DRAGONS, TRANSFORMATION, AND THE SPINE

Yes, I've written about Dragons before. But, I've learned more. 

The dragon is a metaphor for the spine. The sleeping dragon resides at the very base of the spine. When awakened it spirals up from the tailbone up to the crown of the head. Yogis call this the Kundalini. 

Nineteenth century Taoist alchemists created an intricate diagram called the Neijing Tu. This is a depiction of the human body as a microcosm of nature – an "inner landscape" with mountains, rivers, paths, forests, and stars. It is read from the bottom up. I'm pointing out a similarity of the dragon and the Neijing tu. Wait for it. 

At the very bottom of the Neijing Tu we see water being churned by two people on wheels. We are talking about our pelvis, the water center. The water is driven uphill to the tail bone and then the Dan Tian. The water is then heated by fire. Steam is created which travels up the spine. Steam is now a metaphor for Qi. 

A weaver sits on a cliff representing the diaphragm. The trees represent the liver. 

Back to the spine. Next to the weaver is another fire, encouraging the upward flow of Qi. 

Above the weaver is a young man using coins to create the Big Dipper. He is standing at the heart. The heart-mind. He and the weaving woman are lovers. But they can only see each other once a year. I'll get to that at another time. It's complicated. It involves magpies. 

At the top of the Neijing Tu we see the Kunlun Mountains reaching up to paradise. We see two eyes, Yang and Yin. There are also two figures: Lao Tzu is seated above the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. Lao Tzu was the Chinese philosopher and author of the Tao Te Ching. Bodhidharma brought Buddhism from India to China. The poem near the head reads:

The white-headed old man's eyebrows hang down to earth;

The blue-eyed foreign monk's arms support heaven.
If you aspire to this mysticism;

You will acquire its secret.

Along the spine if you look closely you will see three gates. Qi moves through the gates but does not rest. These gates, or Sanguan, are called Ming Men, Jia Ji, and Yuzhen. You've most likely heard of the Ming Men, the Gate of Life.

Now, about your Back Shu Points. Qi is transported to the organs via the shu points. You may feel tenderness at some of these points. These Back Shu Points are located approximately at the same horizontal plane as the related organ. By pressing or tapping these points we energize the organs by giving them a little hit of Qi. 

Okay, back to dragons. The dragon is associated with the water element. During our practice we are going to move like water. We are going to stretch and twist the Kidney and Bladder Meridians, both associated with the water element. We are going to display claws. We are going to transform Qi by expanding and contracting. We are going to tap Shu points. We will wake the sleeping dragon. "Alexa, wake up the sleeping dragon." We are going to swim. 

No bathing suits required. 

Wait... 

Be well, be happy, and follow your bliss

Brian

PRIMORDIAL QIGONG

 

WUJI

Emptiness, without limits, void, The ultimate of nothingness. I could leave it there, and say that is all you need to know. Let it "become" on its own. Primordial Qigong. "Primordial" is best described as the world undivided by concepts, words, and knowledge.

That being said, I'll now add words and concepts to try to describe this state of being.

Writing this post is done without pretense. I know nothing, but I’ll tell you what I know. Primordial Qigong is more than a set of forms. It's a story, it's a science, it's a deep rooted philosophy allowing the practitioner to experience primal nothingness and then movement into creation.
The Chinese term "Hunyuan" describes the Primordial Qigong forms.

"Hun" is the equivalent of inner silence.

"Yuan" potential. We are the seed waiting to be planted.

Our "In a Park" group has begun practicing the Primordial Qigong forms and exploring the meaning.

The Primordial Qigong set of 12 movements is based on the Taoist theory of creation, the birth of the universe. As with all Taoist concepts, observations of nature and the balance of Yin and Yang, darkness and light, inspired this creation story and practice.

It’s been suggested that the forms can reverse time by leading us back to the primordial state of potential. The forms can heal.

We start in Wuji stance. Emptiness. Void. Limitless. Space in the joints, the crown of the head lifted, the feet grounded. We breathe. That's it, we just breathe.

Wuji is stillness. Taiji is movement. Wuji exists without an axis. Taiji is a polarity of darkness and light, the moon and the sun, rest and activity, silence and sound…

We lift towards heaven and root to the earth.

"Heaven" is the energy of the sun, the moon, the planets, the stars, the galaxies. We feel the warmth of the sun and the pull of the moon. Heaven = Fire = Yang energy.

We absorb the energy of the elements of the earth: water, wood, fire, and metal... Earth = Water = Yin energy.

Wait, Earth = Water? About 71 percent of the Earth's surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all Earth's water. Water also exists in the air as water vapor, in rivers and lakes, in icecaps and glaciers, in the ground as soil moisture and in aquifers, and even in you and in your dog.

