wei.

The intentions of Qigong practices are applicable to bodywork practices. To name a few:

Opening joints

Lengthening muscles and fascia

Softening adhesions

Cultivating Qi

Encouraging movement of Qi along meridians

Focus

Relaxation

Letting go

Observation

Meditation

CONNECTING

We coil, we twist, we extend, we contract, we loosen, we stretch, we bend, we move.

Move effortlessly: Wu Wei.

Challenge: how can you apply these principles to your daily life? Recognize intention. Relax into an activity. Listen with your ears, eyes, and sensations.

And now for some Stick Qigong

Time to ponder:

What does it mean when someone says "I had the best intentions." What if those intentions don't work out? Were they still good intentions? My answer is "yes."

“Intent in the human species is not fixed or locked into a rigid network of energy and information. It has infinite flexibility.”

Deepak Chopra