We stand in the middle combining these energies. Creating what is called the Taiji axis.

Diagram by Roger Jahnke, the Healing Promise of Qi

Primordial Qigong as described by Feng Zhiqiang:

“This exercise is designed to use HUNYUAN QI in the nature to cleanse the JIAO and the five internal organs. The impure QI will be replaced with clear and fresh QI. The natural HUNYUAN QI will combine with the internal HUNYUAN QI” 

Note: Yes, Jiao is a monetary unit in China. Here, Feng Zhiqiang is referencing the San Jiao, the Triple Burner Meridian. This meridian helps transport fluids and disperse heat. 

Between each movement we clear Qi and invite peaceful Qi into the body. Then, we center at the lower Dan Tian. 

The twelve movements:

1. Lower the Qi and Cleanse Internally
2. Gather the Qi to the Three Dan Tian (Upper Dan Tian, Middle Dan Tian, and Lower Dan Tian)
3. Two Hands Rub the Ball
4. Open and Close the Three Dan Tian
5. The Sun and the Moon Turning
6. Circular Extension and Contraction
7. Single Leg Ascending and Descending
8. Double Leg Ascending and Descending
9. Belt Meridian Grinding
10. Heaven and Earth Open and Close
11. Collecting the Qi to the Dan Tian
12. Health Massage Techniques

There are a few YouTube videos of Primordial Qigong. There are variations of the practice. I’ve found this video by Feng Zhiqiang which is fast and in Chinese, but visually useful. 

Mimi Kuo Deemer also has offered a five session Primordial Qigong class which you may buy at Vimeo On Demand. 

And one more thing. Since this post is very black and white, I’d like to share a doodle I did a couple of weeks ago to add some color, some moon, and some sun. 

Be well, be happy, and follow your bliss

Brian

CIRCADIAN RHYTHM AND QIGONG

Topics of conversation in November:

We’re already seeing Christmas commercials?

• What should I do with all of those leaves on my lawn? Mulch? Landfill?
• Which ski slope will open first?
• CAN WE JUST GET RID OF CHANGING THE CLOCKS FROM DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME TO STANDARD TIME? 
• It’s going to be dark at 4:00 p.m. My life is over.

Fewer than 40% of the countries in the world recognize Daylight Saving Time (DST). Countries close to the equator say, why bother? They count on roughly 12 hours of sunlight, 12 hours of nighttime.

61% of the American public wants to discontinue this bi-annual tradition of changing the clock.

Guess what. For the time being, we’ve got to adapt, pick up the shattered pieces of our lives and move on.

What can we do?

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) utilizes a circadian rhythm which considers more than just sleep patterns. The organs and meridians follow a rhythm throughout the day.




I was having a conversation yesterday with people who are both for and against the changing of the clock. What do you suppose the battling points are?

"It’s gets dark so early."
"The sun wakes me up so early."

Or, in my case, our beloved dog Zadie wakes me up early because the sun is coming up and it’s time to go outside to pee, eat, and then play with her wiggle giggle toy. Ugh.

“Zadie, I was having the BEST dream!”

Zadie can’t tell time. She just knows to follow the rhythms of nature. “Sun is coming up, I’m hungry, I’m ready to get to work playing with my wiggle giggle.

Be like Zadie, go with the flow. Embrace rather than resist.



What does Traditional Chinese Medicine have to say about all of this?




First off, Yang and Yin.

Yang = the sunny side of the mountain, light, daytime, active time, awake time…

Yin = the shady side of the mountain, dark, cooler, quiet…

Our rhythms are active when it’s light, and become quiet as it gets dark.

Sunday night, after changing our clocks I climbed into bed at 7:45 p.m. to read. I was sound asleep by 8:00.

Look at that meridian horary chart above. For many of us our morning rhythms begin around 7:00, give or take. We prepare to wake up by first having a really good deep sleep full of dreams and memories. Then, Zadie gets things rolling.

Yin time. It’s dark, time to make dinner. Wait! It’s only 4:00! Zadie wants her dinner and is sulky because she can’t go outside and play with her wiggle giggle. So, we’re retreating. Is it bedtime yet?!?!?

Early morning, Lung and Large Intestine Meridian time. We move first inward: dreams and memories. And then outward: get up and give our new day structure and new meaning. Contract, expand. The associated element is metal. Clarity, renewed convictions, motivation, metal characteristics.

Back in the day when I used to hang out at a yoga ashram, we were encouraged to get up at 4:00 a.m. to practice yoga in a very meditative state.

Encouraged. Well…

Noon-time yoga was energetic. It got our blood pumping and got us perspiring and ready for lunch. Heart Meridian time.


Late afternoon, Kidney and Bladder time. Water element. We move, we flow, we start to wrap up our day. "I hope you HAD a nice day" past tense.


The Kidney Meridian specifically is related to rhythmic change and adaptation. Think of water. It moves and flows down a stream rapidly or in a languid fashion. It gladly follows the topography.


Sea water is affected by the moon, the tides rise and fall.

Water moves around obstacles. It adapts and forges on. The eventual destination is back to the sea. Where it will be drawn up to the clouds and descend back down to the earth to start the adventure all over again.

What can we do? The adjustment is actually easier in the Fall because we don't lose an hour of sleep, we theoretically gain an hour. Unless you have Zadie around.

Update your clocks in advance.
Just like traveling overseas, make yourself stay awake that extra hour.
Turn off the devises.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol and snacks before bed.
Take a cat nap during the day if needed. You kidding? I LIVE for naps.

In our upcoming Qigong practice in a park we're going to meet later, 2:00 p.m. rather than 9:00 a.m. This is a Yin time of absorption: slow, easy, mindful. We're going to expand, contract and nurture the Lung and Kidney Meridians.

Lung meridian work: inhale, exhale. Expand, contract. Breathe!

Kidney Meridian work: adapt, change, go with the flow, move like water, don't resist, laugh at obstacles.

I started thinking about this clock change business after watching this video by Sifu Bodhi Battista.

Enjoy!

By the way in 2024, daylight saving time will begin at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 10, and end for the year at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3.

Be well, be happy, and follow your bliss
Brian

GETTING STARTED

A very dear friend, who lives more than a few hundred miles away, has been inspired. Candace would like to learn more about Qigong, start practicing, see what all of this hoopla is about. But how?

How about finding a teacher? The largest city is an hour away. Even if she found a teacher in this far away city, is that teacher a good fit? What type of Qigong are they practicing? Will motivation be a challenge if she can see them just once a month? 

Are books the answer? I started off with one book by Kenneth Cohen. Is this a good place to start?  

Now, I have maybe thirty books by various authors. But can one learn technique by reading a book? 

I recommend: 

Qigong and the Tai Chi Axis by Mimi Duo Deemer

The Way of Qigong by Kenneth Cohen

Cultivating Vital Energy: a Qigong Workbook and Journal by Bee Buehring

How about the internet? Candace and her husband have just gotten hooked up to the cyber world. There are hundreds of YouTube videos, but will she be watching them on her phone screen? 

Hundreds of videos, hundreds of teachers; again, is this video a good fit? 

I asked my friend Conor "Where did you start?" He and I coincidentally started our practices by watching the same video, over and over again. “Qigong for Cleansing” by Daisy Lee and Francesco Garripoli. I had attended one class prior to finding this video. The instructor had apparently also watched “Qigong for Cleansing.” He did all of the same moves. 

Ah! This must be Qigong! 

I found the video and was on my way. Making a spreadsheet helped my wrap my brain around the practice. 

Conor found that making an outline helped. We were going to get this down! 

An excerpt of the video is at the bottom of this post. 

To see the entire video with the "hows, what's and why's" you'll need to purchase a DVD or you can buy it on Amazon and stream it. Click on the link below.

Qigong for Cleansing

Let's stop for a moment and consider the scope of information about Qigong. When I first started practicing I was filled with confidence. I’ve learned “Qigong for Cleansing!” Cool, I get Qigong!

Ha! I’m now years into my practice and often feel like I don’t know a thing. But, my topic here is "taking that first step." 

I feel like I take that first step every day. 

What do I recommend?

• Explore some Qigong videos on YouTube. I recommend Mimi Kuo Deemer, Nick Loffree, Alex Hui, Karen Soo, "Move with James," "Qigong with Kseny," "YoQi Yoga and Qigong" "Bodhi Acupuncture and Wellness"... Check out my friend Bee's website and videos at Forest Path Qigong. I'll post one below. Once you find a video that resonates, practice it daily. Just follow along. Eventually, you'll feel the Qi. 

• Once you find a video, go to that teacher's website. They may offer live Zoom classes. 

• Find a teacher. Many Yoga studios are now offering Qigong. 

• Go to Meetup.com and look for Qigong groups. Some groups meet live, some hold online events.

• Look on FaceBook for Qigong teachers or groups. 

• Google Qigong near me... 

• Be discerning. Maybe that teacher, that video, that book is a good fit, maybe not. 

An excerpt from "Qigong for Cleansing" by Daisy Lee and Francesco Garripoli

 

Three videos I recommend. Why? 

The teachers beautifully demonstrate the "forms" while offering clear explanations.

                       Top 2 Most Effective Qigong Exercises for Beginners by Nick Loffree

Eight Brocades by Mimi Kuo Deemer

Winter Qigong by Bee Buehring, Forest Path Qigong

Be well, be happy, and follow your bliss

Brian